This recipe for Ube Tart combines the creamy flavors of mashed purple yam with a flaky, all-butter tart crust -- a dessert that's both visually stunning and richly flavorful. With a smooth filling made from ube and hints of coconut, this tart is a delicious and vibrantly colorful treat to serve at any gathering.

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What is ube?
Ube, or purple yam, is a vibrant purple root vegetable commonly found in Filipino and Southeast Asian cuisines.
Known for its mildly sweet, nutty flavor, ube is popular in coffee and desserts such as ice cream, cakes, and tarts, where it adds both flavor and a striking color.
While it resembles purple sweet potato, ube is from a different plant and has a unique taste profile that combines earthy notes with subtle hints of vanilla.
Did you know?
Okinawan purple sweet potatoes are from the morning glory family and have a beige exterior with a violet interior.
Ube has a brown exterior with a pinkish/purple interior and is grown on a vine.
Why you'll love this recipe
Unique: it's a fresh spin on sweet potato pie or pumpkin pie.
Easy to make: compared to making a custard cream tart or pie where you cook the filling, this ube filling is whipped up in a bowl and poured right into the crust.
Delicious: the creamy custard-ube filling is full of flavor, and you'll be back for seconds!
Special equipment you'll need
- food processor: for making the crust
- 8" round tart pan: with removable bottom
Ingredients you'll need
Crust
- all-purpose flour: regular plain flour
- granulated sugar: adds a touch of sweetness to the crust
- salted butter: cold, cut into pieces; you can use unsalted butter, just add a pinch of salt
- ice cold water: binds the dough together; be sure to add 1 tablespoon at a time
Ube filling
- cooked and mashed ube (purple yam): you can find ube in some Asian supermarkets, typically frozen, used in ube halaya jam
- egg yolks
- cornstarch: adds a smooth texture to the filling
- all-purpose flour: helps to firm up the filling
- sea salt: balances out the flavor
- granulated sugar: adds sweetness; you can substitute with condensed milk if you prefer a more creamier sweeter flavor
- whole milk
- coconut milk: adds more creaminess and a hint of coconut flavor, which balances the earthiness from the purple yam; you can sub with whole milk if you don't like coconut
- vanilla extract: or coconut extract, if you prefer more coconut flavor
Where to find?
You can find these ingredients at your local Asian supermarket.
How to make an ube tart from scratch
Prepare the crust:
Pulse flour, sugar, and butter in a food processor until pea-sized crumbs form.
Gradually add ice water until the dough just holds together, then wrap and chill in the fridge for an hour.
Roll out the dough to fit an 8" tart pan, press it evenly, and pop it in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Bake the crust at 400°F (204°C) for 15 minutes with pie weights, then remove weights, reduce to 350°F, and bake for 5 more minutes.

For the filling:
Mix together mashed ube, egg yolks, cornstarch, flour, salt, sugar, whole milk, coconut milk, and extract.
Assemble:
Pour into the baked crust and bake at 325°F (163°C) for 30-35 minutes until set.
Cool, refrigerate, then slice and serve.

How to serve
Serve the ube tart with a dollop of freshly whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.
Switch up your regular pumpkin pie and serve it for Thanksgiving or any holiday meal.
How to store
Cover the ube custard tart with plastic wrap or cut into slices and place into an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
You can freeze the tart, tightly wrapped with aluminum foil, and placed into a freezer-safe bag for up to 2 months.
Thaw the tart overnight in the fridge and bring it to room temperature before serving -- note: the texture may be a little softer than freshly made. If you prefer, you can bake the tart in the oven at 300F for 10-15 minutes to warm through. Be careful not to overbake though.
Expert tips
Depending on the moisture of the ube, you may need to adjust the amount of liquid.
If using frozen ube, it may be quite wet -- try to rid of any excess moisture, reduce the amount of milk by a little or add a touch more cornstarch.
Other ube purple yam recipes you may like
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know if you try out this recipe -- I love seeing your creations! Tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer and be sure to leave me a comment/rating below!

Ube Tart
For accuracy and precision in baking recipes, use weight (metric) measurements when available.
Ingredients
Crust:
- 120 g all-purpose flour
- 15 g granulated sugar
- 84 g cold salted butter cut into pieces
- 3 tablespoon ice cold water more or less, depending on how dry your flour is
Ube filling:
- 200 g cooked and mashed ube purple yam
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 125 ml whole milk
- 60 ml coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon coconut extract
Instructions
Make the crust:
- Add flour, sugar, and butter into a food processor.
- Pulse intermittently until the mixture reaches the size of small peas.
- Gradually add in the ice water one tablespoon at a time while pulsing. Stop when the dough roughly comes together. Be sure not to overwork the dough. (You may or may not need all the water, depending on the humidity of the flour).
- Dump the dough contents onto a large piece of parchment paper and press together to form a disc of dough.
- Wrap the dough up with plastic wrap and place into the refrigerator for 1 hour to chill.
- Preheat oven to 400°F/204°C.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator.
- Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin and roll the dough to a thickness of about ⅛". (Note: if the dough is too stiff, let it rest at room temperature for 15 minutes).
- Transfer the rolled out dough to a tart pan with a removable bottom.
- Press in the dough on the bottom and up along the sides so it's even.
- Place the crust into the freezer for 15 minutes to chill. Chilling helps prevent too much shrinkage when it gets baked.
- When ready to bake, remove tart from the freezer.
- Prick the dough with the tines of a fork.
- Place a crumpled piece of parchment paper on top of the tart dough and add pie weights on top of the parchment (or use dried beans, rice, etc).
- Bake at 400°F/204°C for 15 mins.
- Reduce to 350°F/177°C, remove the parchment paper and pie weights from the tart, and continue baking for another 5 mins.
- Remove from oven and let the crust cool slightly.
Make the ube filling:
- In a large bowl, combine mashed ube, egg yolks, cornstarch, flour, salt, sugar, whole milk, coconut milk, and vanilla extract (or coconut extract).
- Mix well and ensure the cornstarch and flour are fully incorporated.
Assemble:
- Pour filling mixture into crust.
- Bake at 325°F/163°C for 30-35 minutes, or until the tart is set and slightly firm to the touch.
- Cool completely before refrigerating to allow the tart to fully set.
- Slice and serve.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided should be considered as approximate and is not guaranteed. Please use your best judgment to ensure food is safely prepared and/or a good fit for your diet.
Ben | Havocinthekitchen
I've never had ube (I won't lie I may be a bit sceptical about it), but I always appreciate this amazing colour; so tempting:) And I bet this tart tastes great, too!
Michelle
The color is what usually stops people in their tracks, but if you can find it, give ube a try -- very similar to sweet potato/yam! Thanks Ben!
Tasia
This ube tart is so stunning Michelle! Love the creative twist using ube.
Michelle
Thank you Tasia! I love the natural vibrant purple color the ube gives it!
2pots2cook
Definitely must get ube jam! It's such a vibrant dessert and it seems tasty too! On my holiday list it is !
Michelle
Thanks Davorka! It's a fun and different spin on sweet potato or pumpkin pie 🙂
Healthy World Cuisine
You are making our mouths water with this delectable ube tart. Brilliant - it's the Asian version of sweet potato pie. Not only is this one a must try - now have a hankering for one of your brochi recipes. MMMM! yum
Michelle
Thank you so much, Bobbi! The ube adds such a fun vibrant color to the pie! 🙂
Raymund | angsarap.net
This Ube Tart recipe looks absolutely stunning! I can already imagine how delightful it would be served with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Michelle
Thank you Raymund, it is so good with vanilla ice cream! 🙂
Mar
This super rich in anthocyanins ube tart is one of my favourite dessert. Its pretty color coupled with the plentiful health benefits is always a very welcome dessert in our social gatherings!
Michelle
Thanks for the message, Mar! The purple hue is brilliant 🙂