Ube and Taro — two starchy tubers with varying degrees of purplish hue. It’s only natural to assume they’re much the same, but the truth is, they’re anything but interchangeable.
What Is Ube?
Ube is a vibrant purple tuber most popular in the Philippines. Sometimes called a purple sweet potato, ube is a sweet, starchy potato-like vegetable. And though it is a vegetable, it's very sweet and often utilized in desserts — like cheesecake or Filipino specialties like halo-halo or ube halaya. Ube is frequently mashed and incorporated into baked goods, and its starchy nature allows it to be incorporated into most batters easily.
The flavor is sweet and almost custardy; some people describe the taste as being similar to cheesecake, vanilla pudding, or even white chocolate. The texture is very creamy and fluffy, even more velvety than a regular orange sweet potato.
Must-Try Ube Recipes:
- Ube Panna Cotta
- Ube Milkshake
- Easy and Delicious Purple Yam Cookies
What Is Taro?
Taro is a highly versatile root vegetable most popular in Southeast Asia. It's a very large root and, when cooked, is very starchy and slightly stringy. The interior is usually light purple or almost white; it lacks the deep vibrant violet color that ube is known for, though it is still slightly purple. The flavor is usually described as very nutty and reminiscent of vanilla. Taro is much nuttier and earthier than ube and doesn't have its soft, custardy interior. Taro can be used in both sweet and savory dishes, from milky bubble tea to savory, chewy taro cakes you might find at your favorite dim sum restaurant.
In sweet dishes, taro typically leans into the vanilla-y flavor profile and has a distinct toasted marshmallow quality. Taro is a ubiquitous flavor option in bubble tea, but the flavor is often artificial taro — bright purple, extremely sweet, and leaning heavily on the artificial vanilla flavoring. Bubble tea with real taro has a lighter taste and a bit of a chalkier texture; it’s usually very light purple with more of taro's signature earthiness.
Must-Try Taro Recipes:
- Tender Taro Root Cooked in Coconut Milk
- Taro Coconut Tapioca Dessert
- Coconut Chicken and Taro Root
Is Ube Sweeter Than Taro?
Generally, ube is sweeter than taro. It contains much more natural sugar, and its softer texture makes it taste sweeter in your mouth. However, both ube and taro usually have plenty of sugar added to them when used in desserts. You'll most often encounter ube and taro as ingredients in dishes where they're paired with sugar and other flavorings that enhance their flavor, like vanilla.
Ube vs. Taro Nutrition
In terms of calories, taro and ube are very similar, with around 140 to 180 calories per serving. Ube is higher in sugar and has lots of antioxidants. Because it has a low glycemic index, meaning the carbohydrates and sugars get metabolized by your body very slowly, it can also help regulate blood sugar. Ube has high levels of vitamins A and C, as well as lots of potassium, similar to potatoes.
Taro is exceptionally high in fiber, with about 25% of your daily recommendation in just one serving. It's also extremely high in manganese, vitamin B6, and potassium. Overall, both are healthy carbs on their own — though they're both usually paired with lots of sugar.
How to Use Ube and Taro
Ube and taro are both super versatile and can be used across many recipes. Ube is best in sweeter-leaning dishes, so if you've never used ube before, try swapping it into your favorite sweet potato recipes. It also goes great in pancakes, blondies, cheesecake, and ube jam can top almost any sweet but plays especially well with a good scoop of vanilla ice cream. You'll often find ube-flavored sweet bread buns stuffed with cream cheese or other sweet, creamy filling which plays to ube's creamy flavor. In general, ube pairs best with similar flavors — think pandan, caramel, coconut, and especially sweetened condensed milk.
Taro can go sweet or savory and has lots of unexpected applications like chips or flour. Sweet taro is often found in bubble tea or other sweet drinks, as well as in pastries and cakes. Cooking taro at home can be tricky, but once you break it down successfully, it can be roasted, steamed, or fried by itself or with other items. Taro fries are super popular and complement all kinds of proteins and main dishes. Taro is commonly steamed and mashed as a side dish, and because its flavor is mild, it can take on a variety of seasonings and flavor profiles. It takes a long time to soften, so taro is an excellent addition to stews and is a very common soup ingredient in Ethiopian cuisine. Taro maintains its shape well when cooked and doesn't break down or soften too much like ube, so it's well suited to shredding for items like fritters or filling in dumplings.
