How to make the perfect purple ube drink at home — and where to order one across Dubai and the UAE.
⚡ Quick Answer
An ube drink is any beverage made with ube, the Filipino purple yam. The three most popular are the ube latte, iced ube latte, and ube matcha. All are naturally purple, sweet and vanilla-scented — and all take about five minutes to make at home with ube powder.
In This Guide
Ube drinks are the fastest-growing café trend in the UAE. Their striking natural purple colour makes them a social media favourite, and the flavour — sweet, creamy, with notes of vanilla and coconut — pairs beautifully with milk. The best part is how easy they are to make at home.
⏱ 5 minutes · 🟢 Easy · No machine needed · Makes 1
🛒 Ingredients
💜 Method
💡 Barista Tips
Oat milk gives the creamiest result and the cleanest purple. Whisk the paste really well — any lumps of ube will sink. For an iced version, use cold milk and pour over ice; for extra richness, swap the sweetener for a tablespoon of condensed milk.
Get ube powder for your lattes
One tub makes dozens of drinks. Delivered across the UAE.
🧊
Iced Ube Latte
The same ube paste over cold oat milk and ice, finished with a swirl of condensed milk. The most popular ube drink for the Dubai summer.
🍵
Ube Matcha
Layer ube paste at the bottom, add cold milk, then float whisked matcha on top for a two-tone purple-and-green drink. A café showstopper.
☕
Ube Coffee Latte
Add a shot of espresso to the classic ube latte for a purple coffee with a caffeine kick. The ube softens the bitterness beautifully.
🥥
Ube Coconut Cooler
Blend ube paste with coconut milk, ice and a little coconut cream for a dairy-free, tropical purple smoothie-style drink.
Three forms of ube can go into a drink, and each behaves differently. Here is which to use.
💡 Best Combination
For the best ube drink, use ube powder for the real flavour plus a few drops of ube extract for a deeper purple. This is what most Dubai cafés do.
Not in the mood to make one? These UAE cafés serve ube drinks right now.
Starbucks UAE
Ube Vanilla Latte, Iced Ube Macchiato and Ube Frappuccino — the easiest ube drink to find in Dubai.
Peet's Coffee
Ube Latte and Iced Ube Matcha Latte, plus an ube tiramisu if you want a dessert alongside.
Brunch & Cake
The Instagram-famous Ube Iced Matcha and Ube Coconut Cream served in a real coconut.
Chicha Bakehouse
Filipino-owned bakehouse serving an authentic ube matcha alongside its ube bakes.
📍 Full Café Directory
For the complete list of every UAE spot serving ube — with Google Maps links — see our where to buy ube guide.
Does an ube latte contain coffee?
Not by default — a classic ube latte is caffeine-free, made only with ube and milk. Add a shot of espresso for an ube coffee latte.
What does an ube drink taste like?
Sweet and creamy with notes of vanilla, coconut and pistachio. Milder and more dessert-like than taro, with no artificial aftertaste.
Is an ube drink healthy?
Ube itself is rich in antioxidants, vitamin C and fibre. How healthy the drink is depends on how much sugar and what milk you use — oat or coconut milk with minimal sweetener keeps it light.
Can I make ube drinks without a machine?
Yes — none of these need an espresso machine. A whisk or a handheld milk frother is all you need. Warm the milk in a pan or microwave.
More ube to make
Cakes, halaya, ice cream and the viral Dubai chocolate bar.