Ube pie is made with a deliciously creamy ube filling and uses a ready-made pie crust for ease and convenience. It will be the star of all your Thanksgiving and holiday celebrations!
(Looking for ube hand pies? Try this Jollibee ube pie copycat. Easy to make, even easier to eat! And if want to try tarts, this ube tart recipe is for you.)
Unlike most of my ube dessert recipes (like ube ice cream and ube cheesecake), this ube pie is not made with ube halaya or ube jam.
Instead, I use fresh ube for maximum ube flavor.
It’s easy to make, delicious, festive, and sure to be a hit this Thanksgiving and all throughout the holiday season.
Let’s get to it.
Why this will become your new favorite pie
Most people default to pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving but at home, ube pie has become number one.
- Easy to make. First, it’s so easy to make. This recipe even uses a ready-made pie crust so we don’t have to bother with dough and all that jazz.
- Delicious. Of course, as is expected of all things ube, it’s delicious. Creamy ube filling topped with whipped coconut cream, a match made in dessert heaven.
- Fun and festive. And last but not least, ube retains its vibrant purple color making it so festive. It’s a fun addition to your holiday spread.
How to make
If you’ve made sweet potato pie before, making ube pie is quite similar.
Ingredients
You will need the usual ingredients like butter, eggs, brown sugar and salt. A few things to note about the other ingredients:
- Fresh ube (purple yam) — I use fresh ube in this recipe, which I boil and then mash. I always get asked if frozen grated ube or ube powder are good alternatives. I’ve only tried frozen and it results to a very strange, gummy consistency. I don’t use ube powder but if you intend on using that, remember to reconstitute it first so that the volume amount would be equal to 1 pound or 454 grams.
- Ube extract — ube extract is important in this recipe as it provides that intense purple color and pop of ube flavor. You can find them in Asian supermarkets and on Amazon.
- Milk — I use evaporated milk because that’s what we always have on hand. You can also use whole milk.
- Pie crust — I use an all-butter 9-inch ready-made pie crust. Try to splurge a little here and buy the best frozen pie crust available.
- Flour — we only use half a teaspoon of all-purpose flour but don’t skip it. Flour helps with the texture of the pie filling.
Baking tools
You don’t need special tools to make this recipe.
Just a bowl and an electric mixer (you can also mix by hand).
Step-by-step photos
Cut the ube in small portions, put in a pot with water (ensure all the ube pieces are submerged), and bring to a boil until the ube are tender and easily pierced with a fork.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Once the ube is ready, remove from pot, place under cold running water then peel.
Mash the peeled ube with a fork or potato masher.
Add butter to the mashed ube.
Mix until incorporated.
Add brown sugar, milk, eggs, salt, flour and ube extract.
Beat until smooth and evenly blended.
Pour filling into pie crust.
Bake for 50 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Enjoy!
Expert baking tips
- Filling is enough for the 9-inch pie crust. It will look like the filling is going to overflow while you’re pouring it, but don’t worry, it’s just enough for a standard 9-inch frozen pie crust.
- Pie will deflate while cooling. Also, it will puff up while baking but deflate while cooling. This is normal.
- Whip the coconut cream while cold. If using whipped coconut cream topping, make sure the cream is cold so it whips easier and quicker. I like to add a little bit of sugar and a splash of vanilla but you can leave it as is. Add the cream just before serving.
- Serve within a day of baking. Speaking of, ube pie is best served within a day of baking it. While you can keep the pie covered in the fridge, it’s susceptible to weeping or condensation the longer it sits.
Recipe FAQs
Ube is Filipino purple yam. No, it’s not the same as purple sweet potatoes or Okinawan purple yam. Neither is it taro.
There’s a whole world of yams and potatoes out there and ube is as distinct as the next.
When looking for them in the supermarket, make sure you’re buying legit purple yam.
It may be called differently based on variety or where it came from but it will always say purple yam.
The best place to find fresh ube is an Asian or Filipino supermarket.
You can also find ube extract there. Amazon sells it too.
You can! Either buy a ready-made 9-inch graham cracker crust or make your own crust and place on a 9-inch pie dish.
To make the coconut whipped cream topping, you’ll need: a can of coconut cream that’s been chilled, 2 tbsp of granulated sugar and 1 tsp of vanilla extract.
Prepare by taking the chilled can out of the fridge and scooping out the solid parts into a small bowl.
Add sugar, vanilla extract and beat until stiff.
You can store the ube pie (without any topping) covered in the fridge.
It should last a few days, best eaten within 24 hours of baking.
While you can keep the pie covered in the fridge, it’s susceptible to weeping or condensation the longer it sits.
More pie recipes
If you’re looking for more pie recipes, check these out:
Hope you enjoy this wonderfully purple dessert. Ube tres leches in another stand-out during the holidays.
Happy baking!
Did you make this ube pie recipe? 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 also find me on Pinterest, Twitter and YouTube.
Ube Pie (Filipino Purple Yam Pie)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh ube
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup brown sugar packed
- ½ cup milk
- 2 pieces large eggs
- 2 tsp ube extract
- ½ tsp all purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 9-inch ready-made pie crust thawed according to package instructions
Instructions
- Cut the ube in small portions, put in a pot with water (ensure all the ube pieces are submerged), and bring to a boil until the ube are tender and easily pierced with a fork.1 lb fresh ube
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Once the ube is ready, remove from pot, place under cold running water then peel.
- Mash the peeled ube with a fork or potato masher.
- Add butter to the mashed ube and mix until incorporated.½ cup unsalted butter
- Add brown sugar, milk, eggs, ube extract, flour and salt. Beat until smooth and evenly blended.¾ cup brown sugar, ½ cup milk, 2 pieces large eggs, 2 tsp ube extract, ½ tsp all purpose flour, ¼ tsp salt
- Pour filling into thawed pie crust.1 9-inch ready-made pie crust
- Bake for 50 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- The total yield depends on how big your pie slices are. The estimated nutrition information is based on 12 servings.
- It will look like the filling is going to overflow while you’re pouring it, but don’t worry, it’s just enough for a standard 9-inch frozen pie crust.
- The pie will puff up while baking but deflate while cooling. This is normal.
- See post for more tips, FAQs and step-by-step photos.
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only.
Cindy
Hi, can I use ube halaya? If yes, can you please provide the measurements. Thank you.
Jolina
Hi Cindy, unfortunately I haven’t tried with ube halaya.
AILLEEN TORRES
Can i omit ube extract? Ty in advance?
Jolina
Hi Ailleen, I haven’t tried ube pie without the ube extract so I can’t say for sure. You may lose that punch of ube flavor and some of that vibrant purple color but otherwise, it should still be tasty.