This Taiwanese-inspired Taro Bubble Tea is a creamy milk tea filled with tapioca pearls and a green tea base. With a purple tint from the taro, you get a delicious and super sweet beverage that’s fun to sip.
What is Bubble Tea?
Whether you call it “bubble tea,” “boba tea,” or “pearl milk tea,” these decadent icy beverages came from Taiwan, which can be considered the boba tea capital. I first tasted this tea while traveling in Los Angelos and then noticed Asian restaurants all over New York serving it, which is where I lived at the time.
It became one of my favorite drinks to order or beat an afternoon slump in addition to Thai iced tea. Boba refers to a broad range of beverages that include tapioca pearls, fresh juice, and bits of fruit. The standard recipe though consists of tea, milk, ice, and the famous tapioca pearls, which are sipped through a wide straw.
Eater has an article if you’re interested in a super in-depth history of bubble tea.
Many of these milk teas, many of which have grown in popularity thanks to Instagram, have become more and more creative and beautiful like this purple-colored taro version. Some of my favorite versions are honeydew, lychee, almond, and Thai.
You can also use this recipe as a base and omit the taro and use any of the other flavors I listed above.
What is taro?
Taro is a root plant, native to Southeast Asia and India, similar to a sweet potato, but has a color tinge to it. Some of the roots have purple flecks while others are completely purple and have a nutty rice flavor. The Kitchn has a great article on taro root and goes into tons of detail.
This recipe used taro root powder, which is commonly used for making those gorgeous purple-colored bubble tea recipes. The sweet nutty and vanilla-like taste pair perfectly with the creamy tea.
How to Make Taro Bubble Tea
I love a quick version of just about any recipe, which is why I’ve made this particular recipe easy. If you plan on drinking more then I recommend doubling or tripling the ingredients to make a large batch. You can then store it in the refrigerator to keep for up to a week.
To store the taro bubble tea keep it in the fridge keep the tapioca pearls in a separate container and the milk tea in another. Then when you’re ready you can quickly pour a beverage together.
Ingredients
- Water
- Green Tea Bag
- Taro Powder
- Black Tapioca Pearls
- Brown Sugar
- Milk or Sweetened Condensed Milk
There are 3 parts to this drink, which include the tapioca pearls and brown sugar syrup, the tea and taro powder, and then the milk. Below are the steps for preparing each one. You could prepare your own tapioca pearls, but for the sake of keeping this quick and easy I use already prepared ones.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat and add the tapioca pearls. Boil until softened (anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes depending on the brand).
- Drain the pearls through a strainer, but keep the hot water. Place the pearls, while still in the strainer over a large bowl.
- Place the brown sugar on top of the pearls and pour the reserved hot water on top. Use a spoon to stir the pearls.
- Let the pearls sit in the brown sugar syrup while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Bring 1 cup of water and the green tea bag to a soft boil. Turn the heat off and let steep for 2 to 3 minutes. Discard the teabag and stir in the taro root powder. Let the tea cool to room temperature.
- To assemble place desired amount of tapioca pearls in the bottom of a cup and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar syrup.
- Pour the tea mixture into the cup.
- Add the milk or sweetened condensed milk and stir to combine all the ingredients.
To Make this Dairy-Free
You can easily make this a dairy-free beverage by omitting the milk and using a dairy-free alternative. I recommend blending a can of coconut milk so it’s super creamy or using thicker dairy-free milk like oat milk.
Recipe Notes and Tips:
- If you’d like to make a large batch of this tea then store the prepared tapioca pearls in a separate container from the tea.
- You can combine half whole milk and half sweetened condensed milk for a super sweet drink.
- There are two options for adding the taro powder. You can add it to the tea while it’s still hot and stir it in or you can heat the milk and stir it into the milk. Let both beverages cool though after adding the powder and before adding it to the drink.
- To easily drink this beverage you’ll need some bubble tea straws.
Fun Drinks are Fun! Try Some of these others:
Equipment
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Mixing Bowls
- Strainer
- Bubble Tea Straws
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Taro Powder
- 1/4 cup Black Tapioca Pearls
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 2 cups Water divided
- 1 Green Tea Bag
- 1 cup Ice Cubes
- 1/2 cup Milk or sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat and add the tapioca pearls. Boil until softened (anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes depending on the brand).
- Drain the pearls through a strainer, but keep the hot water. Place the pearls, while still in the strainer over a large bowl.
- Place the brown sugar on top of the pearls and pour the reserved hot water on top. Use a spoon to stir the pearls.
- Let the pearls sit in the brown sugar syrup while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Bring 1 cup of water and the green tea bag to a soft boil. Turn the heat off and let steep for 2 to 3 minutes. Discard the teabag and stir in the taro root powder. Let the tea cool to room temperature.
- To assemble place desired amount of tapioca pearls in the bottom of a cup and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar syrup.
- Pour the tea mixture into the cup.
- Add the milk or sweetened condensed milk and stir to combine all the ingredients.
Notes
- If you’d like to make a large batch of this tea then store the prepared tapioca pearls in a separate container from the tea.
- You can combine half whole milk and half sweetened condensed milk for a super sweet drink.
- There are two options for adding the taro powder. You can add it to the tea while it’s still hot and stir it in or you can heat the milk and stir it into the milk. Let both beverages cool though after adding the powder and before adding it to the drink.
