Ube latte powder: pure or ready-made mix?
The name “ube latte” covers two very different products: pure ube powder, which you whisk into the milk of your choice, and ready-made mixes where ube sits next to sugar, milk powder or flavourings. Here is how to tell them apart, how much to use per cup and how to make a purple latte at home.
The short answer
- A pure powder has a single ingredient: dried, ground purple yam (Dioscorea alata). You choose the milk and the sweetness.
- An “ube latte” mix is ready in one step, but the ingredient list gets longer: sugar, milk or coconut powder, flavourings, sometimes colourings.
- For one ube latte, use 5 g of pure powder per cup, about a teaspoon, with 200 ml of hot or cold milk.
| Criterion | Pure ube powder | “Ube latte” mix |
|---|---|---|
| Ingredients | Purple yam only | Ube + sugar, milk or coconut powder, flavourings |
| Sugar | No added sugar | Often listed first |
| Milk | Whichever you like, dairy or plant-based | Sometimes already included (check for allergies) |
| Uses | Lattes, smoothies, baking, crêpes | Mostly the drink |
| Amount per cup | 5 g | 15 to 25 g depending on the brand |
What is an ube latte?
An ube latte is a milky drink made with ube, the purple yam grown in Southeast Asia. Its purple colour is natural and its taste is gentle: a light vanilla sweetness that opens onto notes of roasted hazelnut, almond and pistachio.
Ube contains no caffeine, so an ube latte works in the morning or the evening, hot in winter or iced in summer.
Read the label before you buy
Look at the ingredient list first. If the first word is “sugar” or “milk powder”, ube is just one flavour among others. Check the Latin name too: true purple yam is Dioscorea alata; purple sweet potato and taro are different, often cheaper plants.
Finally, compare the price per cup rather than the price per bag: a mix needs three to five times more powder per drink. At UBÉRA the powder is pure, and the price per cup is shown for each size in the shop.
How much powder per cup?
5 g of pure powder, about a teaspoon, for 200 ml of milk. A 100 g bag makes around twenty lattes, the 200 g bag around forty and the kilo about two hundred. For a deeper colour, double the amount.
The trick that prevents lumps: mix the powder with a little lukewarm water into a smooth paste, then whisk in the milk. All the tips are in our guide to using ube powder.
Three ways to make it
The signature latte, hot and frothy; the ube iced latte, over ice with coconut milk; and the ube matcha latte, in two layers of purple and green.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best powder for an ube latte?
A pure ube powder whose only ingredient is purple yam (Dioscorea alata). It leaves you free to choose the milk and the sweetness, and it works in baking too.
Do you need to add sugar?
Not necessarily: ube has a natural vanilla sweetness. If you like it sweeter, a spoonful of maple syrup or honey is enough.
Which milk is best for an ube latte?
Barista oat milk gives the most stable foam. Whole milk works very well; almond and coconut milk are lighter and bring out the vanilla.
Does an ube latte contain caffeine?
No. Ube is a caffeine-free root: only a recipe that adds matcha or coffee contains caffeine.