Beat the summer heat with this 3-ingredient halo halo popsicle — a creamy ube layer, tropical Filipino fruit mix, and evaporated milk frozen into one gorgeous two-layer treat.
This recipe is one I originally developed for a SarapNow (rip). I'm bringing it home where it belongs, right here!. Three ingredients. Two layers. One very beautiful popsicle that looks like it came from a fancy Filipino dessert shop — but took you maybe ten minutes of actual work. Most of the time is just freezing the layers.
These popsicles take the spirit of halo halo — that contrast of tropical fruit and creamy ube, sweet and cool — and freeze it into something you can eat with one hand while standing in your backyard. Which, honestly, is exactly how summer should work.
If you're looking for more ways to make halo halo at home, check out my collection of halo halo recipes — everything from the classic version to a healthier take and combinations you didn't even think were possible.
The Two Layers
What makes this halo halo popsicle so beautiful is the distinct two-layer structure. And what makes it so easy is that each layer is essentially one or two ingredients:
Top layer (the fruit layer): Tropics Fruit Mixture is a canned Filipino fruit cocktail mix you can find at most Asian grocery stores — it has the classic halo halo mix-ins like kaong, nata de coco, and macapuno. Combined with evaporated milk, it freezes into a cloudy, tropical layer you can actually see through the mold.
Bottom layer (the ube layer): Ube Cookie Butter mixed with the rest of your evaporated milk. Rich, purple, and deeply ube-flavored. If you haven't cooked with ube cookie butter yet — it's exactly what it sounds like, and it will change your dessert life.
Pro tip
Can't find Ube Cookie Butter?
If you can't find Ube Cookie butter you can just replace that layer with Ube Ice Cream. A simple swap!
A Note on Equipment for Your Halo Halo Popsicle
Metal popsicle molds make a real difference with a two-layer popsicle like this. They conduct cold faster and more evenly, which means your first layer sets firmly before you pour the second. The ones I use are these metal molds from Amazon — it's a bit on the pricy side, but they've lasted through many summers.
Plastic molds will work in a pinch, just give that first layer an extra hour in the freezer before moving on.
Tips for the Best Halo Halo Popsicles
Don't rush the first freeze. The whole two-layer effect depends on that fruit layer being solid before you pour the ube. Four hours is the minimum; leaving it overnight and pouring the ube layer in the morning works even better.
Find Tropics brand at your Filipino or Asian grocery store. Look for it in the canned goods aisle near other Filipino products. You can also order it online. It comes pre-mixed with all the classic halo halo ingredients, which is what makes this recipe so fast.
The lumps are fine. Don't stress about getting the ube layer perfectly smooth. A few small cookie butter pieces in the final popsicle are actually a nice surprise.
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Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup Tropics Fruit Mixture one can
- 1 Can Evaporated milk
- ½ Cup Ube Cookie Butter
Instructions
Make the Fruit Layer (Top)
- Spoon the Tropics Fruit Mixture into each popsicle mold cavity, filling each one about halfway up.
- Pour evaporated milk over the fruit, just enough to cover it. You'll use about half the can — save the rest for the ube layer.
- Stir very lightly and press the fruit down gently with the back of a spoon handle so everything is submerged.
- Insert the popsicle sticks and snap on the cover.
- Freeze for at least 4 hours, until the layer is fully set.
Make the Ube Layer (Bottom)
- In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining evaporated milk and ½ cup of Ube Cookie Butter until mostly smooth. A few small lumps are totally fine — they add a little texture to the finished popsicle.
- Remove the molds from the freezer and take off the cover.
- Pour the ube mixture into each mold, leaving a 1–2mm gap at the top to allow for expansion during freezing.
- Freeze overnight.
- Unmold
- When ready to serve, fill a tall cup or container with warm water. Dip the molds in for about 10 seconds and warm them with your hands.
- Carefully pull each popsicle out of the mold.
- Eat immediately — these are best the moment they come out.
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