Ube Flan: Recipes, Variations, Where to Buy

Ube flan is a Filipino custard dessert that combines the silky texture of leche flan (a caramel-topped egg custard) with the earthy, sweet flavor and purple color of ube (purple yam). It can be a standalone flan or layered with ube chiffon cake to create an ube leche flan cake.

Ube flan tastes like a rich, creamy caramel custard with a warm, nutty sweetness from the purple yam. The flavor is often compared to a blend of vanilla, pistachio, and coconut layered over the classic eggy richness of leche flan. It is comforting and not overly sweet.

Ube flan is a custard dessert flavored with ube. Ube leche flan cake is a two-layer dessert with a leche flan layer on top and an ube chiffon cake on the bottom, baked together in one pan. The cake version is the format popularized by Red Ribbon and Filipino bakeries.

Red Ribbon ube flan cake typically costs between $25 and $40 USD depending on size and location. Prices may vary by region and whether you order in-store, online, or through delivery platforms like GrabFood or DoorDash. Check your nearest Red Ribbon location for current pricing.

Check Filipino bakeries, Red Ribbon Bakeshop locations, and Asian dessert shops in your area. Search Google Maps for 'ube flan near me' or 'Filipino bakery near me.' Many Filipino bakeries accept custom orders for ube leche flan cake even if it is not on the regular display.

Yes. Traditional leche flan can be steamed rather than baked. Place your flan mold in a large pot with 1 to 2 inches of water, cover, and steam on medium-low heat for 30 to 45 minutes. The custard should be set but still jiggly in the center. Steaming produces a slightly softer texture than baking.

Bubbles in the flan are caused by air trapped in the egg mixture or by cooking at too high a temperature. To prevent this, strain the flan mixture through a fine-mesh sieve before pouring it into the mold, and bake in a water bath (bain-marie) at no higher than 350 degrees F. The water bath ensures gentle, even heat.

You can use ube extract for color and aroma, but halaya provides the body and depth of flavor that makes ube flan taste authentic. For the best results, use 1/4 cup ube halaya plus 1/2 teaspoon ube extract. Extract alone will give you a purple flan with a faint ube aroma but not the full flavor.

Ube flan keeps well in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days when stored in an airtight container. Ube leche flan cake lasts 2 to 3 days because the cake layer absorbs moisture over time. For best texture, serve chilled within 48 hours of making it.

A 9-inch round aluminum pan (llanera or standard cake pan) works best. Aluminum conducts heat evenly, which helps the caramel cook uniformly. Avoid glass or ceramic pans for this recipe because they can cause uneven caramelization and make unmolding more difficult.