Taiwanese Taro and Sweet Potato Balls Dessert

Make your own Meet Fresh Taro Ball Dessert at home! This classic Taiwanese dessert is delicious and uses only 3 ingredients to make.

LOOKING FOR MORE CHEWY RECIPES? TRY THIS BLACK SESAME MOCHI MUFFINS, MISO TAHINI MOCHI MUFFINS, OR HAWAIIAN BUTTER MOCHI WITH COCONUT MILK.

There’s this beautiful mountain top place in Taiwan called Jiufen. It’s about an hour away from the city I grew up in, and was said to be the village that inspired Miyazaki’s famous movie Spirited Away. Jiufen is filled with narrow alleyways lined up with old charming houses, small food stalls, and tea houses. One of the most famous things to eat in Jiufen is taro and sweet potato balls (芋圓 and 地瓜圓) , which also happened to be one of my favorite desserts. You can have it hot with ginger syrup soup or served cold over shaved ice. You can add any toppings you like, such as red beans, boba, grass jelly, tofu pudding, peanuts, etc. People love these taro and yam balls for their perfect chewy texture – not too soft and not too hard. 

To celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, I bring you this classic homemade Taiwanese dessert. Taro balls require only 3 ingredients (taro, flour, and sugar). The vibrant colors come naturally from taro, sweet potato, and purple potato. No food coloring, preservative, or added chemicals. You can indulge without feeling guilty! They provide a chewy taste that is lightly sweet and easily customized with many other ingredients. Drizzle with sweet condensed milk and/or brown sugar ginger syrup and this dessert will satisfy every sugar craving. I hope you like this dessert as much as I do!

HOW TO MAKE TARO BALLS

STEAM

1. Cut taro and potatoes into slices or small cubes and then steam for 20-25 minutes until soft. You should be able to poke the root vegetables with a fork without resistance.
2. Prepare 3 clean bowls, one for taro, one for sweet potato, and one for purple potato. Once the vegetables are tender, divide and transfer them to their designated bowls.
3. Smash taro with a fork. Then add sugar and tapioca flour and mix.

SHAPE

Keep mixing and knead to form a soft ball. If it is too crumbly, add water as needed. Only at 1 tsp of water at a time, you want to prevent adding too much moisture. Sweet potato has a lot of moisture, so you shouldn’t have to add water to sweet potato.

Shape dough into ball shape. Then use your palms and roll the ball into log shape. Cute into small dices. Dust it with more tapioca flour to avoid them from sticking together.

Repeat with Sweet Potato and Purple potato dough.

BOIL

Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Gently add taro and potato balls into the boiling water. Cook until they float to the top, about 5 minutes. Then transfer the cooked balls to a bowl of iced water. Set aside while you prepare the other toppings.

TOPPINGS

Toppings you can add:

• Adzuki Red Beans
• Grass Jelly
• Tofu Puddings
• Green Beans
• Peanus
• Taro Root Chunks
• Boba
• Lychee Jelly

BROWN SUGAR GINGER SYRUP

In a small pot, combine 5 tbsp of water, 5 tbsp of dark brown sugar, and 3 slices of fresh ginger. Bring the syrup into a boil and cook until it becomes slightly thickens. Remove from heat and let is cool to room temperature.

To make brown sugar syrup, I follow a 1:1 ratio. If you want to make more syrup, just add equal amount of water and brown sugar. Syrup can be stored in the fridge for later use.

SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK

To add sweetness to the dessert, I like to drizzle sweetened condensed milk on top. You can also add some milk or heavy cream, or just leave it as is!

ASSEMBLY

To serve this classic Taiwanese dessert, first add ice too the bottom of a big bowl. Then layer taro balls and all your other toppings. Drizzle with brown sugar ginger syrup and sweetened condense milk. Enjoy!

If you make this recipe, please leave a comment below and let me know what you think. Make sure you also tag me @onehappybite on Instagram and hashtag it #onehappybite so I can see your creations!

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