Easy to follow recipe for taro milk tea: all you need to know to make this delicious bubble tea at home.
Taro milk tea is a type of bubble tea made with taro, a root vegetable native to Southeast Asia.
Taro roots have a smooth texture and a sweet taste and their tea is traditionally drank as rich in nutrients and minerals said to help keep in check sugar blood levels.
In recent years, taro milk tea has come to the world stage as one of the the most popular types of bubble teas.
In this article, we are going to share the recipe to make taro milk tea at home and some interesting facts about taro.
Love bubble tea? Then you may also like our recipe for winter melon milk tea
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What is taro?
Taro is a root vegetable commonly found in Southeast Asia, parts of Africa and New Zealand, from where the word ‘taro’ seems to come from.
Taro belongs to the family of araceae and its Latin name is Colocasia esculenta: it is particularly appreciated for its edible roots and is a staple in several African, Oceanic and Asian cultures.
Taro has brown-grey skin and white flesh with tiny purple dots that, when freshly harvested, give its flesh a slight lavender colour.
Is taro milk tea purple?
Taro milk tea sold in tea shops is often purple in colour however, taro tea is not naturally purple.
Despite the presence of small purple bits in its flesh, taro produced a cream coloured drink once processed.
The colour you see in the commercial varieties of taro tea usually comes from food colouring added to taro power or from the addition of purple yam for colouring purposes.
Is taro the same as purple yam?
Because of the light lavender colour of taro products, many confuse taro with purple yam. However, these are two different vegetables.
As the name suggests, purple yam is part of the large family of yams. Taro, on the other end, does not. Purple yam can be used to add colour to taro tea
How to make taro milk tea
There are two ways to make taro milk tea: using fresh taro or with ready-made taro paste. This recipe teaches how to make fresh taro milk tea from scratch.
Ingredients:
- 150g chopped taro
- 3 cups of milk
- 1 tablespoon condensed milk
- Honey (to taste)
- A handful of tapioca chewy balls (if using) + water
- 1 purple yam (if using) for colouring purposes)
Instructions:
- Use a sharp knife to carefully peel the taro. Wash both the taro and the knife under cold running water and then chop the tarp up into small chunks.
- Put the taro cubes into a heat resistant pot, add a little bit of water and bring to the boil.
- Let the taro cook until tender: use a fork to poke it gently every now and then. When you can pierce it easily, your taro is ready! It should take about 20 minutes or so, depending on the size of your chunks.
- While the taro boils, put a second pot on the heath and use it to boil your tapioca balls. Once ready, use a strainer and set aside to cool.
- Once the taro is ready, use a strainer to drain it, run it under cool running water and and set into into a bowl.
- In a milkshake blender, put your cooked taro, milk, condensed milk, honey (if using) and blend until you get a smooth beverage.
To serve:
Take a tall glass and pour in the desired amount of tapioca balls. Pour the taro tea on top, add ice cubes and a large straw and serve.
How to make taro milk tea purple naturally
To turn your taro tea purple you need to add a colouring agent.
The most natural way to to this is to use purple yam paste which you can find in the shop or make yourself by adding chopped purple yam to your taro and cook them together.
How to serve taro milk tea
We love to serve taro milk tea like in tall glassed with tapioca balls at the bottom and a large straw, just like your favorite tea shop!
Taro Milk Tea: Recipe
A deliciously refreshing summer drink with a base of taro and sweet milk
Ingredients
- 150g chopped taro
- 3 cups of milk
- 1 tablespoon condensed milk
- Honey (to taste)
- A handful of tapioca chewy balls (if using) + water
Instructions
Use a sharp knife to carefully peel the taro. Wash both the taro and the knife under cold running water and then chop the tarp up into small chunks.
Put the taro cubes into a heat resistant pot, add a little bit of water and bring to the boil.
Let the taro cook until tender: use a fork to poke it gently every now and then. When you can pierce it easily, your taro is ready! It should take about 20 minutes or so, depending on the size of your chunks.
While the taro boils, put a second pot on the heath and use it to boil your tapioca balls. Once ready, use a strainer and set aside to cool.
Once the taro is ready, use a strainer to drain it, run it under cool running water and and set into into a bowl.
In a milkshake blender, put your cooked taro, milk, condensed milk, honey (if using) and blend until you get a smooth beverage.
To serve: take a tall glass and pour in the desired amount of tapioca balls. Pour the taro tea on top, add ice cubes and a large straw and serve.
Want to discover more about teas? From medicinal favourites for mamas to those perfect gifts for the tea-lover you’ll find all our favourite tea topics over here.