If fresh or frozen ube is difficult to find near you, rehydrating ube powder is your solution! The process is fairly simple and takes less than 15 minutes. Plus, you can freeze any leftovers to always have it on hand! (Looking for recipes using rehydrated ube powder? Try making my ube halaya, chunky gooey ube cookie, or ube snickerdoodles!)
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What Is Ube? 🍠
- Ube is a purple yam native to the Philippines. It’s often confused as purple sweet potato or taro, and all three are different!
- Its flavor is commonly compared to a subtle vanilla mixed with pistachio.
- Ube is very popular in Filipino desserts like cakes, cookies, and ice cream!
- It’s difficult to find fresh (and even frozen) ube in the USA. So, rehydrating ube powder is the next best option to replace mashed ube!
- Looking for some new ways to bake with ube? You can find all of my ube recipes here.
You can learn more about ube in my ultimate ube guide. There, I talk about different types of ube ingredients, where to buy them, and more!
Ingredients
To rehydrate ube powder, you’ll need two ingredients:
Ingredient Notes
- To rehydrate ube powder, you’ll just need water!
- For ube powder brands, I’ve tried Giron Foods and Miki’s. If using a different brand, I highly recommend following the package directions. If there aren’t any directions listed, you can always try following my tutorial and add more water/powder as needed.
Make sure the packaging says “ube” or “purple yam”! Ube is NOT the same as purple sweet potato or taro.
For the full list of ingredients and measurements, see the recipe card below.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: In a light-colored pan, add water and ube powder. Cook on medium low heat while constantly stirring.
Step 2: Cook until ube powder is fully rehydrated and thickened. To check if it is done, drag your spatula across the bottom of the pan. If there is a clear trail and the ube stays in place (as pictured above), it’s ready!
For full instructions, see the recipe card below.
Storage
This recipe makes quite a bit of ube, and I rarely use all of it at once. You can either store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Personally, I like to freeze my ube in freezer bags as pictured above. Whenever I need some ube, I break off a few chunks. I thaw the ube in the fridge overnight, or if I’m in a rush, I microwave it in a bowl for 30-second intervals until completely softened.
Ways To Use Rehydrated Ube Powder
I really hope you enjoy this tutorial. If you follow it, I’d love to see! You can tag me at #bitesbybianca / @bitesbybianca on Instagram.
📖 Recipe
How To Rehydrate Ube Powder
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Equipment
- wooden or silicone spatula
- heat-proof bowl
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons (90 g) ube powder
- 2 cups (473.18 ml) water
Instructions
- In a light-colored saucepan, add 6 tablespoons ube powder and 2 cups water.
- Turn the heat to medium low. Using your wooden or silicione spatula, constantly stir, making sure to scrape the bottom and sides of your pan often. After a few minutes, the ube powder should start to become rehydrated and thicken. To check if it is done, drag your spatula across the bottom of the pan. If there is a clear trail and the ube stays mostly in place, it’s ready!
- Remove from heat and transfer to a large heat-safe bowl. Let cool completely before storing. See storage notes at bottom of recipe card.
Notes
- I recommend using a light-colored pan (stainless steel or light enameled pan). When cooking, the ube may stick to the bottom of the pan and burn, which is difficult to see when using a dark pan. A light-colored pan allows you to see if anything is sticking, which makes scraping with a wooden spatula much easier.
- Storage: This recipe makes quite a bit of ube and I rarely use all of it at once. You can either store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months. (Note: I like to freeze my ube in freezer bags. Whenever I need some ube, I break off a few chunks. I thaw the ube in the fridge overnight, or if I’m in a rush, I microwave it in a bowl for 30-second intervals until completely softened.)
(I am the author of this recipe)
This is my go-to method for using ube powder, so easy and freezes very well!