Purple Ube Banana Bread

Ingredients

• 1.5 cup Very Ripe Bananas, mashed, About 3 large, heavily speckled
• 0.5 cup Ube Halaya (Purple Yam Jam), Store-bought or homemade
• 2 cup All-Purpose Flour
• 0.75 cup Granulated Sugar
• 0.5 cup Unsalted Butter, Melted and slightly cooled
• 2 large Eggs
• 1 tsp Pure Ube Extract, For color and floral aroma
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 0.5 tsp Salt
• 0.5 cup Chopped Toasted Walnuts, Optional

Instructions

1. Preheat & Prep Pan Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan or line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the long sides for easy lifting.
2. Mash & Mix Wet Ingredients In a large bowl, mash the bananas until mostly smooth. Whisk in the melted butter, sugar, eggs, ube halaya, and ube extract until evenly combined and uniformly purple.
3. Fold In Dry Ingredients Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt over the wet mixture. Fold gently with a spatula just until no dry streaks remain, then fold in the walnuts if using. Do not overmix or the loaf will turn dense.
4. Bake Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, tenting loosely with foil after 35 minutes if the top is browning too fast.
5. Cool & Slice Cool the loaf in the pan for 10 minutes, then lift it out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing — this keeps the crumb from gumming up under the knife.

Pro Tips

• Use bananas that are heavily speckled with brown or fully black — they mash sweeter and blend more evenly with the ube halaya.
• Swirl the ube halaya through the batter with a knife instead of mixing it in fully for a marbled purple-and-cream effect when the loaf is sliced.

Variations

• Ube Banana Bread Muffins: Divide the batter into a 12-cup muffin tin and bake for 18-22 minutes.
• Coconut-Ube Banana Bread: Fold in 1/3 cup shredded sweetened coconut and finish with a simple coconut milk glaze.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

215 calories · 34g carbs · 4g protein · 7g fat · 18g sugar · 1.5g fiber

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this without ube halaya?

Yes — swap it for 1/2 cup mashed steamed purple yam plus an extra 1/2 teaspoon of ube extract, or simply use 1 to 1.5 teaspoons of ube extract alone for color and flavor without the jam's added sweetness.

How should I store ube banana bread?

Wrap it tightly and keep it at room temperature for up to 3 days, refrigerate for up to a week, or freeze sliced portions in an airtight bag for up to 3 months.

Recommended Ingredient

Maynila Ube Purple Yam Jam, Big Jar (32 oz) — read our review.

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• Ube Pull-Apart Monkey Bread
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