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Ube (purple yam) ice cream

A vivid purple ice cream with an earthy-sweet, slightly nutty taste, made from Filipino purple yam jam or ube extract.

Hard to find Look for it in specialty shops and seasonal runs. What the badge means

Ube ice cream gets its flavor and its striking purple color from Filipino purple yam. It is hard to find, so you will mostly see it in specialty shops and seasonal runs.

This page covers what it tastes like, how to make ube ice cream at home, what to serve with it, how common it is, and nutrition figures for a plain base.

What ube tastes like

Ube ice cream is vivid purple, so it stands out in any bowl. The taste is earthy-sweet and a little nutty. Some people compare it to vanilla, with a deeper, rounder edge.

The flavor comes from one of two places. The first is ube halaya, a sweet jam made from Filipino purple yam. The second is ube extract, which is easier to measure and keeps the color bright. Coconut milk often goes in too, and it adds a soft tropical note that sits well with the yam.

The texture follows the base you choose. A custard base made with egg yolks gives a rich, smooth scoop with plenty of body.

Where ube comes from

The sources we use do not record who first made ube ice cream or when.

What they do tell us is how it is made. The flavor comes from ube halaya, a sweet jam of Filipino purple yam, or from ube extract. Halaya is usually blended into the warm base so it mixes in smoothly. Extract goes into the cold base. Coconut milk often replaces part of the milk, which ties the flavor to the coconut and mango that commonly sit alongside it.

The purple color comes from the yam itself, so a scoop made with halaya shows its main ingredient plainly. Because ube is hard to find in most freezer aisles, a home batch is often the easiest way to try it. We sort it into the regional and international section of our flavor library.

How to make ube at home

The base style for ube is French custard, made with egg yolks. The Base Builder sets that style up and sizes it to your machine, in grams and cups. It gives a base formula built on standard food-science ranges, not a tested recipe. No-churn, made with condensed milk and whipped cream, also works if you do not have a machine.

The flavor goes in one of two ways. You can blend ube halaya into the warm base so it dissolves evenly. Or you can add ube extract to the cold base just before churning. Either way, coconut milk can replace some of the milk for a richer, coconut-tinged scoop. No mix-ins are needed, so the purple color and smooth texture stay front and center.

If you already have an ube recipe you like, the Recipe Scaler can resize it to fit your machine and convert cups to grams.

Base formula

Open the Base Builder: French custard (egg yolks)

Other styles that suit it: No-churn (condensed milk and whipped cream)

The Base Builder gives a base formula built on standard food-science ranges, not a tested recipe.

What to serve with ube

Ube pairs naturally with coconut, so a sprinkle of toasted coconut flakes on top is an easy win. Toasted rice adds a crisp, nutty crunch that echoes the yam's own nuttiness. Fresh mango brings bright, juicy sweetness and a color contrast that looks good on the plate. You can serve a scoop beside sliced mango, or set out small bowls of coconut and toasted rice so people can top their own.

  • coconut
  • toasted rice
  • mango

How common ube is

Our badge for ube is a waxing crescent, 2 of 5, labeled "Hard to find." That means you should look for it in specialty shops and seasonal runs rather than in most grocery freezer aisles. The badge describes how easy a flavor is to find, not how much people like it.

No survey we use lists ube by name. So the badge is our judgement alone of how easy it is to find. If you want ube ice cream on hand, making it at home is often the simplest route.

No survey we use lists this flavor by name, so its badge is our own judgement of how easy it is to find.

  1. Rare Rare enough that you would most likely make it at home.
  2. Hard to find Look for it in specialty shops and seasonal runs.
  3. Sometimes found Found in some shops and some grocery freezers.
  4. Easy to find Common in most grocery freezers.
  5. Classic A classic you can buy almost anywhere.

Nutrition, roughly

FoodData Central has no record for ube ice cream itself, so the figures shown are for a plain vanilla base, not this flavor. A regular vanilla base has 207 kcal, 11 g fat and 21.2 g sugars per 100 grams, or about 137 kcal per 1/2 cup (66 g). A rich vanilla base has 249 kcal and 16.2 g fat per 100 grams. Ube halaya, coconut milk and added sweeteners change these numbers.

Nutrition per 100 grams

FoodData Central record Calories Fat Saturated fat Sugars Protein
Ice creams, vanilla FDC 167575 1/2 cup (66 g): about 137 kcal, 7.3 g fat 207 kcal 11 g 6.79 g 21.2 g 3.5 g
Ice creams, vanilla, rich FDC 167573 249 kcal 16.2 g 10.30 g 20.6 g 3.5 g

FoodData Central has no record for ube itself: these are the figures for a plain vanilla base, regular to rich. Mix-ins and sweeteners change them.

Questions people ask

What does ube ice cream taste like?

Ube ice cream tastes earthy-sweet and a little nutty. Some people compare it to vanilla. It is made with ube halaya, a sweet Filipino purple yam jam, or with ube extract, and it has a vivid purple color.

How do I make ube ice cream at home?

Start with a French custard base from the Base Builder. Blend ube halaya into the warm base, or add ube extract to the cold base. Coconut milk can replace some of the milk. No mix-ins are needed.

Can I make ube ice cream without an ice cream machine?

Yes. A no-churn base made with condensed milk and whipped cream works for ube. The Base Builder can set up that style, and you add ube halaya or ube extract for the flavor and color.

What toppings go well with ube ice cream?

Coconut, toasted rice and mango all suit ube. Toasted coconut matches the coconut milk often used in the base, toasted rice adds crunch, and fresh mango adds bright sweetness and a color contrast.

Regional and international ice cream flavors ยท All flavors

Plan and make it with these

Sources

  1. Ice creams, vanilla (FDC 167575) U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service
  2. Ice creams, vanilla, rich (FDC 167573) U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service

Every data source the site uses is on the Sources page.