Ube brownies are your favourite chewy and fudgy brownies but packed with the ube flavour you love. Made with real ube halaya, sprinkled with white chocolate chips, so good.
(Can’t get enough of ube? Try making ube cheesecake. It’s a reader favourite here at TUB and for good reason! Rich, creamy, delicious, packed with real ube goodness. Or try ube cheesecake bars – a decadent ube treat.)
I’ve said it once (maybe more lol), I’ll say it again — ube is my jam. I love baking with and eating everything ube.
I don’t know why exactly — maybe it reminds me of home, maybe I really love how it tastes, maybe I just like the colour purple, maybe all of the above. Whatever it is, ube is one of my favourite ingredients in the world.
I have lots of ube recipe ideas here on the blog, I even have a whole category dedicated to it, and I’m happy to share my latest ube recipe — ube brownies.
It took me months and several tries to perfect this recipe but it’s finally ready for you to try. Enjoy!
What is ube?
Ube is the Filipino word for purple yam. It’s certainly not unique to the Philippines but it’s definitely a national favourite.
It’s made into all sorts of ube desserts like:
- Ube ice cream
- Ube cake and ube chiffon cake
- Ube cupcakes
- Ube crinkles, and more
What does ube taste like?
I must admit, after all these years of baking with ube, it’s still difficult for me to describe how ube tastes like because it’s so unique and doesn’t taste like anything (really!).
Happily, ube has gone mainstream these past years (even Trader Joe’s carries an ube ice cream flavour now) that you can easily taste ube for yourself and see why a whole country is obsessed with it.
What are ube brownies?
Technically, ube brownies should be called ube blondies because the recipe doesn’t contain cocoa. But a brownie has a certain ring to it, doesn’t it? So brownies it is.
Just imagine your favourite fudgy brownie recipe but ube flavoured. That’s what these ube brownies are. They’re delicious.
(Looking for ube mochi brownies? Check out this delicious ube mochi recipe!)
Why you’ll love making these purple yam brownies recipe
They’re also very easy to make. You’ll want to make this ube brownie recipe all the time because:
- It’s a one-bowl recipe. Easy to make, easy to clean-up.
- You don’t need mixer. You combine everything by hand.
- It’s made with real ube halaya. A lot of the other ube brownie recipes you’ll find only uses ube extract to flavour a classic blondies recipe, or uses a small amount of ube jam. This recipe has a whopping 2 cups of ube jam for the ultimate ube flavour.
- The batter is sprinkled with white chocolate chips. They complement ube so well.
- These brownies keep and freeze well. Make them today while you have time, thaw them whenever the ube craving this.
- They are a pretty purple! Which makes them perfect as Christmas presents, at bake sales and more.
How to make ube brownies
Making ube brownies is similar to making chocolate brownies. Ingredients are similar too.
Ingredients
You will need:
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Egg
- Ube jam or ube halaya
- Ube extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- White chocolate chips
Tools
You don’t need a mixer to make this ube brownies recipe. All you’ll need are:
- 9×13 inch baking pan
- Large bowl
- Fine mesh sieve
- Measuring cups and spoons
I use a bench scraper to cut my brownies but you can also use a sharp knife.
And I always recommend using an oven thermometer so you can rest assured that you’re always baking at the correct temperature.
Ube brownies recipe
1 PREHEAT. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan then line with parchment paper with a slight overhang on each side. Set aside.
2 BUTTER AND SUGAR. In a large bowl, combine melted butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until smooth and incorporated.
3 UBE JAM AND EGG. Add the egg, ube jam and ube extract and stir until combined.
4 DRY INGREDIENTS. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into your ube mixture and gently stir until no significant streaks of flour remain (do not over mix). The batter will be thick.
5 WHITE CHOCOLATE. Gently fold in white chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
6 TRANSFER. Transfer into prepared pan and spread around evenly with a spatula. Optional: press more white chocolate chips on top of the batter to make your brownies prettier!
7 BAKE. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with minimal dry crumbs.
8 COOL. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes, remove from pan to cool completely, then cut into bars.
Tips for making the best ube brownies and other FAQs
It’s that easy! Here are more baking tips and answers to your frequently asked questions to make this ube brownie recipe that much easier to make.
Where can I buy ube halaya or ube jam?
You can usually find ube halaya in the Asian or international aisle of your supermarket. If not there, they are almost always available in an Asian supermarket or online.
I grew up eating Good Shepherd ube jam though (the gold standard, IMO) so I was never really happy with any of the ube jams I’ve tried here.
Happily, I’ve learned to make my own ube halaya and it’s so good if I say so myself! And not hard to make at all.
If you’re not happy with the ube jams you find at the stores either, try it. You won’t look back.
Where can I buy ube extract or ube flavouring?
You can find ube extract at Asian supermarkets. If that fails, it’s available on Amazon. I use McCormick ube extract in all my ube recipes.
How to make chewy ube brownies
I love baking brownies. I find them easier to make than cake and cookies and they’re always a hit with everyone.
I prefer chewy and fudgy brownies over cake-y ones and in my experience, these help make ube brownies perfectly chewy and fudgy:
1 Brown sugar. The brown sugar in the recipe helps create that sticky, fudgy texture.
2 Bake time. Remember it’s better to under-bake than over-bake brownies (any brownie). Use the baking time in the recipe as a guide and then start testing your brownies about 10 minutes before the end, or just when they start pulling away from the sides of your pan.
The tester or toothpick you insert in the centre must not come out clean. What you want are bits of crumbs (not wet batter) sticking to it. The brownies will continue to cook as they cool.
3 Proper mixing. It also helps to mix your batter just until blended. Over mixing your brownie batter after you’ve added the flour will result to dry, crumbly brownies.
How to store ube brownies
These ube fudge brownies will keep in the fridge for up to a week but the best way to store them is to freeze them.
Cut the thoroughly cooled brownies into individual pieces, wrap each one in plastic wrap (wrap them snugly), then with foil. Place each one in a freezer safe container or freezer Ziploc bag.
When you’re ready to eat or serve them, just bring them out and thaw at room temperature (still wrapped). They’re good slightly chilled too.
Frozen ube brownies with ube halaya will keep for up to a month.
Other brownie recipes
Are you a brownie fan yourself? Try these delicious brownie recipes:
- Salted caramel cream cheese brownies — all your favourite things in one decadent, luxurious bite.
- Fudgy walnut brownies — crusty and shiny on top, chewy in the centre, and bursting with chocolate chip and walnuts.
- Mascarpone swirl brownies— fudgy brownies with velvety smooth mascarpone swirls. Rich, decadent, chocolatey and very easy to make
- Matcha brownies — your favourite chocolate brownies complemented with the delicious, earthy flavours of matcha.
Ube brownies are a delicious, quick, and easy ube dessert. It’s great with coffee; I personally love it with cold milk.
Eat it after meals, as a snack, even for breakfast! Give it out to friends, serve it to company, or reward yourself at the end of the day. Enjoy!
Happy baking!
Did you make this ube brownies recipe? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below. If you’re looking for all things ube, check out this delicious collection of the best must-try ube desserts.
Ube Brownies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted and allowed to cool slightly
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 pc large egg, room temperature
- 17 oz ube jam (about 2 cups) room temperature
- 2 tbsp ube extract
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan then line with parchment paper with a slight overhang on each side. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine melted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar and ¼ cup packed brown sugar until smooth and incorporated.
- Add the egg, ube jam and 2 tbsp ube extract and stir until combined.
- Sift 2½ cups flour, 1 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp salt into your ube mixture and gently stir until no significant streaks of flour remain (do not over mix). The batter will be thick.
- Gently fold in 1 cup white chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
- Transfer into prepared pan and spread around evenly with a spatula.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with minimal dry crumbs.
- Cool in the pan for 20 minutes, remove from pan to cool completely, then cut into bars.
Video
Notes
- Not all ube jams are made the same. I make my own ube halaya and if you use that to make your ube brownies, you don’t need to change anything in the recipe. If you use a store-bought ube jam, I suggest to taste your ube mixture before adding in the egg so you can decide if you need more sugar, ube or both. Make sure to add sugar or ube in small increments.
- You can set aside about ¼ cup white chocolate chips that you can press on top of your batter before baking to make your ube brownies/ube blondies prettier!
- Like chocolate brownies or regular blondies, it’s better to under-bake than over-bake ube brownies. They will continue to cook in the pan.
- Ube brownies are also delicious chilled.
- See post for complete step-by-step photos, more baking tips and FAQs.
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only.
Jamie
I made this for myself of course and for my nieces and we loved it! It is so delicious and super easy to make. I will make this again as a gift for my sister’s birthday . Thank you
Jolina
So nice to hear that Jaime! Happy baking!
BB
Hello! I’m looking forward to trying this recipe! What is the shelf life of these brownies? And do they need to be refrigerated immediately once they’ve cooled from baking?
Thank you!
Jolina
Hi BB, yes I do keep them in the fridge. They should keep for up to a week. You can also freeze them. See the post for tips. Enjoy!
Ellen
Being Italian , I make a ube biscotti with similar ingredients . Everyone loves them.
Melissa
I have not yet made these but planning to soon! Wondering if anyone has tried freezing them for a later event.
Jolina
Hi Melissa, I have! They freeze really well. See tips in the post.
Jordan Schooler
I love this recipe, maybe the strongest ube flavor of all the ube desserts I’ve made. And very fast and easy. I did find the batter was a bit thick, so I tried adding two more eggs for hydration, and it worked well.
Jolina
Glad to hear that Jordan! And thanks for sharing your variations, it’s super helpful to other bakers who might be thinking of doing the same thing.
Robin Willis
I’ve made these several times. So yummy!
Jolina
Glad you like them Robin!
Lisa
Oh my goodness where has this recipe been all my life it’s amazing! Much better than the ones I bought at the store. Thank you!
Jolina
Happy to hear that Lisa! You’re most welcome!
Agnes Guglielmi
Why is it necessary to store them in the fridge?
Jolina
Hi Agnes, these brownies contain ube jam, which contains dairy and needs to be refrigerated.
Autumn
Do I need to store these in the fridge for an event the next day I make them?
Jolina
Yes, you need to store them in the fridge.
Dena
Only giving a 4/5 because the cooking time was off. I baked at 350 for 45 minutes and the middle of the brownies were still not cooked all the way. Is it supposed to look darker in the middle? I used a 9×13 and followed everything in the recipe. I wanted to give these out to my family and friends but I am worried it may make them sick since the middle doesn’t look cooked all the way. And no, the middle did not have anymore dough than the sides. It was evenly spread out before baking.
I loved this recipe but don’t know how to fix this issue, the sides are dry and the inside is doughy.
Jolina
Hi Dena, every oven is different so you should definitely check for doneness vs follow the baking time exactly, which is only guideline. As long as a toothpick or tester inserted in the middle comes out with minimal dry crumbs (not wet batter), you should be ok.
Heart R.
Hello! Where is the exact measurements listed?
Jolina
Hi Heart, all the info you need is on the recipe card. If you’re on the top of the page, simply click “Jump to Recipe”.
Marie
Hi there! Do you think I can make this by melting the white chocolate before I incorporate it together?
Jolina
Hi Marie, do you mean as swirls? I think that’s a fab idea!
Brittany
Hi! Any suggestions on measurement changes for a 9×9 pan? Or maybe just different bake time/temp?
Jolina
Hi Brittany, you’ll have very thick brownies (in fact, I’m not certain the pan can hold all the batter) so may need longer baking time.
Annie TN
Made these for a school bake sale and they were the #2 item to sell out! Everyone raved about them, with requests for the recipe. Will make these again next year 🙂
Jolina
That’s awesome Annie!
BP
Thank you for the recipe! I created it and it was delicious. I used the Good Shepherd ube so only put 1/2 cup white sugar and the recipe came out perfect. Not too sweet or lacking in flavor.
Jolina
I haven’t had Good Shepherd ube in a while so I’m a little jealous lol! Glad you liked the brownies BP!
EmRose
Thank you so much for your recipe! Turned out delicious, and it totally satisfied my ube craving! I did add a bit of sweetened coconut. Also, since it’s just me, and I don’t have self control when it comes to ube, I quartered the recipe. I’ll be making these “brownies” regularly! I might even try your ube halaya recipe next time. Thank you again!
Jolina
Same! No ube self control here either lol. Glad you like them EmRose! Hope you enjoy the ube halaya too.