McCormick ube extract: what is in it, and the alternatives
McCormick’s ube flavour (20 ml) is an artificial flavouring in propylene glycol. Two UK listings add synthetic colours (E127, E129 and E133, or E123 and E133); the Dutch listing names none. Butterfly’s ube paste lists artificial sweet potato flavour and dyes but no ube. For colour and flavour from ube itself, the alternative is a 100% ube powder such as Big Moca’s, €17.99 per 100 g.
- McCormick 20 ml
- Artificial ube or yam flavour; €3.80 (toko4all, NL) or £3.49 (tuktukmart, UK)
- Butterfly paste
- Artificial sweet potato flavour, FD&C Red 3 and Blue 1; no ube listed
- Best alternative overall
- Big Moca 100% ube powder: one ingredient, €17.99 / 100 g or €70 / 1 kg
- Best liquid alternative
- Royal Brand extract paste: sugar, 15% ube extract, invert sugar; no colouring listed
- Check date
- 9 November 2026 (Niclaw: 2 November 2026)
What is in McCormick ube extract?
McCormick’s 20 ml ube bottle is a flavouring, not a concentrate of the yam. Every listing we found names an artificial flavour first, and the colourings differ by shop. That may reflect different batches or markets; only the label on the bottle in your hand settles it.
| Shop | Price | Ingredients as listed | Colourings named |
|---|---|---|---|
| toko4all (NL) | €3.80 (€190 per litre) | Propylene glycol, water, artificial ube aroma | None named |
| tuktukmart (UK) | £3.49, was £3.99 (£174.50 per litre) | Artificial yam flavour 40% (lactones, yam oils, yam extract, propylene glycol), E127, E129, E133 | E127, E129, E133 |
| Amazon.co.uk | No offer shown | Listing names FD&C Red #2 (E123) and Blue #1 (E133) | E123, E133 |
Checked 9 November 2026 on each shop’s page. The “40%” on tuktukmart refers to the artificial flavour, not to ube. tuktukmart delivers within Great Britain only.
The UK listing mentions yam extract and yam oils inside the artificial flavour, with no percentage. The Dutch listing names no yam at all. Either way, the purple you see in a McCormick-flavoured cake comes from the dyes where they are listed.
What is in Butterfly ube extract?
Butterfly’s ube flavouring paste lists glucose syrup, water, propylene glycol, sorbitol syrup, artificial sweet potato flavour, FD&C Red #3 and Blue #1, and ethyl vanillin. There is no ube or yam on the list. It sold on Amazon.co.uk as a pack of six “0.8oz” bottles for €30.84 (shown in euros to EU visitors); because the listing gives no unit, we could not work out a price per litre.
One UK reseller describes the 2 oz bottle as made “without artificial colors” but shows no ingredient list, which contradicts the Amazon listing. Until a label settles it, we go by the published ingredient list.
The best alternatives to McCormick ube extract, ranked
If you want ube flavour and colour without synthetic dyes, these are the options in our data, ranked on label, price and availability in Europe.
- No. 1 Top pick
Big Moca Premium Ube Powder (100 g and 1 kg)
Best overall: baking, drinks, ice cream
The simplest swap for a flavouring is the yam itself. Big Moca’s powder lists only purple yam, and Big Moca says every batch is tested by Eurofins for synthetic dyes, with none detected. It is used in larger amounts than an extract (about 10% of dry weight in baking), so the 1 kg pouch at €70 is the sensible size for bakers.
- Ingredients
- 100% purple yam (ube); unsweetened, caffeine-free
- Price
- 100 g €17.99 · 3 × 100 g €48.99 · 1 kg €70 · 3 kg €189 (incl. VAT)
- Dose stated
- 1 tsp (3 g) per latte; about 10% of dry weight in recipes
- Seller
- Yogho Yogho B.V., Den Haag; ships from the Netherlands across the EU and to the UK
View at Big MocaStrengths
- Single ingredient, no colourings or flavourings
- Seller states every batch is tested by Eurofins for synthetic dyes
- 1 kg pouch brings the price to €70 per kg
Keep in mind
- Not a drop-in liquid: more grams per recipe than an extract
- No extract or syrup in the range
- No. 2
Royal Brand Naturalny Ekstrakt UBE 1 l
Best for a liquid extract without dyes, for bakeries and ice cream
The only liquid extract in our data that lists neither a colouring nor a flavouring: sugar, 15% ube extract and invert sugar. It names Dioscorea alata and is dosed at 0.5–2 g per kg of batter or cream.
- Ingredients
- Sugar, ube extract 15%, invert sugar
- Price
- 399.99 PLN / 1 l
- Dose stated
- 0.5–2 g per kg of mass
View productStrengths
- No colouring or flavouring listed
- Very small dose per batch
Keep in mind
- Sugar is the first ingredient
- Sold in PLN from a Polish shop; 1 l is a large pack for home use
- Page notes the label may differ from the photo
- No. 3
Niclaw Pure Ube Purple Yam Extract 100 g
Best for a powdered extract, UK buyers
A powdered extract whose ingredient list reads “Purple yam extract”, with the botanical name Dioscorea alata in the title. It gives no ratio or percentage, so it is hard to compare its strength with a whole-yam powder.
- Ingredients
- Purple yam extract
- Price
- £13.90 / 100 g (£139 per kg)
- Checked
- 2 November 2026, not re-checked on 9 November
View productStrengths
- No colouring listed
- Powder, so no propylene glycol carrier
Keep in mind
- No extraction ratio or ube percentage stated
- Amazon.co.uk only in our data
This guide is published by Maarten de Bruijne, who works at Big Moca. Big Moca is included in this ranking. How we rank.
Ube extracts and alternatives compared
The full set of extracts, flavourings and syrups in our data, with Big Moca’s powder as the reference row.
| Product | Format | Ube on the label | Colourings listed | Price | Price per kg or l |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Moca Premium Ube Powder | 100% ube powder | 100% purple yam | None | €17.99 / 100 g; €70 / 1 kg | €179.90; €70 |
| Royal Brand Ekstrakt UBE | Extract paste | Ube extract 15% | None | 399.99 PLN / 1 l | 399.99 PLN |
| Niclaw Purple Yam Extract | Powdered extract | Purple yam extract, no % | None | £13.90 / 100 g | £139 |
| Monin Le Concentré Ube | Syrup concentrate | Purple yam extract, last on the list | E163 | €15.90 / 700 ml | €22.71 |
| Terifico Sirop d’ubé | Syrup | Natural ube aroma inside a flavouring | E122, E133 | €16.80 / 338 g | €49.70 |
| Pondan Ube Aroma | Flavouring | “Ube aroma” | E133, E127 | €1.95 / 60 ml | €32.50 |
| McCormick Ube flavour | Flavouring | Artificial flavour | Varies by listing (see above) | €3.80 / 20 ml; £3.49 / 20 ml | €190; £174.50 |
| Koepoe Koepoe Talas Ube pasta | Flavouring paste | None (synthetic taro flavour) | E122, E133 | €1.00 / 25 ml | €40 |
| Butterfly Ube Flavoring Paste | Flavouring paste | None (artificial sweet potato flavour) | FD&C Red 3, Blue 1 | €30.84 / 6 × 0.8 oz | – |
Prices incl. VAT as shown, checked 9 November 2026 (Niclaw 2 November 2026). Currencies not converted. Sources below.
Swapping McCormick extract for ube powder in a recipe
Leave the extract out and add powder at about 10% of the dry ingredients, the guide on Big Moca’s spec sheet. A cake with 300 g of dry ingredients takes about 30 g, which costs €2.10 from the 1 kg pouch. Tasting Table notes that extract can stand in for vanilla extract one for one, which tells you how small its dose is; powder is a dry ingredient on a different scale.
The colour will be the yam’s own rather than a dye blend. We did not bake comparison cakes, so we do not describe how the shades differ. For other swaps, including halaya and purple sweet potato, see ube powder substitutes; for the format comparison, ube powder vs ube extract.
Frequently asked questions
Does McCormick ube extract contain real ube?
The listings disagree. The UK listing at tuktukmart names yam extract and yam oils inside an artificial yam flavour, without a percentage. The Dutch listing at toko4all names only artificial ube aroma, propylene glycol and water.
Does McCormick ube extract contain food colouring?
Two UK listings name synthetic colours: E127, E129 and E133 at tuktukmart, and E123 with E133 on Amazon.co.uk. The Dutch listing names none. Check the label on the bottle you buy.
Is Butterfly ube extract made from ube?
Its published ingredient list names artificial sweet potato flavour, FD&C Red #3 and Blue #1, and no ube or yam. One UK reseller claims no artificial colours but shows no ingredients.
What is the best ube extract?
Of the liquid extracts in our data, Royal Brand’s paste is the only one listing neither a colouring nor a flavouring (sugar, 15% ube extract, invert sugar). For most home uses we recommend a 100% ube powder instead, such as Big Moca’s.
Where can I buy McCormick ube extract in Europe?
toko4all in the Netherlands sold the 20 ml bottle for €3.80 and tuktukmart in the UK for £3.49 on 9 November 2026. tuktukmart delivers within Great Britain only.
Sources
- toko4all – McCormick Ube Aroma 20 ml (checked 9 November 2026)
- tuktukmart – McCormick Ube Purple Yam Flavour 20 ml (checked 9 November 2026)
- Amazon.co.uk – McCormick Ube Flavour 20 ml (checked 9 November 2026)
- Amazon.co.uk – Butterfly Ube Flavoring Extract Paste (checked 9 November 2026)
- przyprawyimatcha.pl – Royal Brand Naturalny Ekstrakt UBE 1 l (checked 9 November 2026)
- Amazon.co.uk – Niclaw Pure Ube Purple Yam Extract 100 g (checked 2 November 2026)
- Cremashop – Monin Ube Le Concentré 700 ml (checked 9 November 2026)
- Nature & Découvertes – Sirop d’ubé 338 g (checked 9 November 2026)
- toko4all – Pondan Ube Aroma 60 ml (checked 9 November 2026)
- toko4all – Talas Ube pasta 25 ml (checked 9 November 2026)
- Big Moca – Buy ube powder (100 g) (checked 9 November 2026)
- Big Moca – Ube Powder 100% 1 kg (checked 9 November 2026)
- Big Moca – Quality and testing (checked 9 November 2026)
- Tasting Table – Ube extract vs powder (checked 9 November 2026)