How to make Ube Halaya

Ube Halaya is one of the most beloved desserts or merienda in the Philippines. It’s made from ube or purple yam.

But for us living abroad, it is challenging to find fresh ube. To be honest, I’ve never seen fresh ube here! Therefore, to satisfy my craving for ube halaya, I am using frozen purple yam or ube powder, which I bought from the Asian store in my city.



There are various ways to prepare this creamy dessert, but this recipe is the simplest and easiest to follow. First, I share the Ube Halaya recipe using fresh/frozen ube and Ube halaya using powdered ube from Fil-Choice.

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Ube Halaya using Frozen Ube, you will need:

• 1 kg uncooked purple yam/ube
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 1 can condensed milk
• 200 grams butter
• 1 tsp ube flavoring or ube extract
• extra butter or vegetable oil for greasing llaneras

Procedure (video):

1. Boiled the frozen purple yam until soft and tender over medium heat. Blend the cooked purple yam with a food processor or immersion blend until smooth.
2. Using a medium-sized saucepan, melt butter. Once melted, add coconut milk and condensed milk. Mix well until combined, and let the mixture simmer for 20 minutes. While waiting. Prepare the molds by brushing them with coconut oil or vegetable oil, then set them aside.
3. Now, add the blended purple yam or ube into the mixture. Stir constantly for about 40 minutes. The longer you cook the halaya, the thicker it will be. If you want, you can add ube flavoring or ube extract. Adjust the taste and sweetness according to your preference.
4. Transfer the cooked ube halaya into the prepared molds. Let it cool before serving.

Ube Halaya using Ube Powder, you will need:

• 2 packs of ube powder, 115 grams each pack from Fil-Choice
• 6 cups water
• 2 cans coconut milk (or 1 can coconut milk and 1 can coconut cream)
• 1 can condensed milk
• 100 grams of brown sugar
• 1 tbsp ube extract, optional
• purple food color, optional
• 2 to 3 tbsp butter
• extra butter or vegetable oil for greasing llaneras

Procedure (video):

1. In a large saucepan (preferably non-stick), add ube powder and water, then let the ube powder soak in water for about 10 minutes or until rehydrated.
2. Add coconut milk, coconut cream, condensed milk, and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved over medium heat. Stir constantly until the mixture forms into a thick paste or to the desired consistency.
3. Then add ube extract, if using, and intensify the ube color; you can add purple food color.
4. Once the ube halaya is thickened, add butter and stir again until it is completely thick.
5. Transfer the cooked ube halaya to greased llaneras.