Strawberry Butterfly Pea Flower Bubble Tea
Updated Apr 10, 2025
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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 Summary
- A layered bubble 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.
- Store-bought dried tapioca balls is cooked on the stovetop for a few minutes to get them perfectly chewy and soft.
RELATED: 17 Bubble Tea Recipes
Note from Jee
Did I make this drink for 4th of July? Haha, yes!
This is a fun drink and I’ve made it with and without the tapioca balls so feel free to do the same.
As for the butterfly pea flower tea, I’m not a fan but the strawberry syrup definitely does a great job of masking the 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 but keep in mind that the sugar in the milk will help keep the middle layer separated. I recommend using whole milk or oat milk.
- Brown sugar: 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 for the better tasting drink.
- Ice: Use filtered water for your ice, too, 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 bag in hot water.
Discard tea bag and stir in sugar. Set aside to cool.
Step 2: Cook tapioca balls. Drain. Follow directions on the package but it’s just boiling tapioca balls in water for a few minutes.
Step 3: Put tapioca balls into a cup and add strawberry syrup.
Step 4: Add ice.
Step 5: Pour in milk. Pour slowly onto the ice to create a layer on top of the strawberry syrup.
Step 6: Top with butterfly pea flower tea. Serve immediately. Stir before drinking. Use an extra wide straw to drink.
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 strawberry syrup is added first, then the milk which has some natural sugars in it, and finally the tea. 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.
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.
- 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 and don’t try to drink them with the tea!
RELATED: Hong Kong Bubble Tea
Related
- Butterfly Pea Flower Cold Foam
- Butterfly Pea Flower Matcha Lemonade
- Brown Sugar Bubble Tea
- Strawberry Bubble Tea
- Thai Bubble Tea
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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.1 butterfly pea flower tea bag, ⅓ cup water
- Discard tea bag. Stir in brown sugar. Set aside to cool.1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 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.)¼ cup tapioca balls, ¾ cup water
- Drain tapioca balls.Cool slightly, until tapioca balls aren't too hot to eat. They should still be quite warm.
- Assemble the 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.⅓ cup strawberry syrup, ¾ cup ice, ⅔ cup milk
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.
- 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.
- 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!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
