Ube champorado is sweet, creamy and filling. Made with sticky rice, ube powder and coconut milk, it’s Filipino comfort food at its best.
(Here’s the recipe for traditional champorado made with tablea if that’s what you’re craving for.)
I’ve been asked by readers about ube powder for years.
Unfortunately I can’t provide any answers because I don’t use it in my recipes; I’m lucky enough to have access to fresh purple yam which I use to make ube halaya or ube jam.
But I think it’s time I finally see what’s up with ube powder since it’s the most readily available form of ube for a lot of you.
First up is this creamy and dreamy variation to the Filipino champorado (sweet rice porridge). Unique, delicious and wonderfully purple!
Why you’ll love ube rice porridge
I’ve seen instant ube champorado in stores but let’s be honest, nothing beats homemade.
- Easy to make. This ube champorado recipe is so easy to make. Just put everything in one pot and boil.
- Easy to customize. It’s very easy to control the level of sweetness, too. Simply taste the mixture and adjust.
- Delicious. Most important of all, it’s so good! Drizzle with milk, sprinkle with your favorite salty topping (dried salty fish, crispy bacon and even sharp cheddar cheese) and you have yourself a breakfast bowl that would rival everyone’s favorite tablea champorado.
How to make
Making ube champorado is similar to how chocolate champorado is made.
Ingredients and cooking tools
Some notes on key ingredients:
- Coconut milk — I make champorado with evaporated milk but ube champorado with coconut milk. For best results, use full fat coconut milk. You can use coconut cream, however, I find it too heavy and overpowering for champorado.
- Glutinous rice — also called sweet rice or sticky rice. I don’t recommend using regular rice because your champorado won’t have that creamy consistency.
- Ube powder — you’ll need pure ube powder that you rehydrate to become purple yam, not the ube powder used in making ube lattes because those have added ingredients in them. I buy mine from the Asian supermarket and it’s also available on Amazon.
- Ube condensed milk — we sweeten the champorado with ube condensed milk, not sugar. If you can’t find ube condensed milk, you can use sweetened condensed milk and just add ube extract, to taste.
As far as cooking tools go, you’ll need a pot to cook the champorado in, that’s it!
Step-by-step photos
Combine water, coconut milk and rice in a pot.
Bring to a boil.
Lower heat to a simmer and stir in ube powder and salt.
Cook until incorporated, the ube powder dissolved and the liquid reduced considerably.
Add ube condensed milk. Start with ¼ can then add more to taste.
Continue to cook until you reach your desired consistency (thick and creamy) and the rice is cooked. Remove from heat, transfer to bowls and serve. Optional toppings: milk, salty dried fish, crispy bacon, shredded cheese.
Expert tips
Easy, right? Here are a few things to remember:
- Ube powder — pure ube powder needs to be reconstituted before use. In this case, I just put the powder directly into the coconut milk and rice mixture so it can reconstitute as the mixture cooks. Make sure you’re using the right kind of ube powder though i.e. not the kind used in making ube lattes.
- Glutinous rice — also make sure you thoroughly rinse your rice before use (at least 2-3 times). This will help get rid of excess starch.
- Sweetness — you can absolutely control how sweet you want your champorado to be. Add ube condensed milk a little at a time until you get the sweetness you want. I usually use about ¾ of the can and it’s plenty sweet.
- Stirring — you’ll want to regularly stir your ube champorado mixture to prevent the bottom from burning and the rice from forming into clumps. Also note that the sticky rice will continue to absorb the mixture as it cools. So if your mixture is getting too thick and the rice is still undercooked, lower the heat some more.
Recipe FAQs
You can find ube powder in Asian supermarkets and on Amazon. This is the one I use.
Keep your leftover champorado in a covered container in the fridge. Warm before serving.
Chilled champorado should keep up to 3 days.
More ube recipes you can make for breakfast
Love starting the day with ube? Me, too! Check these out:
We love this ube champorado recipe. It’s done within minutes. Sweet, creamy and delicious. Perfect for breakfast, snack and dessert, on regular weekends and holidays. Enjoy!
Happy cooking!
Did you make this filipino rice porridge? 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!
You can find me on Pinterest and YouTube as well.
Creamy Ube Champorado
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1 13.5-oz can coconut milk
- 1½ cups glutinous rice also called sticky rice or sweet rice
- ¼ cup ube powder
- pinch salt
- ube condensed milk to taste
Instructions
- Combine water, coconut milk and rice in a pot. Bring to a boil.2 cups water, 1 13.5-oz can coconut milk, 1½ cups glutinous rice
- Lower heat to a simmer and stir in ube powder and salt.¼ cup ube powder, pinch salt
- Cook until incorporated, the ube powder dissolved and the liquid reduced considerably. You’ll want to regularly stir your ube champorado mixture to prevent the bottom from burning and the rice from forming into clumps.
- Add ube condensed milk. Start with ¼ can then add more to taste.ube condensed milk
- Continue to cook until you reach your desired consistency (thick and creamy) and the rice is cooked.
- Remove from heat, transfer to bowls and serve. Optional toppings: milk, salty dried fish, crispy bacon, shredded cheese.
Video
Notes
- You’ll need pure ube powder that you rehydrate to become purple yam, not the ube powder used in making ube lattes because those have added ingredients in them. I buy mine from the Asian supermarket and it’s also available on Amazon.
- If you can’t find ube condensed milk, you can use sweetened condensed milk and just add ube extract, to taste.
- You can absolutely control how sweet your champorado is. Add ube condensed milk a little at a time until you get the sweetness you want. I usually use about ¾ of the can and it’s plenty sweet.
- Sticky rice will continue to absorb the mixture as it cools. So if your mixture is getting too thick and the rice is still undercooked, lower the heat some more.
- See post for more tips, FAQs and step-by-step photos.
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only.
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