Prized for its naturally sweet, nutty flavor and striking color, ube is a vibrant purple yam native to the Philippines. This root vegetable has become increasingly popular in bakeries, cafes, and home kitchens around the world based on its flavor profile.
Find authentic ube products and ingredients at our ethnic grocery store.
What makes ube different?
Ube is a purple yam, not a sweet potato. While sweet potatoes have moist flesh and smooth skin, true yams belong to a completely different plant family and are drier, starchier, and covered in rough, bark-like skin. Ube features naturally purple flesh with a mild vanilla-like, nutty flavor. A common ingrdient in Filipino desserts, it is available fresh, frozen, powdered, or as ube jam (ube halaya).
Is ube the same as taro?
Because ube and taro are both purple, there is a common misconception that they are the same. Both are starchy underground crops, but they belong to different botanical families and have distinct structures and flavors.
Ube is:
- A vibrant purble in color
- Sweeter than taro
- Used primarily in desserts
Taro is:
- A pale white color with purple specks
- More earthy in flavor than ube
- Used in both sweet and savory dishes
Ube is a tuber, and underground storage organ. Taro is a corm, a swollen underground stem base. The two are often confused in cafés and grocery stores because commercial taro products such as boba powders, lattes, and syrups are artificially dyed the same bright, vibrant purple color that ube possesses naturally.
What can you make with ube?
Several popular Filipino desserts are made with ube.
Ube Halaya
A sweet, creamy jam made from mashed ube, ube halaya is the foundational “building block” of almost every ube-flavored dessert. It is created by cooking grated ube down with condensed milk, evaporated milk, coconut milk, and butter to form a smooth, sweet, rich paste that is exceptionally versatile.
Ube halaya can be enjoyed as a standalone dessert or as a spread for bread, crackers, and toast. It is an essential component in classic Filipino treats like halo-halo and traditional rice cakes, and is used as a pastry filling. Modern commercial uses for ube halaya include flavoring for ice cream and beverages.
Ube Cake
Ube cake is light sponge cake layered with ube frosting. Prized for its vibrant purple color, it has an airy texture and sweet, nutty flavor.
Ube Ice Cream
Rich and colorful, ube ice cream is one of the most recognizable ube desserts. With a rich, velvety custard-like texture, it is notably creamier, denser, and smoother than standard fruit or vanilla ice creams thanks to ube being churned directly into the dairy base.
Halo-Halo
Translating to “mix-mix” in Tagalog, halo-halo is the ultimate, iconic cold dessert of the Philippines. Served in a tall glass, it is a colorful, multi-layered concoction of sweetened fruits, beans, ube halaya, shaved ice, and evaprorated milk. The whole thing is topped with a scoop of ube ice cream.
Ube’s flavor pairs well with coconut and dairy because its mild, earthy nuttiness and vanilla notes are naturally complemented by the rich fats and tropical sweetness of coconut, while creamy dairy softens its starchiness into a smooth, balanced flavor.
Why is ube trending?
The eye-catching natural color of ube makes it ideal for food photography and social media. Beyond its visual appeal, it offers intense flavor and versatility for baking, beverages, and frozen desserts. A growing appreciation for Filipino cuisine has brought ube into the limelight.
How to Cook With Ube
Cooking with ube is simple using versatile kitchen staples. Try frozen grated ube or ube powder for cakes and halaya, swirl rich ube jam into ice cream, or add ube extract for vibrant violet color and extra flavor.
International Fresh Market carries ube and other authentic Filipino ingredients for making traditional desserts and recipes right at home. Visit us today to discover our ube products and more international favorites.
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