No-Fail Bubble Tea Recipe (Boba Milk Tea) - Oh, How Civilized (2024)

Home Tea Recipes Bubble Tea

By Jee Choe

4.60 from 137 votes

on Jun 20, 2019, Updated Feb 19, 2021

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Yes, bubble tea can be made at home! Get easy step-by-step directions on how to make this delicious boba tea with black tea, brown sugar, store-bought tapioca balls, and decadent cold foam.

No-Fail Bubble Tea Recipe (Boba Milk Tea) - Oh, How Civilized (2)

Table of Contents

  • What is Bubble Tea?
  • Recipe Highlights
  • Ingredient Notes
  • Step-by-Step Instructions
  • Expert Tips
  • Questions You May Have
  • Related
  • Homemade Bubble Tea (Boba Milk Tea) with Cold Foam Recipe

What is Bubble Tea?

Bubble tea is a cold drink made with tea, milk, sugar, ice, and chewy tapioca balls — it’s an iced milk tea with tapioca balls.

It originated in Taiwan in the 1980s and today, bubble tea can be found all over the world.

The black tapioca balls at the bottom of the drink are called boba. It’s made from tapioca starch taken from the cassava root. It’s served with a fat straw that’s big enough to suck up the tapioca balls while drinking the tea.

Bubble tea is also called boba, boba tea, boba milk tea, and bubble milk tea.

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Recipe Highlights

  • Most bubble tea shops use powders that are loaded with chemicals and sugar. This recipe is made with real tea and brewed perfectly so that the tea flavor really comes through.
  • A trick to making bubble tea really good is to use warm tapioca balls! Don’t cool down the tapioca balls completely — put it into the drink while they’re still warm. They’ll be soft with a nice little chew in the center.
  • Delicious cold foam that makes the drink decadent and creamy is made using a handheld milk frother.
  • This recipe uses brown sugar instead of regular white sugar to sweeten the boba tea which gives it a deeper flavor.

RELATED: Taro Bubble Tea

Ingredient Notes

No-Fail Bubble Tea Recipe (Boba Milk Tea) - Oh, How Civilized (3)
  • Black tea: A strong black tea like Assam (which is what I used) or English breakfast tea is best to make a classic bubble tea. Use loose tea or tea sachets instead of tea bags.
  • Filtered water: Better water will make a better tasting tea.
  • Tapioca pearls: The package says it’s ready in 5 minutes but that’s a LIE.
  • Brown sugar: I’m a fan of brown sugar since it gives a deep, rich flavor, but you can swap the brown sugar with white sugar.
  • Half & half: To make the cold foam topping.
  • Granulated, white sugar: To sweeten the cold foam.
  • Ice: To keep the drink nice and refreshingly cold.

For full ingredients and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

No-Fail Bubble Tea Recipe (Boba Milk Tea) - Oh, How Civilized (4)

My Tapioca Balls Pick

Photo Credit: amazon.com

Plump with just a bit of a chew! This is the brand I use to make bubble tea.

SHOP NOW

Step-by-Step Instructions

No-Fail Bubble Tea Recipe (Boba Milk Tea) - Oh, How Civilized (5)
  1. Steep tea in hot water.
  2. Dissolve brown sugar in hot water to make brown sugar syrup.
  3. Cook tapioca balls.
    Follow directions on package but generally, all that’s involved is boiling tapioca balls in hot water for a few minutes.
  4. Whisk together half & half and granulated sugar.
    A handheld milk frother or a French press makes great cold foam.
No-Fail Bubble Tea Recipe (Boba Milk Tea) - Oh, How Civilized (6)
  1. Put tapioca balls in brown sugar syrup into a glass.
  2. Add ice.
  3. Pour in tea.
  4. Top with cold foam.
    Serve immediately. Stir before drinking. Use awide strawto drink.

RELATED: Brown Sugar Bubble Tea

Expert Tips

  • Do not make tapioca balls more than 1-2 hours ahead of time. After 4 hours, they’ll start to harden. The drink is the best when assembled and served right before drinking.
  • Bubble tea can be made with all kinds of tea. All you need to do is add tapioca balls to a drink and it instantly becomes boba tea! Try making it with jasmine green tea, Thai tea, or matcha.
  • If you prefer weaker tea, use 2 teaspoons of tea per serving.
  • Each serving of this recipe is 16 ounces (2 cups), which is a Starbucks grande drink size.
  • If you don’t want the trouble of making the cold foam, just add 4 tablespoons of half & half to each serving instead.
  • The tea, brown sugar simple syrup, and cold foam can all be made ahead of time and stored separately in the refrigerator. The tea keeps for 4 days at the most, the syrup for up to 2 weeks, and cold foam for up to 2 days. Just the tapioca balls can’t be made ahead.

RELATED:Jasmine Bubble Tea

Questions You May Have

Can I make a caffeine-free bubble tea?

To make it caffeine-free, use herbal tea like chamomile, rooibos, or butterfly pea flower instead of black tea.

I don’t have loose tea, can I use tea bags?

Instead of 2 tablespoons of loose black teayou can use 3 tea sachets or 6 tea bags.

How long are tapioca balls good for?

Working with tapioca balls can be a little tricky since they’re only good for about 4 hours after making them; after that they’ll harden and get rubbery which won’t be fun to eat.

How can I adjust the sweetness?

To adjust the amount of sugar that goes into the drink, strain out the tapioca balls from the brown sugar simple syrup when assembling the drink. Add the simple syrup after the drink has been made to see how sweet you want it.

No-Fail Bubble Tea Recipe (Boba Milk Tea) - Oh, How Civilized (7)

Related

  • Matcha Bubble Tea
  • Strawberry Matcha Latte Bubble Tea
  • Strawberry Milk Tea
  • Thai Iced Tea with Boba
  • Iced Latte with Boba

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4.60 from 137 votes

Homemade Bubble Tea (Boba Milk Tea) with Cold Foam

By: Jee Choe

Decadent, delicious bubble tea drink made with tapioca balls, brown sugar, and milk tea.

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 servings

Ingredients

Black tea

  • 2 ½ cups water
  • 2 tablespoons black tea

Brown Simple Syrup

  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup water

Tapioca Balls

Cream Froth

  • ¼ cup half & half
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Instructions

MAKE TEA

  • Boil water.

    Boil 2 ¾ cup of water. If using anelectric kettle with a temperature setting,set the water to 208°F. Usefiltered waterif possible.

  • Steep tea in hot water for 5 minutes.

    Combine tea and 2 ½ cups hot water and steep. (The leftover ¼ cup of hot water is to make the brown sugar simple syrup.)

  • Strain tea leaves and let tea cool.

    Using ateapot with an infusermakesstraining the tea leaves super easy.

MAKE BROWN SUGAR SIMPLE SYRUP

  • Stir together hot water and dark brown sugar until sugar dissolves.

    Take the remaining ¼ cup hot water and stir in ¼ cup brown sugar.

COOK TAPIOCA BALLS

  • Boil 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.

    (Follow directions on your tapioca ball packaging if you're using a different brand than the one I’m using.)

  • Drain tapioca balls.

  • Combine tapioca balls and brown sugar simple syrup.

    Stir in dark brown simple syrup into the pot with the strained boba. Let cool slightly so it's warm but not boiling hot.

MAKE COLD FOAM

  • Lightly whip half & half and sugar.

    Use a handheld milk frother and whip until it starts to thicken.

ASSEMBLE DRINK

  • Divide each component into two cups.

    Spoon tapioca balls in brown sugar simple syrup, add ice, then black tea, and top with cold foam. Stir together before drinking.

Video

Notes

  • Make sure your tapioca balls are still warm when you assemble the drink. They’ll be nice and soft with a little chew.
  • Instead of loose tea, you can use 3 tea sachets or 6 tea bags.
  • If you want less tea, use 4 teaspoons of tea which is 2 tea sachets or 4 tea bags.
  • Use an extra wide straw to drink your bubble tea.
  • Do not make tapioca balls more than 1-2 hours ahead of time. After 4 hours, they’ll start to harden. The drink is the best when assembled and served right before drinking.
  • Bubble tea can be made with all kinds of tea. All you need to do is add tapioca balls to a drink and it instantly becomes boba tea!
  • If you prefer weaker tea, use 2 teaspoons of tea per serving.
  • If you don’t want the trouble of making the cold foam, just add 4 tablespoons of half & half to each serving instead.
  • The tea, brown sugar simple syrup, and cream froth can all be made ahead of time and stored separately in the refrigerator. The tea keeps for 4 days at the most, the syrup for up to 2 weeks, and cold foam for up to 2 days. Just the tapioca balls can’t be made ahead.
  • To adjust the amount of sugar that goes into the drink, strain out the tapioca balls from the brown sugar simple syrup when assembling the drink. Add the simple syrup after the drink has been made to see how sweet you want it.

Nutrition

Calories: 427Carbohydrates: 82gProtein: 1gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 60mgPotassium: 59mgFiber: 1gSugar: 33gVitamin A: 437IUCalcium: 77mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: Taiwanese

Tried this recipe?Mention @ohhowcivilized or tag #ohhowcivilized!

About Jee Choe

Welcome! I'm a certified Tea Sommelier and a self-proclaimed bubble tea and iced tea master. I'm all about making tea EASY and DELICIOUS.

Read More About Me

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What Is Boba?

No-Fail Bubble Tea Recipe (Boba Milk Tea) - Oh, How Civilized (2024)

FAQs

How is bubble tea mad? ›

It is brown boba gently cooked in caramelised brown sugar, topped with ice and milk then shaken. Other sweeteners can be used such as honey, maple syrup and, one of the favourites in any Asian pantry, sweetened condensed milk. One of the best things about boba/bubble tea is how customisable each drink can be.

Can I make boba with white sugar instead of brown sugar? ›

Brown sugar – you can also use white sugar to keep the dough white (for clear boba pearls). Dark cocoa powder (if you want dark boba pearls) or matcha powder (for green boba pearls).

What is messy boba? ›

Do you know what messy cup is? It was essentially "brown sugar milk tea with boba". The soul of the "messy cup" was the amber patterns that brown sugar coating on the inner wall of cups. The boba in the drink should be dipped into the brown sugar sauce made on-site, and then milk is poured directly into the cup.

How do you make a milk tea 5 step? ›

HOW TO MAKE MILK TEA
  1. Add a Lipton Black Tea teabag to your favorite cup.
  2. Boil water and pour it over the tea bag.
  3. Wait 3 to 5 minutes for the tea to brew, without stirring or squeezing the tea bag.
  4. Remove the teabag and pour in a dash of milk. ...
  5. Stir with a spoon to blend evenly.

Are boba balls healthy? ›

Unfortunately, boba itself provides very few health benefits, though its calories and carbohydrates can provide you with a boost in energy. In most cases, boba tea contains high levels of sugar, which is linked to long-term health conditions like diabetes and obesity.

Are boba drinks healthy? ›

Boba tea is generally safe to drink, but you'll want to enjoy it in moderation. The beverage is usually high in sugar and calories and contains an additive that might lead to constipation. Drinking too much boba tea may increase your risk of diabetes and obesity.

Why do I feel weird after drinking bubble tea? ›

Drinking too much milk tea can actually make you feel bloated. Tea contains caffeine that can make the stomach bloat. When milk is added to this drink, the two can promote gas production. The tannins which are found in tea are what disrupt the digestive system and cause pain and stomach aches.

Is brown sugar boba chewy? ›

Chewy, sweet, addicting Brown Sugar Boba is an easy recipe that only requires a few simple ingredients. I use to make these with my mom as a kid as a fun weekend activity, something about homemade boba that is super satisfying!

What is black sugar boba? ›

Black sugar boba milk was first popularized by Tiger Sugar, a milk tea shop brand from Taiwan. Their signature drink consists of boba drenched in a rich, golden brown syrup, topped with fresh organic milk and a decadent cream mousse.

What flavor are black boba? ›

As Food Network reports, these little dark delights also come from the cassava root but have been soaked in brown sugar or caramel coloring, giving them a distinctive taste. The outlet notes black boba pearls' "almost licorice flavor" and their signature color.

Is boba bad 4 U? ›

However, it's crucial to recognize that frequent consumption of boba tea can have negative effects on your health. The high sugar content, excessive calorie intake, artificial ingredients, and potential allergens make it an unhealthy choice when consumed without moderation.

Is boba junk food? ›

The calorie counts for boba teas depend on how much you're served, but in general, these are high-calorie, high-fat drinks. A 16-ounce serving may have as many as 440 calories, with more than 200 of those from fat.

What is boba ? ›

Quick Answer: Boba refers to both the bubble tea drink and the chewy pearls in the drink. The pearls are made from tapioca, a starch that comes from the cassava root.

What is bubble milk tea made of? ›

Boba tea is made of tea, milk, water, sugar and tapioca pearls. Iced sweet milky tea is given a good co*cktail-style shake, after which tapioca pearls are added. Typical versions use black, green or oolong tea, although recently more flavors and types have appeared.

What is milk tea bubble tea made of? ›

An incredibly unique looking beverage, Bubble tea is a Taiwanese recipe made by blending a tea base with milk, fruit and fruit juices, then adding the signature “bubbles” - yummy tapioca pearls that sit at the bottom.

Is bubble milk tea healthy? ›

Unfortunately, boba itself provides very few health benefits, though its calories and carbohydrates can provide you with a boost in energy. In most cases, boba tea contains high levels of sugar, which is linked to long-term health conditions like diabetes and obesity.

What is bubble milk made of? ›

Whatever you call it, in its most basic form, the drink consists of black tea, milk, ice, and chewy tapioca pearls, all shaken together like a martini and served with that famously fat straw to accommodate the marbles of tapioca that cluster at the bottom of the cup.

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