This taro milk tea recipe made with real sweet, and creamy taro root, jasmine green tea, and milk is a delicious and vibrant purple drink that tastes better than your local bubble tea shop! This is such an easy drink to make in the comfort of your home and is incredibly refreshing to drink.
This taro milk tea recipe made with real sweet, and creamy taro root, jasmine green tea, and milk is a delicious and vibrant purple drink that tastes better than your local bubble tea shop! This is such an easy drink to make in the comfort of your home and is incredibly refreshing to drink.
This superfood taro milk tea is as delicious as it is beautiful. Taro is one of those flavors that you’d have to try to really know how good it is. It is difficult to exactly explain its sweet, creamy, and subtle flavor. If you find yourself frequenting your favorite boba shop multiple times a week (like me), and would like to save some extra $$ by making this delicious purple bubble tea at home, this recipe is for you. This recipe is incredibly easy, delicious, and perfect for making your day.
Taro milk tea or Taro Bubble Tea is a popular boba tea shop drink that is made with either fresh taro paste or taro powder, milk, a sweetener, and sometimes jasmine tea. Generally, this drink has a creamy, sweet, vanilla, caramel-like flavor. Its unique and distinctive flavor is what makes it so popular in boba shops!
Kitchen Equipment
Saucepan: you will need a saucepan to cook the taro root to soften it.
Blender or Food Processor or Potato Masher: you will need either a blender or a food processor to mash up your softened taro. Alternatively, you can use a potato masherto do so as well.
Ingredients
The ingredients for this taro bubble tea recipe are readily accessible if you are located near an Asian grocery market.
Taro Root: taro root comes in many different forms in the Asian grocery store. It can be raw and unpeeled, peeled and vacuum sealed and peeled and frozen. Whichever form is available will work for this taro tea recipe.
Granulated Sugar: the sugar is used to sweeten the taro root paste.
Tea: I opted for using jasmine green tea for a floral aromatic finish. I am a BIG fan of the quality and taste of Rishi’s jasmine green teas. You can substitute this out for black Ceylon tea or oolong if you prefer.
Milk: the milk is what makes this drink creamy and have that beautiful light lavender finish. For a vegan taro bubble tea, you can substitute whole milk for any plant based milk.
Condensed Milk: the condensed milk adds to the creaminess and sweetens the drink. You can adjust the amount of condensed milk if you’d like a sweeter or less sweet drink. Alternatively, if you do not have condensed milk you can use granulated sugar or simple syrup instead.
Purple Sweet Potato Powder: taro root by itself is not entirely purple. The purple color comes from an added purple sweet potato powder that I added. I used Suncore foods lilac taro yam powder. It adds a purple tint and a subtle taro flavor without any added sugars or sweeteners. This is entirely optional but it adds to the aesthetic of the drink.
Brown Sugar Boba
Boba: also known as bubble tea or boba pearls. They are sold on Amazon or can be found at your Asian grocery store. I have found that using instant boba is very convenient but doesn’t have the same bouncy chewy and texture as the boba that requires a longer cook time. Alternatively, if you are up for a challenge, I can walk you through how to make homemade boba from scratch!
Dark Brown Sugar: used to sweeten the boba and adds a rich molasses flavor to the boba. Alternatively, you can also use dark brown muscovado sugar for an even richer brown sugar taste.
Granulated Sugar: used to sweeten the boba
How to Make Taro Milk Tea
This taro milk tea recipe is very simple and easy to make at home. Plus using fresh taro root will make this beautiful lavender drink taste a million times better.
Boil the taro. Peel the taro and cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Then heat a medium saucepan filled halfway with water to reach a boil. Boil the taro for 15 minutes on medium high heat until the taro is soft. Test by poking the taro with a fork. Drain and set aside.
Make a taro paste. Using a blender, food processor or potato masher, add the taro and sugar and blend until it forms into a paste. Place in a bowl and chill in the refrigerator.
Brew the tea. Brew 1 tea bag (1 tablespoon) of jasmine green tea with 1 cup of water using a saucepan or a kettle at 160-180 degrees F for 2 minutes. Set aside and chill.
Assemble
Prepare the boba. Prepare your boba based on your boba packaging. If using non-instant boba, simmer the boba for 25 min. covered. Then, remove from heat and let the boba sit in the saucepan covered for another 25 min and then drain. (Or you can make your own boba from scratch using this recipe)
Steep the boba. In a heat proof bowl, mix 1/2 cup hot water, 1/2 cup dark brown sugar and 1/2 cup granulated sugar and carefully steep in boiled boba for 30 min.
Combine the ingredients. In a blender, add 2/3 cup of chilled taro paste, condensed milk, milk, jasmine green tea and purple sweet potato powder (if using for color). Blend until smooth.
Serve. Add the boba pearls to 2 drinking glasses, fill with ice and pour in the blended taro tea. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Tips for the Best Taro Milk Tea
Taro root does not have a vibrant purple color. However, we are used to taro having that beautiful vibrant purple color. To achieve this purple color, I added purple sweet potato powder. However, it is optional and you can have a more beige colored drink that will taste just as delicious.
Chill the taro before serving. The taro will be really hot after it has turned into a paste. Chill the taro in the refrigerator for a cool refreshing drink.
Adjust the flavor based on your preferences! If you prefer a sweeter taro tea, add more condensed milk. Or if you prefer a less sweet drink, reduce the amount of condensed milk. If you don’t mind a thicker and more taro flavored drink, add more taro paste.
Storage Instructions
Serve this taro bubble tea immediately.
You can store the taro paste that has not been mixed with the milk in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Or you can freeze the taro paste in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Do not store the cooked brown sugar boba. It will disintegrate within 2 hours of cooking.
Frequently Asked Q’s & A’s
What is Taro?
Taro is believed to be one of the Earth’s oldest crops, that originated in Asia over 10,000 years ago. It is a starchy root grown in areas such as Hawaii, India, Southeast Asia, and other warm regions. It has rough brown skin with a white interior that is covered in purple flecks. Taro is used in many Asian dishes, both savory and sweet. You can find taro root in Asian supermarkets in the produce section or even in the frozen section.
What does taro taste like?
Taro is a starchy root vegetable that is similar to a sweet potato. It has a sweet and vanilla profile with a starchy texture. Some have described the taste of taro to be similar to buttered popcorn jelly beans.
What is the difference between taro powder and real taro root?
In boba shops, you can ordinarily find two different types of taro bubble tea—1. real taro milk tea and 2. instant taro powder milk tea.
The drinks made from fresh taro will have a thicker creamier consistency and will be mildly sweet and fragrant.
On the other hand, instant taro powder milk tea is much more vibrant in color, more watery, and very sweet.
Can I make taro milk tea using powder taro?
If you are in a time crunch, you can absolutely use powdered taro to make taro bubble tea. Powdered mixes usually include a sweetener for added flavor so all you need to do is add water or milk of your choice.
What are the nutritional benefits of taro?
Taro is a bona fide superfood. Fresh taro contains high amounts of potassium and fiber, calcium, and iron, plus vitamins A, B-6, C, and E. Taro aids in promoting digestive health and regulates insulin and glucose levels to normalize your blood sugar.
Does taro milk tea have caffeine?
Fresh taro on its own does not naturally contain caffeine. However, if you are using jasmine green tea or any black tea then those teas will add a small amount of caffeine to it.
This taro milk tea recipe made with real sweet, and creamy taro root, jasmine green tea, and milk is a delicious and vibrant purple drink that tastes better than your local bubble tea shop! This is such an easy drink to make in the comfort of your home and is incredibly refreshing to drink.
Prepare the boba. Prepare your boba based on your boba packaging. If using non-instant boba, simmer the boba for 25 min. covered. Then, remove from heat and let the boba sit in the saucepan covered for another 25 min and then drain.
Steep the boba. In a heat proof bowl, mix 1/2 cup hot water, 1/2 cup dark brown sugar and 1/2 cup granulated sugar and carefully steep in boiled boba for 30 min.
Combine the ingredients. In a blender, add 2/3 cup of chilled taro paste, condensed milk, milk, jasmine green tea and purple sweet potato powder (if using for color). Blend until smooth.
Serve. Add the boba pearls to 2 drinking glasses, fill with ice and pour in the blended taro milk tea. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
Taro root does not have a vibrant purple color. However, we are used to taro having that beautiful vibrant purple color. To achieve this purple color, I added purple sweet potato powder. However, it is optional and you can have a more beige-colored drink that will taste just as delicious.
Chill the taro before serving. The taro will be really hot after it has turned into a paste. Chill the taro in the refrigerator for a cool refreshing drink.
Adjust the flavor based on your preferences! If you prefer a sweeter taro milk tea, add more condensed milk. If you prefer a less sweet drink, reduce the amount of condensed milk. If you don’t mind a thicker and more taro-flavored drink, add more taro paste.
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