5 easy ube desserts you can make at home

Ube desserts are everywhere in the Philippines. If you’re far away from home (or just want to try something new), here are five simple recipes you can try | Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash

Lumpia and pancit aside, ube is probably the most iconic Filipino food item all over the world.

Ube is a root crop endemic to the Philippines and is used in many of the desserts we’ve grown up with and loved. Aside from its distinct taste, the most attention-grabbing thing about ube is its vivid purple color, one that occurs naturally to the tuber.

Ube is often confused with taro, a similar root crop often used in Asian cooking. But the main difference between the two is that taro is mostly white and ube can taste very, very sweet.

The original crop is difficult to find outside the Philippines, which means getting your hands on the unprocessed tuber can be next to impossible. Luckily, a processed version called ube halaya or ube jam is more easily accessible in North America. Ube flavoring is also an alternative for people who can’t find halaya.

Ube halaya and ube flavoring are two versatile ingredients you can include in most dessert recipes. You can mix the flavoring into cake batter to make ube cake or add a few dollops of halaya in your favorite blondie recipe to make ube blondies.

Here are a few other ideas that can help you incorporate the Filipino favorite into your cooking.

Ube buchi

@franziee_v♬ Pasahili (para sa hindi pinili) – Arthur Miguel

Buchi is a Chinese pastry popular in the Philippines. It’s a ball of glutinous rice flour with a molten filling coated in sesame seeds and deep fried. You can give buchi the ube treatment by either making it the traditional way and filling it with ube halaya or do what content creator Franzie did and mix ube flavoring into the batter.

Ube cheese lumpia

@arbyrocero 🧏🏻‍♀️ubebe. #ube #ubecheese #lumpiarecipe #foodie #foodtok #foodies #fyp #foryoupage #snackideas #cheesy #fypシ #arbyrocero ♬ love nwantinti (ah ah ah) – CKay

What could be more Filipino than ube cheese lumpia? Instead of a pork filling, this recipe calls for some cheese and ube halaya. The resulting dish is a sweet, slightly savory, and deliciously crunchy fried treat.

Fried ube mochi

@roseaustincooks Fried ube mochi #ube #mochi #friedmochi #ubemochi #easydessert #filipinofood #easyrecipe ♬ Enjoying the day – Arkei

Mochi is another well-loved Asian treat that you can ube-fy with ease. This fried ube mochi recipe is similar to the ube buchi recipe, just without the filling. It’s by far one of the easiest recipes on this list and can be fun to make with friends.

Ube mochi pancakes

@chungeats full recipe on da IG! #ube #ubemochi #ubemochipancakes #mochi #asianfusion #filipino #filipinoinspired #desserts #easyrecipes #pancakes ♬ Cherry Blossom Ending – Piano Arrangement – Shin Giwon Piano

Pancakes are arguably one of the best breakfasts out there, and adding some ube and a mochi element can make it even better. These ube mochi pancakes are fluffy, chewy, and chock-full of ube flavor. Adding a sugar-fried banana on top can make it even better—and you can take our word for it.

You may also like: Can you name all of these lesser-known Filipino desserts?

Ube rice crispy treats

@melodyshealyy Ube treats! 💜 🇵🇭 #fypシ #filipinofood #filipino #easyrecipe #foodie #asmr #foryoupage #ube #food #ricecrispytreats #filipinorecipe ♬ original sound – melodyshealy

Admittedly, ube can be a little exotic to some folks. If you’re trying to introduce picky or unadventurous eaters to ube, you can start with something simple and familiar. These ube rice crispy treats are familiar enough to most people. The hint of ube gives the snack another dimension of flavor. Best of all, it’s pretty straightforward to make.