Refreshing, perfectly sweet, and so delicious, bubble tea is the perfect drink any day of the year. Skip a trip to the bubble tea shop and make these surprisingly easy boba milk tea recipes at home!
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Homemade Bubble Tea
From the classic made with black tea to layered with matcha and strawberry, bubble tea can easily be made at home!
The trick is to use store-bought tapioca balls (also known as boba) which are sold dried. All you need to do is boil water and cook them for a few minutes to plump them up. Yup, it’s that easy.
My secret to the best bubble tea is making the drink with warm tapioca balls, giving boba the perfect soft and chewy texture.
I learned this trick on a trip to South Korea where all bubble tea was served with very warm (almost hot) tapioca balls and it was amazingly good. And now, this is how I make all my bubble tea.
A lot of bubble tea shops use powdered tea and powdered milk, which doesn’t taste as fresh and delicious as using brewed tea and fresh milk products.
What is Bubble Tea?
Bubble tea is an iced drink that originated in Taiwan in the 1980s. Over the years, it gained popularity in the United States.
Bubble tea is also called boba, boba milk tea, and milk tea. The basic ingredients are tea, milk, ice, sugar, and tapioca balls. It’s not bubble tea without the tapioca balls.
What are Tapioca Balls?
Tapioca balls are made from tapioca starch taken from the cassava root. When cooked, they’re soft and chewy, almost like mochi.
The drink is served with a wide straw so that a few tapioca balls can be sipped with the tea. The tapioca balls should be chewed, not swallowed whole.
Boba Milk Tea Tips
- Don’t use the highest quality tea for making bubble tea. Because the drink is made with sugar and milk, there’s no need to use the best quality tea.
- Make the drink with warm tapioca balls. They should be quite warm, just not too hot that you’ll burn your mouth.
- Half & half and whole milk will create a creamier bubble tea but you can use any kind of milk you like, including plant-based like oat milk.
9 Delicious Bubble Tea Recipes
Strawberry Matcha Latte Bubble Tea
Taro Bubble Tea
Thai Iced Tea with Boba
Questions You May Have
If the bubble tea is made with black, green, oolong, or white tea, then yes, there is caffeine in the drink.
Tea itself is good for you since it has antioxidants but bubble tea is made with sugar and milk, so it’s not really healthy.
Yup, bubble tea goes by a few names including boba, milk tea, boba milk tea, and pearl milk tea.
Related
- Homemade Strawberry Syrup
- Strawberry Cold Foam
- Matcha Cold Foam
- Starbucks Iced Passion Tango Tea Copycat
- Where to Buy Tea Online
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