Drinks
10 Ube Drinks You Can Make at Home (Easy Recipes)
Ube drinks are having a moment, and for good reason. That soft purple color, the gentle vanilla-and-nut sweetness, the cozy Filipino dessert vibe: it all works beautifully in a glass. The good news is that you don't need a café to enjoy them. With one pouch of ube powder and a few pantry staples, you can make every ube drink on this list at home.
Below are 10 easy ube drink recipes, from a classic ube latte to ube milk tea, coffee, smoothies, and a refreshing ube coconut "juice." Each one has a short recipe, and where we have a full step-by-step guide, we've linked it.
Serves: 1 per recipe · Time: 3–10 minutes · Difficulty: Easy · Diet: Vegetarian, most can be vegan, gluten-free
What Is an Ube Drink?
An ube drink is any beverage flavored with ube, the purple yam from the Philippines. Most ube drinks are milk-based, like lattes, milk tea, and shakes, because creamy milk carries ube's mellow, dessert-like flavor best. If you're new to the ingredient, our beginner's guide to ube is a great place to start.
Why Make Ube Drinks at Home
- You control the sweetness. Café versions are often very sweet. At home, you decide.
- Real ube, no dyes. Many bright violet café drinks use coloring. A pure powder gives a natural lilac shade.
- One ingredient, ten drinks. The same base works hot, iced, blended, or shaken.
- Caffeine-free by default. Ube itself has no caffeine, so most of these work as afternoon or evening drinks.
How to Use Ube Powder in Drinks
Every recipe below uses the same simple base, so learn this once and you're set.
- Measure. Use 2 tsp (5 g) pure ube powder per drink.
- Make a paste. Whisk it with 2–3 tbsp hot water (about 80°C / 175°F) until smooth and glossy.
- Sweeten. Stir in 1–2 tsp sweetener while the paste is warm so it dissolves.
- Add liquid. Pour in about 200 ml (3/4 cup + 1 tbsp) milk, warm or cold.
That's it. Ube powder for drinks works best when it's hydrated in hot water first; dry powder in cold milk will clump. For more ways to use it in food and drinks, see How to Use Ube Powder.
Pro tip: Make a batch of ube paste for the week. Whisk 4 tbsp (about 30 g) ube powder with 120 ml hot water and your sweetener, store it covered in the fridge for up to 3 days, and spoon out about 2 tbsp per drink.
10 Ube Drinks You Can Make at Home
1. Classic Ube Latte (Hot or Iced)
The drink that started it all. Make the base above with 200 ml steamed milk for a hot latte, or pour it over ice with cold milk for an iced ube latte. Creamy, mellow, and caffeine-free.
Full guide: How to Make an Ube Latte at Home (Hot & Iced).
2. Iced Coconut Ube Latte
Swap regular milk for 200 ml coconut milk and serve over plenty of ice. Coconut and ube are a classic Filipino pairing, and this one tastes like a tropical dessert.
Full recipe: Iced Coconut Ube Latte.
3. Ube Matcha Latte
Pour sweetened ube milk into a glass, add ice and a splash of plain milk, then float 1 tsp (2 g) matcha whisked with 2 tbsp hot water on top. You get purple, white, and green layers. Note: matcha contains caffeine.
Full recipe: Ube Matcha Latte (Iced & Hot, Layered).
4. Ube Iced Coffee or Dirty Ube Latte
Make the ube base with 150 ml cold milk, pour over ice, and top with a shot of espresso or 120 ml cooled strong coffee. The coffee floats on top for a two-tone look.
More ideas: Ube Coffee: What It Is + 5 Easy Ways to Make It.
5. Ube Milk
The simplest ube milk drink of all: ube paste, sweetener, 250 ml cold milk, and a drop of vanilla, shaken in a jar until frothy. Kids love it, and it's a nod to the sweet ube milk sold across the Philippines.
Full recipe: Ube Milk Recipe (Filipino-Style Purple Milk Drink).
6. Ube Milk Tea (with or without Boba)
Brew 1 black tea bag in 120 ml hot water for 4 minutes and let it cool. Add the sweetened ube paste and 120 ml milk, then pour over ice and cooked tapioca pearls. Black tea adds a little caffeine.
Full recipe: Ube Tea & Ube Milk Tea (Boba).
7. Ube Banana Smoothie
Blend 1 frozen banana, 2 tsp (5 g) ube powder, 200 ml milk or yogurt drink, and a few ice cubes until smooth. No paste needed here since the blender does the work. Thick, naturally sweet, and great for breakfast.
Full recipe: Ube Banana Smoothie.
8. Ube Cold Foam Cold Brew
Froth ube paste, 1–2 tsp sweetener, and 60 ml cold heavy cream (or a mix of cream and milk) until thick. Spoon it over cold brew and ice. The purple foam slowly cascades into the coffee.
Full recipe: Ube Cold Foam.
9. Ube Coconut Latte (Copycat-Inspired)
Inspired by the ube coconut latte made popular by big coffee chains, this version combines ube paste, coconut milk, a shot of espresso, and a coconut cold foam topping. It's a homemade take, not an official recipe, and we're not affiliated with any coffee chain.
Full recipe: Ube Coconut Latte Copycat.
10. Ube Coconut Cooler ("Ube Juice")
Ube isn't juiced like fruit, so when people search for "ube juice," they usually mean a light, refreshing ube drink. Whisk the ube paste with 1–2 tsp sugar, then shake it with 150 ml chilled coconut water, 50 ml coconut milk, and a squeeze of lime over ice. It's lighter than a latte and perfect for hot days.
Tips for Better Ube Drinks
- Always hydrate the powder. A smooth paste is the difference between silky and gritty.
- Pick creamy milks. Whole milk, oat milk, and coconut milk bring out ube's flavor best.
- Add a pinch of salt. It makes ube taste sweeter and nuttier.
- Go stronger for iced drinks. Ice dilutes flavor, so try 2.5–3 tsp ube powder.
- Expect lilac. Natural ube is a soft purple, not the neon shade of dyed drinks.
Common Mistakes With Ube Drinks
| Mistake | Result | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Stirring powder into cold milk | Clumps and grit | Whisk with hot water first |
| Using boiling water | Duller flavor | Aim for about 80°C / 175°F |
| Adding sugar to cold drinks last | Undissolved sugar | Sweeten the warm paste instead |
| Too little ube in iced drinks | Weak, watery taste | Use 2.5–3 tsp per glass |
| Expecting bright violet | Disappointment | Natural ube is lilac; that's the real thing |
Storage
Most ube drinks taste best fresh. Pre-made ube paste keeps in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 3 days; stir before using. Store your ube powder sealed in a cool, dry place and use it within 12 months of opening.
FAQ
What is an ube drink made of?
Most ube drinks are made with ube (purple yam) in the form of powder, syrup, or halaya, plus milk and a sweetener. Some add coffee, tea, coconut, or fruit.
What is the easiest ube drink recipe?
Ube milk. Whisk 2 tsp ube powder with 2–3 tbsp hot water, add sweetener and 250 ml cold milk, and shake or stir. It takes about three minutes.
Can you use ube powder for drinks without a blender?
Yes. A small whisk, fork, or handheld frother is enough. The key is making a smooth paste with hot water before adding milk.
Is there such a thing as ube juice?
Not really in the fruit-juice sense, since ube is a starchy root. "Ube juice" usually refers to a light ube drink, like the coconut cooler above.
Do ube drinks have caffeine?
Ube itself is caffeine-free. Drinks with coffee, matcha, or black tea will contain caffeine from those ingredients. Read more in Does Ube Have Caffeine?
Pick Your First Ube Drink
Whether you start with a classic latte, a fruity smoothie, or a layered ube matcha, all ten of these ube drinks begin with the same simple paste. Grab a pouch of Ube Daily ube powder, made from 100% purple yam with nothing added, and work your way through the list.
