Polydish city guide
Best Taro ball in San Francisco
“Mashed taro mixed with water and starch. Crystal purple or grey. Served hot or icy.”
What the real thing tastes like
Taro ball (Chinese: 芋圓; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ō͘-îⁿ) is a traditional Taiwanese cuisine dessert made of taro. It can be found in almost every part of Taiwan and other parts of the world selling Taiwanese desserts, among which Jiufen's taro ball is said to be the most famous. The taro balls can be made by mixing mashed taro with water and sweet potato flour or potato flour, making the taro balls more springy or softer respectively. The colour of mashed taro makes the dessert appear crystal purple or grey. The mashed taro can be replaced by mashed sweet potato or ground mung bean and becomes the yellow sweet potato ball (地瓜圓) or the green mung bean ball (綠豆圓). The dessert can be served with syrup either icy or hot. It is also very common to use taro balls and sweet potato balls to top other Taiwanese desserts like douhua or tshuah-ping.
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Taro ball is a Taiwanese dessert that starts with the simplest equation: mashed taro mixed with water and starch. Sweet potato flour makes them springy; potato flour keeps them tender. The mashed taro gives the finished ball its signature crystal purple or grey hue. Served hot or icy in syrup, or scattered across other Taiwanese sweets like douhua and shaved ice, taro balls are the foundation of Taiwan's dessert landscape—and Jiufen's version is where people come seeking the real thing.
Order it here when it has
- versatile (works in syrups or as topping)
- regionally famous (especially Jiufen)
- customizable texture
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