Kitchen Recipe Collection
Taro Milk Tea (with Fresh Taro)
Forget the artificial purple powders. Authentic taro milk tea is made by blending sweet, starchy, freshly steamed taro root with jasmine green tea and milk, creating a thick, earthy, highly textured drink.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Servings
- 2
- Difficulty
- medium
- Cuisine
- Chinese
Ingredients
Scaled for 2 servings
- 250g fresh taro root (large Asian variety, peeled and cubed)
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 cup brewed Jasmine Green Tea (chilled)
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
- Ice cubes
Equipment
- Steamer
- Gloves (for handling raw taro)
- Blender
Instructions
- 1
Steam Taro
Wear gloves to peel and cube the taro. Steam the cubes over boiling water for 15-20 minutes until completely fork-tender.
- 2
Sweeten Taro
While the taro is still hot, transfer it to a bowl and mash it roughly with the 2 tbsp of sugar.
- 3
Prepare Cup Paste
Take about 1/3 of the chunky, sweet mashed taro and smear it around the inside walls of your serving glasses for texture.
- 4
Blend the Rest
Place the remaining 2/3 of the mashed taro into a blender.
- 5
Add Liquids
Add the chilled jasmine green tea, whole milk, and sweetened condensed milk to the blender.
- 6
Blend
Blend on high until smooth and creamy. The color will be a very pale, natural grayish-lavender, not bright purple.
- 7
Serve
Add ice cubes to your prepared glasses. Pour the blended taro milk over the ice.
- 8
Enjoy
Serve with a thick straw to suck up the chunky taro paste you smeared on the glass.
Cooking Tips
- Real taro is not neon purple. If you want a more vibrant color naturally, steam a very small piece of purple sweet potato (ube) alongside the taro and blend them together.
- Using green tea rather than black tea prevents the earthy flavor of the taro from being overpowered.
Variations
- Taro Sago Milk: Add a scoop of cooked, chilled sago (tapioca) pearls to the bottom of the glass before pouring.
Nutrition Estimate
310 calories · 7g protein · 55g carbs · 8g fat · 4g fiber per serving
