Purple Sweet Potato Bubble Tea

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This vibrant purple sweet potato bubble tea is a delicious treat that takes just 6 ingredients to make at home.

Prep Time2

Cook Time10

Total Time12

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: Taiwanese

Servings: serving (16 ounces)

Author: Jee Choe

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.

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.