Iced Ube Matcha Coconut Latte Recipe

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Ube is a yam native to the Philippines with brown, bark-like skin and purple flesh. Ube is not the same as sweet potato, although some sweet potato varieties can be purple. While it's a common ingredient in Filipino cuisine, it's become popular in some trending dishes in the U.S. We're not talking about side dishes like roasted yams but rather purple-hued ube brownies, ice cream, and drinks.

Many foods or drinks made with ube are quite beautiful, as they take advantage of the tuber's vibrant and unique color. Recipe developer Michelle Bottalico has created a recipe for an iced ube matcha coconut latte featuring not just the purple hue of ube but the bright green of matcha as well. This is a striking drink, as the purple and green liquids stay in separate layers. The trick is to pour cooled matcha tea very slowly over the ube layer that's already in the glass. The purple layer also includes coconut milk and maple syrup for a creamy and sweet result. You'll want to stir the drink before serving, though, so it tastes harmonious. The final taste is delicious and balanced, with the right amount of coconut and a pop of caffeine from the matcha to give you extra energy for your day.

For this recipe, you will first need matcha powder. Make sure it's latte-grade or ceremonial grade for the best result (as opposed to varieties meant for baking). You'll also need hot water, coconut milk (the kind that comes from a carton, not a can), and maple syrup. Feel free to add more maple syrup than what the recipe calls for if you like your drinks sweeter. Finally, you'll need ube extract. Handle it with care, as it stains. Scroll down to learn about other forms of ube you could also use in this recipe.

Place the matcha powder and hot water in a heat-proof bowl and whisk well until the powder is completely dissolved and the mixture is frothy. Set aside to cool completely.

Place the milk, maple syrup, and ube extract in a separate bowl and whisk to mix.

Add ice cubes to a tall 12-ounce glass.

Pour the milk mixture into the glass.

Pour the matcha tea very slowly over the iced milk to create two distinct layers.

Serve. Gently stir the layers together before sipping and add more sweetener to taste if desired.

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Coconut milk was chosen to give this latte a fresh and subtle coconut flavor, but you can sub dairy milk or your favorite plant milk. Instead of the maple syrup, you could use agave nectar, honey, or sugar. If you use sugar, whisk it with the matcha powder and hot water so that it will dissolve, rather than mixing it with the cold coconut milk like you can do with maple syrup or other liquid sweeteners.

If iced lattes aren't your thing, or if it's the middle of winter and you'd rather warm up, go ahead and make a hot version of this drink. Follow the directions to make the matcha tea as written in the recipe, but skip the cooling step. You'll need to heat up the coconut milk and ube mixture as well, either by heating it on the stovetop or microwave. Serve the latte in a mug instead of a glass with ice, and you've got an equally delicious, hot version of an ube matcha latte.

This recipe calls for ube extract, which gives the drink a strong color and doesn't make it grainy or extra thick, but you could use ube in other forms. Stirring ube puree into your drink will give you a natural flavor and color, but ube can be hard to find outside of Southeast Asia. If you can find it fresh or frozen in your area, boil or steam the ube until it's soft, let it cool, and blend it into the coconut milk until smooth.

If ube is not available, the tubers are also available in extract and powder forms. Ube extract and ube powder are different products and will give you slightly different results. The extract is a very concentrated liquid, similar to vanilla, almond, and other flavor extracts. The color is strong, so you only need a small amount. Depending on the kind you buy, it can be made from actual ube, and hence hold its flavor, or it could be made with chemicals and artificial colors. Using the extract is simple. Whisk just ⅛ teaspoon with milk and maple syrup before pouring it in a glass.

Ube powder is made from dried and ground ube. The color is a little less vibrant than the extract's color. Some people prefer the powder for baked goods, since it can be a little grainy, but if that doesn't bother you, you can use it in a latte. Whisk the powder into the coconut milk vigorously (heating on medium low helps even more) and strain the mixture into the glass to catch any undissolved bits.

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