Ube Colada Milkshake

Ube Coladas All Around

When my husband and I vacationed in Hawaii, we were introduced to the ube colada milkshake - a take on the classic pina colada with ube, a Filipino purple sweet potato, mixed throughout.  When I say we were hooked, I truly mean it. We would be so excited to order one to sip by the pool and they tasted so good it was hard to sip them slowly and enjoy.  As soon as we got home, I knew I needed to figure out a replica recipe.  It was blended like a frozen cocktail, creamy from the coconut and ube, and perfectly tropically balanced.

A lightbulb moment struck when I purchased a pint of ube ice cream earlier this summer that “holy boloney, I could make the ube colada into a milkshake” and hence this recipe was born!  It is everything you could want in a summery milkshake and my new favorite after dinner treat.

This recipe calls for both ube ice cream and ube halaya, which can be found at Asian or Filipino grocery stores.  Both are part of a popular Filipino dish called Halo-Halo, a summer-time treat with layers of different sweets.  If you have trouble finding either ingredient by you in-person, check to see if you can have it shipped to your home.  Trader Joe’s also carries both in the summertime!

Tips on Making a Ube Colada Milkshake

If you plan on making this tropical milkshake, here are a few tips to make sure you’re successful:

• This milkshake will naturally be on the smoother side.  If you prefer a thicker milkshake, add an additional small scoop of ube ice cream, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, to make it more substantial.
• If you can’t find whipped coconut cream at the grocery store, but want to add it as a topping, place a can of coconut cream in the refrigerator for a few hours, scoop out the solids from the top of the can, add a splash of vanilla extract, and whip with a hand mixer until it’s fluffy and whipped cream like.
• Though not listed in the ingredients, this would be great with a shot of rum in it!  If opting to make this milkshake boozy, add the shot of rum into step 1 and blend with the rest of the ingredients.  If you need a recommendation, look for Siesta Key Toasted Coconut Rum (it’s my personal favorite).

Recipe Details

The beauty of milkshakes, is all it really takes is a blender!  For this milkshake in particular, you’ll mix the classic flavors of a pina coloda, pineapple juice and coconut cream, but add in some ube ice cream and ube halaya to give it the ube colada flavors.

To create a single serving of this milkshake, you’ll add a big scoop of ube ice cream, a spoonful of ube halaya, pineapple juice, and coconut milk solids.  Pulse a few times to incorporate the ingredients together and pour into a glass.

Garnish your milkshake with toasted coconut, whipped coconut cream, and crushed cookies (ube flavored if you can find them).  Add a straw and enjoy!

If you give this ube colada milkshake recipe a try, be sure to tag @laura.loves.to.cook on Instagram, Tik Tok, or Facebook and let me know how it turned out. Happy sipping!