Ube Ice Cream – amazing Filipino dessert made with purple sweet potatoes / yams and coconut milk; no machine needed!

Before I get to the recipe, I need to apologize to all of you who tried to reach my site in past 40 days. It had some major technical issues which prevented you from seeing its content partly or entirely. It even sent one wrong newsletter out (yikes!). Everything is resolved now, hopefully, and the site should be much faster and better performing. I hope we will have more fun time in the future sharing recipes and experience.

What is Ube Ice Cream?
The idea behind this pretty natural purple ice cream is similar to Ube Cake. Its’ color comes from purple sweet potatoes / yams (called ube). It originates from Philippines where “ube” everything is very popular.
Ube is sometimes confused with taro which similar root vegetable, but mostly used in savory dishes.
What is Ube Ice Cream made of?
It is made of purple sweet potatoes / yams and coconut milk. I use coconut milk instead of heavy cream or sweetened condensed milk.
If you have access to Ube Halaya (Filipino cuisine dessert made from boiled and mashed purple yam), you can simplify the procedure of cooking and mashing ube yourself. I don’t, so I made everything from scratch, which is not such a big deal.
Some rehydrated ube powder can be used as well.
What does Ube Ice Cream taste like?
Ube Ice Cream has mild taste of sweet potatoes which reminds me of chestnuts. I added a touch of vanilla and rum to compliment the flavor of yam and coconut.
What flavor is Ube Ice Cream?
My Ube Ice Cream recipe is vanilla and rum flavor (rum is optional). For deeper ube flavor and color, some ube extract can be added as well (you can purchase it through Amazon). You can also add other natural flavors of your choice, like lemon, pistachio, pecan, chocolate etc.

Can dogs eat Ube Ice Cream?
Dogs can safely eat purple yams and coconut milk which are main ingredients of this ice cream. I’m not an expert for dogs’ food, but I believe this could be a pretty healthy treat for your dog.
Can cats eat Ube Ice Cream?
Cats can eat yams / sweet potatoes and coconut milk, so they should be OK with eating ube ice cream. Since cats don’t generally like sweet things, it is possible that your cat won’t be interested in this treat.
I already published a recipe for very simple and delicious Mango Ice Cream 3 years ago and I thought I could use the same procedure to make Ube Ice Cream. I froze (cooked and peeled) sweet potato chunks and mixed them in a food processor with coconut milk. I also tried using frozen pureed sweet potatoes with equally good result.
Even though sweet potatoes are sweet by themselves, I still used some sugar to make them even more tasty.

PRO TIP
You may be tempted to replace sugar with some other sweetener like honey, agave syrup or maple syrup. You certainly can, but keep in mind that sugar crystals are helping the ice cream to remain soft even when frozen. Without sugar it will turn into a block of ice. The same goes with alcohol – you may omit the rum, only your ice cream will be harder.
How to make ube ice cream?
I do not use any ice cream machine. I simply place all ingredients in a bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth. Then I put the mixture in a container with a lid and freeze them for about 30 minutes. Then I stir it with a fork and freeze for another 30 minutes. I repeat that for 2-3 hours to get creamy texture.
If using ice cream maker, transfer the ice cream mixture to your ice cream maker and churn by following the manufacturer’s instructions.
If the ice cream stays in the freezer for longer period of time (over night or for several days) it may become hard. If that happens, let it sit on your counter for about 15 minutes before serving.
Treat yourself with a portion of easy homemade Ube Ice Cream delight. It will make your eyes happy as well as your tastesbuds. And it is good for your health as well. Win-win-win!!


Ube Ice Cream – amazing Filipino dessert made with purple sweet potatoes / yams / ube and coconut milk; no machine needed!
- 1 1/2 cup (400 ml) coconut milk
- 4 cups frozen (boiled and peeled) purple sweet potato (ube) chunks (or 2 1/2 cup mashed)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp rum (optional)
- for garnish: desiccated coconut, chopped pistachios, sugar sprinkles
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Place all ingredients in a bowl of your food processor and blend until smooth.
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WITHOUT ICE CREAM MAKER:
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Transfer the mixture to a freezing container, cover and freeze for 30 minutes.
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Mix with a fork to break pieces of ice. Freeze for another 30 minutes. Repeat for 2-3 hours.
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WITH ICE CREAM MAKER:
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Transfer the mixture to your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
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Let Ube Ice Cream defrost for 15 minutes before serving.

Table of Contents
My ube ice cream did not yield a purple color. The package said purple sweet potatoes but when I peeled them they were more beige.What went wrong ?
i love it its look delecious
This ice cream recipe is healthy and delicious, I love coconut milk.