March 5, 2026 · Recipe
Ube Ice Cream Recipe: Creamy Purple Yam Ice Cream at Home
The most stunning, naturally purple ice cream you'll ever make - and it tastes even better than it looks.
Filipino ube ice cream is legendary for a reason: its deep purple color, creamy texture, and irresistible vanilla-biscuit flavor make it unlike any ice cream you've tried. With pure ube powder, you can recreate this iconic dessert at home.
Whether you have an ice cream maker or not, this guide covers both methods, plus variations, storage tips, and the secrets to getting that perfect vibrant purple color.
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Key Takeaways
- No ice cream maker needed - the no-churn method is foolproof
- 100% natural purple color from real ube powder
- Vanilla-biscuit-white chocolate flavor, naturally
- 20 minutes active prep, 6-8 hours freezing
- Vegan version available with coconut cream
- Keeps up to 2 weeks in the freezer
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- No cooking
- Total time
- 8 h
- Servings
- 8 servings
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Dietary
- Vegan option
Why Ube Ice Cream Is Special
Ube ice cream holds a special place in Filipino cuisine. Unlike artificial 'purple' ice creams that rely on food coloring, real ube ice cream gets its color from anthocyanins - powerful antioxidants.
The texture is different too. Ube adds a natural creaminess and density that makes the ice cream feel more luxurious than standard vanilla.
🍨 Ube Ice Cream - 8 Servings
- • 480 ml heavy cream - cold, for whipping
- • 1 can (395g / 400 ml) sweetened condensed milk
- • 3 tablespoons ube powder - 100% pure, no fillers
- • 2 tablespoons warm water - to dissolve the powder
- • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- • Pinch of salt
Optional: 2 tbsp coconut cream for extra richness, white chocolate chips for folding in
Method 1: No-Churn Ube Ice Cream (No Machine Needed)
This is the simplest method and produces incredible results.
- Make the ube paste: Combine 3 tablespoons of ube powder with 2 tablespoons of warm water. Stir until completely smooth.
- Prepare the base: Whisk the condensed milk, ube paste, vanilla extract, and salt until evenly combined.
- Whip the cream: In a separate chilled bowl, whip the cold heavy cream until stiff peaks form (about 3-4 minutes).
- Fold together: Add one-third of the whipped cream to the ube base and stir. Then gently fold in the remaining whipped cream.
- Freeze: Pour into a freezer-safe container. Cover and freeze for 6-8 hours or overnight.
- Serve: Remove from freezer 5-10 minutes before serving. Scoop with a warm ice cream scoop.
💡 Pro Tip: For even more vibrant color, add an extra tablespoon of ube powder. For swirled effect, don't fully fold the ube base into the cream.
Flavor Variations & Mix-Ins
Once you've mastered the base recipe, try these variations:
Ube White Chocolate Chip
Fold in120ml white chocolate chips before freezing.
Ube Coconut Swirl
Layer coconut cream and ube base alternately for a marbled effect.
Ube Biscuit Crunch
Fold in120ml crushed toasted hazelnuts.
Ube Cookie Dough
Add small chunks of edible cookie dough.
Ube Ice Cream: Nutrition Highlights
While it's still a dessert, ube ice cream brings genuine nutritional benefits:
| Nutrient | Per Serving (approx.) | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Anthocyanins | High | Powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory |
| Calories | ~280 kcal | Moderate for ice cream |
| Fiber | ~1.5g | Supports digestion |
| Vitamin C | Present | Immunity support |
| Natural color | 100% | No artificial dyes |
Method 2: Churned Ube Ice Cream (With an Ice Cream Maker)
If you own an ice cream maker, churning gives a lighter, airier scoop with smaller ice crystals. The custard base also carries the biscuit and vanilla notes of real ube further than the no-churn version.
Freeze your machine bowl for at least 24 hours before you start. A bowl that is not fully frozen is the single most common reason a churned base stays soupy.
- Warm the dairy: Heat 480 ml whole milk with 240 ml heavy cream until steaming, without boiling.
- Whisk the yolks: Beat 5 egg yolks with130 g sugar and a pinch of salt until pale.
- Temper: Pour the hot dairy over the yolks in a thin stream, whisking constantly, then return everything to the pan.
- Cook to 82°C (80°C): Stir over low heat until the custard coats the back of a spoon. Do not let it boil.
- Add the ube: Whisk in 4 tablespoons of pure ube powder dissolved in 3 tablespoons of hot water, plus 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Strain and chill: Pass through a fine sieve, then refrigerate at least 4 hours (overnight is better). A cold base churns faster and freezes smoother.
- Churn: 20 to 25 minutes, until the texture of soft serve.
- Ripen: Transfer to a container, press parchment on the surface and freeze 4 hours before scooping.
Choosing Your Dairy (and the Dairy-Free Version)
Fat is what keeps ice cream scoopable. Below 20% fat in the finished base, the mix freezes hard and icy. Here is how the usual options behave with ube.
| Base | Texture | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy cream + condensed milk | Dense, silky, very scoopable | The classic no-churn method |
| Whole milk + yolk custard | Lighter, airy, clean finish | Churned ice cream, purest ube flavour |
| Full-fat coconut milk + coconut cream | Rich, slightly firmer | Dairy-free, and closest to Filipino tradition |
| Oat milk alone | Icy unless you add fat | Add 3 tbsp neutral oil or coconut cream |
| Almond or rice milk | Thin and crystalline | Not recommended on its own |
How Much Ube Powder for the Perfect Purple
Colour and flavour come from the same place, so dosage matters. With 100% pure ube powder there is no colouring to hide behind: what you see is the anthocyanin content of the yam itself.
For 8 servings, 3 tablespoons give a soft lavender and a gentle flavour, 4 tablespoons give the deep violet most people picture, and 5 tablespoons give an intense, almost regal purple with a pronounced biscuit and vanilla character.
Always dissolve the powder in a little hot water first to form a smooth paste. Adding dry powder straight to cold cream is what creates the grainy specks people mistake for a quality problem.
A dash of lemon juice keeps the purple bright: anthocyanins turn greyish-blue in alkaline mixes and stay vivid in slightly acidic ones.
Texture Troubleshooting
Almost every ube ice cream problem comes down to fat, air or dissolution. This table fixes the five most common ones.
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Rock hard from the freezer | Not enough fat or sugar | Use full-fat cream and let it sit 10 minutes before scooping |
| Icy crystals | Water content too high, slow freezing | Chill the base fully before freezing, use a shallow metal container |
| Grainy purple specks | Powder added dry | Dissolve in hot water into a paste first |
| Pale, washed-out colour | Too little powder, or an alkaline mix | Add 1 more tablespoon and a squeeze of lemon |
| Greasy mouthfeel | Cream over-whipped | Whip only to soft peaks before folding |
Storage, Scooping and Making It Ahead
Press a sheet of parchment directly onto the surface before closing the lid: this is what stops freezer burn and the stale taste that comes with it. Stored this way, ube ice cream keeps its texture for 2 weeks and stays safe for 2 months.
Keep it at the back of the freezer, never in the door, where every opening causes a partial thaw and rebuilds ice crystals.
To scoop, leave it on the counter for 8 to 10 minutes and dip your scoop in hot water. Never refreeze a batch that has melted through: the texture will not come back.
Ways to Serve Ube Ice Cream
In the Philippines, a scoop of ube ice cream is the crown of a halo-halo, layered over shaved ice, sweetened beans and leche flan.
It is also excellent affogato-style, drowned in a shot of espresso, or sandwiched between two ube white chocolate cookies.
For a full purple dessert table, serve it alongside a slice of ube banana bread, a spoon of ube halaya, or a tall iced ube latte.
Less than a coffee. Better than a matcha.
With the 5-pack you get 165 ube lattes at home. Cheaper than a café, delivered to your door.
This recipe is made with ube powder from Ube Nolia, the #1 natural ube brand from the Philippines. Discover our buy ube powder, 100% pure: no coloring, no additives, no added sugar. One 100 g pouch makes 33 ube lattes.
Looking for ube powder? Ube Nolia sells 100% pure ube from the Philippines, with no coloring, no additives and no added sugar.
New to purple yam? Read our complete guide: What is ube? - origin, taste, benefits and how to use Ube Nolia ube powder.
