Ginataang Bilo-Bilo: Coconut Dessert Soup with Rice Balls
Recipe Guy
Filipino merienda | Coconut dessert soup | Sticky rice balls
Small chewy rice balls make ginataang bilo-bilo especially satisfying to eat by the spoonful. Sweet potato, saba or plantain, and jackfruit share a coconut broth, with cooked tapioca pearls added near the end so each component keeps its own texture.
Why make it: This version keeps the generous merienda spirit while giving U.S. cooks flexible fruit and tuber options from Asian, Latin, or standard grocery stores.
Fresh From the Kitchen
About This Recipe
Glutinous rice flour and water form the rice-ball dough. Add the water gradually and aim for a smooth dough that rolls without cracking or sticking excessively. Keeping the balls small and similar in size makes them easier to cook alongside the other ingredients.
The sweet potato gets a head start because it needs more time than the sliced fruit. Coconut cream finishes the broth after the rice balls, bananas, and jackfruit are in place. A short rest gives the dessert more body without another long simmer.
Cooking Notes
- Roll one rice ball before shaping the whole batch. If its surface cracks, knead a little more water into the dough, then check again before proceeding.
- Measure the tapioca after cooking it, since the listed cup is cooked pearls. Add it near the end rather than asking dry pearls to cook in the coconut broth.
Ingredient Notes
For bilo-bilo
The rice balls should feel like soft clay before cooking. Add water a spoonful at a time.
For mix-ins
Use saba if you can find it. Ripe plantains are the easiest substitute in many U.S. stores.
Ginataang Bilo-Bilo Recipe
This version keeps the generous merienda spirit while giving U.S. cooks flexible fruit and tuber options from Asian, Latin, or standard grocery stores.
Shopping List
- glutinous rice flour
- coconut milk
- coconut cream
- sweet potato
- saba or plantains
- jackfruit
- small tapioca pearls
- sugar
- salt
- ube optional
Ingredients
Rice Balls
- 1 1/2 cups glutinous rice flour
- 1/2 cup water, plus more as needed
- Pinch of salt
- Ube extract or powder, optional
Coconut Soup
- 2 cans coconut milk
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 cup sugar, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Mix-Ins
- 2 cups diced sweet potato or ube
- 3 saba bananas or 2 ripe plantains, sliced
- 1 cup jackfruit strips
- 1 cup cooked small tapioca pearls
- 1 cup coconut cream
Instructions
- Mix glutinous rice flour, water, and salt into a smooth dough, then roll into small balls.
- Simmer coconut milk, water, sugar, and salt in a large pot.
- Add sweet potato and cook until partly tender.
- Drop in the rice balls and simmer until they float and turn chewy.
- Add saba or plantain slices and jackfruit.
- Stir in cooked tapioca pearls and coconut cream.
- Simmer gently until everything is tender and the broth is creamy.
- Rest 10 minutes before serving so the coconut thickens slightly.
Nutrition Estimate
Approximate values per serving based on the listed ingredients and yield. Actual nutrition will vary by brand, exact portion size, and cooking changes.
Tips For The Best Ginataang Bilo-Bilo
- Make small rice balls: They cook evenly and are easier to eat by the spoonful.
- Cook tapioca separately: This keeps the coconut soup from becoming gluey.
- Add fruit late: Bananas and jackfruit only need a short simmer.
- Adjust sweetness at the end: Sweet potatoes, jackfruit, and plantains vary.
How To Serve And Store
Serve warm, room temperature, or chilled as merienda. Refrigerate up to 4 days; the soup thickens, so loosen with water or coconut milk when reheating.
Common Questions
Can I use regular rice flour?
No. Glutinous rice flour gives the rice balls their chewy texture.
Can I skip tapioca pearls?
Yes. The dessert will still be satisfying.
Can I make it dairy-free?
It already uses coconut milk and no dairy.
Why did my rice balls crack?
The dough may be too dry. Knead in a little more water.
Can I replace glutinous rice flour with ordinary rice flour?
Not for these rice balls. The dough is intended to produce a chewy texture with glutinous rice flour. Ordinary rice flour would change that result and should not be treated as an equal substitute.
When do the bananas and jackfruit go into the pot?
Add them after the rice balls have floated and become chewy. The sweet potato starts earlier, while the sliced fruit needs only the later gentle simmer to soften with the other ingredients.
What belongs in your ginataang bilo-bilo: saba, jackfruit, ube, or all of it? Share your family version or testing notes in the comments.
Recipe inspiration and technique reference: Filipino dessert and bakery source research from Panlasang Pinoy, Kawaling Pinoy, The Dusky Kitchen, and Filipino-American dessert sources in the site roadmap.
