Puto made of rice flour and coconut milk are soft, fluffy, and tasty! These Filipino steamed rice cakes are delicious on their own or paired with savory dishes such as pancit and dinuguan.
I have recipes for morcon and kilawing labanos at atay ready to be published in my draft box but since I posted my dinuguan a couple of days ago, I thought the best follow up would be its perennial pair, puto. Because what's better to serve with hearty and savory pork blood stew than soft and fluffy steamed rice cakes?
What is Puto
Puto is a popular Filipino delicacy usually enjoyed as a filling midday snack or as an accompaniment to savory dishes such as dinuguan, pancit or sopas.
Although all-purpose flour, cake flour or even hotcake mixes are also used in making this kakanin, traditional putong puti is made from rice grains soaked in water overnight and processed into a smooth batter called galapong. The fermented rice batter is then steamed in banana-lined bamboo platters (bilao) or individual molds.
Over the years, home cooks have spun these native cakes into many delicious varieties by adding extracts such as pandan and ube flavorings or by topping them with slices of cheese or salted duck eggs. The recipe here is a for basic putong bigas which you can, of course, fancy up as you like.
Tips on How to Make Puto with Rice Flour
- While you can steam the rice batter as soon as you make it, I highly recommend refrigerating it first overnight before steaming. This extra step was a tip a KP reader shared in the comments below, and it does make for a softer and less crumbly texture in my opinion.
- I use silicone molds and they don't need greasing but if you're using tin or glass molds, make sure to liberally brush with oil or spray with non-stick cooking spray the insides of the molds.
- The molds I use for this recipe have 2-ounce (ยผ cup) capacity, and at this size, the batter takes about 15 minutes to cook. If using smaller or larger molds or ramekins, adjust steam time accordingly. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center of the cake; if it comes out clean, the steamed cake is done.
- Cover the steamer lid with cheesecloth or any cotton material to keep the condensation from dripping on the steamed muffins.
More Rice Cake Recipes
Give this Puto recipe a try. It makes about 3 dozens but you can easily halve or double the recipe depending on what you need.
Store leftovers in an airtight container; they will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. When ready to serve, warm in the microwave for a few seconds or in the steamer for about 3 to 5 minutes until softened.
Ingredients
- 4 cups rice flour
- 1 ยฝ cups sugar
- 3 tablespoons baking powder
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups water
- 1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk
- non-stick cooking spray or melted butter
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine rice flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until distributed.
- Add water and coconut milk. Stir until smooth and well-blended. Cover with film and refrigerate overnight.
- Lightly spray insides of puto molds with non-stick cooking or lightly brush with melted butter. Pour puto batter into molds until ยพ full.
- In the bottom part of the steamer, add water and bring to a boil. Arrange filled puto molds in a single layer on the steamer basket. Place steamer basket over the bottom part. Wrap lid of the steamer with cheesecloth or any cotton material (to prevent condensation from dripping onto puto) and cover steamer.
- Steam for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Remove from the heat and allow to slightly cool and gently remove puto from the molds.
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
Sam says
I tried to follow the recipe to the t and mine never came as pretty, spongy, soft and has cracks like yours. Mine was dense. What did I do wrong? I tried using rice flour but it is so sticky. Taste like malata na rice with sweet taste. Please help. Thanks
Lalaine says
Did you use glutinous rice flour or regular rice flour? I am thinking your puto came out sticky and sweet because you used the "sweet" rice flour kind? It has to be rice flour.
Sheryl Mendoza says
Hi po. Pwede po ba evap milk ang gamitin instead of coconut milk? Thank you.
Lalaine says
You could but there might be a change in flavor and even color of the puto.
Sheryl Mendoza says
Thank you so much po. I'll just use coconut milk po. Thank you.
leah says
Hi Lalaine,
I just discovered your blog yesterday. Glad to see you are Kapampangan from Tarlac like myself.
I have been searching for a puto recipe that is more like the traditional putu lasun of my childhood. I don't know if you are familiar with this. They are steamed in a bilao and they are very white and slightly tangy. If i'm not mistaken, yeast is used as leavening instead of baking powder. I've heard of stories where the bowl used to mix the galapong is never washed. So it's almost like making sourdough bread. I find this very intriguing. If only I have time, I will probably do more experiments. But if you have tried it, I hope you can share.
Thanks in advance.
Leah
Bernadette says
why oh why my puto is hard ๐ ๐ ๐ what i did wrong?
hannah says
hi lalaine, why is my puto so soggy...i did cover my steamer with cheese cloth.
mitch says
I love how this is naturally vegan and gluten-free!
in general, I find a lot of traditional/native filipino desserts (not the spanish-inspired desserts) to be vegan-friendly and don't have the additional calories and cholesterol of eggs, butter, dairy, etc. which is fantastic.
Lalaine says
Hello Mitch
Yes, most Filipino desserts are gluten-free or vegan as we use milled rice, grated root crops such as cassava and coconut milk in place of homogenized milk.
Analyn Cabugao says
Can i add butter on this recipe? Tnx!
wilvida says
Can i add 1egg in the ingredients ?
Lalaine says
Hello Wilvida
I've never really tried adding eggs to this recipe but I do have a cheese puto recipe that uses eggs http://www.kawalingpinoy.com/2014/11/cheese-puto/ Hope you give it a try. ๐
leonora says
hi, I did this recipe before, the taste is perfect but the texture of my puto is so soggy.. please help how to have a fluffy puto because ive been trying this but the outcome is the same. thanks
Lalaine says
Hello Leonard
Trying covering the thrnpuyo with cheesecloth or Katya before putting the lid on to prevent water from the steam dripping onto puto. Hope this helps.
Sarwat khan says
Hello, so excited to try these...but since i dont have molds...can i make it in a baking dish? Or can this be baked? Can paper muffin molds be use?
Thanks In Advance.
Sylvia says
Hi! Can I switch coconut milk to fresh milk instead? Thank you!
Lalaine says
Hi Sylvia
Yes, you can substitute fresh milk for the coconut milk but please expect a slight change in taste
maybelle says
I tried cooking this using a muffin pan since I dont have puto molds and I also tried putting cheese and salted egg and they said it taste good. Thank you so much and more power.
Anya says
Hi! I was planning on making this for the New Year but I don't have puto molds can I put it in a round cake pan and steam it?
Thanks ๐
Lalaine says
I think it would work although you might have to adjust cook times. Let me know how it turns out. Happy holidays!
Felix says
I wont recommend metal pans or glass type molds as it affects the texture of your puto. Use only heat-safe (some type becomes toxic when heated) plastic molds
Lalaine says
Thanks, Felix, for the tip. I use silicone molds and bought them at Amazon for cheap ๐
Gwen says
Hi lalaine, i tried cooking puto but why my puto is so hard? What makes the puto hard?
Chas says
Will baking these puto in a baine marie work? We don't have a steamer and we do not have pots big enought to double as a makeshift steamer so I was wondering if a baine marie could do the trick.
Lalaine says
Hi Chas
I use baine marie for my leche flan but I've never tried this method with puto. It might work if you can "tent" around the puto to hold the steam. Let me know how it works ๐
Maila says
Hi, Chas. I've been wondering if this will work usinb baine marie also. How did yours go?
Malou says
Hello,
In your site store there's this bamboo steamer. Is this one that is perfect for puto? Also, what molds can be used? I'm cooking for my mother-in-law so hoping to get it right. Thanks for your expertise.
Lalaine says
Hi Malou
Yes, bamboo steamers work well for making puto as they lessen the build-up of liquid (from the steam). However, they are recommended but not necessary. I use the steamer attachment of my rice cooker. ๐ Just make sure if you are using a metal kind to wrap the lid with a cloth to prevent the liquid from dripping onto the puto.
Malou says
Dakal a salamat Ms. Lalaine!
Lalaine says
Alang nanuman ๐
Gina says
Sorry for being naive. Can i use glutinous rice flour? It's available in Phil market in 500g packs. Or should i grind regular rice? How about all purpose flour?
I've done puto b4 but i used white king's puto mix.
Lalaine says
Hello Gina
Unfortunately, I can't really vouch for glutinous rice flour as I've never used it in making puto. Grinding regular rice I am sure would work as puto are traditionally made with galapong. I found this recipe online and you might want to give it a try
STEAMED (RICE CAKE) PUTO
2 c. rice soaked in 1 1/2 c. water overnight
2 tsp. baking powder
1-1 1/2 c. white sugar
4 egg whites
2 tbsp. sugar for egg whites
You may use long grain.
In a heavy duty blender, puree soaked rice in water until very fine. Pour in a bowl; add sugar and 2 teaspoons baking powder. Mix well and set aside.
Beat egg whites until stiff. Add 2 tablespoons sugar to keep the air in the beaten egg whites. Fold the egg whites into the beaten rice batter and pour into muffin pans. Steam for about 20 minutes or until done. Optional: Sprinkle a few anise seeds on top of the puto. Serve with grated coconut.
Goodluck!
Gina says
Gee! Thank u very much!
Kathy says
i hope this is the white puto i've been searching for a long time... ๐ will try this soon as i have the rice flour
Lalaine says
I think this comes very close to white puto we enjoy in the Philippines. Hope you give it a try ๐