Best Ube Treats to Try in Hawaii | Waikiki Resort Hotel (2024)

Whether you're visiting Hawaii for the first time or you're a frequent visitor, you may or may not know that ube is a beloved local ingredient. Ube is a purple root vegetable that's earthy and sweet–kind of like yam or sweet potato. It's native to the Phillippines but has long had a presence in the Hawaiian food scene. And thanks to its versatility, you can find it in a seemingly endless amount of sweet and savory dishes. Read on to discover our top nine must-eat ube treats in Hawaii.

1. Ube Pasta

Adela's Country Eatery is famous for its ube pasta. Best of all, it's just a 20-minute drive from Honolulu–perfect for a quick lunch or dinner excursion.The bright purple noodles are sure to delight kids and adults alike! This restaurant also makes other kinds of pasta from Hawaiian ingredients, like taro, breadfruit, and moringa.

2. Ube Soft Serve Ice Cream

Ube is a perfect addition to ice creamthanks to its creamy, slightly sweet flavor. Plus, the bright purple color is super Instagrammable!There are a couple of places to get ube soft-serve ice cream in Hawaii. Ube + Vanilla, Thrills Soft Serve, and Ubae Hawaii are a few of our favorites. You can get a cone of ube soft serve by itself, or get it swirled with vanilla or garnished with candy toppings.

3. Ube Pancakes

Want to start your day with a little ube? There are quite a few eateries right on Oahu and near Waikiki Beach that add ube to their pancakes. Guieb Cafe, conveniently located in Kapalama Shopping Plaza, has delicious, indulgent Ube Mascarpone pancakes.

More of a waffle person? Check out the ube waffles at Yogurstory, an Asian fusion restaurant on the outskirts of Waikiki Beach. You can even add a scoop of ube ice cream to your ube waffle to create the ultimate ube treat!

4. Ube Mochi

Mochi Aulelei is a traveling dessert company. You can sometimes find them at the KCC Farmers' Market at the foot of Diamond Head. Their deep-fried mochi is definitely uniqueand besides ube, it comes in exquisite flavors like coconut and poi.

5. Ube Milk Tea

Teapresso is one of our favorite spots for refreshing iced teas and coffees–and they actually offer an ube latte milk tea. Make it your own with fun additions like boba, foam, jelly, and more.

6. Ube Milkshakes

With four locations on Oahu, including one conveniently located in Ala Moana Center, Island Vintage Coffee offers a thick, creamy ube milkshake. Not in a dessert mood? Head to their pastry case for a bagel smeared with ube cream cheese.

7. Ube Scones

Looking for a quick breakfast or afternoon pick-me-up? Chocolate + Vanilla Bakery is located in Kaimuki, just a short drive from Waikiki Resort Hotel. We like to stop by before or after hikingDiamond Head. This little hole-in-the-wall is well known its ube scones, but customers also love the bakery's ube banana bread, ube ice cream, and ube creme brulee.

8. Ube Cupcakes

Cupcakes are the perfect single-serve dessert,sowhen in Hawaii you should definitely tryan ube version!Hokulani Bakeshop offers an ube cupcakemade with a chunky purple batterand topped with haupia buttercream frosting.

9. Ube Cheesecake

Ubae specializes in all things ube–they've actually been awarded Hawaii's Best Ube for several years in a row. Though they have everything from cakes to cookies, they're famous for their decadent cheesecake, available in single servings or 9" rounds.

Best Ube Treats to Try in Hawaii | Waikiki Resort Hotel (2024)

FAQs

What are the purple desserts in Hawaii? ›

Hawaiian poi is a purple pudding like dish that you'll find everywhere from our grocery stores to food trucks. Poi falls in to one of three categories; “one-finger”, “two-finger”, or three-finger, which refers to its consistency and how many fingers you'll need to scoop and eat it.

Is Ube popular in Hawaii? ›

Whether you're visiting Hawaii for the first time or you're a frequent visitor, you may or may not know that ube is a beloved local ingredient.

What pastry is Hawaii known for? ›

Haupia is a pudding-like traditional Hawaiian dessert made from coconut milk and sugar. Today, it's used as a filling or topping on all sorts of desserts. Chocolate haupia pie is a classic with layers of each flavor topped with whipped cream—it's hard to resist any dessert with chocolate and coconut.

What is the number one dessert in Hawaii? ›

Malasadas

In Hawai'i today, it's a yeasted eggy donut with a crispy exterior but no hole. Malasadas are usually coated with sugar and may be filled with haupia (coconut), liliko'i (passionfruit), guava, pineapple, macadamia, vanilla or chocolate custard.

What is the purple Hawaiian dish? ›

Poi has a paste-like texture and a delicate flavor when freshly prepared in the traditional manner, with a pale purple color that naturally comes from the taro corm. It has a smooth, creamy texture.

What is the difference between ube and taro dessert? ›

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.

Which is healthier taro or ube? ›

Nutritional Value

Taro is high in fiber, vitamins C and E, and potassium. It's also low in fat and calories, making it a great choice for those watching their weight or looking to improve their heart health. Ube, on the other hand, is rich in antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties.

What is Hawaii purple yam called? ›

It is also known as the “winged” or “water” yam in English. Uhi – a Hawaiian yam – is a canoe crop of the same species as ube (Dioscorea alata). Very popular in the Philippines, ube is used in many traditional dishes and modern desserts, such as ice cream and cake.

What is the official snack of Hawaii? ›

HONOLULU (KHON2) — A survey reveals that Hawaii residents voted shave ice as the official state sweet snack.

What is Hawaii's signature pie? ›

There's Only One Hula Pie.

Long ago the Kimo's Original Hula Pie® recipe was created and coined as, “What the sailors swam ashore for in Old Lahaina Town.” From there, it was history — our famous Hula Pie has been surprising even the most adventurous of dessert eaters ever since.

What is the signature food of Hawaii? ›

Saimin. Saimin, Hawaii's national dish, is a soup with thin wheat noodles and a dashi broth with shrimp, pork and eggs. Japanese, Chinese and Filipino cultural influences come together in a flavorful blend served hot and eaten with chopsticks.

What is the purple side dish in Hawaii? ›

There are several foods unique to Hawaii that every seasoned foodie traveler must try. One of them is poi — the pale purple paste that results from pounding the kalo, or revered taro plant.

What is the purple dough in Hawaii? ›

The process of creating purple bread involves incorporating purple sweet potato into the dough, resulting in a distinctive color that ranges from deep violet to lavender. This natural coloring not only adds visual appeal but also introduces a subtle sweetness and earthy flavor to the bread.

What is the purple dip in Hawaii? ›

Poi, Hawaii's Staple Starch

The cooked, mashed, and fermented root of taro, poi looks like a light purple pudding or paste.

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