Vegan Taro Milk Tea with Boba

Total time1 hr

Prep time20 min

Cook time30 min

Chewy, sugar-glazed boba pearls settle at the bottom of the glass while a silky, vividly purple taro blend gets poured right over a mountain of ice. Cooked-from-scratch taro brings that signature earthy sweetness and gorgeous color, mellowed with brewed black tea and a touch of vanilla for depth. This is real bubble-tea-shop texture made at home — tender, no-hard-center pearls and a smooth, sippable base with zero fibrous bits after blending. Grab a wide straw and you've got a genuinely satisfying, café-worthy drink that fits neatly into a vegan lineup. It's an easy make-ahead treat for hot afternoons, and it easily doubles if you're pouring for friends.

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Ingredients

2 servings

For the boba

½ cup dried tapioca pearls (boba)
Reese Tapioca Pearl Small - 8 Oz Bob's Red Mill Small Pearl Tapioca Reese Large Pearl Tapioca
Jade Leaf Large Tapioca Pearl
Summit Tapioca Pearl
See all
4 cups water
3 tbsp brown sugar

For the taro milk tea

1 cup taro, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 ½ cups whole milk
Chef's tip
Use plain, unsweetened oat milk, measured 1:1. It works well in drinks, batters, sauces, and soups; avoid it where milk sets the texture, like custards, puddings, and frozen desserts.
½ cup brewed black tea, cooled
3 tbsp sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract (optional)

For serving

2 cups ice

Instructions

1
Bring 4 cups of water to a rolling boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the dried tapioca pearls and stir immediately to prevent sticking. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pearls float to the surface and are tender all the way through with no hard white center, about 15–20 minutes (check by pressing one between your fingers — it should give with no resistance).
2
Drain the cooked pearls through a fine-mesh strainer and rinse briefly under warm water. Transfer to a small bowl and toss with the brown sugar while still warm, stirring until the sugar dissolves into a thin syrup that coats the pearls. Set aside.

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