A layered red, white, and blue drink with boba! Get easy step-by-step instructions to make this refreshing bubble tea at home in just a few minutes.
Recipe Highlights
- A layered bubble tea (milk tea) with tapioca balls and strawberry syrup at the bottom, milk in the middle, and a top layer of butterfly pea flower tea on top.
- Butterfly pea flower tea is an herbal tea that’s naturally blue and caffeine-free. It doesn’t taste great on its own, so it’s combined with sweet strawberry syrup.
- The boba is made from store-bought dried tapioca balls and it’s easy to make at home by cooking them for a few minutes in water.
RELATED: Butterfly Pea Flower Bubble Tea
What is Butterfly Pea Flower Tea?
Butterfly pea flower tea is made by steeping dried butterfly pea flowers in water. The flowers are deep blue in color that colors and flavors the water.
This herbal tea is a caffeine-free and it’s also known as blue tea.
Butterfly pea flower tea comes loose, as dried whole flowers, in tea sachets, and in tea bags.
Aside from being a blue tea, it also changes color from blue to purple when the pH level changes. Adding lemon juice will change the tea from a blue to a bright purple.
The tea doesn’t taste great on its own. Adding lemonade or something sweet will offset the bland and woody taste.
RELATED: Iced Butterfly Pea Flower Tea Latte
Ingredient Notes
- Butterfly pea flower tea
Use loose butterfly pea flower tea or tea bags. I prefer tea bags for this recipe since it’s so much easier to use. - Tapioca balls
Store bought tapioca balls are sold dry, so you just have to cook them in water to make them soft and chewy. - Strawberry syrup
Use store-bought or homemade strawberry syrup. - Milk
Any kind of milk can be used from whole milk to oat milk. - Brown sugar
This is used to sweeten the butterfly pea flower tea and you can use brown sugar or white granulated sugar. - Water
Water is used to make the tea and to cook the tapioca balls. For making tea, use filtered water, if possible, for the better tasting drink. - Ice
Use filtered water for your ice, too, if you can.
Photo Credit: amazon.com
Step-by-Step Instructions
For full ingredients and instructions, scroll down to see the recipe.
- Steep tea bag in hot water.
Discard tea bag and stir in sugar. Set aside to cool. - Cook tapioca balls. Drain.
Follow directions on the package but it’s just boiling tapioca balls in water for a few minutes.
- Put tapioca balls into a cup and add strawberry syrup.
- Add ice.
- Pour in milk.
Pour slowly to create a layer on top of the strawberry syrup. - Top with butterfly pea flower tea.
Serve immediately. Stir before drinking. Use an extra wide straw to drink.
RELATED: Strawberry Matcha Latte Bubble Tea
Tricks to Layering Drinks
Sweetest layer should be at the bottom.
The most important trick to creating a layered drink is to remember that the sweetest layer is added to the cup first, then followed by the next sweetest layer. So, the sweetest layer with the strawberry syrup is added first, then the milk which has some natural sugars in it, and finally the tea which is not very sweet.
There is a little sugar added to the butterfly pea flower tea but if you want a cleaner layer separation, take out the sugar.
Pour directly onto the ice.
Instead of pouring the next layer directly into the liquid below it, slowly pour directly onto the ice.
RELATED: Thai Bubble Tea
Expert Tips
- My biggest tip to making delicious bubble tea is to assemble the drink while the boba is still very warm. Allow the tapioca balls to cool a little then add them to the glass while they’re still very warm but not so much that they’ll burn your mouth.
- If you’re making homemade strawberry syrup, it should be prepared ahead of time and it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container. You can make it the day of, but this will save you time assembling the bubble tea since you do need some time to cool the syrup once it’s made.
- This recipe makes 16 ounces (2 cups) serving of the drink, so make sure to have a large enough glass or cup to assemble the drink.
- As always with bubble tea, you’ll want to have a wide straw to drink it so that you’ll get some boba with each sip of the latte. Chew the tapioca balls, don’t try to drink them with the tea!
RELATED: Hong Kong Bubble Tea
Questions You May Have
Nope! There’s no caffeine in butterfly pea flower tea and none of the other ingredients in the drink contain caffeine.
Unfortunately, no. Cooked tapioca balls will harden after about 3-4 hours, and they’re better when served still warm, so don’t make them ahead of time.
Yes, but keep in mind that the sugar in the milk will help keep the middle layer in place. So whatever you replace the dairy milk with, as long as it also has sugar, the layer should hold. I recommend using oat milk.
Related
- Butterfly Pea Flower Cold Foam
- Butterfly Pea Flower Matcha Lemonade
- 10+ Easy Bubble Tea (Boba Milk Tea) Recipes
- How to Make Bubble Tea
- Brown Sugar Bubble Tea
- Strawberry Bubble Tea
Want to save this recipe to Pinterest for later? Pin it now to your Pinterest board!
Strawberry Butterfly Pea Flower Latte Bubble Tea
INGREDIENTS
Strawberry Butterfly Pea Flower Tea Latte
- 1 butterfly pea flower tea bag
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ⅓ cup strawberry syrup
- ¾ cup ice
- ⅔ cup milk (any kind)
Tapioca Balls
- ¾ cup water
- ¼ cup tapioca balls
INSTRUCTIONS
MAKE TEA
- Steep butterfly pea flower tea bag in hot water for 5 minutes.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 bag. Stir in brown sugar. Set aside to cool.
COOK TAPIOCA BALLS
- Boil water and add tapioca balls. Bring water to boil water in a saucepan on the stovetop then add tapioca balls. Cook on medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes. Stir occasionally.(Follow directions on your tapioca ball packaging if you're using a different brand than the one I’m using.)
- Drain tapioca balls.Cool slightly, until tapioca balls aren't too hot to eat. They should still be quite warm.
ASSEMBLE DRINK
- Put warm tapioca balls into a cup and add strawberry syrup. Add ice, milk, then the cooled down butterfly pea flower tea.Pour the milk and butterfly pea flower tea directly onto the ice to help keep the layers separated.Serve immediately and stir before drinking. Use a wide straw to drink.
EQUIPMENT
NOTES
- The most important trick to creating a layered drink is to remember that the sweetest layer is added to the cup first, then followed by the next sweetest layer. So, the sweetest layer with the strawberry syrup is added first, then the milk which has some natural sugars in it, and finally the tea which is not very sweet.
- Instead of pouring the next layer directly into the liquid below it, slowly pour directly onto the ice.
- There is a little sugar added to the butterfly pea flower tea but if you want a cleaner layer separation, take out the sugar.
- My biggest tip to making delicious bubble tea is to assemble the drink while the boba is still very warm. Allow the tapioca balls to cool a little then add them to the glass while they’re still very warm but not so much that they’ll burn your mouth.
- If you’re making homemade strawberry syrup, it should be prepared ahead of time and it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container. You can make it the day of, but this will save you time assembling the bubble tea since you do need some time to cool the syrup once it’s made.
- This recipe makes 16 ounces (2 cups) serving of the drink, so make sure to have a large enough glass or cup to assemble the drink.
- As always with bubble tea, you’ll want to have a wide straw to drink it so that you’ll get some boba with each sip of the latte. Chew the tapioca balls, don’t try to drink them with the tea!