Tropical and refreshing, coconut popsicles (Filipino ice buko) are a fantastic way to stay cool on a sizzling summer day.
(A fan of coconut and tropical flavors? Try this no-bake pineapple coconut cream pie. Coconut + pineapples = the best summer dessert ever. Or if you’re looking for something different, try this blackberry lavender ice cream. So good!)
The Philippines is a land of coconut trees.
My grandparents owned a bit of land filled with coconut trees and I have fond memories of drinking fresh juice straight out of the coconut that was just cut from the tree.
Then proceeding to scoop out the soft, delicious coconut meat and eating that, all while sitting in the middle of a coconut wonderland where carabaos roam lazily and birds sing cheerfully. Ah, island life.
I grew up in Manila however; and although you can easily buy fresh coconuts there, the drinking and the eating part is not so dreamy.
And in Toronto where I now live, it’s gotten even worse because the only coconut I can buy is either frozen, canned or dried.
Coconuts are awesome though. So on this second week of our No-Bake August (last week we made homemade ice cream without an ice cream machine!), we’re not letting the unavailability of fresh coconut stop us from taking this ice buko recipe for a spin.
Let’s go nuts for coconuts (sorry, can’t help myself lol).
What is Filipino ice buko?
Filipino ice buko is really nothing more than coconut juice and shredded young coconut meat sweetened and frozen.
You will find them in most sari-sari stores (it’s kind of like a bodega that you can find in almost every street in the Philippines) and kids all over the neighbourhood go gaga over them.
If you grew up in the Philippines, chances are ice buko is one of your childhood favourites.
How to make
The best ones are of course those made at home. Where you can constantly check the freezer to see if they’re ready yet. And constantly get in trouble because you opening the freezer door makes it longer for them to set lol.
Good news is, it’s really easy to make at home.
Out of all the recipe testing I’ve done, this ice buko recipe hits the spot.
I used coconut water (instead of fresh juice), condensed milk to sweeten, heavy cream, and toasted shredded coconut (instead of fresh coconut meat).
It’s really good (we had taste testers at home last week and they agree too!) and tastes just like the ones from back home.
All about popsicle molds
I bought this popsicle mold from Amazon and let me tell you, making popsicles is one of the funnest things I’ve done this summer (try these rainbow popsicles!).
You essentially just stir or blend your mixture, put them in the molds, freeze and enjoy.
If you don’t have a popsicle mold, you can still make popsicles at home. Here’s a brilliant hack I found.
The best homemade ice buko
Back to these coconut popsicles. They’re so delicious and refreshing, they’re the tropics in popsicle form.
So the unavailability of fresh coconuts notwithstanding, these coconut popsicles are an awesome summer treat. Try them!
Other refreshing summer treats
Looking for other ways to stay cool this summer? This fresh mango mousse has only 2 ingredients, is a breeze to make and is perfect on a sunny day.
If you’re craving for cake but don’t want to turn the oven on, this strawberry refrigerator cake (or strawberry icebox cake made Filipino-style) is just the cake for you.
In the mood for ice cream? Grab some fresh peaches, a splash of bourbon (yeah!) and make a batch of fresh peach ice cream. And no, you don’t need an ice cream machine (you’re welcome).
Coconut Popsicles (Filipino Ice Buko)
Ingredients
- 2 cups coconut water
- ⅓ cup condensed milk adjust according to taste
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 5 tsp sweetened shredded coconut toasted
Instructions
- Stir 2 cups coconut water, ⅓ cup condensed milk and ¾ cup heavy cream in a medium-sized bowl until well combined. Divide and transfer evenly into your popsicle molds.
- Put ½ teaspoon shredded coconut into each mold and freeze overnight or until frozen solid.
Video
Notes
- If you’re using a popsicle mold, you can put the popsicle sticks into the holder right after you snap the lid on and freeze them together with the popsicles.
- If you’re using paper cups or something else, you’ll need to wait until the popsicles are half-frozen before inserting the sticks, then put the pops back into the freezer to set completely.
- For the toasted coconut, I found that when you put them into the mold first, they tend to stick to the bottom of the popsicle. If you put them in last and stir a little, most would tend to stick to the top but you’d get bits of coconut all around the pop. Experiment and see what you like.
- The recipe yield depends on what popsicle mold you use.
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only.
Happy popsicle making!
Did you make this ice buko recipe? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.
Julie
I am such a big coconut fan! I love the creamy color of these. They look perfect.
Jolina
Me too! Thanks Julie! Hope you give these pops a go!
Brandy
I love coconut, will have to try to make these right up. I will be the only one eating them in the house, well my boyfriend may eat them too, but the kids won’t so more for us adults 😉
Jolina
Maybe when they see you guys slurping them happily they will want one too lol! 🙂 Thanks Brandy! Hope you like it!
Ana
Ooh these coconut popsicles look freaking perfect. Plus I really love coconut its delicious1
Jolina
Hi Ana! Thanks! My favourite parts are the bits of toasted coconut that I bite into. Crazy over coconuts 🙂
Sara
These sound so refreshing! I like how simple the ingredient list is, too. I’m not a gigantic coconut fan, but I would SO give these a try!
Jolina
Thanks Sara! I’m a big fan of simple recipes, why complicate things eh? 🙂 Hope you like them!
Tammilee Tips
Oh my gosh these look heavenly!!! I love coconut and never would have thought to put it in a popsicle like this!
Jolina
Thanks a lot Tammilee! My favourite part is the bits of toasted coconuts that give texture to the pops. Hope you like it! 🙂
Nicolas Puegher
This is quite interesting, here it’s quite cold but never is too cold for some ice-creams! Right? 🙂
Thanks for sharing, you are awesome!
Jolina
NEVER 🙂 You are very welcome Nicolas! Hope you can try the recipe sometime, regardless of the weather! Thanks!
Katie Crenshaw
I have become such a huge fan of coconut. I am drooling over these. My whole family will love these. Making them soon! Lovely pictures!
Jolina
Oh gosh I’ve always been a huge fan. My grandma makes the best coconut everything 🙂 Hope you and your family like the pops! Thanks Katie!
Gay
Nothing like a tasty and easy recipe! I wonder if I can use almond milk as a substitute?
Jolina
Hi! The condensed milk is added to sweeten the pop….so if you’re using a sweetened almond milk then I think it should work. The beauty of this recipe is you can taste the mixture before you freeze them so you can make adjustments 🙂 Let me know how it goes!
Rina
It looks incredibly delicious! Very creative idea and great quality photos! Yum… yummy! :-))
Liz Mays
Oh man, these are really cool. I’d love to make some. My boyfriend is such a big fan of coconut flavor!
Jolina
Literally cool too haha 🙂 It’s so easy and so much fun making pops. Hope you and your boyfriend like it! Thanks Liz!
Bing
One of the traditional ways in making “ice buko” is with the use of “pandan leaf”. Boil coconut water with sugar, milk and a few pandan leaves. Let it cool and put into molds! The pandan leaf leaves that nice fresh flavour and aroma that will bring us back to our hometown. Instead of grated coconut, put sweetened mongo or here in Canada, you can buy frozen coconut strings from any Asian stores! Try it!
(your #1 fan)
Jolina
Hi Bing! I didn’t know about the pandas leaves. But you’re right, that would lend a fantastic aroma and flavour to the pops! I’ll try that next batch (or as soon as we have freezer space again haha). Thanks for the tips!
Kay
This is going to be a hit with my 9 and 8 year old. It’s something different on their palates not the usual fudge or vanilla ice cream on a stick you buy from the grocery store. Plus, we can work on it together! It will be a nice weekend activity with the kids!
Jolina
Hi Kay! Absolutely! Popsicles are always a hit and this ice buko is definitely a unique flavour. Have fun!
Robin
Popsicle is perfect for summer! If love to try this out. Thanks for sharing 😉
Joanna
These popsicles seem so easy to make and I bet they are delicious, with the condensed milk and the cream added to sweeten them up. I guess that anytime you can dip them in chocolate too, for a scrumptious finish.
Jolina
Condensed milk is like a magic, secret ingredient isn’t it? 🙂 And yeah, dipping them in chocolate is a wonderful idea Joanna!
Dawn
I absolutely LOVE coconut!! So, suffice to say, I’m all over these pops, Jolina! Must have been so nice growing up with all that fresh coconut around all the time! I love coconut in food and in scented products…it’s just the best, isn’t it?
It wasn’t until this Summer that I started to make my own ice pops and there’s no stopping me now. Can’t wait to try these. They sound and look amazing 🙂 Pinned! Have a great week!
Jolina
Hey Dawn! We’re the same, I got my mold just before summer started and there was no stopping me too. Our freezer is overrun haha! Hope you like this flavour! And yes, growing up in a tropical country is really quite nice if I say so myself 🙂 Have a wonderful week too!