A sweet, rich, and frothy purple drink made with a tea base, this Boba Milkshake is flavored with taro, sweeteners, milk, and tapioca pearls. Satisfy your milkshake boba cravings and get the creamy thick boba shop quality in 30 minutes. Treat yourself from the comfort of your home!
Here I make use of ready made boba chosen from the boba kits and then you just need to cook them to your liking.

Yields: 2 portion
Prep Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 10 mins Total: 15 mins
What is a Taro Boba Milkshake?
We start with a tea base using loose leaf teas. Then we add the taro root or taro powder to give its particularly sweet taste and its purple color and optionally add sweeteners. Since this is a Milk Team we add a creamy component which can be any milk of your choice dairy or plant-based.
Now it’s time to shake it to create the froth with bubbles on the top. However, the real fun of the bubble tea comes from the boba – the chewy scoop of sweetened tapioca pearls that are added at the bottom of the cup and the chewy contrast to the drink. The tapioca pearls are made from the cassava root, and after being boiled they’re sweetened with brown sugar and honey.

What is the difference between milk tea and bubble tea?
Bubble tea is also a milk tea but it has small tapioca balls included in the drink. Because of this milk tea and bubble tea may taste nothing alike.
Bubble tea (Boba Milkshake) is like no other drink. In fact, this drink is quite a recent invention created in Taiwan just a few decades ago. A Taiwanese tea stand decided to add tapioca pearls to their frothy tea creating a unique and tasty drink making it a fast-growing drink not only in Asia but around the globe.
The pearls in the bubble tea offer a sort of “break” in the drink’s texture adding a fun element to the drink. The fat straw is a must-have with such a drink in order to sip up the balls through the straw.
Blending some ice, especially in summer adds that ultra-refreshing sensation.
What do you use to make Taro Boba Milkshake?
Making the bubble tea helps us be in complete control of the final result. Preparing the tapioca pearls to add that extra freshness that can only be felt if you try this drink homemade.
Tapioca Pearls (Boba)
- Tapioca pearls
- Water
- Liquid sugar: To make liquid sugar from scratch combine a cup of white granulated sugar with a cup of water. Then bring to boil and leave it boiling for about 4-5 minutes until the consistency becomes thick. Let it chill in a fridge and use it anytime to add sweetness.
Taro Smoothie
- Taro powder
- Milk: Dairy or Plant-based
- Green Tea: Brewed green tea
- Condensed Milk
- Whipped Cream
How to make Taro Bubble Tea Milkshake
STEP 1 – Cook the Boba
- Boil 2 cups of water in a pot and add the tapioca pearls.
- Boil for 10 minutes, reducing the heat to medium-low, and stir gently.
- Check back and reduce the heat to low, and gently simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat.
- Let pearls sit for 10 minutes, and transfer into a container of liquid sugar to chill.
STEP 2 – Prepare the Boba Milkshake
- In a blender, combine the taro powder, milk, strongly brewed tea, ice, and condensed milk.
- Shake around to mix and blend for about 20-30 seconds until the ice is blended in.
- Adjust sweetness with liquid sugar.
- In a cup, insert tapioca, taro smoothie, whipped cream, and some taro powder for decoration. Serve right away.

Taro Boba Milkshake
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 1 person 1x
Ingredients
Tapioca pearls
- 80 grams tapioca pearls
- 2 cups water
- liquid sugar
Taro smoothie
- 3 tbsp taro powder
- 1 cup milk can be substituted with almond or soy milk
- 1/2 cup green tea strongly brewed
- 1/2 cup ice
- 1 tbsp condensed milk
- whipped cream (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium pot, insert 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Insert tapioca pearls, and reduce the heat to medium-low and stir gently. Boil for 10 minutes. Check back and reduce the heat to low, and gently simmer for another 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Let pearls sit for 10 minutes, and transfer into a container of liquid sugar to chill.
- In a blender, combine taro powder, milk, strongly brewed tea, ice, and condensed milk. Shake around to mix and blend for about 20-30 seconds until the ice is blended in. Adjust sweetness with liquid sugar.
- In a cup, insert tapioca, taro smoothie, whipped cream and some taro powder for decoration. Serve right away.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Drinks
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Taiwan
Keywords: boba, boba milkshake, boba tea, bubble tea, milk tea, milkshake, smoothie, taro