Ube instead of matcha? Trendy tuber conquers coffee, cake and ice cream

By Maja Kunert

Published on 29/06/2026 - 6:00 GMT+2•Updated

7:33

Anyone strolling through big-city cafés at the moment will increasingly come across drinks and pastries in a strikingly rich shade of purple. The colour doesn’t come from a bottle of dye, but from a tuber: ube, a purple yam from Southeast Asia, is seen as the next big food trend after matcha.

What exactly is ube?

Ube – pronounced "oo-beh" – is a type of yam that is grown mainly in the Philippines, where it has been part of everyday life for centuries. There it is as common a staple food as the sweet potato is in many other parts of the world, reports the magazine Der Feinschmecker. Although ube and purple sweet potatoes look almost identical, they are not botanically related. Ube belongs to the yam family, not to the morning glory family.

Also known as water yam or purple yam, the tuber stands out for its colour: the tubers range in colour from deep violet to bright lavender, explains Der Feinschmecker. In Germany, ube is usually used in food in the form of purée, powder, paste or syrup.

What makes ube taste so special?

Ube has a mild, nutty flavour with hints of vanilla and pistachio, plus a natural sweetness reminiscent of cooked carrot or sweet potato. According to the head of food marketing agency Spoonful, quoted by trade journal Lebensmittel Zeitung, ube "looks radically new with its violet colour, but tastes of things we’ve loved since childhood". Unlike matcha, which divides opinion with its grassy, bitter taste, ube is accessible to a broad audience from the outset – a strategic advantage when it comes to culinary trends.

The tuber has become an insider tip in patisserie in particular: macarons, cheesecakes, ice cream and chiffon cakes gain not only an unusual flavour from ube, but also a spectacular natural colour – with no artificial additives.

Ube in a glass: from latte to iced drinks

The most visible sign of the hype is probably the ube latte. Major chains such as Starbucks and Costa Coffee have already added ube-flavoured coffee drinks to their menus. To make a ube latte, powder is first mixed with hot water, then topped up with frothed milk or a plant-based alternative and espresso. In summer, an iced ube latte comes into its own: the cool purple in the glass draws attention and works especially well on Instagram.

What does the purple tuber have to offer health-wise?

The intense purple is no accident. It is produced by anthocyanins, natural plant pigments with a blue-red structure that can have antioxidant, antiviral, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects, explains the Federal Centre for Nutrition (source in German) (BZfE). A 2019 review study by Wuhan Polytechnic University highlights the considerable potential of these pigments: anthocyanins from purple root vegetables have shown anti-tumour and liver-protective effects in laboratory tests and can have a positive impact on the gut microbiome. Ube also contains vitamins A, C and E, fibre, potassium and copper.

All yams also contain diosgenin, a precursor of the female sex hormone progesterone. However, the BZfE points out that the body cannot convert this dietary diosgenin into progesterone by itself. Anyone hoping for hormonal effects will therefore be disappointed.

Where can you find ube in Germany?

Ube is still a rarity in German retail. According to t-online, citing Lebensmittel Zeitung, Asian supermarkets sell the tuber as a powder, extract or paste, but it is hardly available in major discount and supermarket chains. One Edeka store in Berlin is regarded as a pioneer, offering ready-made ube latte drinks at its coffee bar. Anyone keen to experiment can also try making ube bread, ube ice cream or ube cake at home (the Filipino original is called ube cake and is traditionally based on the ube purée "ube halaya").

As with ube, sauerkraut is about more than just taste; health benefits and social media appeal play an even bigger role. In a similar way, the traditional German product was recently marketed in the US as the latest superfood. But the idea of a sauerkraut latte is where the fun definitely stops.

The downside of the hype

The trend also has an uncomfortable downside. "Whenever a food suddenly sees a big jump in demand, it destroys established farming structures," warns Britta Klein from the Federal Centre for Nutrition. "This time it’s happening in the Philippines. Hypes amplified by social media are a key driver of such developments."

Rising demand is not only changing agriculture there, it is also enticing other tropical countries in Asia and Africa into cultivation. For the German market, ube will in any case remain a long-distance import – with a correspondingly poor carbon footprint.