Try this creamy, cheesy Nilupak! It's easy to make with only four ingredients and delicious as a snack or dessert.
I bought a few pounds of fresh cassava last weekend, half of which I made into ginataan and the remaining half into this nilupak. I first published the recipe in December 2013 and I am updating it today with new photos and a better method.
What is Nilupak
Nilupak is a Filipino delicacy made from boiled cassava, butter or margarine, and condensed milk or sugar. It's commonly enjoyed as a midday snack or after-meal dessert.
As its name, which means "mashed'' or "pounded," suggests, the cooked cassava is traditionally mashed using a lusong (mortar) until free or lumps and then combined with butter or margarine, and condensed milk or sugar to form a smooth and creamy mixture. It's usually molded in various shapes and served on banana leaves with toppings such as grated coconut or shredded cheese.
While the recipe below uses kamoteng kahoy (balinghoy), different variants also include saba bananas, kamote, gabi, or ube.
Cooking tips
- Cut the peeled cassava in uniform size to ensure even cooking.
- Boil the tubers in salted water to boost flavor.
- I use butter in the recipe, but if you want to add a touch of yellow color, feel free to substitute margarine.
- For an added layer of texture, stir in about 1 cup of grated mature coconut.
How to store
Cover leftovers tightly with plastic film or transfer to a container with a lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
More dessert recipes
Ingredients
- 2 pounds cassava, peeled and cut into short lengths
- 1 tablespoon salt
- water
- 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
- ยฝ cup butter (and more for serving), softened
- 1 cup American processed cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Brush sides and bottom of a baking dish with softened butter or margarine and set aside.
- In a pot over medium heat, combine cassava, salt, and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, for about 15 to 20 minutes or until very tender. Drain from liquid and allow to cool.
- Remove the tough, stringy core and discard. With a mortar and pestle or using a potato masher, mash boiled cassava until free of lumps.
- In a bowl, combine mashed cassava (about 4 cups), condensed milk, and butter. Gently stir until smooth and creamy.
- Transfer mixture into the prepared baking dish and use a spatula to evenly spread. Run the tines of a fork on the surface to make decorative lines, if desired.
- Spread softened butter on top, if desired. Sprinkle top with shredded cheese and cut into servings.
Notes
- You can shape the nilusak using molds such as ramekins or llaneras.
- The mixture is traditionally passed through a grinder to form thin log strips; you can mimic this by transferring the cassava mixture into a disposable piping bag fitted with a round tip and piping it in thin long strips.
Video
Nutrition Information
โThis website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.โ
Caparas, Marizon M. says
Thank madam for sharing the recipe..am sure my mom will love thos classic merienda..miss my childhood days with this native snack
Menchie says
Will definitely try this weekend. Looks yummy
Rosalina says
Easy recipe to follow
Cora gonzales says
Yummy
Teresita An says
I like to love a fresh cassava. Thank you so much for sharing recipe for it. ๐๐๐ป๐
Lalaine Manalo says
You're welcome ๐
pureza jacaban says
hi lalaine ! it looks good and i'll try it but i have couple of questions: can i use the frozen grated cassava and did you bake it ( foolish ? ) ? is it just like niyubak na saba as we call it in Lopez,Quezon ? thx !!
Lalaine Manalo says
I've never tried it but I think it would work. Let me know how it turns out!
Rufa says
Hi Lalaine,
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I'd been wanting to do this for myself but don't know where to look for a good and easy to follow recipes.
Actually all your recipes are easy to follow.
QUESTION: Should I try blending it, I mean the food processor? LOL.
God Bless. Take care!
Lalaine Manalo says
I won't recommend blending it because over processing might turn the texture into glue consistency
Ro says
I was just wondering if we can use parmesan cheese?
Lalaine Manalo says
I've never tried it, but it might work ๐
Veronica says
Will buy all the ingredients and try making your Nilupak recipe sometime this week. Thank you for sharing your recipe kababayan.
Veronica
Lalaine Manalo says
Happy cooking!
Lyn says
Very simple recipe pero sobrang sarap. I really like ung gamit mong lutuan. Where to buy ung ganyang granite coated na lutuan?
Lalaine Manalo says
Binili po sa Dubai nang kaibigan ko.
Kaye says
Hi,
This looks so yummy! Iโd love to make this kaya lang due to my special diet which is similar to keto, I wonโt be able to use condensed milk. Do you have a suggestion on a substitute? Pwede kaya ang heavy cream and for the sweetness Iโll just use a natural sweetener I usually use for desserts?
Thank you,
Kaye
Lalaine Manalo says
Yes, pwede. ๐