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
Rose says
Hi, i did try your recipe and followed everything, but i have a question, does your puto have that gritty/grainy texture?
Danna Padilla says
Nag subok po ako bakit po padang hilaw at may maliliit na buo na hilaw na rice.
Thanks po
Cathe says
, is it ok not to refrigerate the batter overnyt say just leave it rest for 15mins if short of time? Thanks!
mommaoftwo says
Hi Lalaine,
I tried the recipe but unfortunately it was too crumbly. I followed the instruction too where i should refrigerate it overnight.
Joy says
hi I tried today this rice puto but why it turns into tikoy? I follow all the instructions.
Lyn says
Can we freeze puto to consume at a later date? Thank you
Melfred says
Hi, just want to be sure about the baking powder..do i really need that much???
Mai says
Hi... when we take the mixture out of the fridge, do we have to steam right away? or do we have wait until it warm.
Vanilla says
Instead of 4 cups rice flour, can I used 2 cups rice flour and 2 cups glutinous rice flour instead?
Vanilla says
Instead of 4 cups of rice flour, can I used 2 cup rice flour and 2 cups glutinous rice flour instead?
Mari Currie says
i tried this kahapon but sad to say na ang pait...di kaya sobrang dami yung 2 tbsp na baking powder para sa 2.67 cups of rice flour...di po ba same lang po ito ng bibingka...si mudrakels ko po kase gumagawa sya ng bibingka meron kase sya nilalagay na dry yeast.
Jam says
Hi!! I tried this recipe and for some reason, mine cane out with a very different texture. It was almost like kutsinta haha. I donโt know what could have caused this. Iโve made puto before but with the plain flour version and it came out fine.
I actually cooked half of the mix first then decided to chill the rest overnight to see if it would make a difference but sadly, it still ended up having a kustinta like flavour. Oops!
Peter Tagle says
Tried this recipe and taste was good but I was expecting a fluffier puto. It had a texture like puto kutsinta. What's yourrecommendation?
Lalaine Manalo says
It shouldn't have a kutsinta texture because that type of puto is chewy. May I ask if you use rice flour and NOT glutinous rice flour? They come in similar bags but the lettering is usually red for regular flour and green for glutinous rice flour.
Lady Luisa Stevens says
Would the result be the same if you use it immediately?
Cel says
Hi Lalaine, I tried the puto puti and it turned out like kutsinta. I followed your recipe and measurement in detail. It also didnt rise.
Yin says
Hello. I am based abroad and the only available rice flour i have is bought from either the filipino store or asian store. Are there different varieties of rice flour? See, they also sell glutinous rice flour. Can you tell me please? Iโve tried using rice flour before, refrigerated it and all but when it was cooked it had like a sandy texture.