Saging con Yelo (Banana con Yelo) (2024)

Saging con yelo (banana con yelo or minatamis na saging) is a simple and refreshing Filipino dessert made of sweet bananas, milk, sago and ice. It’s so easy to put together you’ll want to make it everyday in the summer and all year!

(Mais con yelo is also an easy and delicious dessert to beat the heat.)

When you mention iced Filipino desserts, people would always think of halo-halo first. It’s the most popular one after all.

But the truth is there are lots more delicious options out there! Saging con yelo (saging is banana in Tagalog) is one of them.

It’s made of bananas cooked in brown sugar then mixed with cooked sago, milk and ice. So good! And every spoonful tastes like a sunny day in the tropics.

Let’s get to it.

Why you’ll love banana con yelo

• Unique way to enjoy bananas. If you love bananas, you’ll enjoy banana con yelo for sure. It’s a sweet, cold and unique dessert.

• Refreshing. It’s also very refreshing. Perfect on a hot summer day.

• Easy to make. It’s a breeze to make too. Less than 30 minutes to cook and caramelize the bananas and a couple of minutes to assemble.

• Can be made ahead. Best thing is you can cook your sweet banana mixture (minatamis na saging) up to 3 days ahead.

• Feeds a crowd. And this makes 10-12 servings so enough for your friends coming over at your next barbecue or summer get-together.

How to make

It’s so easy to make this simple dessert.

Ingredients

The ingredients are pantry staples, like water, sugar and vanilla extract. Some things to keep in mind:

• Bananas — minatamis na saging is traditionally made with saba bananas. We don’t get that here so we’ve always used are ripe plantains. Both work well.

• Boba pearls — I know it’s called banana con yelo with sago but instead of sago, I always opt for quick-cooking boba pearls. They look and taste the same and boba pearls are so easy to cook compared to sago, which I personally find so finicky. If you have a fool-proof way to cook sago though, go for it.

• Shaved ice — crushed ice works too.

• Evaporated milk — best to use full-fat evaporated milk. Skim milk or fresh milk can work, but it won’t give you that full, creamy flavor that evaporated milk has.

Tools

The most important tool you’ll need when making banana con yelo is an ice shaver. I love using theice shave attachmenton my Kitchen Aid mixer.

But there are so many other options available, like:

• Amanual ice shaver
• An electricsnow cone machine
• Or a blender, though note that depending on the power of your blender, the ice might not come out as fine as you’d like
• You can also simply add ice cubes to your minatamis na saging to make it cold

Instructions

Cook sago or boba pearls according to package instructions. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.

Place sliced bananas in a pot with water.

Bring to a boil.

Stir in brown sugar and cooked sago.

Simmer until the bananas are tender. Stir in vanilla extract and remove from heat. Allow the banana mixture to cool.

To assemble, place a layer of your sweet banana mixture in a glass, cup, bowl or any serving container.

Fill with shaved ice.

Pour evaporated milk.

Stir and enjoy!

Expert cooking tips

Easy, right? Here are more tips for perfect banana con hielo every time.

• Use ripe plantains. When buying plantains, the uglier, the better. Seriously! We usually wait for the plantains to turn almost 100% black — it means they are perfectly ripe and sweet.

• Don’t overcook. While you want your bananas to be tender, you also want a little bite into them. We don’t want them to turn into mush.

• Allow banana mixture to cool. Make sure to allow enough time for your minatamis na saging to cool before using. Otherwise the ice will melt immediately. I usually place the cooked mixture in the fridge until the bowl it’s in is completely cool to the touch.

• Add your favorite toppings. What we have here is the simplest way to serve saging con yelo but you can make it extra special by topping with leche flan, ice cream, caramel sauce, condensed milk, pinipig, shredded coconut and more.

Recipe FAQs

Refreshing Filipino recipes

Did you make banana sago con yelo? I’d love to hear all about it!Leave a comment or a star rating below. You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook. I’d love to see your creations!

You can also find me on Pinterest, Twitter and YouTube.

More Filipino Desserts and Kakanin