The Philippines’ famous purple yam, called ube, is becoming a global food trend. From cafes to dessert shops, many people around the world are now enjoying ube-flavored drinks, cakes, and sweet treats.

Known for its bright purple color and sweet, nutty taste, ube is now being called the “next matcha” by some food lovers. It has become popular on social media because of its eye-catching look and unique flavor.

Many delicious dishes can be made with ube, such as ube halaya, ube cake, ube ice cream, ube pandesal, ube leche flan, halo-halo, and even ube lattes.

Because of the rising demand, Philippine ube exports reached over $3 million in 2025, showing how much the world is loving this Filipino favorite.