Drinks
What Is an Ube Latte? Taste, Ingredients & Calories
So, what is an ube latte? It is a creamy milk drink made with ube, the purple yam from the Philippines, whisked into warm or iced milk. You get a soft lilac color, a gently sweet flavor that reminds people of vanilla and white chocolate, and a cozy café feel without needing a coffee machine.
If you have seen purple drinks on café menus or your social feeds and wondered what is in an ube latte, how it tastes, or whether it has coffee, this guide answers all of it. We will also look at rough ube latte calories by milk type and whether an ube latte is a healthy choice.
Want the step-by-step recipe instead? Head to our guide on how to make an ube latte at home (hot and iced). This page is the explainer.
What Is an Ube Latte, Exactly?
An ube latte is a "latte" in the modern café sense: a flavored milk drink, not necessarily an espresso drink. The flavor and color come from ube (pronounced OO-beh), a purple yam (Dioscorea alata) that has been a beloved ingredient in Filipino desserts for generations. Think ube halaya, ube ice cream, and ube pandesal.
At home, the simplest version is ube powder whisked into a smooth paste with a little hot water, then topped with milk. Cafés often use ube syrups, extracts, or ube jam instead, which is why their drinks can look brighter and taste sweeter than a homemade one. If you are brand new to the ingredient, our beginner guide What Is Ube? covers where it comes from and how it differs from taro and purple sweet potato.
How to Pronounce Ube Latte
Ube is pronounced OO-beh, two syllables, with the stress on the first. It rhymes loosely with "Cuba" without the C. So an ube latte sounds like "OO-beh LAH-tay." You will sometimes hear "you-bee" or "oob," but OO-beh is the Tagalog pronunciation and the one you will hear from Filipino friends and bakers.
What Is in an Ube Latte?
A classic homemade ube latte has just three or four ingredients:
- Ube: usually pure ube powder (dried, finely milled purple yam). A standard serving is 2 tsp (5 g).
- Hot water: 2 to 3 tbsp at about 80°C/175°F to dissolve the powder into a paste.
- Milk: around 200 ml (about 3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp), warm or iced. Dairy or plant-based both work.
- Sweetener (optional): sugar, honey, maple syrup, or condensed milk, to taste.
Café versions may add ube syrup, ube extract, coconut milk, cold foam, or a shot of espresso. It is worth asking what is in yours, because "ube" on a menu can mean anything from real purple yam to mostly flavoring and food coloring.
Our pure ube powder is 100% purple yam from the Philippines, dried and finely milled, with nothing added: no sugar, dyes, flavors, or fillers. The purple color comes naturally from anthocyanins in the yam.
What Does an Ube Latte Taste Like?
An ube latte tastes gently sweet, mellow, and comforting. Most people describe the flavor with a few familiar notes:
- Vanilla: a soft, rounded sweetness.
- White chocolate: creamy and a little buttery, especially with whole or oat milk.
- Toasted nuts: a light, earthy, almost pistachio-like warmth.
It is not sharp, bitter, or grassy. If matcha is "green and vegetal," ube is "creamy and dessert-like." (Our Ube vs Matcha comparison goes deeper if you are deciding between the two.)
One thing to expect: a latte made with real ube powder is a soft lilac, not neon violet. Café drinks that look electric purple usually get help from dyes or concentrated extracts. The natural color is softer, and many people find the flavor more genuine for it.
Hot vs iced ube latte taste
Hot ube lattes taste rounder and more like a warm dessert, with the nutty notes coming forward. Iced ube lattes taste lighter and a bit sweeter on the tongue, and the color looks prettier in a clear glass. Coconut milk on ice is a popular pairing; try our iced coconut ube latte if that sounds good.
Does Ube Latte Have Coffee?
A traditional ube latte does not have coffee. Ube is a root vegetable, so the base drink is naturally caffeine-free. That makes it a nice option for afternoons, evenings, or anyone cutting back on caffeine.
That said, some cafés serve a "dirty" ube latte with a shot of espresso, and some menu items labeled "ube coffee" mix ube with cold brew. If you want the full breakdown, read Does Ube Have Caffeine?.
Ube Latte Calories
Ube latte calories depend mostly on two things: the milk you use and how much sweetener you add. The ube itself contributes very little. A 5 g serving of ube powder is roughly 15 to 20 kcal, since it is mostly the dried yam's natural carbohydrates.
The table below gives rough estimates for a homemade ube latte with 2 tsp (5 g) ube powder and 200 ml milk, no sweetener. Milk values are typical figures and vary by brand, so check your carton for exact numbers.
| Milk (200 ml) | Milk calories (approx.) | Ube latte, unsweetened (approx.) | With 1 tsp sugar (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole milk | ~120–125 kcal | ~135–145 kcal | ~150–160 kcal |
| 2% milk | ~100 kcal | ~115–120 kcal | ~130–135 kcal |
| Skim milk | ~70 kcal | ~85–90 kcal | ~100–105 kcal |
| Oat milk (barista style) | ~100–120 kcal | ~115–140 kcal | ~130–155 kcal |
| Coconut milk beverage (carton, unsweetened) | ~40–90 kcal | ~55–110 kcal | ~70–125 kcal |
| Unsweetened almond milk | ~25–35 kcal | ~40–55 kcal | ~55–70 kcal |
A level teaspoon of sugar adds roughly 16 kcal. A tablespoon of maple syrup or condensed milk adds more, often around 50 to 60 kcal. Café ube lattes made with syrups, whipped cream, or cold foam in large sizes can land well above these numbers, so treat a big café drink more like a dessert.
Is Ube Latte Healthy?
An ube latte can be a reasonable everyday drink, especially when you make it at home and control the sugar. Whether it is "healthy" for you depends on your milk, your sweetener, and your overall diet.
Here is what we can say in general terms about purple yam itself. Ube is a whole root vegetable, and like other yams it contains some fiber and potassium, plus vitamin C. Its purple color comes from anthocyanins, plant pigments that research suggests may act as antioxidants. A single 5 g serving of powder is small, though, so think of these as a nice bonus rather than a reason to drink it.
The bigger factors are easy to manage:
- Sweetener: start with less than you think. Ube is naturally mellow and sweet-tasting.
- Milk choice: pick the milk that fits your goals, whether that is protein, fewer calories, or dairy-free.
- Ingredient list: pure ube powder avoids the added sugar, dyes, and flavorings found in many ube syrups and premixes.
Our ube powder is caffeine-free, vegan, and gluten-free, so it works for many diets. For more on nutrition, see our ube powder benefits guide. This is general information, not medical advice. Talk to a healthcare professional about your own dietary needs.
Ube Latte vs Other Café Lattes
| Drink | Main flavor | Caffeine | Color |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ube latte | Vanilla, white chocolate, toasted nut | None (unless espresso is added) | Soft lilac |
| Matcha latte | Grassy, umami, slightly bitter | Yes | Green |
| Chai latte | Warm spices | Yes (black tea) | Tan |
| Golden latte | Earthy turmeric, ginger | None | Yellow |
| Caffe latte | Coffee | Yes | Light brown |
FAQ
What is an ube latte made of?
An ube latte is made of ube (usually ube powder, syrup, or jam), milk, and an optional sweetener. A homemade version with pure ube powder needs only 2 tsp of powder, a splash of hot water, and about 200 ml of milk.
What does an ube latte taste like?
It tastes gently sweet and creamy, with notes of vanilla, white chocolate, and toasted nuts. It is mellow rather than bitter, closer to a dessert drink than a coffee.
Does an ube latte have coffee in it?
No, not by default. A classic ube latte is caffeine-free. Some cafés add espresso for a "dirty" version, so check the menu description if you are avoiding caffeine.
How many calories are in an ube latte?
Roughly 40 to 160 kcal for a homemade 200 ml ube latte, depending on the milk and sweetener. The ube powder itself is roughly 15 to 20 kcal per 5 g serving. Large café versions with syrup and toppings are often higher.
How do you pronounce ube latte?
Say it "OO-beh LAH-tay." Ube has two syllables with the stress on the first.
Why is my homemade ube latte paler than the café version?
Real purple yam gives a natural lilac color. Many café drinks use dyes or concentrated extracts for a brighter purple. A paler latte usually means fewer additives, not less ube.
Try Your First Ube Latte at Home
Now you know what an ube latte is: a creamy, naturally caffeine-free purple yam drink with a soft vanilla and nutty sweetness. The easiest way to taste the real thing is to make it yourself with Ube Daily ube powder, then follow our ube latte recipe for hot and iced versions. One 100 g pouch makes about 20 lattes, so you have plenty of room to experiment with milks and sweetness.
