This homemade vegan Ube Coffee, also called an Ube Latte, is exactly the sweet pick-me-up your afternoon needs. With just 4 ingredients and a handful of ice (or a quick trip to the microwave), you'll have a fantastic purple yam latte in less than five minutes.
If you love coffee drinks, try my coffee soju cocktail and my yuzu coffee.
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About this recipe
Popular Filipino Flavor: though it's also become quite popular in The States recently, the purple sweet potato (ube) is popular in Okinawa, Japan as well as all over the Philippines, where it's traditionally used as a flavor for baked goods and now beverages.
Vegan Household Favorite: my boyfriend loves making a homemade ube coffee for a treat now and then, but this is by far my favorite caffeinated beverage. I've been making myself one, usually without cream for a vegan ube latte, a couple times a week for awhile now. So I figure it's about time to share my ube coffee recipe with you all!
Great Source of Antioxidants: just like with matcha powder, the deep color of the purple sweet potato comes from the abundance of antioxidant phytochemicals (plant chemicals) it contains, meaning that when you enjoy an ube beverage, more than just your taste buds will be thanking you.
Ingredients
Milk: you can use any type of milk; I like coconut or macadamia milk for a dairy-free ube latte (and to lessen the lactose level, so I take fewer lactase pills!).
Ube Halaya: this delicious purple sweet potato jam gives Alternately, you could use half a teaspoon of ube extract.
Double Espresso: this is the coffee element of the ube coffee drink, though you could also use up to 4oz. of strongly-brewed coffee instead.
Heavy Cream or Coconut Cream: this adds both creaminess and heft to the ube latte, though you could also whip it and use it to top your drink.
Condensed Milk: this is optional, but you can add dairy-free coconut-based or regular condensed milk to taste, for a more sweet ube latte.
How to make ube coffee: step-by-step instructions
Step 1. Add the milk and ube halaya to a mug or glass and microwave it for one minute (or heat it lightly on the stovetop), until hot but not too hot to touch. If making an iced ube latte, only heat it for 45 seconds.
Then use a milk frother or a spoon to stir the mixture until it's all a uniform deep purple color. You could also just use ½ teaspoon of ube extract in the milk, but I always prefer the real thing (though the texture of the two is definitely different).
Step 2. This is when you'll want to taste the ube milk and make sure it's both strong enough in flavor and sweet enough for you. If it needs more ube flavor, stir in another tablespoon of ube halaya. For more sugar, start with a half tablespoon of condensed milk and just keep stirring in more until it's to your taste.
Step 3. Once the purple yam drink for the base tastes right, add ice (if using), and pour on the cream. On top of that layer the espresso or coffee; alternately you can whip the cream rather than add it directly, and layer the whipped cream on top of the ube latte (this works whether it's hot or iced).
Then add a straw and enjoy! I like to rim mine with a bit of condensed milk for sweet sipping, but you could also add sprinkles.
Recipe notes & tips
Mixing the Purple Milk: for an easy ube latte you’ll want to blend the microwaved mixture with a spoon or a high-powered milk frother, the latter of which I use in my kitchen every week without issue.
Alternatives to Heavy Cream: to make a vegan purple yam coffee, you can either skip the heavy cream or use coconut cream or another high-fat vegan creamer. This is just added to make the drink creamier and give it better texture.
Why Use Ube Halaya?: while you can make this purple latte with ube extract, all of the purple yam extracts out there are artificially flavored & colored with some strange fillers.
To each their own, but I love the heft and texture offered by using real purple yam jam, known in the Philippines as ube halaya. It also gives the drink a lovely & natural lavender hue, and makes it a real purple yam coffee— not just a purple latte.
Ube Coffee FAQ
Ube flavoring is an artificially-flavored liquid used to mimic the flavor of purple sweet potato in drinks and baked goods.
This ube latte recipe contains about 230 calories, less without the cream (100 from cream, 80 from ube halaya, 40 from milk, and 10 from coffee).
You can make purple coffee using Filipino purple sweet potatoes, either in the form of ube jam (ube halaya) or artificial ube flavoring.
The sweet vanilla marshmallow flavor of ube goes well with mildly bitter, umami, or acidic flavors like black sesame, espresso, mango, or guava.
No, ube is a dark purple sweet potato with a creamy texture and vanilla flavor, while taro is a lighter purple starch with a mildly nutty flavor.
Ube Latte Recipe Card (Ube Coffee)
As always, if you like the recipe, I really appreciate a 5 star review or comment!
📖 Recipe
Quick Ube Coffee (Ube Latte Recipe)
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup milk
- ¼ cup ube halaya alt. ½ teaspoon ube extract
- 1 double espresso 2oz.
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream or coconut cream
- condensed milk to taste optional
Instructions
- Add the milk and ube halaya to a mug and microwave it for one minute (or heat it lightly on the stovetop), until hot but not too hot to touch. If making an iced ube latte, only heat it for 45 seconds.
- Then use a milk frother or a spoon to stir the mixture until it's all a uniform deep purple color. You could also just use ½ teaspoon of ube extract in the milk, but I always prefer the real thing (though the texture of the two is definitely different). This is when you'll want to taste the ube milk and make sure it's both strong enough in flavor and sweet enough for you. If it needs more ube flavor, stir in another tablespoon of ube halaya. For more sugar, start with a half tablespoon of condensed milk and just keep stirring in more until it's to your taste.
- Once the purple yam drink for the base tastes right, add ice (if using), and pour on the cream. On top of that layer the espresso or coffee; alternately you can whip the cream rather than add it directly, and layer the whipped cream on top of the ube latte (this works whether it's hot or iced). Then add a straw and enjoy! I like to rim mine with a bit of condensed milk for sweet sipping, but you could also add sprinkles.
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