Boba Pearls Recipe

Have you ever tried Boba Tea (also called Bubble Tea)? There are all sorts of flavors and variations, but basically it’s a sweet tea, smoothie, or latte that contains boba pearls (tapioca balls) you drink along with your beverage. It tastes like a sweet gummy candy in your drink.

Boba pearls are kind of like small, gummy candies that are made of tapioca starch. Today, I’m going to share my fool-proof method for preparing boba pearls—it’s super simple.

Related: Taro Milk Tea, Brown Sugar Boba, Easy Tea Bomb Recipe and Boba Popsicles .

What is Bubble Tea?

Boba Tea originated in the 1980s and became popular in Taiwan, Hong Kong and many cities across Asia. Today is is popular around the world. I think most people either end up loving it or hating it. It’s always fun to try new things!

Bubble Tea is an iced tea drink that comes in a variety of flavors including milk teas, fruit teas and even coffees. The most technical part is preparing the boba pearls, which I will teach you to do in this recipe. After that we’ll share ways to prepare different flavored drinks and customize it to your taste.

We used to serve boba tea at the our little boutique’s sweet shop many years ago, so I’ve prepared the pearls lots of times. When I was first learning to prepare boba, I found some information online to be very helpful and some not so helpful. I’ve also noticed that when I buy boba pearls sometimes the instructions on the package will vary a great deal depending on the brand (and sometimes I am unable to read it if there is not an English version).

How to prepare Boba Pearls

1. Start with 2 cups of boba pearls, around 10 ounces. There’s lots of places to buy these online (and locally at Asian supermarkets).

Boba can only be prepared up to 24 hours in advance, although it is best when served within 12 hours of making the pearls. So only make as much as you’ll consume. Two cups is plenty for a small get-together— about 6-7 drinks.

2. Fill a large pot (the boba needs to be able to move around so they don’t stick together) about 1/2 to 2/3 full of water. Bring the water to a boil.

Give it a stir and pour the boba pearls in. They should float to the surface within the first 30-45 seconds. If they don’t float you may have a bad batch or you may not have allowed the water to boil all the way before adding the boba.

3. Allow the boba to cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring every so often.

4. Remove the pot from the heat and place a lid on top. Allow the boba to cook covered for an additional 2-3 minutes.

5. Strain the boba from the water and pour into a bowl/container. Add just enough cold water to cover the pearls. Stir in 1/4 cup brown sugar to sweeten the boba. Allow to cool before using. The boba should be at room temperature before serving.

When you are ready to use your boba pearls simply use a slotted spoon to remove them from their storage liquid and add to whatever drink you are making.

How to store Boba Pearls

If you don’t need to use the boba pearls for more 12 hours, cover the container and refrigerate. The pearls will stick together some the longer they sit in the syrup, so give them a good stir before adding to drinks to help them unstick.

We recommend making the pearls the same day as you are serving drinks if possible.

Bubble Tea Supplies

Bubble tea shops have special machines that seal the top of plastic cups with plastic film. Since you won’t have a machine like this at home (and less plastic is always better) we’ll teach you the best supplies for a homemade bubble tea.

Bubble Tea Straws– Due to the boba pearls you need straws that are larger than a standard size. Boba straws are easy to find online. We recommend reusable glass boba straws if you think you will be making this recipe often.

Glassware & Cups– I like to serve them in tall skinnier glasses but you can do whatever glass you like. If you want something portable- here’s a reusable boba cup that’s perfect for travel.

Instant Boba Kit– They also have instant versions of boba tea that come with the milk tea as well if you want to try those out for when you want a drink quickly.

Flavored Bubble Tea

• Teas– You can use black tea, green tea, jasmine tea or flavored tea as the base for your bubble tea recipe. We love to begin with a base of strong tea that you can dilute with water, ice, milk and sweeteners.
• Milk– To make a milk tea, simply add dairy (or non-dairy milk) to any tea or coffee drink. If you want to make a creamy bubble tea, add a splash of whole milk, heavy cream or a dairy-free milk (such as soy milk or oat milk) to your mixture.
• Sweeteners– You can sweeten your tea with simple syrup, honey syrup or a flavored syrup. I love to make my own syrups at home and there are many flavors available to purchase as well. You may also use fruit juices to add sweetness and flavor to your bubble tea.
• Boba Pearls– We learned to prepare boba pearls above. Additionally- there are other varieties you can purchase. Popping pearls are flavored and full of liquid you pop in your mouth. These are a different texture than tapioca pearls and make a fun addition to the traditional pearls.
• Ice– You will also add ice to your bubble tea.

Now that you know the basic elements needed to make a bubble tea, let’s explore some of the most popular flavors.

• Strawberry Bubble Tea– With a base of green tea or herbal tea and the addition of strawberry syrup, tapioca pearls and ice you will have a delicious Strawberry flavored bubble tea. We recommend starting off with one tablespoon of syrup and going to two tablespoons if you want a sweeter drink. To turn this into a creamy tea, simply add a splash of heavy cream to the top of your drink and stir.
• Passion Fruit Bubble Tea– With a base of green tea or herbal tea and the addition of passionfruit syrup, tapioca pearls and ice you will have a delicious Passionfruit flavored bubble tea. We recommend starting off with one tablespoon of syrup and going to two tablespoons if you want a sweeter drink. To turn this into a creamy tea, simply add a splash of heavy cream to the top of your drink and stir.
• Honeydew Bubble Tea– With a base of green tea or herbal tea and the addition of honeydew syrup, tapioca pearls and ice you will have a delicious Honeydew melon flavored bubble tea. We recommend starting off with one tablespoon of syrup and going to two tablespoons if you want a sweeter drink. To turn this into a creamy tea, simply add a splash of heavy cream to the top of your drink and stir.
• Mango Bubble Tea– With a base of green tea or herbal tea and the addition of passionfruit syrup, tapioca pearls and ice you will have a delicious mango flavored bubble tea. We recommend starting off with one tablespoon of syrup and going to two tablespoons if you want a sweeter drink. To turn this into a creamy tea, simply add a splash of heavy cream to the top of your drink and stir.
• Milk Tea– Beginning with a base of black tea boba pearls, ice and simple syrup to sweeten (begin with one tablespoon and use up to two tablespoons if needed). You can also make brown sugar simple syrup simply by swapping white for brown sugar in our simple syrup recipe.

Let us know if you have any questions! We’d love to hear about your experiences making boba pearls and bubble tea at home.

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Ingredients

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 cups boba pearls
• ▢ ¼ cup sugar (brown)
• ▢ water

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

• Fill a large pot (the boba needs to be able to move around so they don’t stick together) about 1/2 to 2/3 full of water. Bring the water to a boil. Give it a stir and pour the boba pearls in.

  They should float to the surface within the first 30-45 seconds. If they don’t float you may have a bad batch or you may not have allowed the water to boil all the way before adding the boba.
• Allow the boba to cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring every so often.
• Remove the pot from the heat and place a lid on top. Allow the boba to cook covered for an additional 2-3 minutes.
• Strain the boba from the water and pour into a bowl/container. Add just enough cold water to cover the pearls. Stir in 1/4 cup brown sugar to sweeten the boba. Allow to cool before adding to drinks.

Notes

If you don’t need to use the boba pearls for more 12 hours, cover the container and refrigerate. The pearls will stick together some the longer they sit in the syrup, so give them a good stir before adding to drinks to help them unstick.

Boba can only be prepared up to 24 hours in advance, although it is best when served within 12 hours of making the pearls— so only make as much as you’ll consume.

© Author Emma Chapman

Course Drinks

Keywords boba, boba tea