It is commonly used as toppings for various desserts in Filipino cuisine, but can also be eaten plain, made into cakes, or mixed with drinks and other dishes.

They are husked and the chaff is separated from the grain (traditionally using large flat winnowing baskets called bilao).

The resulting bright green kernels are then pounded in large wooden mortars and pestles until flat.

[4][5] Pinipig are characteristically light green in color when fresh, but usually become yellowish white to brown when toasted.

[5][6] A notable regional variant of the pinipig is the duman, which is made in Santa Rita, Pampanga in the Philippines.