Move over pistachio, gingerbread and matcha - ube is the latest drink flavour taking your socials by storm. It's being added to everything from hot chocolates to lattes, so what's all the fuss about?

BBC Bitesize Other Side of the Story took a sip to find out.

What is ube?

Ube is another word for the purple yam, an edible tuber plant - like the potato - known for its distinctive colour. It's native to the Philippines, where it’s used in many different dishes but mainly desserts. Yams tend to grow in warmer climates and are a popular ingredient in recipes in tropical countries.

While ube - pronounced “oo-beh” - looks similar to a purple sweet potato because of the vibrant hue of its flesh, it isn't the same thing.

What does ube taste like?

This depends on who you ask - here’s just a few ways TikTok users have described the flavour:

• “Ube is a root but they sweeten it so it tastes more like birthday cake”
• “To me it sorta tastes like marshmallow”
• “It’s sweet, kinda vanilla-y and slightly nutty”
• “It’s like a fruity nutty syrup”
• “It tastes like cereal milk”

Different websites have their own description of the flavour, but they all seem to agree that there is vanilla with a definite nuttiness - perhaps pistachio or coconut - and 'earthiness'.

One popular way of serving it is as "Halayang ube". This is made by boiling ube before mashing it and cooking it with condensed milk, evaporated milk and sugar.

Ube can be used in many ways, not just in a latte. It is also an ice cream flavour, a cake ingredient, and appears in brownie and cookie recipes too. It can even be turned into jam!

Why are people talking about ube?

Although it is mainly used in desserts, ube turns up in savoury dishes too. There are recipes online for making mash from it, or dumplings if you're feeling a bit more adventurous.

Ube has been around for thousands of years but in coffee shop terms, it started going mainstream in 2025. Pret added an Ube Brûlée Latte to the menu and Black Sheep Coffee followed suit with the Iced Ube Matcha Latte.

It’s now been added to the spring menus of both Starbucks and Costa Coffee in the UK.

Food trends are always a big talking point on socials and have strong emotional appeal - remember the Japanese cheesecake yoghurt and Dubai chocolate? Posts about ube are particularly eye-catching because of its purple colour, giving it instant aesthetic appeal.

Seeing new foods on social media makes us curious to find out more about them. And while ube might be unfamiliar to some, a search of the hashtag #ube on Instagram brings up nearly 750k posts and close to 115k videos on TikTok.

Why are some people unhappy about it?

Starbucks says ube was a “staple of national culture and family dinner tables all over the Philippines”, long before it appeared on your socials. It adds that “for many people it’s a taste as fabulous and familiar as home” - but not everyone agrees that the coffee shop versions are as good as the real thing.

One TikTok influencer, @angelina.pj, who has over a million followers on the app, has described the new craze as “the gentrification of ube”. After sampling an ube drink she said: “I’m gonna stick to my local Filipino bakery”.

Charmie Jane, who has over 200,000 followers and describes herself as Filipina in her TikTok bio, has shared posts showing her parents trying the latest ube drinks. She said: “Calling purple powder or purple food colouring “ube” is not doing the Philippines any justice”.

Is ube the new matcha?

Matcha is now a fixture on many coffee shop menus, so it seems more likely that ube will be complimenting it rather than taking over. Many brands are introducing it as a new flavour alongside matcha, or with ingredients customers are familiar with, like vanilla.

Don’t forget that the more interactions you make with content about a specific subject like ube on social media, the more you will see it on your fyp. This is because social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram use algorithms to suggest similar content to what you have previously engaged with or shared with friends.

Only time will tell if ube can match-a the staying power of the beloved green powder.

This article was published in March 2026

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