This best ever no-bake ube cheesecake is creamy, delicious and super easy to make using ube extract. A cookie base of graham crackers (or digestive biscuits) and shredded coconut is topped with a creamy ube filling.
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✏️ Recipe creation
I love ube, it’s such a popular Filipino flavour for desserts and sweet treats! I’ve always wanted to know how to make an ube cheesecake.
This no-bake purple yam cheesecake makes one of the best ube desserts. It uses ube extract for an easy cheesecake rather than faffing with real ube puree or mashing purple yams yourself. It’s also a gorgeous purple lilac colour and as a no-bake cheesecake, it’s light, soft and creamy too.
A homemade ube cheesecake is great served after a family dinner, brought to potlucks or served for parties and special occasions. As a no-bake dessert, it saves on oven space and can be made in advance and left in the fridge!
🥘 Ingredients
This ube cheesecake recipe calls for the following ingredients:
1. Base:
- Graham crackers (or digestive biscuits)
- Butter: use unsalted for a low-salt and sweeter base.
- Shredded coconut: use sweetened or unsweetened desiccated coconut.
2. Cheesecake Filling:
- Ube extract: this can be found online or from specialist Asian grocery stores.
- Cream cheese: must be full-fat cream cheese (I like Philadelphia for its low water content too). Use room temperature for ease of mixing.
- Powdered icing sugar: sieve your confectioners’ sugar for a smooth filling.
- Heavy cream (e.g. double cream): use cold cream straight from the fridge for whipping success.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Top tip: For accuracy, it’s best to weigh your ingredients rather than using cups.
♻️ Substitutions / Variations
Ingredient substitutions
You can use graham crackers or digestive biscuits for your cheesecake base. Alternatively, you can use coconut flavoured cookies (exclude the shredded coconut) or Oreos.
You can swap the powdered confectioners’ sugar for finely granulated white sugar (e.g. caster sugar).
Flavour options
For a stronger purple yam ube flavour, you can add 2 – 3 teaspoon ube powder to your ube cream cheese filling mixture.
Alternatively, swirl ube halaya (a.k.a. ube jam or halayang ube) into your cheesecake after you’ve poured it into your tin before you refrigerate it to set.
📖 Method
Base
Step 1: Place the cookies/biscuits into a food processor or blender and whizz until you get fine crumbs.
Step 2: In a medium heatproof bowl, melt the butter in a microwave.
Step 3: Stir the crushed cookies and shredded coconut into the melted butter until combined.
Step 4: Press the cookie mix into a lined tin (see tips), using the back of a spoon, spatula or measuring cup to help firmly press down. Put this in the freezer while making the cheesecake filling.
Cheesecake filling
Steps 5 - 6: In a bowl, beat the cream cheese and ube extract until smooth and fluffy, then sieve in the icing sugar, beating until combined.
Steps 7 - 8: Sieve in the icing sugar, beating until combined.
Step 9: Whip the cold cream for several minutes, using an electric mixer or stand mixer, until it forms soft peaks.
Step 10: Gently fold the whipped cream into the cheesecake mix until smooth (i.e. white streaks have disappeared).
Step 11: Spread the filling evenly over the chilled base, smoothing gently, then cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 3hrs or overnight.
Step 12: After this has set and is firm to the touch, remove your cheesecake from the tin, decorate it with shredded coconut then enjoy!
🎥 Recipe video
Check out the recipe video below for how to make the best ube cheesecake!
💭 Top tips
- Using a springform tin (or loose-bottom tin) is easier to get your cheesecake out after.
- Check out these springform pan lining tips to see how best to line your cheesecake tin.
- Instead of a food processor, you can crush your cookies by placing them into a plastic food bag and bashing them with a rolling pin.
- To help your cheesecake set, whip cold cream to soft peaks and fold it into your ube filling mixture gently.
- To prevent a soggy base, check whether your cookie base layer is completely cool before you add the filling. If not, pop it back into the fridge for another 10mins until cold.
- Where possible, make your ube cheesecake the day before serving. Setting it overnight means you can be sure it’s nice and firm.
- To remove your ube cheesecake from the springform pan, run a knife or spatula around the edge. Place the cheesecake on top of a mug or cup. Unclip the pan and slowly lower the sides of the pan down.
- Decorate your ube cheesecake with more shredded coconut like sprinkles, toasted coconut flakes or a generous helping of sweet macapuno.
❔ Recipe FAQs
Your ube no-bake cheesecake should last for up 4 days stored in an airtight container or wrapped in cling film. Keep in the fridge.
Yes! You can freeze your ube cheesecake wrapped in two layers of cling film and a layer of foil for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge and enjoy!
Yes, you can use a 9-inch pan instead of the 8-inch pan this recipe uses. Your layers will be thinner but still tasty. Alternatively, scale up by ¼ for a larger cheesecake.
Ube is a purple yam that is popular in Filipino cuisine.
Ube tastes like a slightly nutty and vanilla sweet potato. It has a distinctive flavour and a strong purple colour.
🧁 Other goodies
Looking for some more easy desserts?
If you love ube, then give this easy ube layer cake with tasty ube buttercream a try. Or these chewy purple ube brownies!
If you’re a fan of Asian fusion desserts like this ube cheesecake, you might also like these tasty matcha green tea desserts:
- Gooey matcha brownies
- Oreo matcha no-bake cheesecake – another fusion take on an Uncle Tetsu classic!
- Matcha white chocolate cake
- Matcha white choc chip cookies
- Matcha green tea cupcakes - uses this tasty green tea frosting!
Check out these easy no-bake cheesecake recipes for more delicious dessert ideas for special occasions:
For more cheesecakes check out my full collection of the best cheesecake recipes.
Other Related Recipes:
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📋 Recipe
Ube No-Bake Cheesecake
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Ingredients
Base
- 180 g (¾ cups) cookies e.g. Graham crackers / Digestive biscuits
- 25 g (5 tablespoon) sweetened desiccated coconut plus extra for topping
- 80 g (⅓ cups) butter
Cheesecake filling
- 500 g (2 ¼ cups) full-fat cream cheese
- 3 teaspoon ube extract
- 165 g (1 ⅓ cups) powdered icing sugar
- 275 ml (1 ¼ cups) heavy cream e.g. double cream
Instructions
Base
- Place the cookies into a food processor or blender and whizz until you get fine crumbs.
- In a medium heatproof bowl, melt the butter in a microwave. Stir the crushed cookies and shredded coconut into the melted butter until combined.
- Press the cookie mix into a lined tin (see tips), using the back of a spoon, spatula or measuring cup to help firmly press down. Put this in the freezer while making the cheesecake filling.
Cheesecake filling
- In a bowl, beat the cream cheese and ube extract until smooth and fluffy, then sieve in the icing sugar, beating until combined.
- Whip the cream for several minutes, using an electric mixer or stand mixer, until it forms soft peaks.
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mix until smooth, being careful not to overmix.
- Spread the filling evenly over the chilled base, then cover the tin with cling film and refrigerate for at least 3hrs or overnight until set. Decorate with more shredded coconut and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Use full-fat cream cheese and let it come to room temperature before use.
- Use cold heavy cream so it whips easier.
- Decorate your ube cheesecake with shredded coconut, toasted coconut flakes, ube halaya jam or macapuno.
- Use graham crackers or digestive biscuits for your cheesecake base. Alternatively, pick your favourite cookie instead!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on an online nutritional calculator, actual values may vary.
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