Oolong Bubble Tea
Updated Apr 10, 2025
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Switch up your bubble tea game by replacing black tea with oolong tea. See how easy it is to make this delicious boba at home!
Oolong Bubble Tea
The basic bubble tea ingredients are tea, milk, sugar, and tapioca balls. Oolong bubble tea swaps out the usual black tea with oolong tea. Oolong is a type of tea that’s between a black and green tea in how it’s processed.
Tapioca balls are chewy, soft, and made from tapioca starch. Adding tapioca balls, which look like bubbles due to the round shape, makes a drink a bubble tea.
Note from Jee
My secrets to making the best bubble tea is using real brewed tea and warm tapioca balls. It makes a difference!
My favorite kind of oolong to make this drink with is any Taiwanese oolong that’s roasted. The toasted, slightly smoky flavor goes well with milk and sugar.
Recipe Summary
- This oolong bubble tea is made with oolong tea, brown sugar, milk, and tapioca balls. There’s caffeine in this drink.
- Instead of using powdered tea like they do in most bubble tea shops, this homemade boba recipe uses brewed tea, which makes the drink taste so much tastier.
- The easiest way to make bubble tea at home is to use store-bought tapioca balls. All that’s needed is to cook in hot water for a few minutes.
RELATED: 17 Bubble Tea Recipes
Ingredient Notes
- Oolong tea: Loose tea, tea sachets, or tea bags can be used but it’s easier, with less mess, to go with tea sachets or tea bags.
- Tapioca balls: Store-bought tapioca balls are dried, so when you cook them in water, they’ll plump up and soften.
- Brown sugar: I prefer brown sugar since it goes well with darker teas like oolong but you can use white granulated sugar if that’s what you have.
- Milk: Any milk can be used, including plant-based milk like oat milk. Whole milk will make the drink creamier.
- Water: To make better tasting tea, use filtered water whenever possible.
- Ice: Use filtered water to make ice if you can.
For full ingredients and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Photo Credit: amazon.com
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Steep tea in hot water then strain tea or discard tea sachets. Stir in sugar. Set aside to cool.
Step 2: Cook tapioca balls in brown sugar and water. Boil water and brown sugar then add tapioca balls for a few minutes.
Step 3: Put tapioca balls and brown sugar syrup into a glass. Add ice and cooled down tea.
Step 4: Top with milk. Serve immediately. Stir before drinking. Use an extra wide straw to drink.
Recipe Notes
The warmer the tapioca balls, the softer and chewier they’ll be.
Like soft and chewy mochi, tapioca balls will have a similar texture when they’re very warm. I add them to drinks when they have cooled down enough to eat without burning my mouth.
Use tea bags or tea sachets.
Since bubble tea is made with milk and sugar, you don’t need to use the highest quality tea (loose tea). Feel free to use tea bags or tea sachets as they won’t create a mess.
Cooking tapioca balls in brown sugar syrup makes them sweeter.
This recipe cooks the boba in brown sugar syrup (brown sugar and water) to sweeten the tapioca balls and the drink.
Expert Tips
- The tea can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It will already be cool when you’re ready to use it.
- Boba should be made at the time you’re making the drink, and not too much beforehand. After about 3-4 hours, the boba will start to harden.
- All bubble teas are served with a wide straw so you get some tapioca balls with each sip of tea. Don’t forget to chew the tapioca balls instead of swallowing them whole.
Related
- Brown Sugar Bubble Tea
- Strawberry Matcha Latte Bubble Tea
- Taro Bubble Tea
- Strawberry Bubble Tea
- Hong Kong Bubble Tea
- Mocha Boba
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Oolong Bubble Tea (Oolong Boba Milk Tea)
Ingredients
Oolong Milk Tea
- 1 cup water
- 2 oolong tea sachets, (or tea bags)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ¼ cup milk, (any kind, including half & half)
- ¾ cup ice
Tapioca Balls
- ¾ cup water
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ¼ cup tapioca balls
Instructions
- Make tea. Steep oolong tea in hot water for 5 minutes. and cool.Set the water temperature to 195°F if you're using an electric kettle with a temperature setting. Use filtered water when possible.
- Discard tea sachets and stir in brown sugar. Set aside to cool.
- Cook tapioca balls. Boil ¾ cup of water and sugar in a saucepan. Add tapioca balls.Combine water and brown sugar in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. When you see big bubbles (2-4 minutes), add tapioca balls. Keep boiling for 8 more minutes on medium-high heat. Cool slightly, until tapioca balls aren't too hot to eat. They should still be quite warm.
- Assemble the drink. Add warm tapioca balls in brown sugar syrup into a cup. Add ice, cooled down tea, and milk.Serve immediately and stir before drinking. Use an extra wide straw to drink.
Notes
- Brown sugar goes well with bold teas like oolong, but you can use white granulated sugar if that’s what you have.
- Any milk can be used, including plant-based milk like oat milk. Whole milk will make this drink creamier.
- Like soft and chewy mochi, tapioca balls will have a similar texture when they’re very warm. I add them to drinks when they have cooled down enough to eat without burning my mouth.
- Since bubble tea is made with milk and sugar, you don’t need to use the highest quality tea (loose tea). Feel free to use tea bags or tea sachets as they won’t create a mess.
- The tea can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It will already be cool when you’re ready to use it.
- Boba should be made at the time you’re making the drink, and not too much beforehand. After about 3-4 hours, the boba will start to harden.
- All bubble teas are served with a wide straw so you get some tapioca balls with each sip of tea.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
