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Have you ever made Bubble Tea (aka Boba Tea)? It’s easier than you might think! Most bubble tea recipes are packed with sugar from condensed milk, tons of caffeine and dairy, but this homemade version gives you several options!
My family is obsessed with bubble tea! If we drive by a bubble tea shop my kids will scream “can we please stop to get one!?” They all have different preferences when it comes to ordering — Chloe loves ceylon tea, I’m a black tea girl, while Kenya and Gemma love horchata (which thank goodness is naturally caffeine free). I love making this treat at home so I can customize it to be dairy-free or without caffeine, or change up the flavor. It saves us money and time for sure! We also serve up some Vegan Almond Cookies to make this a great after-school snack.
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
- More Boba: There’s one universal ask by everyone in our family when ordering bubble tea — extra boba! Hence why I add 1/2 cup to each glass when I make my own bubble tea. Part of the fun is sucking up the boba as you sip away.
- Cost Effective: Picking up a large bag of tapioca pearls is so much cheaper per drink than going out!
- Change the Sweetness: While you can certainly make requests at a shop, it’s so much easier to get the exact right sweetness at home.
The Ingredients
- Boba: These tapioca pearls cook up beautifully and my kids love them so much! You can’t make bubble tea without this key ingredient.
- Tea Bags: I use rooibos, decaf chai or other decaffeinated tea so my kids don’t get a mid day caffeine spike.
- Milk: Select your favorite milk to add to your glass.
- Honey: My preferred sweetener!
Substitutions and Variations
- No Honey: Don’t have honey on hand? You can take 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water and boil it to make simple syrup to pour over the tapioca pearls after they boil.
- Favorite Tea: There aren’t any rules for types of tea here! You can literally use any tea bags you have on hand, whether or not they have caffeine and no matter the color.
- Allergen-Friendly: As long as the pearls are safe for you, you can use any milk in your tea whether it’s whole milk, homemade almond milk or even homemade oat milk.
How to Make Bubble (Boba) Tea
Step 1: Pour boiling water over tea bags and steep until dark. Refrigerate or place in the freezer until cool or cold. This step general takes 30 minutes, but can also be done overnight.
Step 2: Follow package directions for tapioca pearls. I bring 10 cups of water to a boil, add the pearls. When they rise to the surface, turn the heat to medium for 3 minutes. Lower the heat to low and cook another 3 minutes or until the pearls are soft and chewy.
Step 3: Pour the pearls into a colander to strain water.
Step 4: Place the tapioca pearls while warm in a bowl and top with honey. Stir the pearls and honey to thoroughly coat. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
Step 5: Place the ice in a blender and pulse until crushed if desired.
Step 6: Divide the tapioca pearls and honey mixture between 2 glasses. Divide the ice, tea, and milk evenly between the two glasses and stir to combine.
Tips and Tricks
- Small Ice: Crushed ice is key to making perfect bubble tea. Take a few handfuls, toss it in your blender and pulse until it’s crushed resembling ice chips.
- Long Steep: Make sure to steep your tea for as long as possible. I put my tea bags in a large jar, fill with water, cover and refrigerate overnight or leave in the sun to brew.
- Custom Sweetness: Want your tea even sweeter? You can add more honey or simple syrup. If that’s still not sweet enough, add a few tablespoons of condensed milk.
FAQs
The boba/tapioca pearl package says that it takes 5 minutes to boil until soft, but I find that it’s more like 8-10 minutes. You want your tapioca balls to be nice and chewy after boiling them. That’s the key to perfect boba. Go ahead and carefully squish or taste a boba to check if they are done before straining.
If you’ve ever purchased it at a shop, you know they include very large diameter plastic straws. If bubble tea is something you will be making often at home, invest in glass, stainless, or biodegradable straws that boba will fit through. This will make great memories for your family!
If you have leftover boba keep them at room temperature. When you place them in the fridge they harden up which for bubble tea aficionados is a no no. You can also brew extra tea to keep in the fridge. Store all components separately so you can then assemble the drink as necessary.
More Drink Recipes
There’s nothing better than sipping on a homemade boba tea—those chewy tapioca pearls are just so fun! If you give this recipe a try, I’d love to hear all about it. Drop a comment and a rating below to let me know how it turned out. Can’t wait to see what you create!
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How To Make Bubble Tea (Boba Tea)
Ingredients
- 3 bags tea of choice (I use rooibos, decaf chai or other decaffeinated tea so my kids don’t get a mid day caffeine spike, but any tea will work.)
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 cup boba / tapioca pearls
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 1/2 cups ice cubes
- 1 cup milk of choice
Instructions
- Pour boiling water over tea bags and steep until dark. Refrigerate or place in the freezer until cool or cold. This step generally takes 30 minutes, but can also be done overnight.
- Follow package directions for tapioca pearls. I bring 10 cups of water to a boil, add the pearls. When they rise to the surface, turn the heat to medium for 3 minutes. Lower the heat to low and cook another 3 minutes or until the pearls are soft and chewy. Pour the pearls into a colander to strain water.
- Place the tapioca pearls while still warm in a bowl and top with honey. Stir the pearls and honey to thoroughly coat. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Place the ice in a blender and pulse until crushed if desired.
- Divide the tapioca pearls and honey mixture between 2 glasses. Then, divide the ice, tea, and milk evenly between the two glasses and stir to combine.
Notes
- Small Ice: Crushed ice is key to making perfect bubble tea. Take a few handfuls, toss it in your blender and pulse until it’s crushed resembling ice chips.
- Long Steep: Make sure to steep your tea for as long as possible. I put my tea bags in a large jar, fill with water, cover and refrigerate overnight or leave in the sun to brew.
- Custom Sweetness: Want your tea even sweeter? You can add more honey or simple syrup. If that’s still not sweet enough, add a few tablespoons of condensed milk.
