What's on the Table

What Does Ube Halaya Taste Like?

If you've never tried ube, the easiest way to describe ube halaya is sweet, creamy, mildly nutty, and slightly earthy.

Ube is a Filipino purple yam, and when it's cooked into ube halaya, it becomes a thick, smooth, sweet spread that's used in cakes, pastries, ice cream and other desserts.

The flavor is surprisingly mellow. Some people compare it to a combination of vanilla, sweet potato and a subtle nuttiness. It's sweet without being overwhelmingly intense, which is probably one reason ube works so well in desserts.

The easiest way to try it

You don't have to make ube halaya yourself.

Try it as ube ice cream, where the creamy texture makes the flavor even smoother. Or order halo-halo, a Filipino shaved-ice dessert loaded with different sweet toppings and commonly finished with ube ice cream and leche flan.

If you're in Los Angeles, places such as L.A. Rose Cafe, Cafe 86 HIFI, and Kusina Filipina have offered halo-halo and other ube desserts.

But what if there isn't a Filipino restaurant near you?

That's where Amazon comes in.

You can order ube halaya, ube spreads, ube mixes and other ube treats online and have them delivered to your door.

Want to try ube at home?

We've found a few ube products on Amazon worth checking out.