No Razon's in your area? Make the extra milky Kapampangan halo-halo at home with caramelized saba and Nestlé Carnation Evap.
You won’t find the usual suspects in Razon’s halo-halo—no scoops of ube ice cream, no colorful beans and jellies. This Kapampangan version keeps it simple with only three things: macapuno, caramelized bananas, and leche flan. Then there’s the shaved ice, ground finely like snow, soaking in a rich, creamy milk.
That creamy milk base is what makes Razon’s so special. This homemade version recreates it with the help of extra-milky Nestlé Carnation Evap.
With just three components—chewy macapuno, caramelized bananas, leche flan slices—plus shaved ice and milk, Razon’s halo-halo is pretty easy to recreate at home. Much simpler than your standard maximalist halo-halo, for sure. Here’s what you need:
You know how coconuts have firm, milky-white meat when cracked open? Some coconuts grow abnormally and form a translucent, gelatinous filling with little to no water. This jelly, or coconut sport, is called macapuno. We use it in Filipino desserts like fruit salad and halo-halo.
Unless you’re blessed with fresh macapuno, store-bought commercial macapuno works just fine for this recipe.
Starchy saba bananas hold their shape better when cooked in brown sugar. Vanilla extract plus a pinch of salt makes the caramel flavors pop.
Nestlé Carnation Evap’s creamier, milkier formulation works perfectly for this recipe. Combined with equal parts carabao’s milk, it achieves a deliciously rich, milky-namnam milk base as good as Razon’s.
It's difficult to replicate Razon's snow-like ice at home without expensive equipment. But don't let that stop you from making this halo-halo at home!
If you don’t have a dedicated ice shaving machine (manual or electric), use a powerful blender with an ice-crushing option. Pulse ice cubes in small batches until you get a fine consistency. If your ice gets stuck, break up the clumps with a spoon or add a bit of milk to keep it moving.
The best halo-halo ingredient! Take the convenient route and buy your leche flan so you can go straight to slicing. If you want to make it from scratch, get extra packs of Nestlé Carnation Evap for our recipe here.
Cook banana mixture: Combine water and sugar in a pot over medium-high heat. Once sugar is dissolved, stir in vanilla and salt. Add chopped bananas and lower heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until bananas are fork-tender, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely before using.
Make creamy milk mixture: Pour Nestlé Carnation Evap and carabao milk into a bowl or pitcher. Whisk until well combined. Set aside.
Prepare leche flan: Thinly slice leche flan into rectangles. Set aside.
Assemble: Divide macapuno between two tall glasses. Add caramelized bananas over the macapuno, then fill the glass to the brim with shaved ice. Slowly pour the creamy milk over the ice. Top each glass with 2–3 leche flan slices, then serve.