Classic Boba Tea Recipe (Homemade Bubble Tea 5 Ways)

tapioca pearls

🥗Healthier: grass jelly

💰Cheaper: sago

Grass jelly offers a lower-calorie option with a similar texture.

milk

🥗Healthier: almond milk

💰Cheaper: evaporated milk

Almond milk reduces calories and is lactose-free.

flavoring syrup

🥗Healthier: honey

💰Cheaper: simple syrup

Honey provides natural sweetness with fewer additives.

cream

🥗Healthier: coconut cream

💰Cheaper: whipped topping

Coconut cream adds richness while being dairy-free.

Boil brown sugar with water until it starts to bubble.

Turn off the heat and add tapioca starch in small increments while continuously mixing until it becomes a tacky dough.

Spread starch on a flat surface and knead the dough while it's still warm.

Roll the dough out and cut it into small cubes, then roll them into ball shapes.

Coat the balls in tapioca starch and set aside.

Put the handmade tapioca pearls into boiling water and cook under medium high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, then for another 5 minutes under low heat.

Take the tapioca pearls out of the water and place them in an ice bath for 1 to 2 minutes.

To make brown sugar Boba, mix cooked pearls with brown sugar syrup and set aside.

For the classic bubble tea, brew a mix of Assam, Ceylon, and Oolong tea in hot water for 15 minutes.

Remove the tea leaves and let the mixture cool down.

Mix in simple syrup and milk once the tea is cool.

In a glass, add cooked tapioca pearls, ice, and the brewed tea mixture, then top with more pearls.

For matcha bubble tea, whisk matcha with hot water until foamy, then add brown sugar Boba, ice, and milk, and pour matcha on top.

For Taro milk tea, mix Taro milk tea powder with water or milk, then add tapioca pearls, ice, and the Taro mixture.

For Korean strawberry milk tea, blend fresh strawberries with simple syrup or sugar, then add tapioca pearls to a glass, followed by strawberry puree, ice, and milk, topping with more strawberries.

For mango Boba, brew green tea, blend fresh chopped mango, and assemble with tapioca pearls, ice, and milk, topping with fresh mango and mango tapioca pearls.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens