In the Philippines, ube ice cream is not just an ice cream: it is an institution. You find it everywhere, from the cone bought at a street vendor to the top of the famous halo-halo, the archipelago's legendary iced dessert. Its intense purple, entirely natural, catches the eye — but it is the taste that really wins people over: soft and rounded, somewhere between vanilla, hazelnut and chestnut. The good news is that you do not need to travel halfway round the world to try it. With a good-quality ube powder, ube ice cream is very easy to make at home, with or without an ice cream maker.
At Ubedia we work exclusively with the Kinampay variety, grown in the Visayas region at the heart of the Philippines. It is the most highly regarded variety in the archipelago for its aroma and its deep colour, the one Filipino families keep for special occasions. In this recipe we show you step by step how to turn that powder into a smooth, creamy ube ice cream faithful to the original, with a no-churn method anyone can follow and a machine version for the better equipped.
The ingredient behind this recipe: Natural Ube Powder 200 g — 16.90 € (≈50 drinks), 100% Kinampay purple yam, no additives and no added sugar, packed in Aix-en-Provence and shipped within 72 h.
Ube ice cream, the emblematic purple dessert of the Philippines
Ube is a purple yam (Dioscorea alata) that has been grown in the Philippines for centuries. Traditionally it is cooked into ube halaya, a thick, melting jam that forms the base of many desserts. Ube ice cream is its direct descendant: Filipino ice cream makers had the idea of folding that purple purée into a creamy base, giving rise to a flavour that has become unmissable, from provincial carinderias to the menus of Manila's finest restaurants. If you are just discovering this tuber, our guide Ube powder: origin, dosage and where to buy it will give you all the basics before you head into the kitchen.
Ingredients for 6 people
- 40 cl full-fat whipping cream (at least 30% fat), well chilled
- 20 cl sweetened condensed milk
- 3 heaped tablespoons of natural Ubedia ube powder (about 25 to 30 g)
- 10 cl whole milk
- 1 pinch of fine salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional, to round out the flavour)
Preparation time: 20 minutes. Freezing time: 6 hours minimum. Servings: 6 generous scoops.
The no-churn ube ice cream recipe
This so-called “no-churn” method is the one we recommend to start with: it needs no special equipment and gives a surprisingly creamy texture.
- Heat the whole milk without letting it boil, then whisk in the ube powder until you have a smooth, even purple paste. Leave to cool completely.
- In a large, well-chilled bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks: they should form and then flop over slightly.
- Mix the sweetened condensed milk with the cooled ube paste, the salt and, if you like, the vanilla extract.
- Gently fold this purple mixture into the whipped cream, lifting the mass with a spatula so it does not collapse.
- Pour into a loaf tin or an airtight container, smooth the surface and cover with cling film pressed against the ice cream.
- Freeze for at least 6 hours. After 2 hours, give it a quick whisk to break up the first crystals: your ube ice cream will be all the smoother for it.
- Take the ice cream out 10 minutes before serving so it scoops more easily.
The ice cream maker version
If you own an ice cream maker, replace the condensed milk with a further 10 cl of milk and 100 g of sugar. Heat all the ingredients (except the cream) to dissolve the sugar and the ube powder, chill overnight in the fridge, fold in the cold cream and then churn for 25 to 35 minutes depending on your machine. The texture is closer to Filipino artisan ice cream: slightly denser and very silky.
Our tips for a really smooth ube ice cream
Getting the ube powder dose right
Three tablespoons give a deep purple colour and a clear flavour. For a milder ice cream, cut back to two spoons; for maximum intensity, go up to four. Our ube powder dosage page sets out the ideal quantities recipe by recipe.
Always dissolve the powder in a hot liquid
This is the secret of a grain-free texture: ube powder must be rehydrated in a hot liquid before being folded in. Poured straight into cold cream, it would disperse poorly.
Cover the surface before freezing
Cling film laid directly on the surface of the ice cream limits crystal formation and preserves the purple colour. To learn everything about how long your powder keeps, see our advice on storing ube powder.
Tempting variations on ube ice cream
The base takes any direction you fancy. Replace half the cream with coconut milk for a tropical version that is very popular in the Philippines — our Coconut ube powder reinforces that exotic note beautifully. Add cookie pieces, a swirl of coconut jam or chunks of fresh mango. For an even deeper flavour, fold 150 g of homemade ube halaya into the creamy base. And if you love frozen purple desserts, our ube smoothie and our no-bake ube cheesecake should please you just as much.
Frequently asked questions
Can you make a vegan ube ice cream?
Yes: replace the cream with well-chilled full-fat coconut cream and the condensed milk with sweetened condensed coconut milk. The texture stays creamy and the colour is every bit as spectacular.
How long does homemade ube ice cream keep?
About two weeks in the freezer, in an airtight container. Beyond that, the texture crystallises and the aroma fades.
Is the purple colour natural?
Entirely. The shade comes from the pigments naturally present in Kinampay ube, with no added colouring. For more ideas on how to use it, browse our 12 easy ideas with ube powder.
Ready to make your ube ice cream?
You are only one ingredient away: a pure ube powder, free from additives, from the Kinampay variety of the Visayas. You will find all our sizes, from 50 g to 2.5 kg, along with our Cherry, Mango, Coconut, Vanilla and Hazelnut flavours, in the Ubedia shop. Your homemade ube ice cream is waiting for you.
Going further
Discover all our ube recipes. Carry on with ube mochi or the traditional recipe for ube halaya, the Filipino ube jam. For a summer that is 100% purple, the 200 g ube powder is perfect.
