Strawberry Bubble Tea

5 from 5 votes

Delicious and perfectly sweet strawberry milk tea with boba is easy to make at home. Get step-by-step instructions and expert tips.

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time15

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: Taiwanese

Servings: serving (16 ounces)

Author: Jee Choe

Make tea. Boil ⅔ cup of water.
If using an electric kettle with a temperature setting, set the water to 175°F. Use filtered water if possible.
Steep tea bags in hot water for 3 minutes. Discard tea sachets and let tea cool.
Cook tapioca balls. Boil 2 cups of water and add tapioca balls.
Boil water in a saucepan on the stovetop then add tapioca balls. Cook on medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Tapioca balls should be soft all the way through.
(Follow directions on your tapioca ball packaging if you're using a different brand than the one I’m using.)
Drain tapioca balls.
Assemble the drink. Put hot, but not too hot to eat, tapioca balls into a cup and add strawberry syrup. Add ice, green tea, and milk.
Use an extra wide straw to drink. Serve immediately and stir before drinking.

If you're using homemade strawberry syrup, make that first. It can be prepared ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator. The syrup will keep for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.
The green tea can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Whole milk is used to make the drink creamy, but any kind of milk can be used. Half & half will make the drink extra creamy.
My secret to making the best bubble tea is to make the drink while the tapioca balls still hot, but not too hot. The very warm tapioca balls have the perfectly soft, chewy texture.
Boba can't be made ahead of time since they'll start to harden after 4 hours. Ideally, boba should be made, cooled down a bit, then served right away in a drink.