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Ube Menu Offerings Rise 230% in US as Philippines Exports Increase 20% in 2025
Ube, a Philippine vegetable, has seen surging popularity on U.S. restaurant menus, with offerings up 230% over four years. Major chains like Starbucks and Peet's introduced ube drinks in 2025 and 2026. Exports from the Philippines hit $3.2 million in 2025, amid growing demand and production challenges.
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U.S. restaurant menus have surged 230% over the past four years, reaching menus at 95 chains nationwide, according to data from food and beverage analytics firm Datassentials. The purple yam, a naturally sweet, starchy vegetable grown in the Philippines, is predicted to grow another 74% in menu presence over the next four years.
This rise coincides with coffee chains chasing viral trends, as ube's mild nutty flavor and visually striking hue drive experimentation in drinks and desserts. Starbucks expanded its 2026 spring lineup with the Ube Matcha Latte and Ube Vanilla Macchiato, building on its 2025 limited-time offerings of the Ube Iced Coconut Latte and Ube Espresso Martini.
Peet's introduced an Iced Vanilla Latte with Ube Dream Top for the 2026 season.
March 2026 marked the biggest month for ube limited-time offers at top chains, Datassentials reported. com reported. U.S. A key milestone came in 2022, when Baskin-Robbins offered Ube Coconut Swirl ice cream as a limited-time item.
7 million kilograms, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. This represented a roughly 20% increase from the prior year. K.
Also importing ube from the Philippines in 2025. Increased visibility of ube has boosted sales at Kasa and Kin, with high demand for the restaurant's desserts, Joseph said. Customers enter the restaurant, look at the bakery case, and pick up items like ube brownies or ube ice cream, he added.
The trend has transcended Filipino culture, spreading through social media, where the ube hashtag appears in 120,000 posts on TikTok and more than 750,000 posts on Instagram. Emily Tang, chief product officer at Datassentials, said ube is accessible from a flavor perspective, which makes it easy to innovate with.
