Luodong Stuffed Tapioca Balls (Baoxin Fenyuan) | Yilan Signature Dish

In the dessert section of Luodong Night Market there is always a stall with a queue selling what looks like oversized tapioca balls. Break one open and instead of just a chewy shell, you find a thick, smooth red bean filling inside — that is baoxin fenyuan, a dessert invented right here in Luodong. In winter it floats in ginger-longan syrup; in summer it is served over shaved ice. It is the sweet soup Yilan people have grown up eating.

What are Baoxin Fenyuan?

Baoxin fenyuan are large tapioca balls with a filling sealed inside. The most classic version uses red bean; peanut and sesame flavors were developed later. The outer skin is hand-rolled from sweet potato starch and becomes springy and chewy after cooking. The filling is smooth and sweet, and the textural contrast between the outside and inside when you bite through is precisely what sets this apart from ordinary tapioca pearls. Common serving styles are over shaved ice or in ginger-longan hot soup — good either cold or warm.

Public records indicate that baoxin fenyuan originated at Luodong Night Market, with the first version stuffing red bean paste into a tapioca ball created by a vendor around 1990. The dish gradually became one of Yilan's signature desserts. Jing Yuan Baoxin Fenyuan, which has maintained the original stall location in the night market, is the recognized founding representative; several spin-off shops have since appeared nearby and across the county (locally known by names such as Wei Jie and others). This is a Yilan-born dessert category that has since spread across Taiwan.

How to eat it like a local

🧊

Cold version in summerIn hot weather, the iced version is the top recommendation — chewy tapioca, smooth red bean, cold shaved ice all in one refreshing bowl.

♨️

Hot ginger soup in winterOn cold days, switch to the hot soup version. Common bases include ginger-longan or brown sugar syrup — warming on the inside and in your hands.

🥄

Eat each ball wholeBaoxin fenyuan must be bitten whole to experience the outer chewiness and inner smoothness simultaneously. Don't cut them in half with a spoon — the texture collapses.

🛍️

Keep them separate for takeawayWhen taking them away, ask for the balls and the liquid packaged separately to prevent the tapioca from absorbing too much syrup and going mushy. Combine at home for better texture.

Local knowledge

Verified sources (sponsored content filtered out)

Baoxin fenyuan originated at Luodong Night Market, created around 1990, and is a Yilan-native dessert.
Jing Yuan Baoxin Fenyuan has held the original night market stall location and has long been included on the Luodong Night Market's official recommended list.
Yilan County and Luodong Township tourism materials both list baoxin fenyuan as a must-eat dessert at Luodong Night Market.

Visitor tips

Baoxin fenyuan already contains sugar; ask the vendor to reduce the syrup sweetness to suit your preference.
Tapioca balls left sitting in the cold bowl will keep absorbing liquid and turn soft. Once you have your bowl, start eating rather than photographing first.
Queues run longer on weekend evenings. Weekday afternoon visits tend to be more relaxed and easier to find a seat.

Information compiled from the Yilan County Government's Bureau of Commerce and Tourism, local township farmers' associations, and large-scale public reviews. Sponsored listings have been filtered out. Photos will be replaced with channel-exclusive footage after Dio's on-site shoot.

🗺️ View on the map ← All Yilan dishes