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This purple pancake recipe is a fun and easy breakfast idea that will please your eyes and taste buds! Enjoy a stack of fluffy ube pancakes made from scratch.

purple pancake

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If you don’t like your pancakes overly sweet, you’ll love this purple pancake recipe. 

The vibrant purple pancakes will not only get all the likes on your Instagram feed. You might also end up not sharing the pancakes with anyone else because they taste so good!

These purple pancakes are actually ube pancakes. And if you’re not familiar with ube (pronounced as ooo-beh), it’s purple yam with a sweet, nutty flavor. 

It’s like a mellow taste reminiscent of pistachios and vanilla! 😋

Can you just imagine how yummy that flavor is on soft, moist pancakes???

What Are Purple Pancakes?

There are many purple pancake recipes.

Some pancakes got their fun purple hue from blueberries, while others are basic pancake batters mixed with food coloring like butterfly pea powder.

But for these purple pancakes, I want to showcase my Filipino roots with a purple root crop (hehe, get it?)

I’m talking about ube or purple yam! And no, purple yam is not taro nor a type of purple sweet potato. 

It’s a sweet tuber with a very fluffy texture that makes it versatile and delicious for different Filipino desserts. It’s hard to miss ube-flavored treats because of their vibrant purple color, and the mellow, vanilla-like, nutty taste is just everything a sweet tooth could hope for in desserts.

I really love ube, and if no one stops me, I bet I can finish an entire jar of ube jam in one sitting! 😅

What Are Purple Pancakes

But anyway, back to this ube pancakes recipe; we’ll make our purple pancakes using ube flour and a few basic pantry ingredients. This way, you can easily do the recipe, even if you don’t live close to an Asian grocery store.

However, I highly recommend buying halaya or ube jam/mashed purple yam and making the easy ube sauce I’ve written below. It’s the perfect topping for these purple pancakes!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Practice pronouncing ube now because you’ll often recommend these ube pancakes once you tried them. 

  • Not Sickly Sweet:  If you’re one of those people who considers “not too sweet” as a compliment on sweet treats, then you’ll love this ube pancake recipe. Kids and adults alike will appreciate the gentle, vanilla-like flavor of these vibrant pancakes.
  • Easy And Versatile Recipe: Because these ube-flavored pancakes are not overly sweet, you can top them with just about anything! This purple pancake recipe is also simple enough that you won’t need to scour your neighborhood to find special products.
  • Break From The Usual: This is your sign to try something new and make breakfast more fun with vibrant purple pancakes. While ube is not the first thing you’ll think of when imagining a flavor for pancakes, I’m sure you’ll be fond of this Filipino favorite, especially in perfectly fluffy pancakes. 

What Do Ube Pancakes Taste Like?

Don’t forget to take a photo of your purple pancakes before digging in because it’s easy to finish the entire stack of the delicious ube-flavored pancakes! 

They taste like your usual, comforting fluffy pancakes with the mild, sweet, nutty flavor of ube. 

Ube also has this mouthwatering coconut-like aroma that goes well with different syrups and toppings. Check out what to serve with your ube pancakes below for some delicious ideas. 🤤

What Do Ube Pancakes Taste Like

These purple pancakes are also beautifully soft and moist thanks to the milk and oil in the batter. But here’s a pro tip: do not cook your pancakes in high heat in an attempt to make them faster.

You’ll just end up with unevenly cooked pancakes that are burnt on the outside!

Just heat your pan on low, then adjust it to medium heat for frying so it doesn’t get super hot.

Is This Purple Pancake Recipe Healthy?

While ube or purple yam is highly nutritious from its anthocyanins that reduce the risks of diseases like diabetes and cancer, this purple pancake recipe is still a pancake recipe. 

Pancakes can be high in fat, sugar, and calories, so it’s best to keep your pancake stack low or eat your pancakes with side dishes that provide fiber and protein for a complete meal. 

You should also be mindful of your pancake toppings or opt for healthier alternatives!

And if you’re looking for wholesome pancake recipes, try our eggless spinach pancakes without refined sugar or our keto-friendly almond flour pancakes.

What Are The Benefits Of This Ube Pancake Recipe?

The best thing about this ube pancakes recipe is it’s made from scratch!

Besides ube flour, the other ingredients you’ll need are likely already in your kitchen pantry.

But of course, you wouldn’t want to miss out on enjoying ube in all its glory.

Make these purple pancakes with ube ingredients! If you know a nearby Asian or Filipino store, get some halaya and make a dreamy ube topping for your ube pancakes.

And if you can’t find ube flour, no worries! Just make your favorite pancake batter with ube powder and ube extract.

What Are The Benefits Of This Ube Pancake Recipe

The beautiful purple color of these fluffy pancakes and the mild, earthy, sweet taste of ube will surely make your mornings better. Enjoy your favorite pancake toppings with ube’s enticing flavor!

Oh, and speaking of colorful pancakes, have you ever tried pink waffles?

You might like our red velvet waffles and chicken recipe, another tasty and fun addition to your breakfast menu. 😋

Ingredients For This Ube Pancakes Recipe

  • Ube flour – This purple pancake recipe uses purple yam or ube flour. But if you can’t get your hands on this product, you can also make ube pancakes using a basic pancake batter mixed with ube powder and ube extract! 😋
  • Baking powder – We’ll make our purple pancakes from scratch, not with store-bought pancake mix. Therefore, we’ll need some baking powder for fluffy pancakes. 
  • Sugar – Not only does sugar sweeten our ube-flavored pancakes, but this ingredient also tenderizes the pancake batter for the perfect pancake stack. 
  • Salt – Enhances and balances the sweet flavor of every purple pancake.
  • Egg – An important ingredient for the structure of the ube pancakes. 
  • Milk – A crucial ingredient in this ube pancake recipe as it provides richness and also helps keep the pancakes moist.
  • Olive oil – For light and delectably moist purple pancakes. You can also use melted butter!
  • Blueberries – Feel free to top your ube pancakes with anything you want, but blueberries are simply delicious with this breakfast treat. It’s also a welcomed bonus that they’re bursting with nutrients!
  • Chocolate sauce – Instead of syrup, we’ll drizzle these sweet, nutty purple pancakes with chocolate. 
  • Pink sprinkles – These pink sugar pearls just make our purple pancake stack even more Instagrammable!
  • Oil – For frying the ube-flavored pancakes.

Tools Needed To Prepare This Ube Pancakes Recipe

  • Bowl for mixing the purple pancake batter
  • Whisk for combining the ingredients
  • Spatula for flipping the purple pancakes
  • Skillet for frying the ube pancakes
  • Basting brush for brushing the skillet with oil

Ingredient Additions & Substitutions For Purple Pancakes

Dairy milk

We originally used dairy milk in this ube pancakes recipe, but a vegan (and super yummy) substitute you can consider is coconut milk.

The coconut flavor also goes well with the mild, sweet flavor of ube. The combo reminds me of Filipino ube desserts! 🤤

Ube extract

If you want to boost the ube taste and vibrant purple color of your pancakes, just add some ube extract to the batter! 

Ube sauce

The next best thing to drizzle on your ube pancake stack is, of course, ube sauce!

If you’re ever in a specialty Asian store, stock up on halaya or ube jam. (It’s also available at Amazon.)

Making the decadent ube sauce is actually super simple. Just melt some unsalted butter, add your heavy cream, then stir in the ube jam once the cream is boiling.

Wait for the sauce to thicken over medium-low heat, then add some sugar to taste. And voila! The ube sauce is ready to envelop your delicious purple pancakes!

How To Make Purple Pancakes

Ingredients:

Tools you need:

Instructions:

STEP 1: Gather and measure the ingredients for your purple pancakes.

step 1 purple pancake

STEP 2: Combine the egg, milk, and oil in a bowl. Set aside.

step 2 purple pancake

STEP 3: In another bowl, mix the ube flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.

STEP 4: Warm up your skillet over medium heat. Brush with some oil.

STEP 5: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until everything is incorporated. Do not overmix your purple pancake batter.

step 5a purple pancake
step 5b purple pancake

STEP 6: Scoop your batter into the warm skillet to make several mini ube pancakes. Do not overcrowd your pan.

STEP 7: Flip your purple pancakes once you notice their edges are defined. Cook for about half the time it took to fry the other side.

step 7 purple pancake

STEP 8: Serve your ube pancakes with a drizzle of chocolate syrup and blueberries and sprinkles on top.

step 8 purple pancake

What To Serve With Ube Pancakes

You can serve these easy ube pancakes with classic pancake toppings like syrup and butter. But if you’re asking me, a Filipina with a crazy sweet tooth, I urge you to try the purple pancake stack with some macapuno, which are shreds of coconut sport in sweet syrup, and additional toppings like ube jam, and condensed milk. 😋

Ube’s irresistible flavor is also perfect with coconut!

Top your ube pancakes with shredded coconut or coconut whipped cream, and try a flavor beyond the usual golden brown pancakes with maple syrup. Don’t get me wrong, these combos are beloved for a reason.

But since you’ve already made this ube pancakes recipes, you might as well surprise yourself with something new. 

What To Serve With Ube Pancakes

Speaking of something new, have you tried pancakes in the form of pancake bites? What about pancake cereal?

Prepare a feast of pancake goodness and delight your loved ones with pancake bites (imagine a cross between donut holes and pancakes) and mini pancake cereal (a super cute take on the breakfast classic that actually went viral on TikTok!)

Tips About Making Purple Pancakes

Making ube pancakes is unbelievably easy! Here are some tips to remember:

  • For perfectly soft and fluffy purple pancakes, remember not to overmix your batter! The technique is to whisk the ingredients just until you no longer see streaks of flour or lumps in the pancake mixture.
  • Use a brush instead of pouring your frying oil in the skillet. Frying your purple yam pancakes in pools of oil will result in unevenly cooked pancakes with over-browned areas. 
  • The best time to flip your purple pancakes? Be on the lookout when bubbles form on top of the ube-flavored pancakes or when their edges are set. 

How To Store Purple Ube Pancakes

  • Fridge: After cooling your ube pancakes, transfer them to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. 
  • Freezer: You can freeze your purple pancakes for up to 2 months! Just wrap each purple pancake in parchment paper to preserve its freshness more effectively. 
  • Reheating: The most convenient way to reheat your ube pancakes is in the microwave for about 30 seconds! But honestly, I don’t mind eating them straight out of the fridge with some condensed milk on top, haha. 
How To Store Purple Ube Pancakes

What Is The Difference Between Taro And Ube?

Do you often confuse taro and ube with each other, or do you think the two are the same? I don’t blame you, but I’m here to clarify that although both have sweet, earthy flavors, taro and ube are not the same. 

Ube or purple yam is a purple root crop popular in the Philippines. It’s often enjoyed in desserts, so expect that when you see a purple treat, its flavor will likely be ube. It’s sweet, nutty, but also reminds me of vanilla. 

What about taro? If you buy a purple boba tea from an Asian shop, it’s likely to be taro-flavored.

Taro’s color is not like the vibrant purple hue of ube; instead, the root veggie is almost white. It’s also not as sweet and soft as ube, and it’s used in savory recipes as well.

What Do Ube Mochi Pancakes Taste Like?

Did you know that Trader Joe’s has ube mochi pancakes? Their ube mochi pancake and waffle mix taste sweet with a coconut-like flavor from the ube. 

But for me, the best thing about these pancakes is their chewy texture. Compared to other pancake mixes, these mochi pancakes got their name because they’re made with sweet rice flour! 😋

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FAQ About Ube Pancakes

What are purple pancakes made of?

Purple pancakes can be made with ube, like what we did in this recipe. However, you can also get a bright purple color on pancakes with blueberries or butterfly pea powder. If you’re a fan of vibrant delights that use blueberries and butterfly pea powder, check out our viral TikTok blueberry cookies and blue matcha latte!

Is taro just purple sweet potato?

Taro is not purple sweet potato. In fact, it’s a different type of tuber altogether!

Which is healthier taro or ube?

Both taro and ube offer numerous health benefits! Taro is a good source of fiber, vitamins C, E, potassium, and magnesium, while ube is rich in antioxidants and benefits digestion, blood sugar, and blood pressure regulation. 

Does ube taste like Oreo?

Ah! I’ve heard someone compare the taste of ube to Oreo before. Personally, I don’t notice any similarities in their flavors. However, I can see ube’s mellow taste pairing well with Oreos.

Purple Pancake Recipe (Easy Ube Pancakes)

Purple Pancake

Yield: 9 mini pancakes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

This purple pancake recipe is a fun and easy breakfast idea that will please your eyes and taste buds! Enjoy a stack of fluffy ube pancakes made from scratch.

Instructions

  1. Gather and measure the ingredients for your purple pancakes. 
  2. Combine the egg, milk, and oil in a bowl. Set aside.
  3. In another bowl, mix the ube flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
  4. Warm up your skillet over medium heat. Brush with some oil. 
  5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until everything is incorporated. Do not overmix your purple pancake batter. 
  6. Scoop your batter into the warm skillet to make several mini ube pancakes. Do not overcrowd your pan. 
  7. Flip your purple pancakes once you notice their edges are defined. Cook for about half the time it took to fry the other side. 
  8. Serve your ube pancakes with a drizzle of chocolate syrup and blueberries and sprinkles on top. 

Notes

  • Can't find purple yam flour? Make this purple pancake recipe with a basic pancake batter mixed with ube powder, and ube extract!
  • Do not overmix your purple pancake batter. Just whisk the dry and wet ingredients together until you no longer see streaks of flour or lumps. 
  • Don't use too much oil when frying your purple pancakes. Use a brush instead of pouring oil into the skillet. 
  • Unsure when to flip your ube pancakes? Wait until the edges are set or bubbles form on top of the pancakes!

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 9 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 11Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 71mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 0g

* Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for the most accurate results.

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Conclusion

This purple pancake recipe will make you go oooh with the delicious flavor of ube! 😋

Ube pancakes are moist, fluffy pancakes made better with the sweet, mellow flavor of ube. They go well with different toppings, including fresh berries and chocolate syrup. 

And if you can’t find ube flour, you can also make this easy recipe with a simple pancake batter mixed with ube powder and ube extract!

Ube Pancakes

So what are you waiting for? Discover why the humble root crop is a favorite in Filipino desserts, and make these Instagram-ready purple pancakes for breakfast!

Calling all pancake lovers! Here are some recipes you don’t want to sleep on:

PIN FOR LATER!

Tasty purple pancake breakfast.
Fluffy purple pancakes recipe.

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