This Ginataang Bilo-Bilo recipe includes sticky rice balls, tropical fruits, and root vegetables cooked in creamy coconut milk. Also called ginataang halo-halo or ginataan, it is a sweet soup-like dessert or snack (merienda) from the Philippines. It's a warm treat that is naturally purple and a whole lot of fun to eat!
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What is Ginataang Bilo Bilo?
Ginataang Bilo-Bilo is a warm dessert soup 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 pearls are just fun to eat. This dish is cooked together in a sweet coconut milk mixture with pandan leaves or ginger.
Ingredients you'll need
Notes and substitutions
- Glutinous rice flour: This is also called sweet rice flour—not sweet and contains 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 good alternative. You can also use coconut cream if you want 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 used cassava, saba bananas, jackfruit, and purple sweet potatoes because I like the purple color they add. But feel free to get creative! You can use other types of sweet potatoes or tubers like taro or purple yam. Corn also works well. If you like some ube flavor, you can use ube extract.
Note: Get your ingredients ready by cutting everything into even pieces, making sure most of the ingredients are the same size. This will help them cook quickly and evenly.
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 them and set aside. If they clump 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 bilo bilo
In a bowl, combine the glutinous rice flour with 1 cup of water. Mix well until a dough forms, similar to Play-Doh. If the dough feels too dry, add a little more water until it is shapeable and easy to work with.
Pinch off small pieces of the dough and roll them into small balls (about the size of marbles) between your palms. Place the balls on a plate, making sure they don’t touch each other.
Step 3: Boil the coconut milk
In a heavy-bottomed pot, combine 2 (13.5-oz) cans of coconut milk, 2 cups of water, a pinch of salt, and the knotted pandan leaves. Set it over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil.
Step 4: Add the tubers
Add the cassava and cook for 3-5 minutes, depending on their size. They don’t need to be tender yet, as they’ll cook more later. Then, add the purple sweet potatoes and stir together.
Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. As they simmer, the color from the purple sweet potatoes will naturally bleed into the mixture.
Make sure to cut the root vegetables into roughly the same size to make sure they cook evenly. For tips on preparing cassava, you can check out my how to prepare cassava guide.
Step 5: Add the fruits
Add the saba bananas and jackfruit, then mix them together. Cover and let them cook for about 5 minutes or until they slightly soften.
Step 6: Add the bilo bilo
Turn up the heat to bring the mixture to a boil. Once it's boiling, gently drop the glutinous rice balls in one at a time. Don’t stir right away to prevent the balls from breaking apart.
Once the balls float to the surface and turn slightly translucent (about 5 minutes), mix them together. Add more water if the mixture gets too thick as it cooks.
Step 7: Add the sago and sugar
Add the cooked sago and sugar, then mix them together. Taste and adjust the sweetness as needed.
Once the tubers are tender and the mixture has reached your desired consistency, turn off the heat. Keep in mind that it will thicken as it cools down. Before serving, don't forget to take out the pandan leaves.
Served warm or cold, it's a favorite dessert for many and absolutely delicious either way!
Recipe FAQs
This usually happens if the dough is too wet. Make sure the glutinous rice flour mixture is firm enough to shape into balls. When cooking them, add the balls to the boiling liquid but don’t stir right away. Wait until they float to the top, which shows they’re cooked through and have set. This helps prevent them from breaking apart.
Ginataang Bilo-Bilo is best enjoyed fresh. If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. To reheat, you can use the microwave or warm it on the stove over low heat. If it’s too thick, just add a little coconut milk or water to loosen it up.
Filipino recipes with coconut milk
- Maja Blanca: Creamy coconut pudding with sweet corn kernels thickened with cornstarch, then topped with latik (caramelized coconut curds).
- Ginataang Mais: Sweet rice porridge made with sweet corn, glutinous rice, and coconut milk.
- Ginataang Munggo: Sweet rice porridge made with mung beans, glutinous rice, and coconut milk.
- Champorado: Chocolate rice porridge with tablea (cocoa tablets) and coconut milk or evaporated milk.
- Cassava Cake: Baked cassava dessert with grated coconut milk and condensed milk.
- Ginataang Kamoteng Kahoy: Cassava or kamoteng kahoy simmered in coconut milk.
- Ube Halaya: Sweet purple yam jam cooked with coconut milk.
- Espasol: Sweet rice cakes made with toasted glutinous rice flour and sometimes macapuno. Ube espasol is an ube-flavored variation.
- Ube Kalamay: Sticky, chewy ube rice cakes cooked with coconut milk, then topped with latik.
Other dessert recipes you may like
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📖 Recipe
Ginataang Bilo-Bilo
Equipment
- 4.5-quart heavy-bottomed pot
- Saucepan (for cooking sago)
Ingredients
- 2 cups glutinous rice flour (see note)
- 2 (13.5-oz) cans coconut milk (see note)
- 2 pandan leaves rinsed and knotted (see note)
- 2 cups water more as needed
- 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, small sago (about 1 cup cooked sago) sub: small tapioca pearls
- ½ cup sugar more to taste
- A pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a saucepan, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Once it’s boiling, add the sago pearls and cook for about 20 minutes, or until they turn translucent. Stir occasionally to keep them from sticking.Drain the sago and set them aside. If they clump together, soak them in hot water and gently separate them.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the glutinous rice flour with 1 cup of water. Mix well until a dough forms, similar to Play-Doh. If the dough feels too dry, add a little more water until it is shapeable and easy to work with.Pinch off small pieces of the dough and roll them into small balls (about the size of marbles) between your palms. Place the balls on a plate, making sure they don’t touch each other.
- 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 and cook for 3-5 minutes, depending on their size. They don’t need to be tender yet, as they’ll cook more later. Then, add the purple sweet potatoes and stir together.Cover and simmer over medium low heat for about 5 minutes. As they simmer, the color from the sweet potatoes will naturally bleed into the mixture.
- Add the saba bananas and jackfruit, then stir together. Cover and allow them to cook for about 5 minutes until they slightly soften.
- Turn up the heat to bring the mixture to a boil. Once it's boiling, gently drop the balls in one at a time. Don’t stir right away to prevent the balls from breaking apart.Once the balls float to the surface and turn slightly translucent (about 5 minutes), stir them together. Add more water if the mixture gets too thick as it cooks.
- Add the cooked sago and sugar to the mixture, then stir well. Taste and adjust the sweetness as needed. Once the tubers are tender and the mixture has reached your desired consistency, turn off the heat. Before serving, remember to remove the pandan leaves. Serve warm or cold.
Notes
- Glutinous rice flour: This is also called sweet rice flour—not sweet and contains 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 good 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, jack fruit, 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. Corn also works well. If you like some ube flavor, use ube extract.
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! =)