5 easy Filipino Christmas recipes

The holidays are just around the corner. And though you may be miles away, you can still celebrate a Filipino Christmas wherever you are. Just follow any of these five easy dessert recipes, and you’ll be having a taste of your mama’s Noche Buena all the way in the United Kingdom or Canada.

We know you’re busy, but it doesn’t mean you should skip the holiday potluck. Come to the party prepared with this no-bake icebox cupcake inspired by the deliciously sweet and creamy mango graham float found on almost every Filipino Christmas table.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Chilling: Overnight (or at least 4 to 6 hours) 

Servings: 6 to 8 cups

• 2 large mangoes (e.g., Ataulfo, Kent, or honey mangoes)

• 480 ml heavy cream or double cream (chilled)

• 120 ml sweetened condensed milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

• 1 pack crushed graham crackers (You can use digestive biscuits too!)
• 1 pinch of salt 

1. Peel your washed mangoes then cut them into strips or chunks.
2. In a bowl, combine the cream, condensed milk, vanilla extract, and salt.
3. Whisk the creamy mixture until you eventually see strands (or peaks) that can stand on their own when you pull the whisk away from the bowl. 
4. Prepare six to eight clear cups for your mango graham float cups.
5. In each cup, create the cupcakes’ bases using your crushed graham crackers or digestives.
6. Spoon a layer of your creamy mixture into each cup, then cover this with another layer of crushed crackers or digestives.
7. Repeat Steps 5 and 6 until all your cups are filled with a final layer of creamy mixture. 
8. Garnish your cups with mango slices or a sprinkle of graham crackers.
9. Cover each cup with cling film and refrigerate overnight. If you are pressed for time, make sure your dessert cups are chilled for at least 4 to 6 hours.
10. Serve cold.

The Filipino purple yam continues to make waves beyond our shores, so why not share its magic with even more people at your next office Christmas party? This oven-free icebox cake recipe will surely intrigue your coworkers with its balance of sweet and salty flavours.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Chilling: Overnight (or at least 4 to 6 hours) 

Servings: 8 to 10 slices

• 3 packs ladyfingers or digestives
• 500 ml all-purpose cream or heavy cream (chilled)
• 300-400 ml sweetened condensed milk (chilled)
• 2-3 tablespoons ube extract
• 1 cup (approx. 250 ml) ube halaya or ube jam
• 100 g mild or medium cheddar cheese (diced or grated)

1. In a bowl, create your ube cream mixture by whipping together the chilled cream, condensed milk, ube extract, and ube halaya until smooth and airy.
2. In an 8×8 square pan, create your cake’s base using the ladyfingers or digestives.
3. Push your first layer of ube cream into the pan using a baking spatula.
4. Top the cream with cheddar cheese.
5. Repeat Steps 3 and 4 until you fill the pan with a final ube cream layer and a topping of cheese.
6. Refrigerate your no-bake ube-cheese cake overnight or for at least 4 to 6 hours.
7. After chilling, slice your cake into slender bars or chunky squares and enjoy!

Made of young coconut and green pandan jelly, the buko pandan parfait would add a pop of colour to your upcoming winter socials. Serve these layered Filipino Christmas treats in cups so your guests can dine and dance at the same time.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Chilling: 1 to 2 hours

• 25-30g pandan-flavoured jelly
• 500 ml coconut water
• 200 g granulated sugar
• 250 ml all-purpose cream or double cream
• 300 ml sweetened condensed milk
• 200 to 400 g shredded young coconut (i.e., shredded buko) 
• 200 g nata de coco

1. Mix the cream and condensed milk together in a bowl.
2. Cut your ready-made pandan jelly into cubes.
3. Layer eight to 10 clear cups in this order until full: pandan jelly cubes, shredded coconut, nata de coco, then cream mixture.
4. Chill the cups in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
5. Serve with a final topping of shredded coconut.

This coconut-corn pudding takes only 20 minutes to make but still has those Filipino Christmas flavours that will remind you of home.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Chilling: 1 hour

• 400 ml coconut milk
• 120 ml sweetened condensed milk
• 120 ml evaporated milk
• 30 g cornstarch
• 40 g canned sweet corn kernels
• 20 g grated cheese or desiccated coconut
• Pinch of salt

1. Stir the coconut milk, condensed milk, and evaporated milk in a saucepan over medium heat until it begins to simmer. 
2. In a separate bowl, mix the cornstarch with a quarter cup of cold water until there are no more chunks.
3. Slowly fold in the dissolved cornstarch into the milk mixture. Keep stirring until the mixture thickens into pudding.
4. Add the corn kernels and a pinch of salt into the saucepan.
5. Distribute the pudding into the eight to 10 ramekins.
6. Let the cups cool for at least an hour.
7. Once your maja blanca cups have set, top your treats with grated cheese or toasted desiccated coconut and serve.

It isn’t a Filipino Christmas without leche flan! So, use this easy microwavable recipe to whip up a batch for your upcoming holiday get-together.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Stovetop cooking: 20 minutes

Microwave Cooking: 8 to 10 minutes

Chilling: 1 to 2 hours

• 4 large eggs
• 300 ml sweetened condensed milk
• 350 ml evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 200 g granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons water

1. Make caramel by mixing sugar and water in a saucepan over medium to low heat. Keep stirring your mixture until it gets a golden colour.
2. Coat the bottoms of six to eight ramekins with your caramel.
3. While your caramel cools, make your custard mixture by whisking the eggs, condensed milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla together until you achieve a silky texture.
4. Pour your custard mixture into the ramekins.
5. Top each ramekin with a microwave-safe cover, then pop them into the microwave for eight to 10 minutes. 
6. Poke a toothpick into your leche flan cups to check if they are cooked. The toothpick should be clean after you pull it out of each cup.
7. Cool your leche flan cups at room temperature for at least an hour.
8. To serve, gently trace the interior of the ramekins with a knife. Then, flip the ramekins onto a serving plate and slowly pull them up to let the caramel mixture flow over the flans’ golden-brown tops.

You may be far from home today, but that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate in spirit. Send your Noche Buena contribution to family in the Philippines this Christmas with Kabayan Remit.

Kabayan Remit is a money transfer app with bank-level security features that lets overseas Filipino workers in the United Kingdom and Canada safely send money to reputable banks, e-wallets, and cash collection centres in the Philippines.

Download Kabayan Remit today, or learn more about the app’s features and perks by clicking here.