How Many Milk Teas Does This Make
You should have enough liquid to make at least four milk teas with ice and tapioca pearls in the glass. If youre trying to make enough of the Instant Pot Boba for a small gathering, you can double the recipe. You can follow this Tapioca Pearl Boba recipe, here.
If you are a fan of tea already, you will definitely love this boba tea. Its a sweet and refreshing drink with chewy sweet balls of tapioca. If you liked how easy it was to make in the Instant Pot, please share your success stories in the comments, below!
- · 1 cup of wufu yuan black tapioca pearls
- · 1/2 cup of brown sugar
- · 2 cups of water
- · 8 earl grey tea bags
- · 4 cups of water
- · 3/4 cup of milk
What Are Tapioca Pearls
These boba tapioca pearls are small, chewy dark brown/black balls that get spooned into the bottom of the bubble teas and made using tapioca starch from the cassava root, brown sugar and hot water. Along with these boba pearls, drinks can also include popping boba , different jellies, puddings and more.
Let me know in the comments if youd like me to do DIYs for other boba milk tea toppings too!
Within this post, Im going to take you through a simple DIY for how to make tapioca pearls, including how to cook tapioca pearls and then even a simple bubble milk tea recipe.
How To Make Tapioca Pearls Aka Boba Pearls
Making and using these boba pearls requires two techniques. First, you have to make the tapioca pearl dough and form the dried tapioca pearls. Once these are ready, you then have to cook them before they can be used in your drink of choice.
The Ingredients:
- Brown sugar
- Hot water
Note* For a more authentic taste, you can try to find Taiwanese brown sugar . However, if youre unable to find this, then any dark brown sugar will work.
Needed to make the Brown Sugar Boba Drink
- Extra brown sugar
- Your favourite tea/iced tea, flavoured milk or even juice/smoothie
Also Check: Starbucks Boba Flavors
What Is The Difference Between Boba Tea And Bubble Tea
Boba simply means a drink with chunks in it. This can be iced bubble tea with tapioca pearls, which is what this recipe is, or even a juice drink with bits of fruit or tapioca pearls.
Ice bubble tea is also called boba tea or even pearl milk tea. The name varies by location. For example, in America the east coast calls it bubble tea, but the west coast calls it boba tea.
Notes & Tips For Boba Tea
- When preparing the black tapioca pearls, keep in mind they will only be fresh for about four hours. For best results, only make as much as you plan on eating in a short period of time.
- For the simple syrup, you can either use store-bought simple syrup, use a different flavor or syrup, or use homemade simple syrup.
- Not a fan of black tea? No problem! Feel free to use whatever flavor of tea youd like that pairs well with milk or creamy flavors.
- Feel free to use any type of milk or creamer that youd like.
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Diy Tapioca Pearls How
Start by heating up the water and sugar in a medium-sized pot, and heat to medium. Stir until all the sugar has dissolved. Then turn off the heat.
Add about one tablespoon of the tapioca flour and stir until well combined. Make sure there are no lumps. Then turn the heat on again and stir the mixture until it starts thickening.
Once it becomes thicker, remove from the heat. Add the rest of the tapioca flour and mix well until you obtain a sticky dough.
On a lightly floured surface , knead the dough until it becomes uniform, soft and elastic. Tapioca dough can be very sticky, so add some extra flour, if needed.
This can also be done with a stand mixer, but since its a small amount and only takes a few minutes, its not necessary.
While rolling the dough, if its more convenient to work with half of it at a time, make sure to cover the other half, so it doesnt dry out.
Roll the dough into thin long rod-like pieces. Each roll needs to be quite thin, as the tapioca pearls will expand when cooked later on.
Cut the rolls into small pieces. Then roll each piece into a tiny ball. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Now, you have your dried tapioca pearls ready.
Note* If you want to speed up this process, you can skip rolling them into balls altogether. The cube like shapes youll have may not be as pretty, but theyll taste the same .
What Is Boba Made Of
Boba is simply black tapioca pearls that are at the bottom of the tea drink. The balls are formed from tapioca sweetened with black sugar and then boiled. For many, the flavorless aspect of the boba is the perfect compliment to the milk tea or Thai tea. For others, adding flavors to the boba adds to the flavor profile of the drink and helps create a unique contrast that is very good.
Also Check: Blue Hawaiian Long Island Iced Tea Recipe
How To Make Boba Pearls At Home
Learn how to make boba pearls with this simple tutorial with nature ingredients at home. Caution firstly, this is a time-consuming recipe due to the long time rounding process. Make this in your leisure time for example during watching TV. To make this chewy small balls, we only need three ingredients, brown sugar or dark brown sugar , tapioca starch and water. Sound quite easy and healthy.
You can use this homemade boba pearls to make a traditional Chinese style boba milk tea. My mom always complains milk tea brings her insomnia because of the tea included. And this is her new way of enjoying boba in milk only using brown sugar syrup for flavoring. This is also a new star Chinese boba drinking on street.
Popular Bubble Tea Flavors
- Black Milk Tea or Hong Kong Milk Tea: The classic bubble tea includes black tea and condensed milk.
- Taro Milk Tea: Use taro root powder and milk for a creamy, delicious and refreshing tea.
- Thai Milk Tea: Use Thai tea leaves, condensed milk and tapioca pearls for a sweet caffeine kick.
- Strawberry: Use strawberry-flavored tea and garnish with fresh strawberries.
- Matcha: Use matcha green tea powder.
- Brown Sugar Milk Tea or Tiger Milk Tea: Use a brown sugar simple syrup in the drink to give the milk a sweet, molasses-y toastiness.
Read Also: Twisted Tea Mixed Drinks
Ingredients In Bubble Tea
As I mentioned above, this is bubble tea at its most basic. There are actually several reasons why I love this version more than any other-
- It isnt too sweet. If youve ever been to a bubble tea shop you may have discovered that bubble tea can get super sweet, super fast. While the first sip may taste wonderful, much more and I feel sick the rest of the day.
- The ingredients are simple. Aside from the boba, you probably have everything else you need to make bubble tea right from the comfort of your very own home.
- Its ready fast. The longest part of the whole process is making the tea and waiting for it to cool.
So what are these super simple ingredients?
1 | Tea. For this bubble tea recipe, I used a simple English Breakfast Black Tea. High in caffeine , its what I had on hand and it worked perfectly. Oolong tea would also work nicely, or any other robust black tea. Dont worry about over-steeping your tea since you will be adding milk and some sugar.
2 | Milk. I like to use whole milk or half-and-half whenever I make this bubble tea recipe. Heavy cream is too heavy and low-fat milk doesnt quite add enough creaminess that milk tea should have. Dairy milk and creamer, or full-fat coconut milk are my top picks, but other plant-based milk alternatives will work, too.
4 | Ice. Of course, these days bubble tea may come either hot or cold. However, in this case, youll need ice. Depending on how cool your tea gets will determine how much ice youll need.
How To Make Bubble Tea
Quick Links:What kind of tapioca pearls to useMake ahead tips
Bubble tea is one of my favorite things to sip on during the summer. Originating from Taiwan, bubble tea usually consists of sweetened tea with milk and the characteristic chewy tapioca balls, also known as boba . Bubble tea comes in many flavors: plain tea flavors such as black or jasmine tea fruit flavors such as strawberry or honeydew and even taro, which is a root vegetable commonly used in Asian dishes. .
While I enjoy drinking bubble tea, I dont particularly like the ones sold in the teahouse chains because they contain too much sugar. The good thing is that you can make bubble tea at home easily! In this bubble tea recipe, all you really need is tea, tapioca pearls, milk, and a sweetener.
Recommended Reading: Best Teas For Uti
Questions You May Have
Is there caffeine in this drink?
Yes! Theres caffeine in black tea so theres caffeine in this bubble tea.
Can I make a caffeine-free bubble tea?
To make it caffeine-free, use herbal tea like chamomile,rooibos, or butterfly pea flower instead of black tea.
I dont have loose tea, can I use tea bags?
Instead of 2 tablespoons of loose black tea you can use 3 tea sachets or 6 tea bags.
How long are tapioca balls good for?
Working with tapioca balls can be a little tricky since theyre only good for about 4 hours after making them after that theyll harden and get rubbery which wont be fun to eat.
How can I adjust the sweetness?
To adjust the amount of sugar that goes into the drink, strain out the tapioca balls from the brown sugar simple syrup when assembling the drink. Add the simple syrup after the drink has been made to see how sweet you want it.
Thai Boba Tea From Scratch
To make a Thai boba tea from scratch you will need black tea, which you can find anywhere and use your preferred type. You will be adding spices to the tea to get the right flavor for a Thai tea.
You will need sugar or some type of sweetener in order to get the right flavor profile for the tea.
Star anise, whole cardamom, cinnamon sticks, vanilla bean, turmeric and vanilla or almond extract will finish out the flavor profile to turn your standard black tea into a Thai tea.
Sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk are going to give you the creamy texture that your tea needs to be a true Thai boba tea or milk tea.
Read Also: Get Tea Out Of Carpet
Are You Supposed To Shake Bubble Tea
When you are learning how to make boba tea from scratch, you will be instructed to shake it. Shaking it helps it combine and gives it the bubbles on top from which it gets its name.
I don’t have a shaker glass, so I just pour the tea and milk over the tapioca pearls. You can give it a good stir to help combine things.
Option : 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 wouldnt miss the opportunity to make a glass of matcha bubble tea.
Also Check: Do Starbucks Sell Boba
Can You Make Bubble Tea Ahead Of Time
You can make bubble tea about a day in advance, but any longer and your tea may start to get too strong, and tapioca pearls can get soggy and lose their chew. Be sure to store the tapioca pearls in the fridge submerged in simple syrup if making ahead, and discard tea leaves once your tea has brewed so it doesnt oversteep.
When making simple syrup ahead, store this in a sealed jar for over a week and it should stay fresh.
How To Store Un
If youre not planning on making your bubble tea immediately, or youve made a massive batch of the boba, then these can be stored for later use. Theres no need to refrigerate them simply keep in an airtight container in a cool, dry area and these are ready to be used for up to 6 months.
If you do store them in the fridge, this can affect the texture of the boba and make them a little harder although theyll still be fine to use.
You can also freeze the dough and even the cooked pearls, and this is said to maintain the texture. If freezing the dough, you can then boil them straight away without waiting for them to thaw.
Also Check: How To Make Best Long Island Iced Tea
Where To Find Boba Straws
Again, a bigger grocery store may have them or your local Asian market should have them, but I cannot recommend these metal Boba straws enough. I got them on Amazon and love them .
I’m glad I got a larger pack for friends . I also love that they’re reusable, instead of the plastic ones you get while eating out.
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What Kind Of Tapioca Pearls Do You Use For Bubble Tea Recipe
I typically use this brand of tapioca pearls, which cooks in about 5 minutes. I like that these pearls cook quickly, but the texture could be better. You can find these tapioca pearls in Asian supermarkets or on.
One important thing to note about these quick-cooking tapioca pearls is that you should only cook as many as you need. The pearls stiffen as they cool, so they do not keep well overnight. However, if you leave the pearls in their cooking water, the pearls retain their soft texture for a longer time. In other words, dont drain the hot water once you are done cooking the pearls. Instead, use a slotted spoon to remove the pearls from the saucepan, and leave any excess pearls in the saucepan.
WHAT KIND OF MILK DO YOU USE? CAN THIS BE DAIRY FREE?
I prefer using whole milk the most because the rich flavor makes the beverage tastier overall. I tried a version of the bubble tea with heavy cream. While the flavor of the tea was even better than the version I made with whole milk, it felt too decadent. Perhaps using half-and-half is a good compromise?
You can also make a dairy-free version with nut milks or soy milk. I tried using canned coconut milk once, and the coconut milk left a funny feeling in my mouth. It felt as if my mouth was coated with a thin layer of coconut fat.
WHAT KIND OF SWEETENER DO YOU USE?
Also Check: Dunkin Boba Tea Locations
How To Cook Tapioca Pearls
When making bubble tea at home, I like to use dried tapioca pearls. They take a bit longer to prepare than instant tapioca pearls, but I find they have a nicer taste and texture, and they also keep for longer at room temperature.
You can find dried tapioca pearls at many Asian grocers. They can come in various sizes, but I generally buy tapioca pearls which are about the size of large peas. You can find them in sealed plastic bags, or vacuum-sealed to help keep their shape and freshness.
Always check the package instructions to make sure that you have bought the right kind of tapioca pearls. Some tapioca pearls only require about 5 minutes of total cooking time which is great if you are pushed for time but I find that these pearls dont have the same nice, chewy texture of the ones which require a longer cooking time.
How To Make Bubble Tea At Home: Classic Milk Tea Recipe
Do you crave bubble tea daily, like we do? Learn how to make bubble tea at home for a fraction of the cost of the boba milk tea shop. It’s so easy, youll be a bubble tea barista in no time. The great thing about making your own bubble tea drink is that you have total control of what goes in it. Love those chewy tapioca pearls? Don’t let us hold you back. You can add as much as you like! If you prefer your drinks to be less sweet and more refreshing, reduce the amount of sugar. If you enjoy your drink like a decadent treat, add more creamer. The choice is all yours!
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