This Ginataang Bilo-Bilo recipe features sticky rice balls, tropical fruits, and root vegetables simmered in creamy coconut milk. Also called ginataang halo-halo, it is a sweet soup-like dessert or snack (merienda) from the Philippines. This warm treat is naturally purple and a whole lot of fun to eat!
Jump to:
What is Ginataang Bilo Bilo?
Ginataang Bilo-Bilo is a warm, soup-like dessert with chewy rice balls (bilo-bilo) made from glutinous or sticky rice flour. It also includes root vegetables or tubers like sweet potatoes (kamote), ube (purple yam), and cassava (kamoteng kahoy).
Tropical fruits like jackfruit (langka) and saba bananas (saging na saba) add natural sweetness to the mix, while sago or tapioca pearls provide a delicious texture contrast. These components are cooked together in a sweetened coconut milk mixture, infused with pandan leaves or ginger.
Ingredients you'll need
Notes and substitutions
- Glutinous rice flour: Also called sweet rice flour, it's not sweet and has no gluten. It gets sticky and chewy when cooked, unlike regular rice flour.
- Coconut milk (gata): Fresh is always best, but full-fat coconut milk in cans and cartons is a suitable alternative. You can also use coconut cream for a thicker consistency.
- Pandan leaves: Knotting them helps release their aroma. You can also use vanilla, pandan, or ube extract. Sometimes, I like using fresh ginger for a warm, spicy touch.
- Root vegetables and more: I've used cassava, saba bananas, jackfruit, and purple sweet potatoes because I like the purple color they add. However, feel free to get creative! You can use other types of sweet potatoes or tubers like taro or purple yam (ube). Corn is a good option, too.
Get your ingredients ready. Cut the root vegetables uniformly to ensure quick and even cooking.
How to make this recipe
Step 1: Cook the Sago
In a saucepan, bring about 3 cups of water to a boil. Once it's boiling, add the sago pearls. Cook until they turn translucent, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. This typically takes about 20 minutes.
Drain and set them aside. If they stick together, soak them in hot water and break them apart. For details on cooking sago, refer to my how to make sago guide.
Step 2: Make the Glutinous Rice Balls
In a bowl, combine the glutinous rice flour with 1 cup of water. Add more water as needed to achieve a pliable consistency similar to Play-Doh.
Pinch off small pieces of the dough and roll them into small balls, roughly the size of marbles, between your palms. Place these balls onto a plate, making sure they are not touching each other.
Step 3: Combine Coconut Milk and Pandan Leaves
In a 4.5-quart heavy-bottomed pot, combine the coconut milk, 2 cups of water, a pinch of salt, and the knotted pandan leaves. Set over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil.
Step 4: Add the Cassava, then Sweet Potatoes
Add the cassava pieces and cook for about 5 minutes. Then, add the purple sweet potatoes and stir together.
Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes. As they simmer, the color from the sweet potatoes will naturally bleed into the mixture.
Roughly cut the root vegetables the same size for even cooking. You can also check out my how to prepare cassava guide.
Step 5: Add Banana and Jackfruit
Add the saba bananas and jackfruit, then stir together. Cover and allow them to cook for about 10 minutes until they slightly soften.
Step 6: Add the Glutinous Rice Balls
Turn up the heat to bring the mixture to a boil. Gently drop the glutinous rice balls one at a time. Avoid stirring immediately to prevent the rice balls from losing their shape.
Once they float to the surface and become slightly translucent, which would take about 5 minutes, mix them together. Add more water, if needed.
Step 7: Add Sago and Sugar
Add the cooked sago and sugar, adjusting the sweetness to your taste. The sauce should have thickened by now and the root vegetables should be tender. Turn off the heat.
Before serving, remember to remove the pandan leaves. This popular Filipino dessert can be enjoyed warm, although some prefer it served cold. Note that the consistency will get thicker as it cools.
Recipe FAQs
Make sure that the glutinous rice flour mixture isn't too wet. It should be able to hold its shape when formed into balls. After adding them to the boiling coconut milk, refrain from stirring until they float to the surface, indicating they are cooked and set.
Ginataang Bilo Bilo is best when freshly made. If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove over low heat, adding a splash of coconut milk or water if needed.
Try other coconut milk-based desserts
- Maja Blanca: A creamy coconut pudding with sweet corn kernels thickened with cornstarch, then topped with latik (caramelized coconut curds).
- Ginataang Mais: A sweet porridge made with sweet corn, glutinous rice, and coconut milk.
- Ginataang Munggo: A sweet porridge made with mung beans, glutinous rice, and coconut milk.
- Champorado: A chocolate rice porridge with tablea (cocoa tablets) and coconut milk or evaporated milk.
- Cassava Cake: A baked dessert made with grated cassava, coconut milk, and condensed milk, often topped with a caramelized milk layer.
- Ginataang Kamoteng Kahoy: Cassava or kamoteng kahoy simmered in a rich coconut milk mixture.
- Ube Halaya: A thick, sweet purple yam paste cooked with coconut milk.
- Espasol: Cylindrical or rectangular sweet rice cakes made with toasted glutinous rice flour and sometimes macapuno (coconut sport).
- Ube Kalamay: Sticky, chewy ube rice cake cooked with coconut milk, then topped with latik.
Other dessert recipes you may like
Did you make this recipe? I would love to know! Your feedback helps me make better recipes. Please rate, review, or comment below. Questions about this recipe are welcome, too!
Let's connect on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, Twitter, and Youtube. Be sure to tag me when you try any of my recipes @recipesbynora!
📖 Recipe
Ginataang Bilo-Bilo
Equipment
- 4.5-quart heavy-bottomed pot
- Saucepan (for cooking sago)
Ingredients
- 2 cups glutinous rice flour see note
- 2 14-oz cans coconut milk see note
- Pinch of salt
- 2 pandan leaves rinsed and knotted; see note
- 2 cups water or more
- 8 ounces cassava (about 2 cups small bite-sized pieces) see note
- 8 ounces purple sweet potatoes (about 2 cups small bite-sized pieces) see note
- 8 ounces ripe saba bananas (about 2 cups small bite-sized pieces) see note
- 4 ounces ripe jackfruit (about 1 cup sliced into thin strips) see note
- ⅓ cup raw, mini sago (about 1 cup cooked sago) sub: small tapioca pearls
- ½ cup sugar or to taste
Instructions
- COOK THE SAGO: In a saucepan, bring about 3 cups of water to a boil. Once it's boiling, add the sago. Cook until they turn translucent, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. This typically takes about 20 minutes.Drain and set them aside. If they stick together, soak them in hot water and break them apart.
- MAKE THE GLUTINOUS RICE BALLS: In a mixing bowl, combine the glutinous rice flour with 1 cup of water. Add more water as needed to achieve a pliable consistency similar to Play-Doh.Pinch off small pieces of the dough and roll them into small balls, roughly the size of marbles, between your palms. Place these balls onto a plate, making sure they are not touching each other.
- COMBINE COCONUT MILK AND PANDAN LEAVES: In a large pot, combine the coconut milk, 2 cups of water, a pinch of salt, and the knotted pandan leaves. Set over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil.
- ADD THE CASSAVA, THEN SWEET POTATOES: Add the cassava pieces and cook for about 5 minutes. Then, add the purple sweet potatoes and stir together.Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes. As they simmer, the color from the sweet potatoes will naturally bleed into the mixture.
- ADD BANANA AND JACKFRUIT: Add the saba bananas and jackfruit, then stir together. Cover and allow them to cook for about 10 minutes until they slightly soften.
- ADD THE GLUTINOUS RICE BALLS: Turn up the heat to bring the mixture to a boil. Gently drop the glutinous rice balls one at a time. Avoid stirring immediately to prevent the rice balls from losing their shape.Once they float to the surface and become slightly translucent, which would take about 5 minutes, mix them together. Add more water, if needed.
- ADD SAGO AND SUGAR: Add the cooked sago and sugar, adjusting the sweetness to your taste. The sauce should have thickened by now and the root vegetables should be tender. Turn off the heat.Before serving, remember to remove the pandan leaves. Ginataang Bilo-Bilo can be enjoyed warm, although some prefer it served cold.
Notes
- Glutinous rice flour: Also called sweet rice flour, it's not sweet and has no gluten. It gets sticky and chewy when cooked, unlike regular rice flour.
- Coconut milk: Fresh is always best, but full-fat coconut milk in cans and cartons is a suitable alternative.
- Pandan leaves: Knotting them helps release their aroma. You can also use vanilla, pandan, or ube extract. Sometimes, I like using fresh ginger for a warm, spicy touch.
- Root vegetables and more: I've used cassava, saba bananas, and purple sweet potatoes because I like the purple color they add. However, feel free to get creative! You can use other sweet potatoes, taro, or purple yam (ube). Corn is a good option, too.
Patricia
This looks like an upgrade from what i grew up eating, my favorite! Can't wait to try this out!
Nora Reyes
Aw, thanks! The classics always hold a special place in our hearts, right? 🥰 Give this version a try and let me know what you think. Thanks, Patricia.
Theresa
I like how this is purple.. it looks so good and simple to make. I will make this over the weekend. Thanks for the recipe.
Nora Reyes
Hi Theresa! I'm a sucker for colorful dishes too! 💜 I promise it's as tasty as it looks. I hope you like it! =)