Taro Bubble Tea (Taro Boba Milk Tea)
on Feb 27, 2022, Updated Feb 09, 2023
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Delicious and easy to make at home, this caffeine-free bubble tea is a treat you can make with just a few ingredients. Get step-by-step instructions and tips on how to make this purple drink just like the bubble tea shops.
Recipe Highlights
- Taro bubble tea (also called taro milk tea) is a purple drink made with taro, tea, milk, sugar, ice, and tapioca balls.
- This delicious and refreshing recipe uses taro powder to naturally color and add a sweet, nutty flavor to the drink, sweetened condensed milk to give it a richer flavor, and green tea so it doesn’t overwhelm the taro taste.
- Tapioca balls (boba) are the “bubble” in bubble tea and they’re sold dry, ready to be cooked in hot water. It’s surprisingly easy to make at home! All you need to do is boil water.
- My secret to making bubble tea better than anyone else is to use warm tapioca balls! They’ll be soft with a nice chew.
RELATED: Delicious Bubble Tea Recipes
What is Taro Milk Tea?
- Taro bubble tea is also known as taro milk tea and it’s one of the most popular drinks at bubble tea shops.
- Taro milk tea is tea with milk and taro. It’s usually served sweetened and with boba (tapioca balls).
- Taro is a root vegetable and it’s not a purple sweet potato or ube (purple yam). All three are similar, so it’s easy to confuse them especially since they can be used to create purple colored drinks.
- Taro milk tea is sweet and nutty.
- Taro is pronounced TAH-ROW.
RELATED: Matcha Bubble Tea
Ingredient Notes
- Taro powder: Naturally colors and flavors the drink. This taro powder dissolves easily and doesn’t make the drink grainy like others.
- Tapioca balls: The package says it’s ready in 5 minutes but totally untrue. Follow my instructions for how to really make them.
- Green tea: Tea bags will work great for this recipe, but you can also use loose tea or tea sachets. No need to use an expensive green tea.
- Sweetened condensed milk: Instead of sugar, sweetened condensed milk is my trick to creating a richer depth of flavor.
- Milk: You can use any kind of milk but whole milk will make the drink creamier.
- Filtered water: Better water always makes a better tasting tea.
- Ice: If you can, make ice using filtered water.
For full ingredients and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Photo Credit: amazon.com
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Steep tea in hot water.
Discard tea bags and set aside tea to cool.
Step 2: Cook tapioca balls. Follow directions on package but all that’s involved is boiling tapioca balls in water for a few minutes.
Step 3: Shake tea, milk, sweetened condensed milk, taro powder, and ice in a cocktail shaker.
Step 4: Put tapioca balls into a cup, add taro milk tea and ice. Assemble drink starting with the tapioca balls. Use an extra wide straw to drink.
Photo Credit: amazon.com
Expert Tips
- The drink is the best when assembled and served immediately when the tapioca balls are still warm. After 4 hours, they’ll start to harden.
- Don’t wait for the tapioca balls to completely cool down before adding it to the drink. Warm tapioca balls have the perfect chew and they’re so much better than when they have cooled down. Just don’t add it to the drink when it’s hot.
- This bubble tea is made with green tea since it pairs well with the taro powder.
- If you prefer weaker tea, use 1 tea bag instead of 2 using the same amount of water.
- If you don’t want to add any tea or caffeine to the drink, just replace the tea with milk or water.
- Use an extra wide straw to drink your bubble tea. With each sip, you’ll get tapioca balls and the taro milk tea.
RELATED: Jasmine Bubble Tea
Questions You May Have
Yes, there’s caffeine in green tea, so there’s caffeine in this Taro Bubble Tea.
Making your own tapioca balls can be tricky with the timing. They’re only good for about 4 hours after making them. After that, they harden and get rubbery which is no fun to eat.
Taro powder is the powdered version of taro, a starchy root vegetable. It’s naturally purple.
Taro milk tea is a little sweet and nutty. It tastes similar to sweet potatoes.
Tapioca balls are called boba. These balls are made from tapioca starch from the cassava root.
Related
- Strawberry Milk Tea
- Brown Sugar Milk Tea
- Thai Iced Tea with Boba
- Strawberry Matcha Latte Bubble Tea
- Milk Tea
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Taro Bubble Tea (Taro Boba Milk Tea)
Equipment
Ingredients
Taro Milk Tea
- 2 tea bags green tea
- ¾ cup water
- ⅓ cup milk
- 3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon taro powder
- 1 cup ice
Tapioca Balls
- 2 cups water
- ¼ cup tapioca balls
Instructions
MAKE TEA
- Boil ¾ cup of water.If using an electric kettle with a temperature setting, set the water to 175°F. Use filtered water if possible.
- Steep tea bags in hot water for 4 minutes.
- Discard tea bags and let tea cool. Set aside.
COOK TAPIOCA BALLS
- Boil water and add tapioca balls.Boil water in a saucepan on the stovetop then add tapioca balls. Cook on medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Tapioca balls should be soft all the way through.(Follow directions on your tapioca ball packaging if you're using a different brand than the one I’m using.)
- Drain tapioca balls.
ASSEMBLE DRINK
- Combine tea, milk, sweetened condensed milk, taro powder, and 1/2 cup ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake 10 times.
- Put tapioca balls into a cup, add taro milk tea and ice.Use an extra wide straw to drink.
Notes
- The drink is the best when assembled and served immediately when the tapioca balls are still warm. After 4 hours, they’ll start to harden.
- Don’t wait for the tapioca balls to completely cool down before adding it to the drink. Warm tapioca balls have the perfect chew and they’re so much better than when they have cooled down. Just don’t add it to the drink when it’s hot.
- This bubble tea is made with green tea since it pairs well with the taro powder.
- If you prefer weaker tea, use 1 tea bag instead of 2 using the same amount of water.
- If you don’t want to add any tea or caffeine to the drink, just replace the tea with milk or water.
- Use a wide straw to drink your bubble tea. With each sip, you’ll get tapioca balls and the taro milk tea.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
