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Boba Milk Tea, also known as Bubble tea, is a drink born in Taiwan in the 1980s. The drink gets its name from the gelatinous balls made from Tapioca flour from the Cassava root. The starch from these root vegetables is made into a dough, shaped into balls, boiled, and soaked in simple sugar syrup. The drink is then assembled with a bottom layer of boba balls or pearls in syrup, milk, and then traditionally Black tea to top it off. They then used an oversized straw to stir the mixture together before taking a sip and enjoying the tea while you munch on the chewy balls. The Taiwanese phrase 'Q' refers to the gummy, chewy texture of the balls. Thanks to Travel and Food influencers before Bubble tea took over social media. It has been a staple in Taiwanese communities worldwide. This recipe is for the curious food adventurer who is willing to try something new or recreate something they had on their own travel experiences. We will also share how to make different Boba Drink variations for more options.
What is the difference between boba tea and milk tea?
Milk tea is simply brewed black tea with milk inside, whereas boba tea is milk tea with tapioca pearls and simple syrup added to it.
What's the best boba flavor?
There are so many flavors of boba, ranging from green tea, rose tea, passion fruit, honeydew, chocolate, strawberry, coffee, coconut and the list goes on. You'll have to try them all to see which one is your favorite flavor.
Can kids drink boba?
Yes, kids can drink boba. It's best to choose a flavor without caffeine like strawberry or taro for kids.
Is boba good for weight loss?
Boba is good for a sweet treat every once in a while, due to its high sugar content as well as over 250 calories per serving. You could substitute the sugar with a sugar alternative or have it unsweetened to save on the calories making this a healthier choice.
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
60 mins
Serves
4
Ingredients
Boba Pearls
- 90 grams Tapioca Flour
- 50 grams Muscovado Sugar
- 200 ml Water
- Extra Tapioca Flour for kneading and shaping into pearls
- Extra Water for boiling and ice water for cooling Boba Pearls
Simple Syrup
- 100 grams Muscovado Sugar
- 100 ml Water
- 1/4 teaspoon Tapioca Flour
Instructions
Boba Pearls
Prepare a clean workstation and dust with the extra tapioca flour set aside for kneading and shaping into pearls.
Into the deep nonstick skillet, mix the water and sugar with the spatula until completely dissolved.
Add the tapioca flour to the sugar-water mixture and stir until completely dissolved.
Place the pan on very low heat and stir continuously until the mixture begins to thicken. It will take some time, so be patient. The low and slow methods will be to your benefit as the ingredients come together.
Once the mixture starts to pull away from the pan and thicken into a gooey gummy, sticky paste-like dough, remove from the heat and scrape onto your dusted work surface.
Knead until the dough is soft and round, then section into quarters: one for working with while the other three quarters are stored in a ziplock bag or covered in plastic wrap to stay moist.
Roll the dough out into snakes. Then cut, roll into 8-9 mm sized pearls, and place into the bowl of extra tapioca flour. Periodically toss the pearls around in the flour to coat them and prevent them from sticking together.
Once you have finished making all the pearls, you can continue the boba cooking and syrup making or place them into a freezer-safe bag and store them in the freezer until ready to make the final boba tea.
Boba Cooking
Using a 2-3 quart saucepan, fill 3/4 of the way with water and bring to a rolling boil.
Place the boba pearls into the water and lightly toss with the slotted spoon to prevent them from clumping and sticking together.
Once the balls float to the surface, turn the heat down to a low simmer and continue to cook for 15 minutes.
After simmering, remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let the pearls rest in hot water for another 15 minutes.
Using the slotted spoon, remove the pearls from the hot water and place them into the bowl of ice water.
Toss the pearls around in the cold water mixture to break up any clumps and allow them to rest in the cold water until ready to add to the simple syrup.
Simple Syrup
Into a saucepan, add the water and sugar and mix until completely dissolved.
Add the 1/4 teaspoon of tapioca flour and stir to dissolve.
Place the saucepan onto a medium to high heat and stir continuously until the mixture becomes a thick syrup-like texture before turning the heat down to low.
Using the slotted spoon, remove the pearls from the ice bath and place them into the simple syrup, stirring to combine on a low heat for 3-5 minutes.
When the pearls are coated in the syrup, and the texture is smooth and slightly thick, remove from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes.
Boba Tea Assembly
Take a scoop of cool Boba Pearls and syrup and place it into the bottom of the 20 oz glass. Then, swirl the glass to coat the lower 2/3 of the glass with the syrup for that photo-op moment.
Add the 8 oz of milk and then top with the 8 oz of Black Tea. Take your social media pictures at this time, so you can show the layers of Boba Pearls, Milk, and Tea.
Use your straw to stir all the ingredients together in the glass before sipping and munching your Boba Tea. Be careful when sucking the pearls through the straw as they could fly out and become a choking hazard.
Boba Drink Variations
Exchange the muscovado sugar with white granulated sugar.
Exchange water with fruit juice or flavored tea.
Be creative and use your imagination: Guava-flavored Boba Pearls with pineapple juice for a guava pine bubble Juice. Mint flavored Boba Pearls with lemon juice for a bubble mint lemonade. Use the Boba Pearls as a garnish or toppings for other desserts.
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