Espasol is a kind of Filipino sticky rice cake made of glutinous rice flour and coconut milk. Its texture is very similar to mochi — delightfully stretchy, soft and chewy. It’s easy to make too! Check out the recipe with lots of tips and FAQs for perfect espasol every time.
(Looking to make Hawaiian butter mochi? Try ube mochi, pumpkin mochi and mochi muffins!)
Filipinos have so many different kinds of rice cakes. From bibingka malagkit to royal bibingka, every province has their own.
What we have today is the rice cake or kakanin from the province of Laguna. They are known for hot springs, buko pies, and espasol.
Unlike most rice cakes though, you don’t need to bake espasol.
All you’ll need is to cook down the mixture until it’s thick and sticky, sprinkle with toasted glutinous rice flour, slice and serve. It’s that easy!
Let’s get to it.
Why you’ll love making it
If you grew up eating espasol like I did (it’s a popular pasalubong after a trip to Laguna), you will love making this recipe.
It tastes better than the espasol I remember from childhood and since I’ve never had freshly made espasol before, eating it right after I make it is an extra special treat! It is so good. Plus:
- Easy to make. Making it is simple — stir all ingredients until it forms into a ball. It takes quite a bit of stirring (about 30 minutes) to make sure the mixture doesn’t burn but it’s well worth it.
- Simple ingredients. You also need just 5 ingredients, including salt!
- Makes a big batch. Depending on how you slice the espasol, you can get more than 30 servings from this recipe; perfect for potlucks, picnics and more.
- Delicious. Best of all, this recipe is authentic and delicious. Plus, you can control how soft or chewy you want it to be, the shape you want to serve them as, and even add mix-ins if you like.
How to make
This is a no-bake treat and you only need 5 ingredients to make it.
Ingredients
Some things to note about espasol ingredients:
- Glutinous rice flour — glutinous rice flour is also sometimes called sticky rice flour or sweet rice flour. Make sure to get the right kind. Using regular rice flour will not result to the same chewy consistency.
- Coconut milk — make sure you use coconut milk and not cream. Using coconut cream will make your espasol very oily. I can only get canned coconut milk here but if you can get fresh, go for it!
- Evaporated milk and condensed milk — for best results, go for full fat.
Cooking tools
As far as tools go, you’ll need:
- A large pan or wok
- A baking pan — I like using a 9×13 inch baking pan but you can use any size of pan. Just note this will affect the thickness of your espasol.
Step-by-step photos
Toast the glutinous rice flour in a large pan or wok on medium-high heat. Stir frequently so it doesn’t burn.
Once it turns a light shade of brown and becomes aromatic, remove from heat.
Set aside about ½ cup toasted flour — use half of that to coat the bottom of your pan. Keep the other half for later.
In a large bowl, add all ingredients, including the rest of the toasted flour.
Stir until incorporated.
Transfer back to pan and bring to a boil. Optional: sift through a mesh sieve to get rid of lumps.
Lower heat to medium-low and stir until the mixture forms into a ball. Don’t leave the mixture unattended so it doesn’t burn.
Once the mixture is smooth and shiny, remove from heat and transfer to prepared pan.
Spread evenly.
Sprinkle with the rest of the toasted flour you set aside. Make sure to coat the full surface.
Allow to cool slightly, slice and serve. Optional: coat individual pieces with more toasted flour.
Expert tips
Easier than you thought, right? Here are more tips for perfect espasol every time.
- Use the correct ingredients. You only need 5 ingredients for this recipe but you need to make sure you use the correct ones — glutinous rice flour and not rice flour, coconut milk and not coconut cream.
- Don’t leave it alone. The flour and milk mixture tends to burn quickly so keep it on low-medium heat and stir constantly. If you notice the process pictures above, there are black bits on my espasol. That’s because I stopped stirring to take a photo! It’s still good though. So just make sure to watch your mixture like a hawk.
- Cook to your desired consistency. We like a softer espasol (almost melts-in-your-mouth) so I stop just until the mixture gets difficult to stir. If you want a firmer texture (mas makunat), stir some more.
- Be generous with the coating. To be easier to manage, coat your espasol generously. Also coat the individual pieces after you slice them.
- Customize as much as you like. This recipe is easy to customize. Just add your favorite mix-ins like pinipig, chopped nuts and macapuno. Also, you can slice and form it into any shape you like.
Recipe FAQs
To toast the glutinous rice flour, place it in a large pan or wok on medium-high heat. Stir frequently so it doesn’t burn.
It’s a little hard to tell when the rice has already turned a light brown so what you can do is compare that with un-toasted rice flour. You will clearly see the difference in color.
Espasol is typically available rolled and wrapped in paper.
I prefer to just putting the mixture in a pan and slicing them up, like brownies.
You can roll it if you prefer though — simply slice into your desired length (e.g. 6 inches) then roll so they become cylindrical before coating with toasted flour.
Espasol is usually eaten for snack or merienda but can also be eaten as dessert.
It’s usually served and eaten plain with coffee or tea, or you can sprinkle it with grated coconut.
We store espasol in a covered container on the counter for up to 5 days. Note that we live in a cold country so if you live in a hotter, more humid climate, your espasol may only keep up to 3 days.
You can also keep them in the fridge; I’m not a big fan though because the coating tends to melt the longer it keeps.
Other recipes that use glutinous rice flour
Do you like baking with glutinous rice flour? Check these out:
Happy cooking!
Did you make this delicious Filipino rice cake? I’d love to hear all about it! Leave a comment or a star rating below. You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook. I’d love to see your creations!
You can also find me on Pinterest, Twitter and YouTube.
Filipino Espasol Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 oz glutinous rice flour
- 2 14-oz cans coconut milk
- 1 12-oz can evaporated milk
- 1 10-oz can condensed milk
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Toast the glutinous rice flour in a large pan or wok on medium-high heat. Stir frequently so it doesn’t burn.16 oz glutinous rice flour
- Once it turns a light shade of brown and becomes aromatic, remove from heat.
- Set aside about ½ cup toasted flour — use half of that to coat the bottom of your pan. Keep the other half for later.
- In a large bowl, add all ingredients — including the rest of the toasted flour — and stir until incorporated.2 14-oz cans coconut milk, 1 12-oz can evaporated milk, 1 10-oz can condensed milk, pinch salt
- Transfer back to pan and bring to a boil. Optional: sift through a mesh sieve to get rid of lumps.
- Lower heat to medium-low and stir until the mixture forms into a ball. Don’t leave the mixture unattended so it doesn’t burn.
- Once the mixture is smooth and shiny, remove from heat and transfer to prepared pan. Spread evenly.
- Sprinkle with the rest of the toasted flour you set aside. Make sure to coat the full surface.
- Allow to cool slightly, slice and serve. Optional: coat individual pieces with more toasted flour.
Video
Notes
- The total yield depends on how you slice your espasol. The estimated nutrition information is based on 35 pieces.
- For a sweeter espasol, you can add ¼ to ½ cup brown sugar.
- You can use any baking pan or dish; it all depends on what size and thickness you want your espasol to be. I like using a 9×13 inch pan.
- We like a softer espasol (almost melts-in-your-mouth) so I stop just until the mixture gets difficult to stir. If you want a firmer texture (mas makunat), stir some more.
- See post for more tips, FAQs and step-by-step photos.
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only.
Marie
We enjoyed this espasol very much! Not so sweet and very soft. Thanks for the recipe!
Jolina
Happy to hear that Marie!