If there’s a pie that you need to try this holiday season, it’s this vegan ube pie! No holiday is complete without a pie, and this is the perfect dessert to add to your holiday dinner table. It’s creamy and custardy, with delicious notes of vanilla and pistachio. This pie will make a statement, and everyone will be raving about it.
This year, I wanted to come up with a new pie recipe that was out of the ordinary, but everyone would enjoy. And after endless hours of research, I decided to create the vegan ube pie! This idea came to me when I happened upon the famous Filipino chain restaurant’s menu, the one with the red and yellow bee. And in their dessert menu, they had a fried ube hand pie! I thought to myself, “this would make for a really good pie for the holidays!”. Thus, the recipe was born!
If you know me by now, you should know that ube is my absolute favorite flavor & dessert in the world. Yes, I love chocolate, but if I had to choose what I would eat for dessert forever, it would be anything with ube. And with the number of recipes that I make with ube, some of my followers have started calling me the ube queen! Not to toot my own horn, but I do make a lot of delicious ube recipes, so I think I’m worthy of the title.
What is ube?
Pronounced as: “OO-BEH”, ube is a purple yam and is a staple ingredient for Filipino desserts. They are usually boiled and mashed and are used a lot in jams or to color sweet treats. It has a mild and sweet flavor, which some have said is a cross between vanilla and pistachio. Another thing, do not mistake ube as a purple sweet potato or taro. These 3 are completely different from each other. Ube is a purple yam, and not a potato, while taro is a root that comes from the taro plant. It’s a light lavender color and completely inedible when raw.
How do I find ube?
Fresh ube is rare to find in stores, you’ll most likely find it frozen or in powder form, and in Asian supermarkets. If you happen to live near a Filipino store, then that’s even better! They’ll have everything you’ll need. In this case, we’ll be using frozen ube. It works better for this recipe than the powdered version.
A great tip, if you are looking for a frozen ube, look for something that’s produced from the Philippines. I’ve found other purple yams that have been produced from other southeast Asian countries and they are not the same. Another indicator is that ube is a deep purple color and not pink.
Top tips for making vegan ube pie:
- Plan ahead. It’s best to make this pie a day before you are planning to serve it, as it needs time to cool and set in the fridge.
- Use or make a pie shield to protect the edges of your crust from turning too dark. You can buy a pie shield or make one out of aluminum foil.
- Easy transfer. Placing the pie pan on a large rimmed baking sheet will not only make it easier to transfer the pie in and out of the oven, but it also distributes the heat evenly throughout the bake.
- How to know when your pie is done. You want the pie filling to slightly jiggle in the center because the end product will nice and creamy. If you let it bake completely in the oven, you’ll get a dense ube pie.
- Leave the oven door slightly ajar. This will help the pie cool down slowly and will help prevent any cracks in the pie.
- Set in the fridge. When your pie has completely cooled, place it in the fridge to set and then serve the next day!
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might want to check these out:
Ube Cheese Pandesal
Vegan Ube Crinkle Cookies
Ube Flan Cake
If you tried this recipe let me know in the comments below! Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @flouredframe for more delicious recipes. While you’re at it, don’t forget to tag me whenever you recreate my recipes! Happy baking!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Ube Pie
Equipment
- 9-inch pie plate
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Mesh Sieve
- Pie shield optional
- Rimmed baking sheet
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- 454 grams frozen ube (thawed the night before, see notes)
- 200 grams granulated sugar
- 175 grams full-fat coconut milk (canned)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 teaspoon ube extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 35 grams cornstarch
- 1 Pie crust (you can also use a pre-made pie crust)
Instructions
Par-bake the crust
- Whether you’re using store-bought crust or using my homemade crust recipe, you will need to par-bake/blind bake. Follow the directions on the package or recipe on how to par-bake/blind bake that particular crust. An easy way to transfer your pie in and out of the oven, place your pie plate over a large rimmed baking sheet.
- Allow the crust to cool completely before pouring in the filling.
Ube Filling
- In a bowl combine the thawed ube, sugar, salt, full-fat coconut milk, vanilla extract, and ube extract. Whisk until well combined.
- Next, sift in the cornstarch and continue to whisk until fully incorporated.
- This step is optional, but if you want this pie to be smooth, you can blend up the mixture in a high-speed blender. I left the mixture as is because I love the texture and I find that the grated ube is already pretty fine.
Assembly & bake
- Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
- Before adding in the filling, cover the crust with a pie shield or aluminum foil. This will prevent your crust from getting too dark. See notes.
- When your oven is ready and your crust is cool, pour in the ube filling mixture. Carefully transfer the pie into the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes. Keep an eye on it, I suggest checking it every 20 minutes as you don’t want to overbake it.
- The pie is done when the edges are set and has a slightly wobbly center, however, your pie should not be liquid in any way.
- Remove the pie from the oven, and transfer it to a wire cooling rack. Allow the pie to cool completely. Then place it in the fridge to set, about 4 hours. For best results, allow it to sit overnight. When it is time, serve it with a dollop of vegan whipped cream and enjoy!
Notes
- Do not mistake ube as a purple sweet potato or taro. These 3 are completely different from each other. Ube is a purple yam, and not a potato. And taro is a root vegetable that comes from the taro plant. It’s a light lavender color and completely inedible when raw.
- Fresh ube is rare to find in stores, you’ll most likely find it frozen or in powder form. For this recipe, we are using frozen. A great tip, if you are looking for a frozen ube, look for something that’s produced from the Philippines. I’ve found other purple yams produced from other southeast Asian countries and they are not the same. Another indicator is that ube is a deep purple color and not pink.
- Baking the ube filling. There are a various brands that make frozen grated ube, so they will all be different in terms of textures. Some will take the full 45 minutes to bake and some will take 30 minutes or less. So please, keep an eye out on it as it bakes. I suggest checking, it every 20 minutes. You are looking for set edges and a slightly wobbly center.
- You want the pie filling to slightly wobble in the center because the end product will nice and creamy. If you let it bake completely in the oven, you’ll get a dense ube pie.
- Top tips:
- It’s best to make this pie a day before you are planning to serve it, as it needs time to cool and set in the fridge.
- Placing the pie pan on a large rimmed baking sheet will not only make it easier to transfer the pie in and out of the oven, but it also distributes the heat evenly throughout the bake.
- You can buy a pie shield or make one out of aluminum foil. Check this post from Taste of Home on how to do that: https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/pie-crust-shield/
Jessica says
Hi,
Can I use ube halaya for this?
Jess xx
Floured Frame says
Hi Jess,
I haven't tried making this with ube halaya, so I'm not sure how the pie will turn out. The reason why I didn't use ube halaya is that most people have a hard time finding vegan ube halaya.
ines says
i made this over the holidays (christmas + nye) and not only is it insanely beautiful its so delicious. im obsessed.
Floured Frame says
Aw thank you!! I'm so glad you loved it, it's definitely very delicious!
Camilo Velasco-Overson says
Hi,
Is there a possible replacement you might recommend for the coconut milk? I love coconut but unfortunately it doesn’t love me back </3 I would love to try out this recipe even though I am allergic to coconut! My partner is Filipino and I want to surprise him with an ube treat that I can eat too.
Thanks so much,
Camilo
Floured Frame says
I'm sorry to hear that! So, before I suggest something, I wanted to let you know why we use coconut milk in this recipe. Because this recipe uses mostly frozen ube, which doesn't have a strong flavor on its own, Filipinos always use coconut to bring complement it. It's what gives ube that distinct flavor. While I do use ube extract, I didn't want it to overpower the natural flavors, mostly just to boost it.
So for you, I would try a neutral-tasting milk, I prefer soy. I would avoid using any type of nut/oat milk as they are mostly just water and you need some fat and protein from the milk to help stabilize this pie. Then probably add more of the ube extract, maybe 2-3 teaspoons more? Taste as you go!