How to Make Boba & Bubble Tea at Home

Bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Remove from heat and add the tea bag. Use one tea bag for regular-strength bubble tea or two for a stronger tea flavor. Remove the tea bag after 15 minutes and chill the tea.

Do you love bubble tea? Personally, I can't walk past a bubble tea shop without suddenly craving one of their sweet ice-cold beverages dotted with chewy boba tapioca pearls. It's the most thirst-quenching snack I can think of! Fortunately for my addiction, bubble tea is super easy to make at home.

This is a drink that originated in Taiwan in the 1980's and spread throughout Southeast Asia before finding its way to the US. Most of us think of bubble tea as being synonymous with boba tapioca pearls, but bubble tea was originally just a cold milk tea that was shaken until frothy. Sometimes boba were added, but basil seeds or cubes of jelly were also used.

You can find boba at almost any Asian grocery store or online. These marble-sized spheres are made from tapioca, just like the smaller pearls we use for tapioca pudding. They come in a range of colors, but all boba have a fairly neutral flavor. Once cooked, it's best to mix them with some sugar syrup—this gives them some sweetness and also helps preserve any pearls you're not using right away.

Boba are at their very chewiest best if used within a few hours of cooking. However, the longer cooking method I outline below helps the boba stay soft and moist for several days if kept refrigerated in simple syrup. They will gradually start to harden and become crunchy in the middles. For a quick-fix bubble tea when you know you'll eat them right away, just boil the boba until they are soft, 5 to 10 minutes.

The sweet and creamy bubble teas you buy in the stores are usually flavored with special powders and sweetened condensed milk. You can buy these powders online along with the boba themselves, but I think that boba made with regular tea and other more natural sweeteners are just as good. You only need to make one cup of strong tea, any tea of your choosing, and mix it with regular milk, almond milk, sweetened condensed milk, or fruit juice. A little simple syrup leftover from soaking the boba helps sweeten things up.

What's your favorite kind of bubble tea?

How to Make Boba and Bubble Tea

What You Need

Ingredients

1/4 cup dried boba tapioca pearls per serving (NOT quick-cooking boba)
1-2 tea bags per serving, any kind
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
Milk, almond milk, or sweetened condensed milk
Fruit juice or nectar (optional)

Equipment

Saucepan
Bowl for holding the cooked boba
Measuring cups

Instructions

1. Cook the Boba: Measure 2 cups of water for every 1/4 cup of boba being prepared into a saucepan. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add the boba and stir gently until they begin floating to the top of the water.

Turn the heat to medium and cook the boba for 12-15 minutes. Remove the pan from heat, cover, and let the pearls sit for another 12-15 minutes.

2. Prepare Sugar Syrup for the Boba: While the boba are cooking, make a simple sugar syrup to sweeten and preserve them once cooked. Bring 1/2 cup of water to a boil over high heat on the stove or in the microwave. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup sugar until dissolved. Set aside to cool.

3. Prepare a Strong Cup of Tea: This can be done either while the boba are cooking or ahead of time. Allow enough time for the tea to cool completely before making the boba. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Remove from heat and add the tea bag. Use one tea bag for regular-strength bubble tea or two for a stronger tea flavor. Remove the tea bag after 15 minutes and chill the tea.

4. Finish the Boba: Once the boba have finished cooking, drain them from the water and transfer them to a small bowl or container. Pour the sugar syrup over top until the boba are submerged. Let sit until the boba are room temperature, at least 15 minutes, or refrigerate until ready to use. Boba are best if used within a few hours of cooking, but will keep refrigerated for several days. The boba will gradually harden and become crunchy as they sit.

5. Make the Bubble Tea: Pour the prepared tea into a tall glass and add the boba. Add milk for a creamy bubble tea, juice for a fruity tea, or leave plain and add a little extra water. Sweeten to taste with the simple syrup from soaking the boba.

Additional Notes:

• Very Chilled Bubble Tea: For an extra-chilly bubble tea, combine all the tea, milk, and/or juice, but not the boba in a cocktail shaker. Add a few ice cubes and shake for 20 seconds. Pour into a tall glass and add the boba.

• Shortcut Boba: If you want immediate gratification, just cook your boba until they are tender, 5 to 10 minutes, and use them as soon as they're cool. This kind of boba don't keep for very long (turning rock hard in a few hours), but are delicious if eaten right away.

• Saving Leftover Boba and Making Boba for Later: Boba are best if used within a few hours of cooking, but will keep refrigerated with simple syrup for several days. The boba will gradually harden and become crunchy as they sit.

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(Images: Emma Christensen)

Categories: Main, Drinks, Asian, Beverage, Chinese, How To, Recipe, Snack, Tea

Comments (32)

Great article and recipes!

I've always had very bad luck buying tapioca pearls. They never seem to get to that delightful chewy texture, no matter how long I cook them. Any tips for getting "good" ones?

My problem's always been that they can be delightfully chewy when they're freshly cooked, but once they end up in a cold, frosty bubble tea, they end up hardening inside and being unpleasant. I'm fanatical about bubble tea, and I've been making my own all summer, trying to recreate a particular blend from a chinese food kiosk at our local market. It's thick and icy, but also creamy and sweet and fruity, and I just haven't been able to get it right. In my case, bubble tea is one of my vices, precisely BECAUSE of all the artificial junk in it. So the difficulty has actually been striking a balance of artificial flavours, and trying to blend it to just the right fine consistency. I've done everything from blending a koolaid granita with soy milk (too flaky, but closer than anything else) to making a milkshake kind of concoction with ice cream replacing the dairy and the sweetener (melts too quickly, ends up too thin). I live in Canada, and we're moving rapidly out of bubble tea season now (just the thought of wrapping my hands around anything cold makes me shiver), but I'm also going to be moving to Vegas, where I'm hoping my bubble tea odyssey will reach its glorious conclusion.

I love those tapioca bubble pearls!

I've tried making them at home but if you don't add sugar somewhere the boba tastes like nothing!

Thanks for this! Now I just need to figure out how to seal the top of my glass with those wacky character-adorned plastic circles...

To get the authentic black milk tea flavor, Taiwanese black tea is the best. Or see if you can find "Hong Kong style" black tea at your local Asian supermarket.

I've found that good boba requires frequent stirring. Soaking them in simple syrup helps. Never, ever refrigerate the bubbles. That's the annoying thing about making it at home--they never keep.

Love bubble tea- Honey & milk is my favourite.

It's easy to MAKE boba tea, but not easy to make it GOOD. My mother used to make some good ones, but only after many many experimentations.
The key is, like one poster says, to soak the pearls in sugar water or honey/syrup after they're cooked. And you have to play around with the cooking time to get the texture right.

For tea, we use strong Chinese tea leaves, often a blend of different flavors, and brew some strong tea as a base. Then we add condensed milk to sweeten it. It's the best thing in the world!

I'm about to recover half of my 'eating out' budget.

Does anyone know how to replicate the Taro and Avocado flavors?

The best place that serves boba, IMO, is in the town I grew up in. What's unique is they boil the heck out of the boba to the point where it's so swollen, the cell walls practically collapse. And it's also sitting in some sort of warm (simple) syrup. What you get is a gooey spoonful in your cup and the milk tea on top. I can't explain it but it's a totally different experience than the "tea stations" that serve fast food boba.

it looks so delicious!

Oh I just love, love bubble tea. Those large tapioca balls always hit me hard :-)
Thanks for featuring this recipe!

I love Almond Milk Tea, does anyone know how that flavor is made?

I worked at a place that served boba tea. There are some secrets.

Fresh is one of them. Cook them in a rice cooker! 2x water to pearls, and they will get gooey and wonderful. Store at room temp. Make a strong tea, and sweeten with sweetened condensed milk (as a poster suggested) for a milk tea.

If you are making the blended bobas, use dry coffee creamer. I promise it works! You can buy taro power at an Asian store for taro flavor, but other powdered flavors will be difficult to find. (for all of them, besides chai, I've only see the powdered ones) use 2 part taro powder and 1 part creamer and 1 part sugar. Add ice and fill with water half way and add water if needed.

Good luck! Now I'm craving one!

I love bubble tea, we even had it at our wedding! I've never thought about making it at home though, and I probably shouldn't or I'd be making it everyday. Thanks for a great story, Emma!

Oh man, the last bubbles I had were in this amazing mango smoothie in Chicago - just ice and fresh mango blended, and bubbles added. I can't stop thinking about it, it was that good.

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

I seem to always be within walking distance of bubble tea here in australia and new stores seems to pop up all the time. The most popular places don't have english menus though which isn't good for me so I stick to easyway.

Anyone have any suggestions on where I might find some certified gluten free large tapioca pearls? I know most of them should be inherently gluten free - but it's nice to go with a safe option!

Taro cream is my favorite, and due to the lack of actual taro around here (and my fear of not properly cooking it since raw taro can make you sick), I'll just pick up the mix from the asian supermarket. But the boba tutorial here will be invaluable! I've been trying to get good flavor and the right cooking time on mine for the last few attempts and they still hadn't come out just right, so I'll probably give your method a try when I get home today. :D

Several years ago I went through a LOT to try and recreate a certain Peach milk tea w/ boba...I mean it was a luscious tea, with chocolate and wine like undertones, and the peach just so. Other places couldn't come close. Ordering syrups...each different. In the end it is better just to buy you favorite store boba, and make something different at home. If you do a honey or brown sugar syrup, boba in milk is great! Or a homemade mocha.

You can reheat boba to be spongy in the microwave, with a little water to loosen it up. It is not 100% like the first batch, but it is pretty good, and you won't be loosing any precious boba. Awesome Idea about cooking it in a rice cooker!

Preludeinz, I think you might need to cook it longer, if it gets hard when put into a cold drink. Sometimes the directions are a crock. Boil for a long time, or let sit. Can't remember, you'll have to google and try the longest version you can find, even if your package says "5 min".

Thanks for the nice recipes and ideas. We live in Wash, DC and no one seems to make a very good bubble tea here. However, we've had delicious bubble teas along the West Coast and in of course Asia.

Due to the frustration of not being able to find anything good locally - we started making bubble tea ourselves 2 summers ago. Some tapioca pearls are better than others. We're currently using E-Fa Brand Rainbow Boba (made in China). You can find this brand at Asian markets. We get a big bag for $9 or $10. The Rainbow Pearls are very pretty and come in a mix of pale shades of celery, cherry, apricot, peach and cream.

The packaging says they're "Ready In 5 Minutes" but I cook them longer. 2 cups water to 1/2 cup pearls for about 7 minutes on high heat, as they float to the top lightly stir and lower heat to medium and then a bit lower, add sugar and gently stir until sugar dissolves. I use less sugar because if you're adding juice or soy/condensed milk - those products already have a lot of sugar and will sweeten your bubble tea. But sweetness is a matter of taste.

I also try to avoid using a lot of pots and pans when I cook and have found that I can easily make the simple syrup and cook the pearls simultaneously and with a large slotted spoon remove the pearls from the syrup.

I use a very strong black tea, sometimes Chinese black tea infused with rose or a variety like Earl Grey. I believe for the bubble tea to be most flavorful, you need to make the tea strong because you're going to dilute it with milk or juice.

We've experimented with "Autumn" Bubble Tea recipes using a strong black tea base and adding organic apple cider or pumpkin puree (make it yourself or get the canned). I think we used condensed milk with both of these so you don't need to add a lot of sugar to either. In fact, if using apple cider, you can cook the pearls in the cider on low heat for 10-15 minutes and reduce the amount of sugar (if that's a concern) and use unsweetened vanilla soy milk. Condensed milk is great because it is so sweet and makes the tea creamier.

If you want to avoid caffeine or tea altogether you can use herbal teas. We've found Celestial Seasonings "Zinger" teas made extra strong work very well for super flavorful summer bubble tea. And the colors are very pretty because these teas use flowers and citrus fruit. We often leave milk out of these summer brews because they are so pretty.

Happy Bubble Tea Time!

mm. although i'm from the LA/OC area where decent boba is plentiful, my favorite drink/boba combo is the taro shake at Tank Noodle here in Chicago (Broadway & Argyle!) ... but something tells me it'll be hard to recreate at home. i bet i could come up with a decent Thai iced tea, though (my second fave)!

I LOVE BUBBLE TEA! No one around me in Wisconsin seems to understand it. Taro milk tea is my favorite. Thank goodness for the ONE Asian market on the south side. Some restaurants serve bubble tea here but I can't find the taro anywhere else.

I discovered this joyous concoction after attending a film screening in Madison. My friend and I got lost trying to find where we parked the car, and wandered into a tiny hole-in-the-wall Asian restaurant (I don't remember what it was called or what type of food they served). We both ordered Sprite to drink, and instead were served this milky white drink with balls in the bottom. We weren't sure if they were edible or made of wax! I had been introduced to bubble milk tea. It was a wonderful accidental discovery.

I wish there was a Boba Tea Place Here In Mobile,Alabama -_- . i dont think anyone out here even understands what that is, because I went around town asking people if there was a Boba Tea shop here in town and id explain to them what it is and what im looking for and no one knew...ugh, so frustrating! :( Last time i had one was, 3 years ago when i lived in TX. Thanks for the recipe though ^_^ now, no more worrys and maybe ill start my own Boba shop out here!

The "bubble" in "bubble tea" comes from the bubbles that form when you shake it! You gotta shake the tea in something like a martini shaker before you pour it into your glass. That's how you get that special delicious taste .Q.

Thanks for the tip about how to keep the Boba lasting longer by covering it in the syrup and keeping it chilled. I just made a bubble tea recipe video but didn't leave my audience with that preservation tip. great job!

What should I do if I have the quick cook boba?

I was JUST thinking of looking up a recipe for bubbles. My favorite medium for them is a really fresh smoothie, actually - I had one last summer which was just mango, ice, and bubbles. It was amazing. I'll definitely try this soon - I just have to find out where you can get those huge straws!