How to make Ube Halaya at Home
Ube halaya is an ingredient I usually get at store, but it is so satisfying making this Filipino dish at home. Purple yam is combined with condensed milk, coconut milk, and a few other ingredients to create this vibrant purple jam. Add to desserts or spread it over some toast. I promise you’ll love everything about this spread.
One ingredient that I have loved using is ube halaya. Ube halaya is a Filipino spread that is made with purple yam. It is characterized by its purple color and vanilla/pistachio flavor. It is great eaten by itself as a spread or in desserts. Personally, I’ve loved using it in all kinds from desserts from rice krispie treats to cakes to ube ice cream. That’s why today I wanted to put together my personal guide on how to make this yummy Filipino spread at home.
I typically purchase my ube halaya jam at my local Filipino grocery store or on Amazon, but I thought it would be cool to learn how to make it. I want to preface this recipe by saying this is no way an authentic recipe. It is a recipe I came up with through testing. I also used Kawaling Pinoy’s ube halaya recipe as a starting point. Use it if you want an authentic recipe.
Key Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments
- Purple yam – This is the central part of the recipe, so there are really no substitutes for it. Unfortunately, it’s really hard actualy ube in the US, so I used a purple yam I got from the Filipino grocery store. A substitute that I have personally used is Okinawan purple sweet potatoes.
- Evaporated milk and coconut milk – Both ingredients gives the jam a creamy texture. I also found that coconut flavor pairs well with ube. I would not recommend substituting coconut milk for evaporated milk because evaporated milk has less liquid than coconut milk which would affect the overall texture of the jam.
- Light brown sugar – Light brown sugar can be substituted with dark brown sugar, but note it will make the ube halaya sweeter. Personally, I found light brown sugar adds the perfect amount of sweetness to the ube halaya, so I would highly recommend using light instead of dark brown sugar.
- Ube extract (optional) – This ingredient is optional, but in testing, I found it improved the flavor and color of the final product.
How to make ube halaya at home
Tips on how to make the smoothest ube halaya
Use a potato ricer for the smoothest ube halaya
This is something I learned making mashed potatoes. A potato ricer is more effective at mashing potatoes or yams than a potato mashed. Using a potato ricer results in a smoother final product.
Stir consistently for even cooking
This might seem very labor intensive, but stir consistently does produce a better ube halaya. This ensures that every part of the dish is evenly cooked. In testing, I left the ube halaya by itself for more than 5 minutes and parts of it started sticking to the side of the pot and some of it was burnt.
How do you store ube halaya?
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Homemade ube halaya does not last as long as store bought.
What can you do with ube halaya?
Ube halaya can be used as a spread over toast. It can also be added to desserts like halo halo or ube ice cream.
Did you make this dish?
If you made this dish, I would love to see!
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Get the Recipe:
How to make Ube Halaya
Ingredients
- 2 lbs purple yams, ube
- 12 oz evaporated milk
- 10 oz condensed milk
- 1 can coconut milk, 13.5 oz
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ½ tsp ube extract, optional
- ¼ tsp salt
Equipment
Instructions
- Boil water and add the purple yams to the pot. Cook until a fork pierces the yam without any resistance (20-25 minutes).
- Once cooked, let them cool until you can safely handle them. Peel the potatoes and cut them into chunks.
- Use a potato ricer or potato masher to mash the potatoes. I typically pass the potatoes through a potato ricer into a large pot.
- Add 12 oz of evaporated milk, 10 oz condensed milk, 1 can coconut milk, 1/4 cup of light brown sugar, 1/4 cup of unsalted butter, 1/2 tsp of ube extract, and 1/4 tsp of salt to the pot. Turn the heat on to medium high and mix.
- Once the mixture starts boiling, lower the heat to low. Cook for 25-30 minutes stirring every 5 minutes until the mixture pulls away from the edge of the pan and looks like creamy mashed potatoes. This is labor intensive, but stirring consistently helps the mixture cook evenly without burning.
- Scoop into a jar for safe storage! Enjoy!
FYI, the pictures of ‘ube’ used for this recipe are actual Hawaiian purple / Japanese / Iwo Jima sweet potatoes.
Actual ube root looks much like fragrafrant taro on the exterior.
Is there anything I can use instead of evaporated milk?
Good recipe but does not picture actual ube, just 2 different varieties of sweet potato. I can send you starters for real ube to grow your own if you are interested. It has dark skin and is much rougher than sweet potatoes, almost like tree bark. The color is similar but they’re not botanically related and the flavor isn’t the same either.
Thanks for the info! I will update the recipe!
Thanks, and about how long will it keep in the fridge?
It should last about 1 week in the fridge.
Hi Becca, fellow Viet here. Can the ube halaya be frozen for future use? Thanks
Hello! Yes it can be frozen. Place it in a freezer safe container with some plastic wrap on top of the ube halaya to prevent icicles from forming. It can last up to 3 weeks!
I made it today, turned out perfect and tasted so good! Next…ube cookies & cream cookies. Thanks Becca!