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With a quick sweep through Instagram and Pinterest’s most trendy swoon-worthy foods, you’ll quickly spot the sweet purple yam, Ube (pronounced ooh-beh) a Flipino American in vogue food that is undoubtedly deserving of every bit of its Instagrammable moment.
The eye-catching purple Ube yam is a staple dessert ingredient in the Philippines. The stunning vivid Amethyst-like hue of the yam is natural, creating quite a stir in the hipster food scene, as colorful dishes, especially purple food is all the rage with trendsetters across the globe.
What Does Ube Taste Like?
Ube is often confused with Taro (slightly sweet, nutty, with a hint of vanilla flavor) another popular raw tuber that is commonly used in savory meals, while Ube is frequently used in sweet dishes. The ube has a sweeter flavor than its close cousin the Taro. Yet, it’s extremely mellow and delicate in terms of starch. Ube becomes gorgeously smooth when whipped making it a perfect addition for desserts.
Where Can I Buy Ube?
If you’re thrilled at the thought of preparing delicious ube dishes at home, but unsure of where to purchase this exotic Filipino flavor, don’t worry! We have you covered.
If you live nearby a Filipino or Asian supermarket, they will more than likely carry ube in their store. You may find either ube powder, ube jam, or ube extract.
You may also be able to locate ube at your local organic market and health food stores, like Whole Foods Market or Trader Joe’s. If you don’t have luck with in-person options, you’ll always be able to purchase ube online. We recommend the following ube products:
- Organic Purple Sweet Potato Supercolor Powder by Suncore Foods
- Ube Purple Yam Flavoring Extract by Butterfly
- McCORMICK Ube Flavor Extract
- Kapuso Brand Ube Sweet Purple Yam Spread by Kapuso
11 Ube Recipes You’ll Want To Try Right Now
1. Ube Pandesal With Cheese
Easily as popular as rice, pandesal is a staple food in Filipino culture. Enjoyed throughout the day, either as a quick breakfast or a quick snack this comforting soft fluffy bread roll is undeniably delicious.
Ube Pandesal With Cheese melds classic Filipino flavors into an irresistible breakfast or afternoon snack. This soft, pillowy, tender pandesal is made with ube powder and filled with melty cheese for a stunning marriage of savory and sweet flavors.
2. Ube Brownies
If you’re a fan of blondies you’ll love this luscious ube twist on these vivid violet beauties. Ube brownies or ube blondies are a simple and easy purple yam recipe for those that would love to experiment with ube without getting too involved. Simply, add ube extract or flavoring to the batter for a delicious ube treat.
3. Ube Crinkle Cookies
Crinkle cookies are delightfully versatile in the way that their flavor can be easily altered without changing their unique crinkly and cracked exterior. Common flavors include lemon crinkles or chocolate. Ube crinkle cookies are extraordinarily chewy with a deliciously sweet crackly coated surface. To prepare these pale lavender treats, add ube jam and ube extract to the crinkle cookie batter for a splendid bite-sized dessert.
4. Ube Macarons
The French macaron is a delicate confection, made from simple ingredients of almond flour and meringue. Made from a variety of flavors and colors, it’s not surprising that ube would be the next go-to flavor for this sophisticated cookie-like sandwich. Ube powder is used in both the shells and white chocolate ganache filling in this ube macaron recipe, along with an ube essence.
5. Ube Ice Cream (No Churn)
If you’re lucky enough to have a Trader Joe’s nearby and have taken a trip down their freezer aisle lately, you may have come across their Trader Joe’s ube ice cream! It’s to-die-for!
For those of us that don’t have a Trader Joe’s you can always try your luck on an easy ube ice cream recipe. You don’t need an expensive ice cream maker to make homemade ice cream with this incredible three-ingredient ube ice cream recipe! All you’ll need for tools to enjoy this sinfully delicious frozen treat is a high-speed mixer and a freezer. Simply mix heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Once you have stiff peaks fold in sweetened condensed milk and ube extract. Mix until well blended and freeze.
6. Ube Glazed Air Fryer Donuts
If you’ve never been graced with a heavenly delicious air-fried donut, you’re truly missing out! Air fryer donuts are all the rage, especially for those looking for a healthier alternative to the traditional deep-fried version. To kick your air fryer donuts up a notch and make them truly magnificent, add a deep purple ube glaze prepared with powdered sugar, milk, and ube extract for a magical treat.
7. Ube Dalgona Coffee
Your rise and shine routine has never been easier with brew-ti-ful Ube Dalgona. Summer’s latest java trend, Dalgona whipped coffee, just got hotter with ube extract, giving this viral South Korean sip a stunning gorgeous lilac hue. To prepare this heavenly lavender drink, blend ube extract with your choice of milk.
8. Ube Pancakes With Ube Sauce
Incorporate this jeweled-tone yam into your weekend stack of homemade ube pancakes. For convenience sake, all you need is a box of pancake mix and some ube jam to work this black magic! For an Instagrammable moment, whip up some mouthwatering sweet ube sauce, made from heavy cream, and some more ube jam! We promise it’s totally worth the extra time and effort!
9. Ube Cupcakes With Ube Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Although cupcakes may no longer rule the foodie domain, they’re still utterly chic and quite trendy, especially when they’re filled and adorned with delicious and stylish Filipino purple yam, ube.
Ube halaya or jam is added to simple cupcake batter, giving it a whimsical purple hue; then the ube cupcakes are frosted with a delicate ube whipped cream frosting, flavored with ube extract. Sprinkle your cupcakes with toasted coconut for an added exotic flavor.
10. Ube Mochi
Rich, buttery, and reputably chewy, mochi is a beloved traditional Japanese snack prepared with mochigome, which is short-grain glutinous rice. Ube mochi, combines the classic gooey rice and doughy texture with the sweet mellow flavor of ube using ube extract.
11. Ube Cheesecake with Coconut Cookie Crust and Coconut Whipped Cream
Ube cheesecake is everything that you know and love about cheesecake with a touch of magic! Rich and decadent, the royal purple luxurious ube cheesecake is brimming with ube flavor and complemented with a sweet, crunchy coconut cookie crust, then topped with creamy coconut whipped cream.
Not only will this gorgeous exotic dessert make you Instagram-famous, but it will quickly become your go-to dish when you want to impress friends and family at any gathering.
