This banh bo hap recipe creates the most adorable pastel steamed rice cakes that have a stunning honeycomb, spongy texture, and rich coconut flavor. Take one bite into these nostalgic little Vietnamese steamed rice cakes and you’ll be instantly greeted with airy, and chewy coconut goodness.
Growing up, I would run errands with my mom every Saturday. We would wake up early and run to Little Saigon to beat the rush at all the grocery markets. After shopping for all the food for the week, we would end the day at a banh mi shop that had rows and rows of Vietnamese desserts individually sitting on styrofoam plates and tightly wrapped in plastic wrap patiently waiting for me to beg my mom for at least one.
The one dessert that always caught my eye were these bánh bò hấp mini cakes. These dainty pastel pink, yellow, and green cylindrical cakes had a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds and an addicting coconut sauce on the side. They are so beautiful on the outside and so airy, chewy, and soft on the inside. They have a faint yet delicious coconut flavor and I would find myself constantly coming back for more.
Now, with this recipe, you can make as many banh bo hap as you can eat! With only a few simple ingredients and easy steps, this Vietnamese dessert is as rewarding as it is delicious. If you love Vietnamese desserts, make sure to check out my pandan waffle, che ba mau (three-color dessert), or my creme caramel flan (banh flan).
Table of Contents
What is Bánh Bò Hấp?
Bánh bò hấp or Vietnamese steamed rice cakes or cow cakes are popular Vietnamese desserts that are most often found in Banh mi takeout stores. Bánh bò roughly translates to cow cakes and is called this because they resemble a cow’s udder. These Vietnamese steamed rice cakes are small colorful, spongy rice flour cakes that have a light and airy texture. They are delicately flavored with coconut milk, sugar, and vanilla extract.
🍽 Kitchen Equipment
This bánh bò hấp does not require any fancy equipment and you can use almost any type of mold that is available to you.
- Small Saucepan: you will need a small saucepan to heat the coconut milk and dissolve the sugar.
- Mixing bowls: you will need a large mixing bowl for the batter and four smaller mixing bowls to color the batter. I love using my Duralex glass nesting mixing bowls that come in a set of 10.
- Steamer: you will need a steamer to cook the batter to create that beautiful spongelike texture. I used my all-clad stainless steel steamer for this recipe.
- Heatproof molds: you can use almost any type of heatproof mold that you like. I used small metal ramekins for this recipe. You can also use a mini muffin pan if your steamer can fit it.
🛒 Ingredients
There are not very many ingredients necessary for this Vietnamese steamed rice cakes recipe. You can find all of these ban bo hap ingredients online or at your local Vietnamese or Chinese grocery market.
- Active Dry or Instant Yeast: you can use either active dry or instant yeast. I provide instructions on how to use either in the recipe section.
- Coconut Milk: make sure to use whole fat coconut milk. Coconut milk is the main flavor component in these steamed rice cakes. So when choosing coconut milk, it is important to use a brand you trust. I always opt for Chef’s Choice, it hands down has the best flavor and consistency. You can buy Chef’s Choice coconut milk online or at your local Asian grocery store.
- Granulated Sugar: sweetens the steamed rice cakes.
- Salt: a touch of salt enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Rice Flour: make sure you are using rice flour and NOT glutinous rice flour. Rice flour when mixed with tapioca starch will create that beautiful spongy honeycomb structure in the cake.
- Tapioca Starch: tapioca starch creates a spongy chewy texture in the rice cakes.
- Vanilla Extract: adds a subtle layer of flavor to the steamed rice cakes.
- Food coloring: you can use either food coloring drops of food coloring gel. The most popular colors are pink, yellow, green, and white.
- Cornstarch (optional): used to thicken the coconut sauce on top.
- Roasted Sesame Seeds: for garnish.
📝 How to Make Bánh Bò Hấp
This banh bo hap recipe is very simple to make, the hardest part is waiting for the batter to rise!
- Make the batter. In a large bowl, add the rice flour, tapioca flour, sugar, salt, yeast, vanilla, coconut milk, and warm water. Mix until completely smooth and there are no more lumps. Cover and let the batter rest for 2 hours on the counter or in a warm area. The mixture will rise and become very frothy.
- Divide and color. Divide the mixture into 4 bowls and use 1-2 drops of food coloring to color each batter.
- Steam. Fill your steamer ¾ of the way and bring the water to a boil on high heat. Grease the ramekins or small bowls you will be using with vegetable oil and then place them in the steamer for about 3 minutes. Then pour in the batter, cover the steamer with a dishtowel-wrapped lid, and steam for 10 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let the banh bo hap cool for 5 minutes before removing them from the container.
Coconut Sauce (Optional)
- Make cornstarch slurry. In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of water. Set aside.
- Heat the coconut milk. In a small saucepan, add the coconut milk, water, sugar, and salt and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Heat on medium-low until it begins to simmer. Once it simmers, mix in the cornstarch slurry and stir until the sauce thickens. Set aside to cool.
- Assemble. Drizzle some coconut sauce and sprinkle on toasted sesame seeds on top of the banh bo hap. Enjoy!
⭐️ Tips for the Best Bánh Bò Hấp
- Instant yeast v. active dry yeast. For both types of yeast, make sure the hot water is warm to the touch about 100°-110°F. Any hotter and it may kill your yeast. If you use active dry yeast, activate your yeast in a small bowl with 2 cups of warm water at 100F water, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and mix. Set aside for 10 minutes until the yeast has a frothy quarter-inch layer.
- Do not use the proof function in the oven. While you wait for the yeast to rise and the mixture to double in size, do not use the proof function. This may result in the yeast rising too quickly and the batter tasting very yeast-like in the end.
- Skim the bubbles before adding to the molds. Once you add the food coloring, carefully skim off the bubbles on the top of the batter before adding them to your molds to prevent them from forming holes on the top of your cakes.
- Wrap your steamer lid with a dishtowel. This will absorb any moisture that reaches the top of the lid and prevent the hot steam water from dropping down into the banh bo hap and forming blisters on the tops of the cake.
- Heat your molds or muffin pan in the steamer before adding the batter. Heating the molds allows the batter to rise evenly and quickly.
- Make sure to grease your mold. Greasing your mold will ensure that it will pop out easily.
🥡 Storage Instructions
You can store these Vietnamese steamed rice cakes in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. To re-heat, sprinkle a few drops of water over the cakes, cover with a wet paper towel, and microwave for about 15-30 seconds. Alternatively, you can steam the cakes for about 1-2 minutes.
💬 Frequently Asked Q’s & A’s
Both banh bo hap and banh bo nuong are known for their beautiful honeycomb spongy texture and delicious chewy taste. However, banh bo hap are Vietnamese steamed rice cakes that are made in mini cake form, colored in bright pastel colors, and do not use pandan flavoring. On the other hand, banh bo nuong is baked in a large cake pan, has a golden brown exterior with a bright green interior from the pandan flavoring.
To be honest with you, you can use basically any mold that is heatproof and that will fit inside your steamer. So the shape of the cakes will be entirely up to you! You can either opt for a mini muffin tin, individual ramekins or small tart molds.
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👩🏻🍳 Recipe
Bánh Bò Hấp (Vietnamese Steamed Rice Cake)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cup (415 g) rice flour
- ¼ cup (35 g) tapioca starch
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon (1 g) salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon (6 g) instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) vanilla
- 1 can (400 ml) coconut milk
- 2 cups (500 ml) warm water 100°-110°F
- Food Coloring pink, green, yellow
Coconut Sauce (Optional)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 cup coconut milk
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Make the batter. In a large bowl, add the rice flour, tapioca flour, sugar, salt, yeast, vanilla, coconut milk, and warm water. Mix until completely smooth and there are no more lumps. Cover and let the batter rest for 2 hours on the counter or in a warm area. The mixture will rise and become very frothy.
- Divide and color. Divide the mixture into 4 bowls and use 1-2 drops of food coloring to color each batter.
- Steam. Fill your steamer ¾ of the way and bring the water to a boil on high heat. Grease the ramekins or small bowls you will be using with vegetable oil and then place them in the steamer for about 3 minutes. Then pour in the batter, cover the steamer with a dishtowel-wrapped lid, and steam for 10 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let the banh bo hap cool for 5 minutes before removing them from the container. Repeat until all the batter is used up.
Coconut Sauce (Optional)
- Make cornstarch slurry. In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of water. Set aside.
- Heat the coconut milk. In a small saucepan, add the coconut milk, water, sugar, and salt and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Heat on medium-low until it begins to simmer. Once it simmers, mix in the cornstarch slurry and stir until the sauce thickens. Set aside to cool.
- Assemble. Drizzle some coconut sauce and sprinkle on toasted sesame seeds on top of the banh bo hap. Enjoy!
Notes
- Instant yeast v. active dry yeast. For both types of yeast, make sure the hot water is warm to the touch about 100°-110°F. Any hotter and it may kill your yeast. If you use active dry yeast, activate your yeast in a small bowl with 2 cups of warm water at 100F water, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and mix. Set aside for 10 minutes until the yeast has a frothy quarter-inch layer.
- Do not use the proof function in the oven. While you wait for the yeast to rise and the mixture to double in size, do not use the proof function. This may result in the yeast rising too quickly and the batter tasting very yeast-like in the end.
- Skim the bubbles before adding them to the molds. Once you add the food coloring, carefully skim off the bubbles on the top of the batter before adding them to your molds to prevent them from forming holes on the top of your cakes.
- Wrap your steamer lid with a dishtowel. This will absorb any moisture that reaches the top of the lid and prevent the hot steam water from dropping down into the banh bo hap and forming blisters on the tops of the cake.
- Heat your molds or muffin pan in the steamer before adding the batter. Heating the molds allows the batter to rise evenly and quickly.
- Make sure to grease your mold. Greasing your mold will ensure that it will pop out easily.
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