Sharing My Favorite Filipino Rice Cake Recipes for Special Occasions

16 October 2025

Puto is a soft and slightly sweet steamed cake. It is often served at special occasions, such as birthdays, fiestas, Christmas, and New Year's gatherings. It’s one of my favorite Filipino comfort foods, which brings a sense of togetherness.

My love for puto began with my mom, who made it for every special occasion. She never formally taught me, but by watching and helping her cook, I learned and eventually started adding my own flavors. I mentioned in my previous articles here and here that I'll gonna share this recipe.

I made these for my father's 2nd death anniversary	I made these for my Grandma's 79th birthday

And if you can still remember, I also loved cooking puto back when I was in Hong Kong. Here are some of them. The first batch is puto with a twist with different flavors, and the next is vegan puto. These are all my own versions. Some of you may already know that I enjoy experimenting in the kitchen and adding new twists to classic recipes.

There are two common types of puto:

• Traditional rice puto is made with rice flour and coconut milk. It’s my favorite, especially the versions I made back in Hong Kong.

• The flour puto is made from all-purpose or cake flour, along with milk or water. It’s easier and more budget-friendly since you can simply use water. You can also add different flavors to this type. The ones I made recently are flour puto, and they’re softer than rice puto.

Traditionally, there are many kinds of puto in the Philippines — puto kutsinta, puto bumbong, puto seco, puto maya, puto Calasiao, puto lanson, puto pao, and more. Nowadays, people often add cheese, ube, or salted egg for flavor, which can be found in local markets.

The ones I made recently are puto cheese, puto ube-cheese, and puto flan (puto with leche flan or egg yolk custard).

Making puto is actually easy. Once you've learned the basics, you can experiment with flavors and create your own version.

Alright, let’s start cooking!

For this recipe, I used cake flour as the main ingredient. I made a big batch since I wanted to prepare plenty. You can adjust the amount depending on how much you want to earn.

These ingredients and steps are for Puto Flan and Puto Ube-Cheese. Basic yet delicious versions!

INGREDIENTS:	(Puto Batter)
5 cups	Cake Flour (Use All-purpose flour or first-class flour as alternatives)
3 1/2 cups	Evaporated Milk (You can add more depending on your preferred consistency. You can use water or fresh milk as alternatives)
10 pcs.	Eggs Whites
2 1/2 cups	White Sugar (You can add more depending on your preferred taste)
5 tbsp.	Baking Powder
1 1/2 cup	Vegetable Oil or melted butter/margarine
2 tbsp.	Vanilla
1 tbsp.	Salt
	Food coloring and flavors of your preference
2 tsp.	Cream of tartar (Optional)

(Leche Flan Base)
10 pcs.	Egg Yolks
1 can	Evaporated Milk
1 can	Condense Milk
2 tsp.	Yellow Food Color
1 tbsp.	Vanilla

For a softer, fluffier puto, you can use the chiffon cake method, which incorporates beaten egg whites to create a light and airy batter.

PROCEDURE: (Puto Chiffon Batter)
1. In two separate bowls, separate egg whites and egg yolks. Save egg yolks for later use.
2. Beat the egg whites with cream of tartar at high speed until foamy. Gradually add 1 cup of white sugar until stiff peaks form.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt
5. Gradually add milk, oil, vanilla, remaining sugar, and whisk until well-combined.
6. Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the batter in batches. Do not overmix. Otherwise, the puto will deflate.

(Leche Flan Mixture)
1. In a bowl with egg yolks, add evaporated milk and condensed milk, vanilla, and yellow food coloring. Whisk together until well-combined.

THE STEAMING PROCESS:

Unlike regular puto, making puto flan takes more time and patience.

The kid wanted to help, too! I was planning to use cupcake liners, but realized I needed more since I was cooking a big batch.

Boil water in a large pot or steamer, and grease your puto molds so the cakes come out easily. Start with the leche flan base. Pour about 1 tbsp of the mixture into each mold and steam over low heat for around 10 minutes.

Why low heat? Because if the heat is too high, the egg yolks create bubbles. That happened in my first batch, so there were small holes in the flan base. Also, be sure to cover the steamer lid with a cloth so that water won’t drip onto the puto while it's steaming.

After 10 minutes, the flan base should be half-cooked. Add 1 tablespoon of puto batter to each mold and steam for an additional 10–12 minutes, or until cooked through.

You can test with a toothpick. Once cooked, let them cool upside down so the flan sets nicely on top.

Here’s how my Puto Flan turned out. A perfect mix of puto and leche flan. The yellow custard base is soft, and the white puto layer is fluffy like chiffon.

The ones on the left side are the first batch. The flan base has holes since I cooked it over high heat, which should be over low heat.

I was honestly so proud since it was my first time making it!

I used more than half of the batter for this, and with the remaining batter, I divided it into two, one colored purple and one left white. To make half-white, half-purple puto, I poured 1 tbsp of each color into the molds at the same time, then added cheese on top of the purple layer.

I forgot the cheese during my first batch, lol, so I added it near the end. I steamed these for 12–15 minutes over medium-high heat.

That’s my second batch, Puto Ube-Cheese. Soft, fluffy, and super tasty! The sweetness of ube and the saltiness of the cheese balanced the flavors.

Before heading to the birthday venue, I piped “HAPPY 79 BDAY NANAY” using ube-chocolate syrup from my waffle and mini donut business. I thought they looked so cute!

That’s when I realized I could make different toppings and maybe even sell them one day.

Making puto flan and puto ube-cheese can be honestly tiring if you only have one steamer, but it's much easier if you have more. I started after dinner and finished steaming everything around 4:00 a.m. Imagine that! So yes, I’m planning to buy extra steamers next time.

Cooking can be tiring, but it’s all worth it when people appreciate your effort. My relatives even told me I should accept bulk orders since they loved it. I’m not sure yet, because as I said, it’s tiring, but maybe someday.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe. Try it out and make your own version of puto!