Ube Milk Tea Recipe: Make Purple Bubble Tea At Home

Ube milk tea is a purple bubble tea drink using purple yam from the Philippines. When you combine it with a splash of cold milk, you get sweet, nutty flavour and light vanilla-like undertones. 

If you’re a boba fanatic like us, you’ll be pleased to know you can make this purple drink at home with the fresh root, extract or powder. In our ube boba recipe, we’ll show you all three methods and our tips for presentation.

Jump to:

• What is ube milk tea made of?
• What does ube boba taste like?
• Ube Milk Tea Ingredients
• Making Fresh Ube Paste for Bubble Tea
• How To Make Ube Milk Tea Using Fresh Ube
• Using Ube Extract Powder
• Ube Boba Pearls
• Ube Milk Tea Recipe | Purple Bubble Tea
• Taro Vs Ube Milk Tea
• Ube Milk Tea Calories

What is ube milk tea made of?

Purple ube boba is made of a purple yam base, milk tea, and tapioca balls. 

The foundation of this purple bubble tea is yam paste. Filipinos call this purple paste "halaya ube" or "halayang". It is typically created by mixing thawed purple yam, coconut milk, sugar, and vanilla extract in a saucepan. You could never achieve the classic ube milk tea taste without this purple yam base.

What does ube boba taste like?

Ube milk tea tastes mellow and subtly sweet with a hint of nuttiness. It is because purple yam does not have an over-the-top sweet flavour.

Compared to other boba drink types, we can say that this purple bubble tea has quite a balanced taste. This light beverage can satisfy your sweet tooth without overwhelming you with its sugariness.

Our ube boba recipe also guarantees that you get the creamy consistency of this gorgeous drink without sacrificing its unique taste.

Ube Milk Tea Ingredients

Our ube bubble tea recipe requires the following ingredients: purple yam, milk, cold tea, sugar, and tapioca balls.

Ube 

There are three ways to use purple yam for our recipe. You can use ube extract, drink powder or even fresh yams. You can also use purple condensed milk, which combines ube extract with condensed milk.

We recommend using fresh yams for our recipe since they provide the best taste. However, if you want a super convenient option, opt for ube powder or purple condensed milk.

That said, depending on your location, it may be difficult to source the fresh root. However, you can likely find fresh cassava roots at Asian grocery stores, especially Filipino ones.

In some cases, you may not want to use the fresh root. While you will get the natural purple colour from the plant, the colour may not be as vibrant and bold as the ones you see some stores sell.

In addition, the fresh version will not last as long as the powdered version. So, if you plan to prepare the drink for yourself only occasionally, buying and storing the powdered alternative may be more economical. 

Milk

We recommend using dairy milk if you like it creamy. However, if you want a lighter drink, then we'd recommend soy milk. 

Although you might think coconut milk might be a great alternative, it will make the drink quite thick and have a strong taste that overwhelms the ube. You can try a lighter consistency of coconut milk to pair with the already creamy properties of purple yam. For other plant based alternatives, we like using soy, then oat or almond.

Tea

For the infused boba base, we recommend using black tea for a more robust flavour. 

However, you can also use white tea for a delicate and floral flavour that blends well and compliments the sweetness of the yam.

Sugar

If you're health-conscious, you can skip the sweetener or use a low-sugar option.

We would still recommend adding a bit of brown sugar, brown sugar syrup or regular honey to our recipe. Without the sweetness, the root vegetable drink can taste a bit plain.

Tapioca Balls

As for the tapioca balls, we have the perfect boba recipe with tapioca flour that you can try at home. However, if you are short on time, you can use store-bought boba pearls instead.

When making boba pearls, look out for stickiness or irregular shapes. The overtly chewy taste and bumpy texture might ruin your experience drinking purple milk tea.

Making Fresh Ube Paste for Bubble Tea

Mashed fresh purple yam makes an excellent blend with milk and sugar. Doing so would recreate the perfect original taste of this boba flavour since the purple yam is still fresh.

In addition, fresh yam has a more robust flavour and is richer in antioxidants than powder.

Follow the steps below to make about 1.5 cup of your own paste at home. Preparation should take about 5 minutes, but the whole cooking process will take about 1 hour.

Ingredients

• 250 g ube (frozen)
• 25 g sugar
• 75 g evaporated milk
• 75 g condensed milk
• 15 g butter

Instructions

1. First, scrub the ube. Then, put the root vegetables whole in a saucepan covered in water and bring them to a boil. Cook for 30-40 minutes until tender.

Drain the boiled root vegetable. Once they are slightly cooled, peel off the skins and mash the flesh in a bowl.

2. Add the mashed root vegetable and all the other ingredients to a wok or high-sided frying pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

3. Stir continuously as the mixture thickens. If left unattended, the paste will burn. Cook for 25 minutes for a jam-like consistency or for 40 minutes for a thick peanut butter texture. The paste will continue to thicken when chilled in the fridge.

Note:

If you're using the frozen grated root vegetable, you can skip step 1. 

If you're using fresh ube, the purple colour might not be as dark and vivid as what you usually see online or in stores. A lot of places use extract or powder which may contain additional colouring that make it look dark purple. If you want the colour, then you can replace the condensed milk with ube condensed milk, or add additional powder.

How To Make Ube Milk Tea Using Fresh Ube

Ingredients

• 3 tbsps fresh ube paste
• 3 tbsps full-fat milk
• 200 ml hot water
• 1 black teabag
• 2-3 tbsps instant tapioca pearls

Cooking Instructions

1. To make this purple boba drink using fresh purple yams, you must make the ube paste. (refer to the notes above on how to make)
2. Brew the black teabag in hot water and let it steep for 10-15 minutes. 
3. Cook your tapioca pearls according to the packaging's instructions or until cooked thoroughly. Drop them into an ice bath for 1 minute after they are cooked.
4. Add the brewed tea, milk, and purple paste to a blender. Blend until well mixed.
5. To assemble the drink, add the tapioca pearls to the base of the cup. Then, add some ice, followed by the ube mixture, to complete the beverage.

Black tea will result in a stronger tea base. If you prefer something lighter, use green or white tea instead. Otherwise, you can also reduce the steeping time. 

You can skip adding the ube paste into the blender if you want a more aesthetic look. Instead, smear the base of the glass with some purple paste and then pour over the milk-tea mixture to create a layered drink.

Using Ube Extract Powder

Another way to prepare ube milk tea at home it to use purple yam powder instead of preparing it from fresh root.

While fresh yam has their advantages, most households will find it easier to find and store the powdered version in their pantry. Moreover, this extract powder is a much more convenient option as it is less time-consuming than fresh yams.

Please note that using powder can cause it to taste sweeter due to the added sugar. You can level out the sweetness in your boba by using less sugar as compensation.

However, a pro you can look forward to when using the extract is that your ube milk tea will have a brighter colour. 

Ube Boba Pearls

Want a better experience when enjoying your purple boba? You might like to create ube-flavoured tapioca balls for a heightened flavour compared to regular boba pearls.

Here are the ingredients for the purple yam-flavoured boba pearls:

• 100 g tapioca starch
• 50 g white sugar
• 90 ml (6 tbsps) water
• ½ teaspoon ube powder

Here are the steps to make the purple yam-flavoured boba pearls before adding them to your purple milk tea.

First, dissolve the purple yam powder in water. Then, heat up a pot under medium heat over a stove. Add the mixture with sugar into the pot and allow the sugar to dissolve. Once the water starts boiling, turn the heat down to a low heat. Add tapioca starch in increments while mixing it with the mixture.

A paste will form in the beginning but will eventually become doughy as you add more tapioca starch. While the dough is still warm, knead the dough on a flat surface that has been dusted with tapioca starch. Once the dough is smooth, roll it into a log and cut it into mini pillows. Roll the pillows into small spheres to make purple yam boba.

A useful tip to note for a more robust yam flavour is adding more yam powder when making the tapioca balls. Alternatively, you can steep the cooked purple boba pearls in brown sugar for a sweeter taste.

Taro Vs Ube Milk Tea

Taro milk tea has a nuttier and creamier taste than ube milk tea, which is sweeter and more vibrantly purple.

Therefore, the main difference between taro and ube boba is their level of sweetness.

Taro is nuttier than its sweeter counterpart, making its texture grainy and slightly dry. This more pronounced nutty taste might be pleasant for other drinks. However, for milk tea drinks, it's better when it's slightly sweet. 

Natural ube has a more pinkish purple colour while taro has a greyish purple colour. Ube milk tea is a must-make for Instagram food aficionados and café owners looking to promote their creations on social media.

They are both starch root vegetables, which makes them more filling than fruit or caffeine-based bubble tea drinks. However, taro boba can be great for individuals with a love for earthy, nutty drinks or people who dislike sweet flavours. Try experimenting with both recipes to see which version works best for you.

Check out our taro vs ube guide for a more detailed breakdown of the differences.

In short, the taro vs ube milk tea debate depends on which purple boba you prefer. For us, a purple boba ticks all our boxes for aesthetics, taste and health. 

Ube Milk Tea Calories

Our ube bubble tea has approximately 340 calories in one drink. This low-calorie beverage makes a healthier alternative to other calorie-dense bubble tea drinks.

Beating the hot summer heat can be challenging without some good boba to freshen you up. So make this recipe and share this fantastic creation with your family and friends.

Like our recipes? Follow Honest Food Talks on Instagram @honestfoodtalks for more fabulous recipes to try.