Sweet Potato Bubble Tea
Updated Feb 27, 2025
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This refreshing, caffeine-free purple sweet potato bubble tea is a delicious treat that’s made with 6 ingredients. Get step-by-step instructions and tips for making the best bubble tea at home.
Purple Sweet Potato Bubble Tea
Sweet potato bubble tea is an iced milk tea made with purple sweet potato powder and boba (tapioca balls). The sweet potato powder is dehydrated purple sweet potatoes and it’s commonly used to add flavor and color to baked good and drinks.
Note from Jee
To test the recipe, I got 2 highly-rated brands of purple sweet potato powder. One was Suncore and the other was Beviva. (I noticed that a lot of other brands say it’s purple sweet potato but was actually purple ube.)
The powder from Suncore was more vibrant in color but Beviva had a much better taste so that’s the one I’m recommending in the recipe.
Recipe Summary
- This purple sweet potato bubble tea is an iced drink that’s made from sweet potato powder, tapioca balls, brown sugar, milk, water, and ice.
- Caffeine-free, this drink doesn’t contain any tea, but is still called a bubble tea since there are tapioca balls.
- Store-bought tapioca balls makes this drink super easy to make at home.
RELATED: 17 Delicious Bubble Tea Recipes
Ingredient Notes
- Purple sweet potato powder: A bright purple powder made from dried purple sweet potato. It’s where the drink gets its color and flavor.
- Tapioca balls: Dried, store-bought tapioca balls are the secret to making bubble tea easily at home. Simply cook in hot water until they’re soft and chewy.
- Brown sugar: I like to sweeten this drink with brown sugar since the caramel notes in brown sugar go well with the sweet potato nicely, but granulated white sugar also works well.
- Milk: This drink is creamier when made with whole milk, but you can also use plant-based milk like oat milk or almond milk.
- Water: I always recommend using filtered water whenever possible.
- Ice: For the best tasting drink, make ice with filtered water.
Photo Credit: amazon.com
For full ingredients and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Cook tapioca balls in brown sugar and water.
Step 2: Combine ice, water, milk, and sweet potato powder in a cocktail shaker. Shake. Make sure to add the sweet potato powder in last.
Step 3: Put tapioca balls and brown sugar syrup into a cup.
Step 4: Pour in the iced purple sweet potato milk tea.
Photo Credit: amazon.com
Recipe Notes
Warm tapioca balls means they’ll be soft and perfectly bouncy.
Tapioca balls have the best texture when they are still quite warm, almost hot. Just make sure they’ve cooled a bit before eating or else they’ll burn your mouth.
Make the tapioca right before you prepare the drink.
Boba shouldn’t be made ahead since they start to harden as they cool.
Cook tapioca balls in a brown sugar and water.
The boba in this recipe is prepared in a brown sugar syrup that sweetens the tapioca balls and the drink.
Expert Tips
- Make sure to shake the drink thoroughly in the cocktail shaker to dissolve the sweet potato powder or else the drink may be grainy.
- Like all bubble teas, this drink is best when assembled and served immediately while the tapioca balls are still nice and warm. Cooked boba will start to harden after 4 hours.
- Use an extra wide straw so you can get some tapioca balls and sweet potato milk tea with each sip. Chew the tapioca balls instead of swallowing them whole.
RELATED: Brown Sugar Bubble Tea
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Purple Sweet Potato Bubble Tea
Ingredients
Tapioca Balls
- ¾ cup water
- ¼ cup tapioca balls
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
Sweet Potato Milk Tea
- ⅓ cup water
- ⅓ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons purple sweet potato powder
- 1 cup ice
Instructions
- Cook tapioca balls. Boil ¾ cup of water and brown sugar in a saucepan. Add tapioca balls.Combine water and brown sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once you see big bubbles (2-4 minutes), add tapioca balls. Keep boiling for 8 more minutes on medium-high heat. Turn off heat and cool slightly, until tapioca balls are quite warm, but aren't too hot to eat.(Follow directions on your tapioca ball packaging if you're using a different brand than the one I’m using.)
- Combine ice, water, milk, and purple sweet potato powder in a cocktail shaker. Shake 15 times.In a cocktail shaker, add the ice, ⅓ cup water, milk, then the purple sweet potato powder. The powder needs to be added at the very end.
- Assemble the drink. Put warm tapioca balls in brown sugar syrup into a cup. Pour in the purple sweet potato milk tea.Serve immediately. Use an extra wide straw to drink.
Notes
- Purple sweet potato powder adds flavor and color. It dissolves when shaken so the drink isn’t grainy.
- The caramel notes of brown sugar complement the sweet potato nicely, but granulated white sugar also works if that’s what you have.
- This drink is creamier when made with whole milk, but plant-based milks will also work.
- Tapioca balls have the best texture when they are still quite warm, almost hot. Just make sure they’ve cooled a bit before eating or else they’ll burn your mouth.
- Make the tapioca right before you prepare the drink. Boba shouldn’t be made ahead since they start to harden as they cool. Cooked boba will start to harden after 4 hours.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
