Ube or Taro
They're constantly confused, because of their link to purple. Yet ube and taro are two quite different plants, each with its own character.
Two roots, two families
It's the classic mix-up of the Asian aisle. You think you see the same purple, you imagine the same taste.
In reality, ube and taro don't even belong to the same plant family. Once you know it, you never confuse them again.
Ube or taro: the match-up.
| Criterion | Ube | Taro |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Purple yam (root) | Taro (corm, aroid plant) |
| Botanical name | Dioscorea alata | Colocasia esculenta |
| Colour | Natural purple (anthocyanins) | White to pale mauve |
| Taste | Sweet, vanilla, sugary | Neutral, earthy, barely sweet |
| Use | Mainly sweet | Sweet and savoury |
| Caffeine | None | None |
Ube
Taro
A yam versus a taro
Ube (Dioscorea alata) is a yam: the tuber of a climbing vine, emblematic of the Philippines.
Taro (Colocasia esculenta) belongs to an entirely different family, the aroids. It isn't a root but a corm, a swollen underground stem, grown in Asia for a very long time.
Taro is one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world. It's almost always eaten cooked: cooking is what makes it tender and easy to digest.
Purple: natural in one, added in the other
This is where it all plays out. Ube is naturally purple, thanks to anthocyanins.
Taro, on the other hand, has flesh that's most often white or very pale mauve. The pretty purple of taro bubble teas therefore usually comes from an added dye.
With ube, the colour is in the ingredient. No additive needed: the plant does the colouring.
Taste: dessert versus dish
Ube is sweet, vanilla, slightly sugary. It heads straight for desserts and indulgent drinks.
Taro is more neutral and earthy, close to chestnut or potato. It lends itself equally to sweet and savoury.
For a sweet, colourful latte with no bitterness or earthy taste, ube is the obvious choice. Taro shines in more rustic recipes.
The famous bubble tea taro
If you know taro, it's probably thanks to bubble tea.
That taro, a very uniform pastel purple, is often made from flavoured, coloured powder. Delicious, but quite far from raw taro, which is rather neutral and pale.
Ube needs no such help: its purple and sweetness are already there, in the root.
Many "taro" drinks get their colour and sweet taste from a preparation, not from the corm itself.
Two ways to cook
Ube slips into lattes, ice creams, cakes and creams. Taro, more at home on the savoury side, is also found mashed, as fries or in stews.
- Ube is a yam (Dioscorea alata), taro an aroid (Colocasia esculenta).
- Ube is naturally purple; taro is pale, its colour is often added.
- Ube: sweet and sugary. Taro: neutral and earthy.
So, ube or taro?
It all depends on what you're looking for.
For a sweet, colourful and natural latte or dessert, ube wins hands down: true purple, vanilla taste, zero additives. Taro reveals itself more in cooking, from sweet to savoury, when you like its neutral, rustic side.
Compare ube with matcha and purple sweet potato, or go back to basics: what is ube?
Team purple?
Discover ube, the real natural purple, sweet and caffeine-free. As a powder, or as a capsule ready in 30 seconds.
Your questions: ube or taro.
Are ube and taro the same?
No. They're two plants from different families: ube is a yam, taro an aroid.
Is taro purple like ube?
No, its flesh is often white or pale mauve. The purple in taro products is usually added.
What does taro taste like compared to ube?
Taro is neutral and earthy, close to chestnut; ube is sweet, vanilla and sweeter.
Is taro bubble tea natural?
Often not: its uniform purple colour and sweet taste frequently come from a flavoured, coloured powder.
Ube or taro for a latte?
Ube: naturally purple, sweet and additive-free. Taro most often needs a coloured preparation.
Can you replace taro with ube?
In sweet recipes, yes, but the colour and taste will differ: more purple and sweeter.
Does taro contain caffeine?
No, like ube, taro is naturally caffeine-free.
Why are ube and taro often confused?
Because of the purple, associated with both in Asian desserts, whereas in taro it's most often added.