Here’s how to make deliciously creamy and thick homemade ube ice cream! Using an ice cream maker and my simple method, you’ll be enjoying bright purple ube ice cream in no time!
I’m back with another ice cream recipe! You may be thinking that it is too much but I think you can never have too many ice cream recipes. Ice cream is always a staple in my home. For instance, my family can’t get enough of my delicious durian ice cream recipe. This week I made ube ice cream, and I have to tell you it’s one of my favorite flavors so far. The color and flavor blew me away. It’s also not too sweet! Which seems to be the key complement in my household. Give this recipe a whirl!
What is ube?
Ube is a dessert made from boiled and smashed purple yam and is typically found in the Philippines. When you have desserts like ube ice cream, ube brownies, or ube mochi donuts, ube is what gives the dessert its purple color and flavor. Traditionally when you make ube, you combine grated purple yam, condensed milk, and butter together in a pan and cook until thickened to the consistency of mashed potatoes. That is then added to your dessert for flavor and color.
However, I did not take this approach. I added grated purple yam to my ice cream base with a little bit of ube extract. While non-traditional, it does taste amazing and is a bit simpler than cooking it with butter and condensed milk first. As always, make this ice cream your own! If you want to take the traditional approach, definitely do it! Here is an awesome recipe for ube just in case.
What is ube ice cream?
This Filipino ice cream is the perfect marriage of east meets west. An egg-based ice cream base is flavored with ube extract and ube halaya. The ube extract is what gives the ice cream its vibrant purple color as well as some of the ube (purple yam) flavor. The ube halaya is responsible mostly for the flavor of the ice cream and a little bit of the purple color. Both are needed for the perfect ube flavor. You can substitute ube halaya with ube extract, but the results won’t be the same.
What does ube ice cream taste like?
Ube ice cream has a very district flavor that is hard to describe. It has a subtle nutty, vanilla-like flavor, and for some people, it tastes very similar to coconut. Personally, it is a combination of both.
What can you eat this ube ice cream with?
Ice cream is such a versatile dessert that can be eaten with a variety of other desserts. You can serve this ube ice cream with a piece of pie or a gooey brownie. You can also use it in a milkshake!
Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments
- Ube halaya – Ube halaya is a jam made from condensed milk, purple yam, and coconut milk. I buy mine from the grocery store. You can also get it on Amazon.
- Ube extract – The ube extract is responsible for the color of the ice cream as well as the flavor. You can purchase this on Amazon or at Filipino markets. The one I linked to on Amazon is the one I use. Feel free to use more or less than the recipe amount. If you want more ube flavor and color, use more!
- Whole milk & Heavy Cream – Adds creaminess and richness to the ice cream.
- Vanilla paste – Adds flavor to the ice cream. Like I said in recent dessert recipe, I am an almost exclusive vanilla paste user now. It has so much more flavor than vanilla extract, and I love the little black speckles you see. You can substitute with 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean.
- Egg yolks – Egg yolks add richness and creaminess to the ice cream.
- Sugar – White sugar adds sweetness to this recipe.
Making my ube ice cream
First, combine egg yolks and granulated sugar in a small bowl. Whisk until a smooth, yellow consistency forms (~30 seconds). Next, heat heavy cream and whole milk in a sauce pan until smokes begins coming off the liquid. Turn off the heat. Add 1/4 cup of the hot cream to the eggs and whisk until it turns a smooth and uniform yellow color. The goal of this step is to raise the temperature of the eggs, so they don’t completely cook in the hot cream. Pour the eggs into the pan with hot cream.
Turn the heat back on and heat the cream until it reaches 170 degrees F. A good way to test if it’s done is to coat the back of a spoon with the cream and pull your finger through the cream. A done cream should have a thick, smooth trail that doesn’t break. Take the cream off the heat. Pour the cream through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl. This will get rid of any egg or milk solids in the cream. Add the ube halaya and ube extract. Use an immersion blender to incorporate it into the cream. You can also use a regular blender for this step.
Cool the cream down to room temperature and then put it in the fridge to cool completely. The cream should be in the fridge for about 6-8 hours. This helps create a creamier texture Pour the cream into an ice cream maker and churn for 10-15 minutes. The resulting ice cream should be slightly harder than soft serve. Spoon the ice cream into a freezer safe container and freeze overnight.
Tips on how to make the perfect ube ice cream recipe
Temper your eggs
Just like in creme brûlées, it is important to temper your eggs for the cream. Add 1/4 cup of hot cream to your egg and sugar mixture. Whisk until everything is well combined and no white streaks remain. Now, it is safe to add your egg mixture to the hot cream.
Make sure your ube ice cream is cold before churning
You will get better results if your cream is cold. Put your finished cream into the refrigerator for 6-8 hours to cool it down before adding it to the ice cream machine. This might seem like a lot, but the colder your ice cream base is, the creamier your ice cream will be.
Be careful not to over churn
The maximum amount of time you should churn your ice cream is 20 minutes. The more you churn your ice cream, the harder it becomes. A done ice cream will have the consistency of something slightly harder than soft serve.
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Homemade Ube Ice Cream
Ingredients
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 5 egg yolks
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup ube halaya
- ½ tsp ube extract
Instructions
- Combine egg yolks and granulated sugar in a small bowl. Whisk until a smooth, yellow consistency forms (~30 seconds).
- Next, heat heavy cream and whole milk in a sauce pan until smokes begins coming off the liquid. Turn off the heat.
- Add 1/4 cup of the hot cream to the eggs and whisk until it turns a smooth and uniform yellow color. The goal of this step is to raise the temperature of the eggs, so they don’t completely cook in the hot cream. Pour the eggs into the pan with hot cream. Add the vanilla extract.
- Turn the heat back on and heat the cream until it reaches 170 degrees F. A good way to test if it’s done is to coat the back of a spoon with the cream and pull your finger through the cream. A done cream should have a thick, smooth trail that doesn’t break. Take the cream off the heat.
- Pour the cream through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl. This will get rid of any egg or milk solids in the cream.
- Add the ube halaya and ube extract. Use an immersion blender to incorporate it into the cream. You can also use a regular blender for this step.
- Cool the cream down to room temperature and then put it in the fridge to cool completely. The cream should be in the fridge for about 6-8 hours. This helps create a creamier texture.
- Pour the cream into an ice cream maker and churn for 10-15 minutes. The resulting ice cream should be slightly harder than soft serve.
- Spoon the ice cream into a freezer safe container and freeze overnight.
Notes
- You can also only use ube extract instead of both the extract and grated yam. I would use 1-2 tsp of ube extract if you choose to use only the extract.
- I would highly recommend Butterfly Ube Extract. I only use this extract because it produces the best results. If you are using another ube extract, I would add more if your mixture is not purple enough.
- Temper your eggs – Just like in creme brûlées, it is important to temper your eggs for the cream. Add 1/4 cup of hot cream to your egg and sugar mixture. Whisk until everything is well combined and no white streaks remain. Now, it is safe to add your egg mixture to the hot cream.
- Make sure your cream is cold before churning – You will get better results if your cream is cold. Put your finished cream into the refrigerator for 6-8 hours to cool it down before adding it to the ice cream machine. This might seem like a lot, but the colder your ice cream base is, the creamier your ice cream will be.
- Be careful not to over churn – The maximum amount of time you should churn your ice cream is 20 minutes. The more you churn your ice cream, the harder it becomes. A done ice cream will have the consistency of something slightly harder than soft serve.
In step 2 . . . you’re not looking for smoke but steam. Temp should be around 120 to 130F
In step 7 . . . the ice cream base should be left in the refrigerator till it reaches 40 F or a bit lower. This will help crystalize the fat globules and hydrate the milk proteins. All in all, this helps with the churning process in terms of time (less time = small ice crystals = smoother ice cream) and the partial coalescence of fat in support of the ice cream’s air bubbles.
Thanks for the feedback!
Kids loved it, so it’s a keeper! Easy to follow, even for someone who isn’t patient in the kitchen. DDG’s comments were helpful.
Yay! That sounds like a win to me 😊 I’m so glad your kids enjoyed it!
Hi, can i use fresh grated purple yam?
If you grate it super finely, I think it should work. I would grate it finely enough, so you’re not eating large pieces of yam in the ice cream.
Congratulations on making one of the dumbest recipes on ube ice cream online I had the misfortune of following. A complete waste of ingredients and sorely lacking in detail.
I’m sorry this recipe did not work out for you.
What’s wrong with it?
This recipe is awesome! It turned out so creamy due to the egg yolks, and the flavour of ube is strong and delicious. I can honestly say this is my favourite ice cream I’ve made so far. I’ll be saving this for the future to impress all my friends 🙂
Hi Rebecca. First of all, I have to say I love your name! Thank you for much for the kind words! I’m so glad you liked it!