Creamy Ube Pie (Vegan)

This Creamy Ube Pie is the holiday dessert you didn’t know you needed! It’s made with a homemade buttery pie crust and a rich and creamy yam filling. Enjoy a slice of this Filipino favorite chilled with a dollop of coconut whipped cream! 

What is ube?

If you haven’t heard of ube, you’re in for a treat! This yam is often confused with taro, but ube is actually a completely different starch. Ube is a purple yam that originated from the Philippines, and it has long been a staple in Filipino cuisine, including this Ube pie! Ube can be found in various forms, but today we are using frozen ube. If you can’t find frozen ube at your local grocery store, check your nearest Asian market or even purchase it online! 

 It has a nutty vanilla-like flavor and pairs well with sweet desserts. Ube was such a large part of my childhood, and I am so happy to share another ube recipe with you. 

If you haven’t already, check out my other ube-infused desserts: Ube Pichi Pichi (Filipino Sticky Cassava Snack), Fluffy Ube Pandesal, and Vegan Ube Sugar Cookies.  

Ingredients You’ll Need 

Don’t let the impressiveness of this ube pie intimidate you! The ingredients are quite simple. If you’ve ever made our Vegan Apple Pie with Coconut Oil Crust, making ube pie will be a breeze. 

• Pie crust: We’ve included our fool-proof homemade pie crust recipe that requires coconut oil, flour, and sugar, but if you are short on time, opt for a store-bought pie crust. Most pie crusts in the freezer section of grocery stores are accidentally vegan because they are often made with oil instead of butter. 
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch is essential to helping this ube pie set and become a sliceable, thick consistency. We have not tested this pie using arrowroot flour and cannot recommend it. 
• Ube: You’ll need 16 ounces of frozen ube as well as ube extract. If you’ve made my Ube Pandesal, you should have some ube extract leftover in the pantry! As mentioned above, ube ingredients can be difficult to find in stores. I order ube extract on Amazon. 
• Vegan butter: For this recipe, you’ll need 1 stick of softened vegan butter. When doing any vegan baking, we always recommend using butter sticks instead of butter spreads. Some of our favorite brands are Country Crock and Earth Balance. 
• Coconut milk: Full-fat coconut milk is the secret to making this vegan pie extra rich and creamy! 
• Silken tofu: Silken tofu has the consistency of soft custard and is the perfect protein-rich addition to help add additional creaminess to the filling. 
• Vanilla extract: Optional, but highlights the vanilla-like flavor in the ube and adds additional flavor. 

Equipment Needed

• Mixing bowls
• Plastic wrap
• Pastry cutter or fork
• Pie pan
• Pie weights or dried beans
• Parchment paper
• Rolling pin
• High-speed blender

How to Make Ube Pie

Prepare the Pie Crust 

1. Chill the butter. Remove your vegan butter from the refrigerator. Using a sharp knife, cut the butter into small cubes. Place the butter in a freezer-safe container and set it in the freezer to chill for at least 10 minutes.
2. Blend together the dry ingredients and butter. In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, salt, and chilled vegan butter pieces. Pulse the mixture just until the vegan butter is processed into pea-sized pieces. Do not over-process.
3. Slowly add the ice water. Process in ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough begins to come together. It’s okay if small vegan butter pieces are visible in the dough.
4. Chill for 30 minutes. Shape the dough into a smooth disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to set. 
5. Roll out the dough. On a clean, floured surface, roll out the dough from the center to the edges, picking up and rotating the dough as you go. Add additional flour as needed to prevent sticking. 
6. Press the crust into a pie pan. Wrap the dough around the rolling pin and unwrap it into the greased pie pan. 
7. Crimp the edges. Or add another crust design of your choice. Check out this helpful post: How to Crimp Pie Crust Like a Pro, for a few inspirational choices. 
8. Blind bake the pie crust. Prick holes in the bottom of the crust, then cover the crust with a piece of parchment paper. Add pie weights or dried beans/rice to the crust to help prevent it from collapsing. Blind bake for 15 minutes or until the crust edges start to brown. 

Prepare the Ube Filling

1. Add the ingredients to a high-speed blender. We recommend sifting the cornstarch in with a fine mesh sieve to prevent clumping.
2. Blend until smooth. The pie filling should be silky smooth, similar to our Vegan Pumpkin Pie filling.
3. Pour into the crust. Add the filling directly into the blind-baked pie crust and spread smooth with a spatula. 
4. Bake. Bake the pie for 45 minutes, then remove from the oven and cool it completely at room temperature. 
5. Chill overnight. For best results, allow the pie to continue to set in the refrigerator overnight. 
6. Serve. Slice and serve the ube pie as desired! 

Serving Suggestions 

Ube pie makes the perfect sweet dessert to enjoy during the holiday season. Give it a try for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner instead of Classic Vegan Pumpkin Pie this year! 
We love serving it with a dollop of our Vegan Coconut Whipped Cream (2-ingredients!).

Storage Instructions

Ube pie will keep for up to 5 days when tightly covered and stored in the refrigerator. We have not tested freezing this ube pie, but if you have had success, please let us know! 

More Vegan Filipino Desserts You May Enjoy: 

• Avocado with Condensed Milk
• Ube Pichi Pichi
• Suman Malagkit
• Banana Cue (Filipino Fried Caramelized Bananas)
• Champurado (Tsampurado)
• Turon (Banana Lumpia)

Make sure you tag us on Instagram @sweetsimplevegan and @consciouschris and hashtag #sweetsimplevegan if you recreate any of our recipes, we love to see your photos!

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