Taro Milk Tea (Bubble Tea)

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Treat yourself to a glass of beautiful purple Taro Milk Tea! Like a sophisticated milkshake, it’s sweet and creamy with a hint of green tea and taro root. Served over ice with black tapioca pearls, it’s so refreshing!

Taro Milk Tea in a clear glass with a boba straw.

💜 Why You Will Love This Recipe

Taro Bubble tea is such a fun, refreshing summer drink!
The color is a beautiful purple. It’s so pretty!
Super easy to make – cook the tapioca pearls, steep the tea, then blend the tea, sweetened condensed milk, and taro powder, and pour it over ice with the tapioca pearls.
This recipe is naturally vegan, gluten-free, egg-free, and soy-free.

Overhead shot of Taro Milk Tea in a clear glass with a boba straw.

🧋 What is Taro Milk Tea?

Taro Milk Tea is a boba tea made from taro root, sweetened condensed milk, green tea, and black tapioca pearls. Fresh taro root is a starchy root vegetable, similar to a purple yam. To make taro milk bubble tea, you can either use taro powder or fresh taro paste. You can even mash your own at home!

🫧 What is Bubble Tea?

Also known as boba tea, bubble tea is a wide range of sweet-flavored fruit teas and milk teas served ice cold or steaming hot with chewy tapioca balls.

Taro Milk Tea in a clear glass with black tapioca pearls at the bottom, next to a scoop of purple taro powder.

🗒️ Ingredient Notes

Tapioca pearls: Also known as boba, tapioca pearls are a fun, sweet, spherical treat with a gummy texture added to teas across southeast Asia. They are made in many different colors, however, I opted for black boba pearls as they’re most commonly used in Taro Milk Tea. The best place to buy tapioca pearls is either online or in Asian grocery stores.

Boiling water: Boiling water is used for steeping the tea. You can use an electric kettle, a kettle on the stove, or boil a small pot of water.

Green tea: I used one green tea bag for this Taro Bubble tea. You could also use one teaspoon of loose leaf tea in an infuser. For another flavor, try jasmine tea.

Sweetened condensed coconut milk: Similar to sweetened condensed milk, sweetened condensed coconut milk is just as sweet with no dairy. It adds creaminess and has a slight coconut taste which is delicious in this Milk Tea. A couple of brands I like are Nature’s Charm and Nature’s Greatest Foods.

Taro powder: Powdered taro root is a sweet and slightly purple powder. The root comes from the taro plant (sometimes called “Elephant’s Ears”) and is reminiscent of purple sweet potato. It is so good for you with plenty of great nutrition. It contains magnesium, manganese, Vitamins B6, C, and E and it is a good source of potassium and fiber! Watch out for added sugars and extra ingredients when buying taro powder. If you have a hard time finding organic natural taro powder, try purple sweet potato powder or ube powder instead. I like this taro yam powder myself!

Ice: This is a chilled drink best served over ice!

🥣 How to Make Taro Boba Tea

Overhead shot of black tapioca pearls in a glass.

Overhead shot of Taro Milk Tea in a clear glass with a boba straw and ice.

Prepare black tapioca pearls according to package directions. Cook times can vary between brand, size, and ingredients. Set aside.
Meanwhile, prepare the tea by bringing one cup of water to a boil in a saucepan. Pour the water over the green tea bag and allow it to steep for at least 10 minutes. Remove the tea bag and set it aside. Allow the tea to cool completely before moving on to the next step.
In a blender or food processor combine the prepared green tea, sweetened condensed coconut milk, and taro powder. Blend until smooth.
To make taro milk tea, divide the prepared tapioca pearls between two glasses. Fill the glasses with ice, then pour the blended taro milk tea over the ice.
Enjoy!

💭 Top Tips

Bubble tea is more easily enjoyed with a special boba straw. It is a much larger straw than regular straws. Find them online or in your local Asian grocery store.

Any leftover Taro Bubble Tea can be stored in the fridge in its glass. Consume within 3 days.

If you’d like to make your boba tea taste a little sweeter, try adding a touch of simple syrup. To make simple syrup, all you have to do is add 1 part sugar (I like coconut sugar) and 1 part water, dissolved in a pan over medium heat on the stove.

Instead of adding sweetened condensed coconut milk, try making your own sweetened condensed almond milk!

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

What does taro milk tea taste like?

Taro milk tea tastes sweet, a little starchy, and creamy. The tapioca pearls are sweet and gummy, kind of like candy, and serving it over ice makes it so refreshing!

What flavor is taro milk tea?

Similar to sweet potatoes, taro has a flavor profile that is sweet and vanilla-flavored.

What is in taro milk tea?

This beverage is created with purple ground taro root, tapioca pearls, sweetened condensed milk, and jasmine or green tea.

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