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Taro Balls after cooking

How To Make Taro Balls From Scratch

Nothing beats an easy-to-make homemade dessert made from scratch. If you like making each ingredient yourself, try this well-loved Taiwanese dessert staple with taro balls using sliced pumpkin, purple potato, and taro. Add in some tapioca starch for a chewy texture and serve it with sago, sweet syrup, honey bean, mangoes, and milk!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 4
Calories 206 kcal

Equipment

  • Steamer
  • Knife and chopping board
  • Potato masher
  • Mixing bowl
  • Silicone scraper or spatula
  • Dessert bowls
  • Freezer bag for storage

Ingredients
  

Pumpkin balls

  • 100 g pumpkin
  • 35 g tapioca starch
  • 25 g tapioca starch + 30g freshly boiled water

Purple potato balls

  • 100 g purple potato
  • 35 g tapioca starch
  • 25 g tapioca starch + 30g freshly boiled water

Taro balls

  • 100 g taro
  • 35 g tapioca starch
  • 25 g tapioca starch + 30g freshly boiled water

Others

  • Extra tapioca starch for dusting
  • Cold water for rinsing
  • Dessert suggestions: sago honey bean, mango, and milk

Instructions
 

Prepare The Pumpkin, Purple Potato, And Taro

  • Prepare the pumpkin, purple potato, and taro by peeling and slicing them.
  • In a steamer, add water and place the peeled and sliced pumpkin, purple potato, and taro in the steamer basket.
  • Steam for 15 minutes. It should become soft and steamy ready for mashing.

Make Taro Balls

  • Once cooked, make the balls by starting with taro. Mash the taro using a potato masher.
  • Then, add tapioca starch and mix with your hands until it becomes fluffy chunks.
  • In a separate bowl, mix 25g tapioca starch with 30g freshly boiled water to make a sticky dough.
  • Next, combine the sticky dough with the mashed taro and tapioca mixture.This prevents the taro balls from cracking.
  • Check the texture. If it is too sticky, add more starch. Gradually add the starch until you get the right consistency.
  • Knead the dough until you get a smooth consistency.

Make The Pumpkin Balls

  • Make the pumpkin balls by repeating steps 4 to 9 from the taro balls instructions.

Make The Potato Balls

  • Make the purple potato balls by repeating steps 4 to 9 from the taro balls instructions.

Shape The 3 Dough Balls

  • You should have three separate doughs: taro dough, pumpkin dough, and purple potato dough.
  • Next, roll each dough into long cylindrical strips about 1.5 to 2 centimeters in diameter.
  • Then, cut the dough into small dice pieces, making 2cm pieces.
  • Dust a thin layer of tapioca starch to prevent the balls from sticking together. Make sure the starch is spread evenly.
  • Choose the number of taro balls you wish to cook for the dessert and store the extra balls in the freezer in a sealed freezer bag.

Boil The Balls

  • Prepare a pot with water and bring to a boil.
  • Once the water boils, add the taro balls.
  • Gently stir the balls to prevent clumping and sticking to the bottom of the pot.
  • Cook the balls until they float to the top.
  • When all the balls are floating, cook for an additional 2 minutes.
  • Then, rinse the cooked balls in cold water. This is to remove residual starch and clean them.
  • Lastly, serve the balls with sago, honey bean, mango, and milk. Enjoy this sweet treat, either chilled or warm.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 206kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 1gFat: 0.1gSaturated Fat: 0.03gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.03gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.01gSodium: 5mgPotassium: 358mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 2148IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 20mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!