“Buko pandan made with pandan-flavored gelatin cubes and macapuno sport in sweetened cream. A classic Filipino dessert that is perfect for summer celebrations!”

Buko pandan is one of the favorite dessert in the Philippines especially during summer. It is cold, creamy and refreshing. You can also find this sweet dessert during party or celebrations. This buko pandan is easy to make and requires little ingredients which are very common in the Philippines especially during summer season.

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What does Buko Pandan made of?

Buko Pandan is a classic Filipino delicacy. Usually made of gulaman (gelatin) infused with pandan leaves then cut into cubes, combined with young coconut meats strips, and sweetened cream.

Although gulaman, buko, pandan and cream are common in most recipes, some popular additions are tapioca pearls (sago), sweet palm fruits (kaong), and nata de coco. In my case, I would love to add cheese cubes or sweet corn.

This tropical salad is commonly served as a snack or dessert at holiday parties and other special events.

What does buko pandan taste like?

Buko pandan has a sweet, creamy, and delectable flavor. Buko meat is so tasty aside from being healthy. The pandan leaves have a pleasant scent and a naturally sweet taste. Pandan leaf has robust flavor described as grassy vanilla with a hint of coconut.

Main Ingredients & tips in making buko pandan

Buko or young coconut strips.  The main ingredient “buko” which translates to young coconut in English are common in the Philippines. Buko meat and juice are healthy and refreshing. You will find it many other dessert such as buko pie, buko salad, buko drinks, etc.

Back home, I usually make buko pandan using fresh buko meat. Also, to make my gulaman mixture tastier, I would use the coconut juice instead of using water.

But since I am living in UAE and young coconut are rare and expensive, I learned to use the bottled macapuno sport. Also, there are canned coconut juice always available at the grocery store so you can grab that too. It’s still tasty but nothing beats fresh.

Pandan leaf (Screwpine). The aroma of this leaf is amazing. Also pandan leaf are also prominent in the backyard of Filipinos. Screwpine has fragrant leaves that are commonly used for flavoring in Southeast Asian and South Asian cuisines.

In the Philippines, we can easily grab these leaves and put lots of them while cooking the gulaman. It gives out a fragrant smell and lovely taste into the gulaman.

You can add drops of pandan extract just in case it is not available with you. Or you can also add vanilla extract if pandan extract is difficult to find.

Gulaman powder or bars (agar-agar). When making my buko pandan, I usually use the powdered form. In my opinion, they are firmer and easy to cook.

Agar-agar on the other hand requires pre-soaking and cooks a bit longer.

I remember that we usually use agar-agar when making the gulaman dessert. This dessert is more of like a pudding consistency and also being served during celebrations like fiesta.

TIP: You can prepare the gulaman a day ahead so it will be ready to blend with the other ingredients.

Tasty additions in making buko pandan

Tapioca pearls. Tapioca pearls are flavorless balls made from tapioca flour. Since they are flavorless, they can easily adapt the flavor of the dish.

I always add these balls in making my buko pandan as they also adds texture to the dessert.

Cheddar cheese. This is one of the addition that I don’t want to miss. The cheese balances the sweetness of the dessert so I usually put some into this recipe.

Aside from balancing the flavor, it also makes this dessert creamier. You just need to cut into small cubes then combine with the rest of the ingredients.

Sweet corn. Made out of experiment, sweet corn can be also be a good addition in buko pandan. It adds color and additional flavor to the dessert. You can try to experiment if you desired but personally, it tastes really good.

Palm Fruit (Kaong) and Nata de Coco. If you want to be a little bit festive, you can add these either of the two or both. They add more flavor into the dish and crunch as well. I don’t usually use them in my recipe as it seems that it will overpower other ingredients. But I guess, minimum amount is the key.

How to make buko pandan

Buko pandan is actually easy to make. It involves little cooking, mixing and waiting.

Traditionally, buko pandan is made by boiling Pandan leaves to extract their flavor. The water used to boil the leaves is then utilized to make gelatin bars.

This recipe will be a bit different as it uses coconut juice, pandan extract, macapuno sport and gulaman powder that are readily available in your local grocery store. This is a quick recipe but tastes really good. So let’s start!

We start with cooking the gulaman.

Dissolve first the gulaman powder in coconut juice (or water). Add sugar and a few drops of pandan extract or vanilla extract. Turn on the heat to medium and let it simmer. Continue to cook until the gulaman and sugar is completely dissolved.

If using pandan leaves, tie a few strips of fresh screwpine or pandan leaves into a knot and add into the gulaman. When you’ve extracted enough taste and color, remove it and discard it.  Transfer to a heat proof container and let it cool and becomes firm.

Cooking the tapioca pearl.

This is an optional step and applicable if you are using tapioca pearls.  Though cooking tapioca pearls may appear difficult, but it is not. It only requires patience. You can also make this ahead of time so that it will be ready when mixing all the ingredients.

First, bring water to boil then add the tapioca pearls. Mix and cook for around 40-50 minutes stirring every 10 minutes. Pour more water if necessary. Turn off the heat and let the pearls sit in the pan covered until it reaches room temperature. Note: You will know when tapioca pearls are fully cooked when it is translucent and has no white in center.

Using a strainer, drain and rinse the cooked pearls over cold water. Do this few times until the starch has been removed. Cover in enough water with little sugar until ready to use.

Combine all ingredients and chill.

Cut the gulaman into small cubes once it is firm. Place in a large mixing bowl and combine with macapuno sport (or buko strips), tapioca pearls, sweetened condensed milk, all-purpose cream and cheese cubes (if using).

Allow to chill for about 3 hours and then ready to serve.

Try this buko pandan in your party celebration and it will be an instant crowd favorite. You can add kaong or nata de coco to make it more special. Happy tummy!

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