Ahh, buko pandan—a delicious Filipino dessert salad, perfect for cooling down from the summer heat! It consists of sliced coconut pulp, sago, sweetened condensed milk, and delicious, chewy jellies. It’s very easy to make and a definite crowd pleaser!

Love this recipe? Try out my strawberry sago!

Buko pandan in a glass serving cup on a wooden table.

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Table of Contents:

What is Buko Pandan?

Buko pandan is a chilled Filipino dessert salad, often served at family parties! “Buko” translates to coconut, while pandan is a tropical plant with its flavor stored in its leaves. The flavor is described as a delicious combination of nutty, floral, coconut, and vanilla notes, and is often paired with buko.

This recipe consists of buko pandan jellies, coconut jellies, sliced coconut pulp, and sago pearls, all in a sweetened mixture of buko pandan flavored milk. It’s a delicious dessert full of crunchy, chewy, and creamy textures. Alongside Filipino leche flan, buko pandan is the dessert I gravitate to at most Filipino gatherings.

Instead of sago pearls, this recipe uses small tapioca pearls. The tapioca, which is derived from cassava, is similar to what you find in bubble tea: dense, chewy pearls with a satisfying bite to them. This swap is quite common because sago isn’t always easy to find, but the two ingredients share a similar texture and flavor, so it’s a seamless substitution.

The best part is that you can make this recipe your own. Add different mix-ins, try different milks, or change up the fruit. There’s lots of room to get creative in terms of flavor!

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

It’s super easy. The most “difficult” parts of the recipe are dissolving the jelly powder into water and cooking the tapioca pearls over the stove. The remaining steps is just mixing everything else in a bowl!
It’s versatile. Add your own twist with different mix-ins! For example, you can add other fruit like lychee or raspberries and include different extracts/spices.

Looking for more Filipino recipes? Try my triple mango float!

Ingredients

To make the best buko pandan from scratch, you’ll need the following ingredients:

I was able to purchase all of these ingredients at my local Asian supermarket. In case you don’t live near one, I included links below to buy them on Amazon!

You’ll boil some small tapioca pearls in water until translucent, which yields super chewy balls that are SO satisfying to eat!
I like to use buko pandan jelly mix. If you can’t find it, you can use plain jello mix and add in buko pandan extract, or any other flavoring you’d like!
For other mix-ins, I like to use sliced young coconut pulp (aka buko) and nata de coco (coconut jelly). I highly recommend the nata de coco—it’s flavorful and very chewy. Feel free to add in other mix-ins, like lychee or berries.
The liquid mixture consists of condensed milk and table cream, which provides the perfect creaminess and sweetness. Alternatively, you can always use different milks, like coconut milk and evaporated milk, and sweeten using different sugars, like brown or granulated.

For the full list of ingredients and measurements, see the recipe card below.

How to Make Filipino Buko Pandan Salad

Liquid buko pandan jelly mixture in a glass container, ready to chill in the fridge.

Step 1: Cook buko pandan jelly according to package directions. This normally consists of boiling water, mixing in the powder, then chilling in the fridge for 1-2 hours.

Cooked sago pearls in a stainless steel pot.

Step 2: In a medium-sized pot, boil small tapioca pearls uncovered for 10 minutes, until pearls turn from white to mostly translucent. Cover pot with lid and let tapioca sit for another 10 minutes, or until fully translucent.

Adding set buko pandan jelly cubes into salad mixture in glass bowl.

Step 3: In your serving bowl, mix table cream, condensed milk, and buko pandan extract. Add in mix-ins: buko pandan jelly, nata de coco, young coconut pulp, and tapioca pearls.