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Think you can have a halfway decent Filipino-style Christmas without bibingka on the table? Santa will def. think you deserve a ton of coal if you try to play him like that. This bibingka recipe has an unreal texture, subtly sweet flavor, and the intoxicating aroma of banana leaves. It's a surprisingly vegan holiday treat that only calls for common ingredients and just a few easy steps that you would struggle to mess up.
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With a banana leaf scented crust and fluffy, slightly dense interior, this vegan bibingka recipe pulls it all off without any animal products, thanks to coconut milk and vegan butter. With plant-based spins on Filipino holiday standards like lumpiang Shanghai, vegan ham, and turon ready to go, there's no need to wait for December-Filipinos sometimes start prepping for Christmas months in advance anyway.
The recipe keeps things straightforward: a single batter, minimal prep, and the option to add vegan cheese or grated coconut to step things up a notch. Whether you're baking for a party or treating yourself on a lazy afternoon with a great book and some sago't gulaman, bibingka is pure comfort.
So let's fire up that oven and get a banana leaf ready.
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🥰Why you'll adore this bibingka recipe
✊ Vegan AF: Like all my vegan Filipino recipes, this bibingka doesn't use any salted egg, and no grated cow's milk cheese either. It's ready to slice, share, or keep entirely to yourself.
💤 Low-effort baking: One bowl, one pan, no stand mixer needed.
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all my vegan recipes, this one's been perfected with feedback from a team of hundreds of recipe testers across the globe.
🤫 Learn the secrets for perfect vegan Filipino meals
This guide to my most popular plant-based recipes from the Philippines is 100% FREE, & you'll love the actual heck out of it 🥰
🥮Bibingka ingredients
Banana Leaf
Banana leaf gives bibingka its signature aroma and subtle earthy flavor while preventing sticking. Use fresh banana leaf when possible, passing it briefly over heat to make it pliable. If fresh banana leaves are unavailable, use thawed frozen banana leaves or lightly oiled parchment paper = easily from your pan.
Got leftover banana leaves and have no clue what to do with 'em? They're perfect for making suman malagkit, Indonesian lontong, or tupig.
White Rice Flour
White rice flour forms the main structure of bibingka, creating a tender crumb without gluten. Choose finely milled white rice flour from the Philippines or Thailand for a smooth, completely lump-free batter-this is the same kind of general rice flour you can use to make pisang goreng or even gluten-free vegan pancakes.
Glutinous Rice Flour
Glutinous rice flour, which is gluten-free despite its name, adds chewiness and helps bind the bibingka batter. It is essential for that characteristic sticky, kinda dense, and chewy texture, and it isn't really replaceable with another flour. If you have extra on hand, you can use it to make karioka, vegan scrambled eggs, or ondeh ondeh, too.
Vegan Butter
Vegan butter improves the bibingka flavor and provides the necessary fat for this to taste rich and lovely. My fave is Earth Balance buttery sticks. They're the best-tasting margarines on the planet, in my opinion, but Trader Joe's is cheaper (though less convenient for measuring).
If you want to DIY your butter, check out my vegan dairy crash course for making your own. Otherwise, refined coconut oil with a pinch of salt will work too.
Vegan Cheese
Vegan cheese, such as a mild vegan cheddar or mozzarella, adds a salty-sweet contrast when baked on top of bibingka. I'd recommend freshly grating a block of vegan mozzarella-my favorite is from Miyoko's, but Daiya will work fine too. Grate it finely for even melting.
Coconut Meat
Freshly grated coconut meat gives extra texture and tropical depth to bibingka. Use unsweetened coconut meat, either fresh or thawed from frozen, to avoid making the cake super-sweet, because that's just not the vibe.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯Variations
Bibingkang Mandaue
Make bibingkang mandaue by using more glutinous rice flour and less white rice flour for extra chew, adding a few spoonfuls of tuba (palm wine), and topping generously with grated coconut and margarine.
Bibingkoy
This Cavite classic is basically dessert and snack rolled into one-chewy glutinous rice bibingka stuffed with sweet munggo or red bean paste, baked until set, then drowned in a thick, rich coconut cream sauce. It's the kind of thing you see at small-town fiestas and family celebrations, but honestly, it hits just as hard on a random Tuesday.
📖 How to make bibingka
You want to skip to the eating part? Scroll down to the recipe card if you're in a rush, but here's the step-by-step so you nail it first try.
Step One
Flame It on the Boogie:
Pass a banana leaf briefly over an open flame to soften it and bring the natural oils in the leaf to the surface.
Step Two
Leaf Erikson:
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8-inch round baking pan with the banana leaf, pressing it flat against the bottom and sides. Trim excess. Sub with lightly oiled parchment if you don't have banana leaves.
Step Three
Rush Flour:
In a large mixing bowl, whisk rice flour, glutinous rice flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt to get out any clumps.
Step Four
Butter Call Saul:
Melt vegan butter in a saucepan over low heat.
Step Five
Batter Off Dead:
Pour melted butter and coconut milk into the dry ingredients. Stir until smooth.
Step Six
Bake Street Boys:
Transfer batter into prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes, checking for light browning.
Step Seven
Who's Got The Cheese To My Bimmer:
If using vegan cheese, grate and sprinkle it over the top. Bake another 5-10 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Step Eight
Butterbo Man:
Let cool in the pan 10 min. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle grated coconut before serving.
👉Top tips
- Prepare Banana Leaves: Select fresh banana leaves for the best aroma and authentic flavor. Pass each leaf quickly over an open flame or hot surface to make it pliable, to prevent tearing, and to bring the oils in the leaf to the surface so it can flavor the cake more effectively. If using frozen banana leaves, thaw them first and pat them dry before softening.
- Mix Batter Lightly: Combine your wet and dry ingredients with a whisk. Overmixing, which can happen if you stir with a spoon, will develop gumminess and give your bibingka a more dense structure.
- Bake Evenly: Position the pan in the center of the oven for consistent browning. If your oven has hot spots, rotate the pan halfway through baking.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
Yes, use lightly oiled parchment paper. While banana leaves add a unique aroma and flavor, parchment will still prevent sticking and keep the shape intact.
Usually from overmixing or old baking powder. Always whisk dry ingredients well and check that your baking powder is fresh.
Try sliced vegan egg, like the ones I use in my sabich recipe. Otherwise, if you want to make it in a sweeter direction, muscovado sugar or fresh tropical fruits like mango, jackfruit, and pineapple.
🇵🇭You'll love these vegan Filipino recipes too:
Learn to make absurdly good vegan food from the Philippines in a super-fun recorded cooking class with Chef Adam Sobel!
Vegan Bibingka Recipe
Equipment
- 8-inch round pan
Ingredients
- 1 banana leaf cut into a 10-inch (25 cm.) circle
- 1 cup white rice flour
- ¾ cup glutinous rice flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter
- 400 ml. canned coconut milk preferably full-fat
- ⅓ cup vegan cheese grated (optional)
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter melted
- ¼ cup coconut meat grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Pass a banana leaf briefly over an open flame (or if you have an electric stovetop for a few seconds in a dry pan over high heat) to soften it and bring the natural oils in the leaf to the surface.
- Line an 8-inch round baking pan with the banana leaf, pressing it flat against the bottom and sides. Trim any excess that extends beyond the rim of the pan. If you can't find banana leaves, you can use lightly oiled parchment paper instead.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the rice flour, glutinous rice flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
- In a saucepan over low heat, melt the vegan butter.
- Pour the melted butter and coconut milk into the dry ingredients and stir until fully combined into a smooth batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes, then check the surface for light browning.
- If using vegan cheese, grate it evenly on top. Continue baking for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before brushing with melted butter and sprinkling with grated coconut.
Notes
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Marj says
I'm Filipino and I've been craving bibingka since idk when, store-bought ones are just meh. Glad I came across this vegan version, tastes like home!