What Is Ube? The Purple Food Trend Coming to the Netherlands
- Ube Nederland
- 2 days ago
- 8 min read
Over the past few years, matcha has been everywhere. Matcha lattes, iced matcha, matcha tiramisu, matcha cookies, matcha soft serve, and matcha desserts suddenly appeared on the menus of cafés, bakeries, and dessert bars. Green became the color of modern food and beverage trends.
But alongside matcha, a new color is starting to appear more and more often: purple.
That purple color often comes from ube. Ube is a purple yam best known from Filipino cuisine and is rapidly gaining popularity in modern cafés, bubble tea shops, bakeries, and dessert concepts. Think of ube lattes, ube milk tea, ube cheesecake, ube mochi donuts, ube ice cream, ube croissants, and even combinations such as matcha lattes topped with ube cold foam.
For many people in the Netherlands, ube is still relatively new. Some people search for terms such as purple yam, Filipino yam, purple latte, Asian purple dessert, ube powder, ube paste, or ube extract. However, ube is not simply a purple version of something we already know. It is a traditional ingredient with its own unique flavor, color, and story.
In this blog, we explain what ube is, what it tastes like, how it can be used, and why it is becoming an exciting ingredient for cafés, bakeries, ice cream parlors, and hospitality businesses in the Netherlands.
What Is Ube?
Ube is a purple yam widely used in Filipino cuisine. The tuber naturally has a vibrant purple to violet color and is primarily used in sweet dishes, beverages, and desserts.
The flavor of ube is smooth, creamy, lightly sweet, and slightly nutty. Some people also notice hints of vanilla, coconut, or white chocolate. This makes ube an excellent pairing with milk, cream, coconut, fruit, pastries, and ice cream.
In the Philippines, ube has been used in traditional desserts for generations. One well-known example is ube halaya, a thick purple jam or paste made from cooked and mashed ube. Ube is also commonly used in halo-halo, a popular Filipino dessert made with shaved ice, milk, fruit, jelly, and a variety of toppings.
Ube is therefore not an artificial social media trend. It is an ingredient with a genuine cultural heritage that is now being rediscovered by modern cafés, bakeries, and dessert concepts around the world.
What Does Ube Taste Like?
Ube has a smooth, rich, and dessert-like flavor. It is not intensely sweet on its own, but it has a natural softness that works beautifully in sweet recipes.
Its flavor is often described as:
Lightly sweet
Creamy
Nutty
Subtly vanilla-like
Slightly coconut-like
Smooth and approachable
Because ube is not overpowering, it can be used in many different products. It works wonderfully in milk-based beverages such as ube lattes and ube milk tea, as well as desserts like ube cheesecake, ube ice cream, and ube pancakes.
For consumers who have never tried ube before, the flavor is usually easy to enjoy. It is less bitter than matcha and often more approachable than other Asian flavors such as black sesame or pandan.
Why Is Ube Compared to Matcha?
Ube is often compared to matcha, and for good reason. Matcha became popular because of its distinctive color, Asian heritage, and versatility. Ube shares many of these same qualities.
Matcha is green, earthy, and sometimes slightly bitter. Ube is purple, creamy, and gently sweet. As a result, an ube latte often feels more like a dessert beverage, whereas matcha can be an acquired taste for some consumers.
Ube is also incredibly photogenic. A purple latte, purple cheesecake, or purple soft serve immediately stands out in a display case, on a menu, or on social media. For cafés and hospitality businesses, this has significant value. Products that look great and taste great are more likely to sell and be shared online.
This does not necessarily mean that ube will follow the exact same path as matcha. However, it does possess many of the qualities that make a food trend successful: color, flavor, story, and versatility.
What Can You Use Ube For?
Ube is most commonly used in sweet applications. Thanks to its gentle flavor and vibrant color, it works well in beverages, desserts, baked goods, and ice cream.
Popular ube products include:
Ube latte
Ube milk tea
Ube bubble tea
Ube cheesecake
Ube pancakes
Ube ice cream
Ube soft serve
Ube cake
Ube cookies
Ube brownies
Ube croissants
Ube milk bread
Ube mochi donuts
Ube cold foam
For home use, ube powder is one of the most convenient options. It can easily be mixed into milk, batter, cream, ice cream bases, or dessert fillings without the need to peel, cook, and mash fresh ube.
Looking for inspiration? Check out our blog featuring six simple recipes made with ube powder.
Ube Latte
One of the most popular ways to use ube is in an ube latte. This creamy purple beverage is made with ube, milk, and optionally a sweetener.
An ube latte does not necessarily contain coffee. The word latte mainly refers to the creamy milk-based texture. It can be enjoyed hot or as an iced ube latte.
For cafés, this is probably one of the easiest ways to introduce ube. Customers already understand the concept of a latte, while the purple color makes the drink feel fresh and exciting.
Read our complete guide on how to make an ube latte if you would like a step-by-step recipe.
Ube Milk Tea and Bubble Tea
Ube also works exceptionally well in milk tea and bubble tea. Its creamy flavor pairs perfectly with tea, milk, sugar, and tapioca pearls, making ube milk tea a natural addition for bubble tea shops and Asian dessert concepts.
An ube milk tea typically has a soft purple color and a sweet, creamy flavor. It can be combined with black tea, green tea, jasmine tea, coconut milk, tapioca pearls, or brown sugar syrup.
Want to make it yourself? Read our blog about how to make ube milk tea.
Ube Desserts
In addition to beverages, ube truly shines in desserts. The vibrant purple color instantly attracts attention, while the flavor remains versatile enough to pair with many different ingredients.
Examples include:
Ube cheesecake
Ube pancakes
Ube ice cream
Ube cake
Ube brownies
Ube muffins
Ube cookies
Ube tiramisu
Ube croissants
Ube milk bread
For bakeries, ice cream parlors, and dessert bars, ube is especially appealing because one ingredient can be used to create a wide variety of products. You can start with a single ube item and later expand into a complete ube product line.
Is Ube the Same as Taro?
No, ube and taro are not the same.
Ube is a purple yam, while taro is a different root vegetable with a milder and often earthier flavor. They are frequently confused because both are used in Asian beverages and desserts and sometimes have a similar purple appearance.
Purple sweet potato is also different from ube. Although the color may be similar, the flavor and texture are distinct.
For consumers, this confusion is understandable because ube is still relatively new in the Netherlands. For hospitality businesses, however, this presents an opportunity to educate customers about what ube is, how it tastes, and how it differs from taro.
Learn more in our blog about the difference between taro and ube.
Is Ube Healthy?
Ube can fit into a balanced diet, especially when used as a pure ingredient. It naturally contains carbohydrates, fiber, and plant-based pigments responsible for its purple color.
However, ube is not a miracle food. An ube latte with lots of sugar or an ube cheesecake is still a sweet treat. The nutritional value ultimately depends on the recipe.
What makes ube particularly interesting is that it adds color, flavor, and a more natural story compared to many artificial colorings or flavored syrups. For consumers looking for unique ingredients with an authentic background, this can be very appealing.
Want to learn more? Read our blog: Is Ube Healthy?
Why Is Ube Interesting for the Dutch Hospitality Industry?
The Netherlands often adopts Asian food trends slightly later, but once a trend gains traction, growth can be rapid. Matcha, bubble tea, mochi, and Korean corn dogs are all good examples.
Ube is still in its early stages in the Netherlands, which makes it particularly exciting. For cafés, bakeries, ice cream parlors, and dessert concepts, now is an opportunity to stand out and become early adopters.
A café offering an ube latte or iced ube latte today has something new on the menu that many customers have never tried before. A bakery offering ube croissants, ube cookies, or ube cheesecake can differentiate itself from traditional pastry shops. An ice cream parlor serving ube ice cream or ube soft serve has a visually striking purple flavor that is perfect for summer.
Ube also performs well on social media. People are more likely to share something visually unique. A purple drink or dessert naturally attracts attention. Combined with its approachable flavor, ube can quickly generate curiosity among customers.
Ube for Cafés, Bakeries, and Foodservice
Ube is highly versatile, making it suitable for a wide range of businesses.
Cafés can use ube in:
Ube lattes
Iced ube lattes
Ube matcha lattes
Ube cold foam
Bubble tea shops can use ube in:
Ube milk tea
Ube bubble tea
Ube beverages with tapioca pearls
Bakeries can create:
Ube croissants
Ube buns
Ube cookies
Ube cake
Ube muffins
Ube cheesecake
Ice cream parlors can offer:
Ube ice cream
Ube milkshakes
Ube soft serve
Restaurants and dessert bars can incorporate ube into Asian-inspired desserts, plated desserts, or limited-time specials.
Because ube has so many applications, businesses can experiment with multiple products using a single ingredient.
Where Can You Buy Ube in the Netherlands?
Because ube is still relatively new in the Netherlands, many businesses struggle to find reliable suppliers. Fresh ube is not always easy to source, and consistency is important for professional use.
As a result, many companies work with ube powder, ube paste, or ube extract. For commercial applications, it is important to choose a product that is practical, easy to mix, and suitable for your intended use.
If you want to make ube lattes, ube milk tea, ube desserts, or ube ice cream, ube powder from Ube Nederland is often an excellent starting point. It is easy to measure, has a long shelf life, and can be used in a wide variety of recipes.
Who Is Ube Nederland For?
Ube Nederland is designed for entrepreneurs who want to get ahead of an emerging food trend.
Whether you want to add a purple latte to your menu, test a new dessert, or create an eye-catching limited edition product, ube offers color, flavor, and a compelling story.
With ube powder, you can easily start creating recipes such as ube lattes, ube milk tea, ube cheesecake, ube ice cream, ube pancakes, and many other purple creations.
Why Start Now?
Food trends often start small. First they appear in Asia, then in cities such as London, Paris, and New York, and eventually they reach the Netherlands. Matcha and bubble tea followed a similar path. Ube appears to be doing the same.
For Dutch hospitality businesses, this creates an interesting opportunity. The market is not yet saturated, and most consumers are still unfamiliar with ube. This means the first cafés, bakeries, and dessert concepts to successfully introduce ube can build a meaningful competitive advantage.
Ube is visually striking, easy to explain, and highly versatile. It is new enough to spark curiosity, yet approachable enough to be quickly embraced.
Conclusion: What Is Ube?
Ube is a purple yam from Filipino cuisine with a smooth, creamy, lightly sweet, and slightly nutty flavor. It is used in beverages, desserts, baked goods, and ice cream, and instantly stands out thanks to its vibrant purple color.
Although ube is still relatively new in the Netherlands, it possesses many qualities that make it attractive for cafés, bakeries, ice cream parlors, and hospitality businesses. It is visually appealing, approachable in flavor, and highly versatile.
If you would like to start making ube lattes, ube milk tea, ube desserts, or ube ice cream, begin with a high-quality ube powder. This makes it easy to create ube beverages, desserts, pancakes, milk tea, ice cream, and many other purple creations.
Explore our ube powder and discover how you can use ube in your menu, recipes, or hospitality business.
Quick Summary
What is ube?
Ube is a purple yam that is best known from Filipino cuisine.
What does ube taste like?
Ube has a smooth, creamy, lightly sweet, nutty flavor with subtle vanilla notes.
Is ube the same as taro?
No. Ube and taro are different ingredients with different flavors and origins.
What is ube used for?
Ube is used in lattes, milk tea, bubble tea, cheesecake, ice cream, pancakes, cakes, cookies, and many other desserts.
Where can you buy ube in the Netherlands?
At Ube Nederland, of course!
Comments