Best Taro Milk Tea Boba

The best taro milk tea recipe is creamy, smooth, and sweet. The famous bright purple color belongs to taro milk tea boba, also known as taro milk bubble tea. This bright purple drink that gained popularity in Asia and made its way to the United States. The interesting thing about this drink is it is made with the taro root, not actual tea.

Taro root originated in Polynesia, made its way across southeast Asia, getting widely used in Japanese dishes before making its way to China, where it is used to make sweet bubble tea drinks and desserts.

Maybe you’ve seen this purple drink at coffee or tea shop and were curious about it. The taro flavor is distinctive yet familiar. To some, it tastes like sweet honeydew or coconut. Others describe it as sweet like after-cereal milk, the milk you drink after you’ve finished a bowl of Lucky Charms. It tastes almost like marshmallows or a subtle white chocolate flavor.

I recently made this drink for a coworker’s baby shower and it was a hit amongst many people who have never tried bubble tea before. This is the best taro milk tea because it’s light, sweet, and smells just so delicious. The flavors are subtle and delicious and easy to try for new palates.

This purple drink is one of the most popular flavors at boba shops and it takes only 5 minutes to make. Add a little more time for boba pearls, which is a perfect topping for this drink.

Taro

Taro is a starchy root vegetable. Fresh taro root does not have a strong flavor by itself, but when prepared with sugar and milk, it takes on a creamy, sweet and nutty taste.

Taro is a popular flavor for bubble tea shops because it is sweet and very easy to get addicted to. The nutty flavor and sweet taste are unique and delicious. Usually the tea shops do not use real taro root, but you’ll be lucky if you get to try the real thing. It’s dense and the texture is like a sweet potato.

The best taro milk tea

You can make this two ways: taro powder or fresh taro. Taro powder is easy to source and you can store it for a long time.

Most taro powders already have sugar in it, so you don’t need to add much when you’re making your drink. You’ll add milk and some ice, and your drink is complete. I love how easily the drink takes on a beautiful purple color.

The other option is using fresh taro. You’ll need to boil the taro root until it becomes soft, then create mashed taro using a potato masher. Mix with hot water and strain. You’ll need to add a lot more sugar or sweetener for this option.

The signature purple color is mostly from food coloring. The creamy color is from the taro powder mixed with milk. This drink is creamy, coconut-y, and aromatic.

It’s made from purple sweet potatoes.

Teas

Taro bubble milk tea is different from classic milk tea because it contains no caffeine. It smells like vanilla beans and tastes like sweet melons.

In this recipe, we don’t use any tea in preparation, however you can add jasmine green tea or black tea to add caffeine to it. Then it becomes a taro tea, which is a unique flavor by itself. I personally don’t have a taste for it, since the bitterness of the tea clashes with the sweetness of the taro.

Other options are jasmine tea, green tea.

Loose leaf tea leaves taste best for the tea version of this recipe. For best results, make sure you steep according to the instructions for the tea.

If making with tea, add a strong tea base, mixed with hot water, then add the taro powder and milk after.

I like using taro in powder form for easy and accessibility.

Sweetener

This drink is known for its sweet flavor. Surprisingly, you can use any kind of sweetener and this drink will taste good.

I don’t think this recipe needs extra sugar, but you can add simple syrup or brown sugar syrup.

Brown sugar syrup is a popular addition, especially if it’s been sitting in the cooked boba pearls.

You can add a tablespoon of the sugar at a time until it’s sweet enough for you.

Milk of choice

Rich taro milk tea can be made by choosing your milk wisely. Although you can make this mix with just water, I find that adding a splash of milk takes it to a new level of creaminess.

• Oat milk. I like the creamy texture of a thicker milk like oat milk.
• Almond milk.
• I like oat milk, almond milk. For this recipe, I use a 1:1 ratio of oat milk and almond milk.
• Whole milk, dairy milk are great options.
• Other options are:
• Coconut milk.
• Soy milk
• Non-diary creamer. I don’t use this because some milk is included in the powder.

Boba

These tapioca pearls, or boba, have a chewy gummy bear consistency that tastes great with taro.

A quick recipe involves boiling boba for 30 minutes on low-medium heat. Coat with brown sugar to keep the boba tasting sweet.

What to have with it

Red bean is a popular topping to add in your drink. It adds a sweet nutty taste that compliments the drink and adds texture.

Ice cream. There’s a popular Filipino dessert (halo halo) that has taro ice cream. You can scoop a cup of vanilla bean, coconut, or your favorite creamy ice cream into a cup of taro milk tea.

Hot pot. This is really a nice pairing with the drink. Especially spicy hot pot, this drink will cool you down when things get spicy.

Greek yogurt. Not really sure how people have this together, but this is a popular recommendation.

Other drinks to try

Thai tea

Fresh milk tea

Ingredients

• Taro powder. You can easily get it online. This brand tastes good. Most of them taste the same.
• Brown sugar syrup, optional
• Oat milk
• Boba

Instructions

1. Add 2 tablespoons of taro powder
2. Add 1 tablespoon sugar, optional
3. Add 1 cup of milk
4. Add boba.
5. Add ice cubes to fill the cup.
6. Top with boba straw and enjoy!