Making bubble tea (Boba) at home is easy! This recipe introduces three popular versions, as well as tips on sourcing and cooking tapioca pearls, sweetener options, vegan alternatives, etc.
Originating from Taiwan, bubble tea is a popular tea-based, milk-flavoured, sweet, non-alcoholic drink. What makes it special is the bouncy, chewy tapioca balls (known as boba or pearls) in the drink that offers another interesting dimension in texture.
Its original Chinese name Zhen Zhu Nai Cha (珍珠奶茶) literally means pearl milk tea. Bo Ba Nai Cha (波霸奶茶), translated into bubble tea, Boba tea or simply Boba, is a more popular name nowadays.
With different ingredient combinations and ratios, bubble tea can be created in many different ways. In today’s post, I’m introducing three of my favourites: the classic version, the brown sugar version and the matcha version.
Why homemade?
Love bubble tea but never thought of making it yourself? Here are my reasons why you should give the homemade version a try:
- It’s much cheaper.
- It’s super easy to make.
- You can enjoy it anytime you wish (before and after shop opening time).
- The sugar level can be adjusted (I often find shop-bought ones too sweet).
Use Instant tapioca pearls
Made of tapioca starch and sugar, the bouncy, chewy, slippery balls are the soul of bubble tea. As the popularity of this drink grows, it has become quite easy to source tapioca pearls (known as Fen Yuan/粉圆 in Chinese) nowadays. You can find them in most Chinese/ Asian stores, as well as online shopping platforms, such as Amazon.
Tapioca pearls come in different sizes and colours. What I use for this recipe are large, black ones that have a hint of brown sugar flavour (see image above).
The great thing about these ones is that they’re “instant”: the cooking time required is just a few minutes! The traditional type, on the other hand, needs about 1 hour to cook. So I suggest you look for the package that says “instant (快煮)”, “Ready in 5 mins”, etc.
The cooking procedure
Here is the simple procedure to cook instant tapioca pearls:
- Bring a pot of water to a full boil then add the pearls. It’s very important that you don’t add them until the boiling point. Otherwise, they’ll disintegrate.
- Cover with a lid and leave to cook over medium heat for 3 mins.
- Turn off the heat and leave the pearls to sit in the pot for a further 3 mins (always have the lid on).
- Once time is up, transfer the pearls to a large bowl filled with cold water to cool. Drain well then they’re ready to be added to your drinks.
Make in advance
If you’re not using these cooked pearls straight away, mix them with a little syrup or honey to prevent sticking. Don’t put them into the fridge as they tend to harden in a cold environment.
Also, for the best texture, it’s recommended that you keep cooked pearls no longer than 4 hours as the bounciness of the pearls diminishes over time.
Option 1: Classic Bubble Tea
The classic version of bubble tea consists of tapioca pearls, black tea, milk and a sweetener. Use any blend of black tea of your choice (loose-leaf or in bags) and feel free to increase the quantity if you prefer a stronger taste.
- Brew the tea in hot water then leave to cool naturally. Chill in the fridge if you wish.
- While waiting, cook the tapioca pearls following the instructions explained above. Then put them into a serving glass.
- Pour in the cooled tea, the sweetener and top with milk (or single cream for a richer taste).
Option 2: Brown Sugar Bubble Tea
Brown sugar bubble tea (aka black sugar bubble tea, 黑糖珍珠奶茶) is increasingly popular in recent years thanks to its unique marble look and nice caramel taste.
To create the marble stains on the glass, you’ll need to cook a rich brown sugar syrup.
- Add dark brown sugar and cooked tapioca pearls to a pan. Cook over low heat until the sugar turns into a sticky, foamy syrup.
- Transfer the syrup and pearls to a serving glass. Tilt the glass to move the pearls around. They’ll leave traces of brown stains on the inner wall of the glass.
For this version, I choose to use hot milk, instead of hot water, to brew the black tea. It tastes richer thus pairs well with the brown sugar syrup. That said, please feel free to use the normal tea with a little milk.
Option 3: Matcha Bubble Tea
A type of ground green tea originated from Japan, matcha offers a slightly sweet, earthy and refreshing flavour. Loving all things matcha, I wouldn’t miss the opportunity to make a glass of matcha bubble tea.
- Firstly, mix sifted matcha powder with a little hot water to produce a smooth paste (I use a traditional matcha whisker in the image above).
- Then pour in cold milk and mix well. Assemble the drink in the usual way.
How to sweeten the tea
As I mentioned earlier, you have control over the sweetness of your homemade bubble tea. That’s why I don’t include a precise quantity of the sweetener in the recipe card below. Here are my suggestions on what to use:
- Obviously, the brown sugar bubble tea is sweetened by the brown sugar syrup that stains the glass.
- For the classic version, you may use any type of sweetener. If using sugar or honey, make sure you add it when the tea is still hot.
- For the matcha version, I recommend you use syrup as it dissolves easily in cold liquid whereas sugar and honey don’t.
Make a simple syrup
If you don’t have ready-made syrup to hand, make some with sugar and water.
- Add 1 part of water and 1 part of sugar (white, light brown or dark brown) to a saucepan. Heat up over low heat until the sugar dissolves completely (do not boil).
- Leave to cool naturally then transfer to a clean, dry bottle/jar. Store in the fridge for up to 1 month.
Serve the drinks
Hooray! You’ve made your own bubble tea. Drop a few cubes of ice if you like it chilled, or drink it as it is (I personally prefer it with a little or no ice since I don’t fancy a diluted tea).
Have you got some wide straws for sucking up the tapioca pearls? I purchased some reusable ones made of stainless steel. They’re very handy (dishwasher-safe) and eco-friendly. A long-handled spoon would help to scoop out the pearls too.
Make it vegan
I usually make my bubble tea with full-fat or semi-skimmed cow’s milk but I’ve tried some vegan options. I find almond milk and soy milk are good alternatives. I like them particularly for matcha bubble tea as their nutty tone goes very well with the taste of matcha.
More sweet treats
Looking for more tasty sweet recipes? Check out these popular ones:
Bubble Tea Three Ways (Boba Tea, 珍珠奶茶)
Ingredients
For the bubbles/boba (3 portions)
- ¾ cup instant tapioca pearls - about 120g (see note 1)
For the classic version
- ½ tablespoon loose-leaf black tea, or 1 black tea bag
- 1 cup hot water - about 240ml
- Cow’s milk, or almond/soy milk - to taste
- Sweetener of your choice - to taste (see note 2 & 4)
- Ice cubes - optional
For the brown sugar version
- 1 cup cow’s milk, or almond/soy milk - about 240ml
- ½ tablespoon loose-leaf black tea, or 1 black tea bag
- 2 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- Ice cubes - optional
For the matcha version
- 1 teaspoon matcha powder
- 1 tablespoon hot water
- 1 cup cow’s milk, or almond/soy milk - about 240ml
- Sweetener of your choice - to taste (see note 3 & 4)
- Ice cubes - optional
Instructions
Cook the Tapioca Pearls
- Bring a pot of water to a full boil. Add instant tapioca pearls. Once they come up to the surface, cover with a lid and leave to boil for 3 mins over medium heat.
- Turn off the heat. Leave to sit for a further 3 mins (still with the lid on).
- Transfer the pearls into a bowl filled with cold water. Drain well once cooled.
- If not using the pearls straight away, mix them with a little syrup or honey to prevent sticking. Store at room temperature for no longer than 4 hours (do not refrigerate).
The Classic Version
- Prepare the tea by steeping loose-leaf black tea (or the tea bag) in hot water. Leave to cool naturally.
- Put the cooked pearls in a serving glass. Remove tea leaves (or the tea bag) then pour the cooled tea into the glass. Add sweetener of your choice, milk and ice cubes if using. Stir well and serve.
The Brown Sugar Version
- Heat up milk on the hob until small bubbles appear (do not boil). You may also heat it in a microwave for 2 mins.
- Add the tea. Leave to steep and cool naturally.
- Put dark brown sugar into a pan. Add drained pearls. Cook over low heat until the sugar turns into thick, foamy syrup.
- Spoon the pearls, along with the syrup, into a serving glass. Tilt the glass to move the pearls allowing the syrup to stain the glass. Pour in the cooled milk tea. Add ice cubes if using. Stir then serve.
The Matcha Version
- Sift matcha tea powder then add hot water. Whisk to achieve a smooth paste. Pour in milk and stir well.
- Put the cooked tapioca pearls into a serving glass. Pour in the matcha milk tea, sweetener and ice cubes if using. Mix well and serve.
NOTES
NUTRITION DISCLOSURE: Nutritional information on this website is provided as a courtesy to readers. It should be considered estimates. Please use your own brand nutritional values or your preferred nutrition calculator to double check against our estimates.
It’s really tasty, I loved it !!!
Thx so much for the great recipes.
😍🙏🏼👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
You’re welcome Tutfa! Glad you enjoyed it.