This ube cheesecake recipe is the most beautiful, creamy, and delicious cheesecake! It doesn't require any baking and it's vegan. It's the perfect sweet treat to make in the fall and serve for a special occasion!
What is ube?
Ube is a purple yam that is native to Southeast Asia, and especially used in the Philippines. Once cooked, it is sweet, creamy, and has a vanilla-like flavor. It gives desserts the most beautiful purple color and it has been traditionally used in Filipino baking for a long time.
Where to find ube?
You can find ube at your local Asian grocery store, and these days you can even get it at Whole Foods. I live close to a Whole Foods, so that's where I picked mine up. They're available year round and located next to the other yams and potatoes.
How to make ube desserts
There are a few different ways people make ube desserts. You can use ube extract like this to add to recipes and give them the taste and color of ube without having to prepare the yam yourself.
You can also make ube halaya, or a purple yam jam from the ube and directly add that to recipes (or eat that on its own!). It's made with ube, coconut milk, and butter. Here is a great recipe I found if you are interested in making it yourself.
Instead of the above methods, for this recipe, we will be using the ube directly. We will be peeling, chopping, and boiling the ube and then mashing it up and adding it to the cheesecake filling.
What you'll need to make your beautiful creamy cheesecake
Filling Ingredients
- ube (one large yam)
- room temperature vegan cream cheese
- coconut cream: refrigerate a can of coconut milk overnight. Then when you open it, scoop out only the solid part that has formed at the top. This is your coconut cream.
- maple syrup: you can also use agave or honey, if you are not vegan. I used light golden maple syrup in order to keep the color of the cheesecake light.
- vanilla extract: I used a clear vanilla extract in order to keep the color of the cheesecake light and maintain the bright purple color. Here is what clear vanilla looks like. However, this is completely optional and regular vanilla will work perfectly.
- cinnamon
Crust Ingredients
- pecans
- sugar: I used coconut sugar because I love the taste and the dark color it gives the crust. You can use brown sugar or white sugar, if you prefer.
- coconut oil: you can also use vegan unsalted butter instead.
- dash of vanilla
- pinch of salt
Optional toppings
This cheesecake tastes amazing as is, but I love to add toppings to make it look fancier. For this recipe, I decided to decorate the cake with vanilla frosting because vanilla pairs nicely with this cake and because vanilla frosting holds its shape well, so I was able to create the little swirls.
To make them, I used some vegan store bought icing and transferred it to a piping bag with a star tip on the end, then piped the swirls all around the top of the cake.
Another alternative topping that I highly recommend is coconut whipped cream. I like this brand because it's plant-based and tastes great. You can add a large dollop of it on top of the cake and spread it out to create a creamy whipped layer. You can also add some toasted coconut on top of that for some crunch.
Tools you'll need
- springform pan: a springform pan is a pan which has a latch on the side that allows you to separate the sides from the bottom of it, which makes cake removal easy and ensures that you do not ruin your cake. I used a six inch springform pan in this recipe- here is what the springform pan I used looks like. My cake turned out pretty tall as you can see in the photos, so you can use a bigger pan if you wanted a shorter cake instead.
- food processor: You will need one in order to pulse the pecans used in the crust. I also used my food processor to mix the other crust ingredients together and I also used it to make the cheesecake filling. I think this is the easiest way to make it.
- stand mixer or hand mixer (optional): you can also choose to make the filling using a stand mixer or hand mixer, and either will work just fine. Just make sure to blend until you get a very smooth cheesecake batter.
How to make the ube cheesecake recipe
Start by washing and peeling the ube. Cut it roughly into smaller pieces (so it can boil faster- they don't need to be perfect).
Place the ube in boiling water and boil for 7-10 minutes, until the yam is super soft and you can easily stick a fork into it.
Once the ube has cooked, mash it up using a fork or potato masher.
Measure out 250 grams, which is equal to about 1 cup.
Add the ube, softened cream cheese, coconut cream, maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon to a food processor and blend all of the ingredients until they are super smooth and have a creamy texture.
I blended mine for at least five minutes on high speed because I wanted a super smooth texture.
Once the cheesecake filling is creamy and smooth, set it aside.
To a clean food processor, add the pecans, sugar, coconut oil (or melted butter), vanilla, and salt. Pulse them until they are well combined.
Grab your springform pan.
Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and lightly grease the side of the cheesecake pan with coconut oil.
Transfer the crust filling to the pan. It may be pretty soft, but it's okay because will harden in the fridge.
Use a spoon to press the mixture into the pan.
Now pour the cheesecake filling on top of the prepared crust and use a spoon to smooth out the top and create an even layer.
Refrigerate the cheesecake overnight or for 6 or more hours. It will need this time to fully harden.
Once the cake is ready, slice in and enjoy! I decorated mine with some vanilla icing, but coconut whipped cream also tastes amazing!
Video
If you liked this recipe, you might also like these other vegan & gluten free cakes
Ube Cheesecake Recipe (No-Bake, Dairy-Free)
Equipment
- springform pan
- food processor
Ingredients
Filling Ingredients
- 2 cups vegan cream cheese
- 1 cup ube 250 grams
- 1 cup coconut cream Refrigerate a can of coconut milk overnight. Then when you open it, scoop out only the solid part that has formed at the top. This is your coconut cream.
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ tablespoon vanilla
- ½ tablespoon cinnamon
Crust Ingredients
- 2 cups of pecans 200 g
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- dash of vanilla
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Start by washing and peeling your ube. Then cut it roughly into smaller pieces (so it can boil faster, they don't need to be perfect).
- Place the ube in boiling water and boil for 7-10 minutes, until the yam is super soft and you can easily stick a fork into it.
- Once the ube has cooked, mash it up using a fork or potato masher.
- Measure out 250 grams, which is equal to about 1 cup.
- Add the ube, cream cheese, coconut cream, maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon to a food processor and blend all of the ingredients until super smooth.
- I blended mine for at least five minutes on high speed because I wanted a super smooth texture.
- Once the cheesecake filling is creamy and smooth, set it aside.
- To a clean food processor, add the pecans, sugar, coconut oil, vanilla, and salt. Pulse them until they are well combined.
- Line a springform pan with parchment paper and generously grease it with coconut oil.
- Transfer the crust filling to the pan. It may be a little soft and runny, but it's okay because will harden in the fridge.
- Use a spoon to make sure it is evenly spread on the pan.
- Now pour the cheesecake filling on top of the crust and use a spoon to smooth out the top and create an even layer.
- Refrigerate the cheesecake overnight or for 6 or more hours. It will need this time to fully harden.
- Once the cake is ready, slice in and enjoy! I decorated mine with some vanilla icing, but coconut whipped cream also tastes amazing!
Video
Nutrition
How to store the cheesecake
The best way to store the cheesecake is to put it in an airtight container. I like to store it in a glass cake stand because I think it looks really fancy and beautiful. It also makes it really easy to serve because you can just bring the cake out on the stand and it's ready to serve!
Another easy way to store it is in the same springform pan that you made the cheesecake in. Because springform pans open and close, I like to put the cheesecake back in the pan when I've served enough and cover the top with plastic wrap.
This cake needs to be stored in the fridge and cannot be left out in room temperature.
I have not tried freezing this recipe, so I am not sure if it would work.
More ube recipes
Ube has really been having a moment in the last few years! It is such a delicious and beautiful ingredient to add to so many recipes, so I wanted to share some other creators' ube recipes that I thought looked super delicious and that you might also enjoy making! Happy baking 🙂
Ludi
I do not have fresh ube but I want to use a package of frozen grated ube. Do I need to cook the ube? or is it already cooked and I can just add it directly?
Gaby Dimova
I'm not sure if the packaged ube you have is already cooked- but I would read the package and make sure that it is. If not, you can boil it yourself and add it to the recipe that way. Frozen should work just fine 🙂 Just dry off the access water if there is a lot of it! Lmk how it works out if you try it <3
Carolyn
This turned out so well! I used Japanese sweet potato and used Ube extract for more coloring and flavor. It’s definitely a winner with family and friends.
Gaby Dimova
Japanese sweet potato is sooo delicious that sounds incredible and I need to try your version 🙂