Ube pancakes, a purple version of the traditional breakfast pancake, have gained mainstream attention thanks to the colorful rainbow food trends of the 2010s. While many different versions of pancakes have been embraced by many different countries in various forms throughout food history, from hearty savory pancakes to super fluffy souffle pancakes, these purple pancakes are among the newest kids on the block.
These sweet breakfast pancakes are purple because they are infused with ube, a purple yam native to the Philippines. They can be either made from scratch using a cooked purple yam or by using a pre-made ube pancake mix. (Do not confuse this with taro pancake mix.) Once the ube pancake batter is ready, it follows the same process as making any other pancake.
Ube pancakes tend to have an inherent sweetness to them so it’s not necessary to dress them up with syrups or other toppings, unless you want to. It really depends on your individual taste preferences.
These pancakes made with purple yams have also lent themselves to the pancake cereal trend, which went viral in the spring of 2020 during the widespread quarantine.
The best way to try ube pancakes is to make them yourself because the process is really quite simple. You can either make it with a pre-made ube pancake mix (see the recipe below), or with your usual pancake ingredients mixed in with your desired amount of ube flavoring. Feel free to experiment with ube in other sweet dishes as well to add a little extra splash of purple to your life!
Where to Find Ube Pancakes
These lightly sweet purple pancakes can be found in modern Filipino breakfast restaurants as well as certain breakfast eateries that have Southeast Asian or international flavors. Use the map below to find where you can enjoy ube pancakes yourself.
How to Make Ube Pancakes
These sweet breakfast pancakes are purple because they are infused with ube, a purple yam native to the Philippines. They can be either made from scratch using a cooked purple yam or by using a pre-made ube pancake mix. (Do not confuse this with taro pancake mix.) Once the ube pancake batter is ready, it follows the same process as making any other pancake.
Ube Pancakes
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Trader Joe’s Ube Mochi Pancake & Waffle Mix (seasonal item)
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- toppings (optional – syrup, sliced bananas, fresh berries, etc.)
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix all the ingredients until evenly incorporated.
- Pour mix into a heated non-stick pan until desired pancake size is achieved.
- When the heated side is slightly brown (1-3 mins), flip the pancake and allow it to finish cooking for another minute or until the pancake is solid (not runny), yet still soft.
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 until all the mix is used.
- Add any toppings, if you like. Enjoy!
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