What Is Ube? Your Guide to the Ube Cheesecake Dessert
· By the Sus Hi Team
Okay so the number one question we get at the register — after "is the Lit Bowl actually spicy?" — is some version of "wait, why is that cheesecake purple?"
Fair question. Let's clear it up.
Ube Is a Yam. A Really, Really Purple Yam.
Ube (pronounced OO-beh, not "oo-bee," we've heard it all) is a purple yam that's huge in Filipino cooking. Not taro. Not ube-flavored-something-something with food dye. Actual root vegetable, actual purple, naturally.
People assume purple = artificial. It's the opposite. That color is just what ube looks like when you cut it open.
So what does it taste like?
Best way I can describe it: vanilla and pistachio had a baby, and the baby was raised by a coconut. It's mellow. Nutty. A little earthy. Sweet but not aggressive about it.
If you're expecting grape or berry because of the color — nope. Nothing like that. Ube tastes way more like a dessert your grandma would make than a candy flavor.
Why Cheesecake Is the Perfect Home for It
Ube on its own can be subtle. Cream cheese gives it something to push against — that tang cuts the sweetness and lets the nutty part actually show up.
That's why an ube cheesecake dessert works so much better than, say, ube in a cookie where it kind of disappears. The richness of the cheesecake carries it.
Ours is dense, not fluffy. We're firmly in the New York-style camp. And yeah, it's genuinely purple all the way through.
Ube vs. Yuzu: Which One Should You Get?
We have both at the Dojo, and honestly people agonize over this decision more than they agonize over their bowl toppings.
- Get the ube cheesecake if you want something creamy, comforting, and a little unexpected. It's the crowd-pleaser. Great after something spicy like the Boom Boom Shrimp Bowl.
- Get the yuzu cheesecake if you want bright and citrusy. Yuzu is like a lemon-grapefruit-mandarin hybrid. Sharper. Cuts through a heavy meal like the Steak Mac & Cheese Crunch Burrito.
- Get the beignets if you want warm and you have zero self-control. (Us. That's us.)
My personal take? Ube after spice, yuzu after mac and cheese. That's the rule I live by and I'm sticking to it.
Quick tips for first-timers
- Don't eat it ice cold. Let it sit five minutes. The flavor opens way up when it's not straight-from-the-fridge.
- Split it if you're new. Grab one ube, one yuzu, and share. Now you know.
- Order it with your meal, not after. Especially at the UCF or Tampa Dojo late at night — desserts run out.
Where to Grab One
All seven Dojos carry it — UCF, Altamonte Springs, Lake Nona, Millenia, Colonial, Chickasaw, and Tampa near USF. Select locations are open until 2am, which means an ube cheesecake dessert at midnight is a completely legitimate life choice.
You can add it to any online order too, and if you're not on the rewards app yet... you're leaving free food on the table. Just saying.
Come try the purple one. Then come back and tell us we were right. 🥷