With the weather now scorching hot in the country, I’m sure most of us are just scrambling for ways to cool ourselves. But honestly, what better way is there than to beat the heat with (literally) cool food!
Of course, we Pinoys have always been a bit creative with food. And we’ve always had our own classic summer desserts to enjoy. Here are some of our classic Pinoy desserts that beat the summer heat:
Sorbetes
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvu7CuhnCav/
Sorbetes (also known as “dirty” ice cream) is the traditional Pinoy version of ice cream. It’s commonly sold in the streets, served in cones or in a piece of pandesal as a Pinoy ice cream sandwich!
Ice Candy
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwyvSUnFZ0g/
A household favorite, the ice candy is fruit juice (or any other flavored liquid) frozen in a slender plastic tube. Just bite off the tip of the plastic and start sipping the sweet frozen juice from inside.
Mais con Yelo
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwjTE7bhZfU/
A common dessert in Filipino restaurants, mais con yelo is literally corn with ice. Some versions have a scoop of ice cream and corn flakes for extra texture.
Sago’t Gulaman
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwqLYdeHuoR/
This refreshing drink is made of brown sugar syrup, tapioca pearls, and agar-agar jelly topped off with ice. It’s a great drink for the ones with a sweet tooth.
Fresh Buko Juice
https://www.instagram.com/p/BweP8qWAefO/
For something healthier, fresh buko juice is the go-to choice for summer refreshments. Whether it’s straight from the coconut or chilled in a pitcher, buko juice proves to be refreshing for any season.
Ice Scramble
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcVz0ISlhXa/
Ice scramble is the classic summer refreshment of most Pinoy childhoods. Made of flavored crushed ice combined with powdered skimmed milk, flavored syrup, and your choice of toppings, this pastel-colored treat was Instagrammable way before it was a thing.
Saging con Yelo
https://www.instagram.com/p/BuVEjluhhe9/
This sweet chilly dessert has sweetened boiled bananas, tapioca pearls in brown sugar syrup, and ice. Some prefer it with milk, while others love it just the sweet way it is.
Ice Drop
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv9Bw-8le6e/
The Pinoy version of the ice pop is a lot creamier and flavorful. The wide variety of flavors include fruit salad, chocolate-coated pinipig, ube, and buko with monggo.
Buko Pandan
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwWe6jWBeGG/
This version of fruit salad features strips of young coconut mixed with pandan leaves, tapioca pearls, agar-agar jelly, and creamy milk. Serving it chilled makes for a great treat in the summer!
Halo-Halo
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bwy_pesHDmu/
The classic halo-halo is the Pinoy’s go-to when it comes to summer refreshments. Take its many ingredients such as sweetened fruits, jelly, candied beans, crunchy pinipig, tapioca pearls, and much more, mixed with shaved ice and creamy milk, and topped with ube, leche flan, or ice cream–you’ve got a hearty Pinoy summer treat!
What’s your go-to Pinoy summer dessert?
Check out this video for more cool desserts:
