This ube ice-cream is a classic Filipino ice-cream flavour made from purple yam is smooth, creamy and delicious!
What is ube?
If you aren’t familiar with ube, it is a purple root vegetable originating in the Philippines. It has a sweet, slightly nutty, vanilla-y taste and is commonly used in desserts.
Ube is often made into a jam in order to be used in desserts. The jam is called ube halaya and is prepared by cooking ube, sugar and dairy together. This can be eaten as it is, but it is most commonly used to create other sweet treats like this ube ice-cream!
Ube halaya can be readily found in Filipino supermarkets and some Asian stores, otherwise it’s widely available online too! If you are unable to find ube halaya you can also use fresh or frozen ube and prepare the jam yourself. There are heaps of recipes online for ube halaya so you won’t have any trouble finding your way around.
Ube substitutes
Ube is similar to a couple of other root vegetables such as purple sweet potato and taro. They are all purple root vegetables, but the flavor between them is slightly different. Colour-wise taro is a lot paler than both ube and purple sweet potatoes, but equally as delicious.
Feel free to play around with the ice cream base, you are able to replace the ube halaya with grated ube, sweet potato or taro. If you do replace the ube halaya, make sure you add extra sugar to the ice cream base as it won’t be as sweet.
If you don’t have access to any of these, but do have ube extract, then add 1/2 tsp extract. As the extract is very concentrated you will still get a prominent ube flavor and a deep purple color!
Ube powder is also another popular form of ube flavoring. Add as much as you need until you reach your desired ube flavor.
Tips to make perfect ice-cream
Here are a couple of tips to keep in mind to create a silky smooth ice-cream from your home!
Use a stabiliser
There are a lot of different kinds of ice-cream stabilisers available on the market now, but I find xantham gum works the best.
Xantham gum helps prevent the formation of large ice-crystals in your ice-cream, giving it a creamier texture and smoother mouthfeel. You don’t need a lot for it to work is magic. If you add too much it can add a chewy texture to your ice-cream, so make sure you stick to the amount stated in the recipe.
If you don’t have xantham gum or can’t find it, tapioca starch is a great alternative. Tapioca starch is widely available in supermarkets, so you won’t have any problems sourcing it for your ice-cream. Tapioca starch works in a similar way to xantham gum, but its properties aren’t as strong.
Chill your ice-cream base
It’s important to chill your base completely before churning. This helps the ice-cream form evenly as it churns in your ice cream maker, creating perfect ice-cream.
Freeze your ice-cream after churning
After the ice-cream has churned you’ll notice that it has a soft serve consistency. While it is edible I highly recommend transferring it to an airtight container and placing it in the freezer to set up for a couple of hours. This process results in ice-cream with a texture better than anything store-bought.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does this last?
Homemade ice cream is best up to 2 weeks when stored in an airtight container in the freezer. It’s still edible afterward however keep in mind that the ice cream will be a lot icier and harder than when originally made.
How do you store ube ice cream?
Make sure you store the ice cream in an airtight container in the freezer. If the container isn’t airtight it will allow ice crystals to form in and on the ice cream.
Where can I find ube flavoring?
You can find ube flavoring in almost any Asian supermarket, the most common form being ube extract. Ube halaya is a lot harder to find and is typically only in Filipino supermarkets.
Why is my ice cream icy?
There are a couple reasons as to why your ice cream is icy:
- Too much liquid was added to your ice cream base
- The ice cream base wasn’t cooked enough until thickened
- The ice cream wasn’t stored in an airtight container
Let’s Get Cooking
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Ube Ice-Cream
This ube ice-cream is a classic Filipino ice-cream flavour made from purple yam is smooth, creamy and delicious!
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 5
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 0.5L 1x
- Category: Ice Cream
- Method: Easy
- Cuisine: Filipino
Ingredients
- 200g Whole milk
- 100g Ube halaya (3.5 oz), (optional)
- 65g White sugar (1/3 cup)
- 300ml Thickened cream aka heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp Xantham gum/tapioca starch
- 4 Egg yolks
- 1/4 tsp Ube extract
Instructions
- Combine milk, cream and sugar together in a small saucepan, heat over medium heat until steaming
- Whisk in ube halaya (optional), ube extract, egg yolks and xantham gum/tapioca starch until smooth
- (If you’re not using ube halaya use 1/2 tsp ube extract)
- Pour warm milk mixture into the egg yolks and stir until smooth
- Return the ice cream mixture back to the heat and whisk until thickened (should coat the back of the spoon)
- Remove from heat and pour into a shallow dish, cover the surface of the ice cream with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours, until completely chilled
- Once chilled pour into the howl of a stand mixer and churn according to the manufacturers instructions
- Transfer to an airtight freezer safe container and chill for a minimum of 4 hours
- Allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes to soften before scooping
