Purple against pale purple: the confusion between ube and taro is probably the most common in all of Asian cooking. On bubble tea menus, in pastry shops and on social media, the two names are used interchangeably — wrongly so. Because while both tubers turn up in the desserts of Southeast Asia, they share neither the same botanical family, nor the same colour, nor the same taste. Ube (Dioscorea alata) is a deep purple yam with a gentle aroma of vanilla and hazelnut, the star of the Philippines; taro (Colocasia esculenta) is a grey-lavender root with a more neutral, starchy taste, very common in China and Hawaii. At Ubedia, we work exclusively with ube — and not just any ube: the Kinampay variety from the Visayas, in the Philippines, reputed to be the most aromatic. In this ube vs taro comparison, we go through everything that sets them apart: botany, colour, taste, texture, culinary uses and availability in France, so that you never mix them up again.
Ube and taro: two very different plants
Let's start with the botany. Ube is a yam, the tuber of a climbing vine in the Dioscoreaceae family, grown mainly in the Philippines — our page What is ube? is devoted entirely to it. Taro, on the other hand, is the corm of a plant in the Araceae family, with large heart-shaped leaves, domesticated thousands of years ago in Asia and the Pacific. So they are neither the same plants, nor the same parts of plants, nor the same growing regions.
The ube vs taro comparison table
| Criterion | Ube | Taro |
|---|---|---|
| Botanical name | Dioscorea alata (yam) | Colocasia esculenta (corm) |
| Main origin | Philippines, Southeast Asia | Asia, Pacific, Caribbean |
| Colour of the flesh | Deep, even purple | Greyish white flecked with purple fibres |
| Taste | Mild, notes of vanilla and hazelnut | Neutral, starchy, slightly nutty |
| Dominant use | Desserts and sweet drinks | Savoury dishes and desserts |
| Colour in baking | Naturally purple | Often artificially coloured purple |
Colour: the natural purple belongs to ube
This is THE point that creates the confusion. The purple “taro” drinks sold by the bubble tea chains almost always owe their colour to a dye: taro flesh is naturally a greyish white. Ube, by contrast, is rich in anthocyanins, the purple pigments also found in blueberries: its spectacular colour is 100 % natural. So if you are looking for a clear purple with no artificial colouring for your cakes, lattes or ice creams, ube powder is what you want. And even alongside other brightly coloured superfoods, ube holds its own: see our comparisons ube vs matcha and ube vs açaí.
Taste: vanilla sweetness against discreet starch
Taro has a discreet taste, close to water chestnut or a mild potato: it often serves as a base for texture. Ube, on the other hand, has real aromatic personality: natural notes of vanilla and hazelnut, and an almost dessert-like sweetness. That is why it shines in desserts where it takes the lead — ube halaya, ice creams, cheesecakes — while taro tends to accompany soups, stews and fried dishes in Chinese and Vietnamese cooking.
In the kitchen: which one for which recipe?
For a slow-cooked savoury dish or homemade crisps, fresh taro (available in Asian grocery stores) is a good choice. For anything sweet — lattes, smoothies, cakes, ice creams, mochi, crêpes — ube is unbeatable, both for the colour and for the taste. In France, fresh ube is almost impossible to find; ube powder is the most practical solution: it rehydrates in a few minutes and is easy to measure out. Our guide on how to use ube powder lists 12 simple ideas to get you started.
Nutrition: two tubers, two profiles
Both are sources of complex carbohydrates and fibre, as tubers typically are. What sets ube apart are its anthocyanins, the antioxidant pigments responsible for its purple colour, present in far greater quantity than in taro. For the detailed nutritional values of purple yam, see our page on ube nutrition.
The verdict: ube or taro?
If you have been hesitating between ube and taro for your sweet creations, the choice is clear: ube gives you both the natural purple and the indulgent aroma, where taro brings only a starchy texture and an artificial colour. And to taste the difference at source, nothing beats an ube powder of the Kinampay variety, grown in the Visayas and milled without additives.
Ready to switch to authentic purple? Discover our Natural ube powder 100 g or explore all the flavours on the Ubedia shop.
