Ube Ice Cream Purple Yam Ice Cream

Easy, creamy and delicious ube ice cream!

I recently shared my recipe for ube halaya; the jam counterpart of this intriguing vegetable. Ube is very popular in Filipino cuisine, and is routinely featured in lots of different dishes. And it’s quickly gaining traction all over the world as well. One of the most popular ube treats of course is ube ice cream!

What is Ube?

Pronounced “ooh-beh”, this is a type of yam that has pale purple-colored flesh. I discussed what ube purple yam is in detail in my ube halaya post, where I also discussed the difference between taro (root vegetables) and purple sweet potatoes (Hawaiian / Okinawan sweet potatoes). Ube has a unique flavor and texture profile that works really well for desserts. The striking purple color also makes ube desserts stand out even more. This purple yam ice cream is no exception!

Why you should try this ice cream recipe!

This ice cream is different from all the other regular ice cream recipes on my blog. That’s because this does not use any eggs! Since I’m using (frozen) fresh ube here, there’s enough starch in fresh ube to thicken the ice cream base sufficiently to create a delicious and creamy ice cream, without the need for eggs. My ube ice cream recipe is made with an ice cream maker. And I’m not using any sweetened condensed milk in the base either. This way the ice cream is not overly sweet, and the ube flavor stands out and shines more! However, since there are no eggs, and it’s not as sweet as other ice creams, this ube ice cream does harden a little more in the freezer. That’s because egg yolks add fat to the ice cream which thickens it, but also keeps the ice cream softer at lower temperature. And sugar also helps keep the ice cream softer at freezing temperatures. So without these two components, the purple yam ice cream hardens more in the freezer compared to regular ice cream. But just leave the ice cream at room temp. for a few minutes, and it’ll soon become soft enough to create some deliciously smooth scoops of ice cream.

How to make purple yam ice cream with fresh ube / purple yam

Is this made with fresh ube or frozen ube?

You can make it with either. When I make this with frozen ube from our local Filipino store, I always cook the ube in a pan with the butter first. This is important. And it isn’t difficult either, because frozen ube usually comes very finely grated, which makes the cooking process quick. Alternatively, if you have fresh ube chunks OR you’re making it with purple sweet potatoes, you can STEAM the purple yam / sweet potatoes first. Then grate the cooked/steamed yam, and proceed with the recipe. The ube is cooked with butter to create a smooth, mashed potato-like consistency. I also like to add ube extract to this mixture for two reasons; This ube base is heated over medium heat with coconut milk (or evaporated milk), and sugar. The starches in the ube will absorb the liquid and thicken the ice cream base as you cook it. Add a little vanilla extract and a very small amount of lemon juice (this will perk up the purple yam flavor). This is the ube paste base for the ice cream. Add heavy cream to the ube paste base and let it chill completely (I prefer to keep the ice cream base in the fridge overnight). This base is then churned in your ice cream machine (according to the manufacturer’s instructions). After churning, the ice cream will have a soft serve consistency. You could eat it right away, or place the ice cream in a freezer safe container and freeze it for a few hours.

Can I make a no churn ice cream version?

You can make no churn ube ice cream. The result will be different, however. For every 1 cup of the thick ube paste, whisk 1 cup of chilled whipping cream until stiff peaks, and fold in the ube paste. Freeze the base in a freezer safe container until it hardens (a few hours), and then you can enjoy your no churn ube ice cream.

Regular ube ice cream vs no churn ube ice cream

I personally prefer churned ube ice cream made with an ice cream machine. The no churn version is too “airy” for my liking, because of the whipped cream, while the regular, churned version has more substance to it. Either way, purple yam ice cream is a uniquely fantastic treat! The starchy base has a very creamy mouthfeel, and the ube flavor shines through, without being too sweet. I like to sprinkle some coconut brittle on top of my purple yam ice cream, because that crunch is such a lovely contrast to the creamy ice cream texture. Plus the coconut flavor perfectly complements the ube flavor as well!