Ube ice cream recipe with ice cream maker

Ube ice cream is sweet, earthy, delicious and wonderfully purple! With just 5 ingredients and not needing an ice cream maker, it’s also very easy to make at home. Plus, get lots of tips and answers to your frequently asked questions so you can make this popular Filipino dessert perfectly every time.

(Love making homemade ice cream? Try this delicious Roasted Cherry Choco Chip Ice Cream or this Pistachio Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. They taste so much better than their store counterparts!)

Did you grow up in the Philippines enjoying ube ice cream from Magnolia, Selecta or your local sorbetero? Then I have a fabulous purple treat for you — an easy, authentic, ube ice cream recipe you can make in the comforts of your own kitchen.

It tastes so much like the one from home and the best part is, this recipe results to a creamier ice cream than the one I remember. 

It’s so good! Let’s get to it.

Why you’ll love making this recipe

I’m a big fan of homemade ice cream, especially this one. You’ll love it too because:

• It’s very easy to make. You don’t even need an ice cream maker (no-churn).
• Ube ice cream is only made of 5 ingredients. It’s egg-free and custard-free too so you don’t need to worry about those either.
• Most importantly, it’s ube ice cream like you remember it.

What you’ll need

Making ice cream at home is surprisingly simple. You can never make homemade ice cream you won’t love!

You’ll only need 5 ingredients:

• Condensed milk — this is what gives no-churn ice cream it’s creamy and smooth consistency.

• Ube jam — make sure to choose an ube jam you like eating on its own. You can buy this from an Asian supermarket or Amazon but I make my own ube jam or ube halaya. Try it, it’s super easy!

• Ube extract — this gives the ice cream that bright, vibrant color and a more pronounced ube flavor. You can also buy this from an Asian supermarket or Amazon.

• Vanilla extract — goes very well with ube.

• Heavy cream — this is called differently in different countries but for best results, choose cream that has milk fat content between 36 and 40%.

And like I mentioned, this recipe doesn’t require an ice cream machine.

What I highly recommend are freezer-safe containers with tight-fitting lids to store your ice cream in. I love these ice cream containers and own several in different colors.

How to make (with photos)

In a large bowl, stir condensed milk, ube jam, ube extract and vanilla extract until incorporated. 

Take a generous dollop of whipped cream and fold into your ube mixture to lighten it.

Take your lightened ube mixture and fold into your whipped cream until combined.

Transfer into a freezer-safe container, smoothen, place plastic wrap on top, then cover tightly. Freeze overnight.

Ice cream making tips

Easy, right? Here are more tips for perfect purple yam ice cream every time.

Use ube jam you like

I always use homemade ube jam when making this recipe but if you’re buying from the store, make sure it’s one that you enjoy eating on its own. 

Use full-fat heavy cream

When making homemade ice cream, it’s best to use full fat heavy cream. This means fat content is between 36 and 40%. It whips better and sets better.

Taste, then taste some more

Since no-churn ice cream has no eggs in it, it’s safe to taste as you’re making it. So go ahead and taste at every step if you like.

Especially with this recipe, the kind of ube jam you use will affect how sweet your ice cream becomes. What you can do is add a little at a time and taste until you get the sweetness you like.

Use freezer-friendly container

Not all containers are created equal. Some would lead to ice forming at the bottom or sides of your ice cream. While others might expand in the freezer.

I’ve amassed this collection of ice cream tubs since I learned how to make ice cream and I exclusively use them. I’ve owned them for years and they still look like new!

Cover your ice cream with cling wrap

To be extra sure that ice doesn’t form on any part of your ice cream, especially the top, place cling wrap on it (place it right on the surface of the ice cream) before covering and putting in the freezer.

Then when you’re ready to eat, remove the cling wrap and reveal the creamy, ice cream underneath!

Ube ice cream variations

In the Philippines, there are many ube ice cream variations and they are just as easy to recreate.

– Stir in about a cup of macapuno strips (use the ones available in jars, drained properly) into your ice cream mixture for ube macapuno ice cream.
– Take about a cup of cubed or grated cheese and add into your mixture for a sweet and salty queso / keso ube treat.

Suggested toppings

In addition to cheese and macapuno, my favorite toppings for ube ice cream include:

– Toasted coconut
– Strips of langka
– Corn flakes
– And yes, chocolate chips!

Recipe FAQs

What is ube?

For those of you who aren’t familiar with ube yet, it’s the Filipino word for purple yam.

Ube has been a staple in Filipino cuisine for generations and is most often used in making desserts.

A lot of people mistake it for taro, Okinawan sweet potato and purple sweet potato but they’re all different kinds of vegetables and have different flavor profiles as well.

Can I use half-and-half or whipping cream instead of heavy cream?

Half & half cannot be substituted for heavy cream in no-churn ice cream recipes because it just doesn’t have enough fat content for whipping (10 to 18 percent).

In a pinch, you can use whipping cream (30 to 36 percent milk fat) but it will result to a lighter, softer texture.

How can I prevent freezer-burn?

To prevent your ice cream from getting freezer burn or forming ice crystals:

(1) Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the ice cream’s surface before placing the lid. This also helps prevent freezer smells from seeping into your ice cream.

(2) Make sure you use a freezer-safe container with a proper, tight-fitting lid.

It’s still safe to eat ice cream with a few ice crystals. It’s going to affect the texture and the taste though so you really want to protect it from air (its main enemy) and eat it within 2 weeks of making it.

How long does ube ice cream last?

Homemade ube ice cream lasts about 2 weeks in the freezer.

Because it doesn’t have the same preservatives as store-bought, when it comes to homemade ice cream, the fresher the better.

Some tips to keep it fresh for longer:

– Cover the top with plastic wrap (see above)
– Store in a relatively shallow and flat container vs. a deep dish
– Store towards the back of your freezer so that its temperature can remain fairly constant

Other ube dessert recipes

Ready to get into all things ube? Check these out:

• Ube Muffins Recipe (step-by-step photos)

• Ube Pie Recipe (Ube Pie Jollibee)

• Ube Chiffon Cake Recipe (with Video Instructions)

• Ube Crinkles Recipe (with video)

• Ube muffins are soft but dense, like a proper muffin should be. Topped with a sweet coconut crumble and filled with a generous helping of ube halaya or ube jam, it’s a delicious treat for breakfast, snack, picnics, work and school.
• This ube pie recipe is simple to make but so delicious. Ube halaya filling inside a buttery puff pastry crust. It’s very easy to customize too if you want to jazz it up and make ube macapuno pies or ube cheese pies.
• Ube chiffon cake is light, airy and melts-in-your-mouth. With its vibrant purple colour and delicious ube flavour, it’s perfect for special occasions. Easy to make, it’s great as an everyday cake too!
• Ube crinkles are soft, fluffy and bursting with the ube flavour you love. They are like mini ube cakes and are perfect for the holidays or everyday.

Happy ice cream making!

Did you make homemade ube ice cream? I’d love to hear all about it! Leave a comment or a star rating below. You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook. I’d love to see your creations!

Ube Ice Cream Recipe

Ube ice cream is sweet, earthy, delicious and wonderfully purple! With just 5 ingredients and not needing an ice cream maker, it’s also very easy to make at home.

Prep Time 15 mins

Total Time 8 hrs 15 mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Filipino

Servings 12 servings

Calories 138 kcal

• ▢
• ▢
• ▢

• ▢ 1 10-oz can condensed milk
• ▢ 5 oz ube jam (see notes)
• ▢ 4 tsp ube extract 1 20-ml bottle
• ▢ 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 cups heavy cream whipped to medium/stiff peaks

• ▢

  In a large bowl, stir condensed milk, ube jam, ube extract and vanilla extract until fully incorporated.

  

• ▢

  Take a generous dollop of whipped cream and fold into your ube mixture to lighten it.

  

• ▢

  Take your lightened ube mixture and fold into your whipped cream until combined.

  

• ▢

  Transfer into a freezer-safe container, smoothen the top and cover with plastic wrap. Freeze overnight.

  

1. Since ube jam is the base of your ice cream, it’s important to use one that you like on its own. I always use my homemade ube jam.
2. It will also affect how sweet your ice cream becomes. What you can do is add a little at a time and taste until you get the sweetness you like.
3. It’s also best to use heavy cream (milk fat content between 36 and 40 percent). It whips and sets better.

Calories: 138kcalCarbohydrates: 1gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 15mgPotassium: 29mgVitamin A: 585IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 26mg

Nutritional information are estimates only.

Also tag @iamtheunlikelybaker I’d love to see your creations.