How to Make Bubble Tea

Bubble tea became so popular around the world that it’s not just a drink anymore, but rather, an entire culture. Even though many cafés offer boba tea, it’s very easy and more fun to make at home. 5-Minute Crafts wants to show the process of making tapioca pearls by yourself. Additionally, we included 2 tasty recipes for bubble tea that you can try.

How to make tapioca pearls

You will need:

• Tapioca flour — 3/4 cup (2.25 oz or 64 g)
• Brown sugar (or Taiwanese brown sugar, also known as “black sugar”) — 2 tablespoons
• Hot water — 4 tablespoons

Step 1: Place a pan on medium heat. Put sugar and water into the pan and stir until the sugar gets completely dissolved. Turn off the heat.

Step 2: Add 1 tablespoon of tapioca flour to the sugar syrup and mix well so that the mixture doesn’t have any lumps.

Step 3: Place the pan on medium heat again. Start stirring the mixture until everything thickens, then remove it from the heat. Add the rest of the flour and combine everything. You will get sticky dough at the end.

Step 4: Dust a table with some tapioca flour and put the dough on it. Start kneading it to get the soft and elastic texture. If the dough is too sticky to knead, you can add some extra flour to it.

Step 5: Roll the dough into thin long sticks, then cut each stick into small pieces.

Step 6: Roll these pieces into balls.

Step 7: Pour some water into a saucepan and bring it to a boil (there should be enough water to cover the tapioca pearls). After the water boils, add the pearls to it and stir well to avoid sticking. Cover the saucepan with a lid.

Step 8: Let the pearls boil for 20 minutes under the lid. After this, turn off the heat and let them rest for 20 minutes more. Drain the pearls. Now they are ready to be added to your favorite drinks.

How to make bubble tea

You will need (for 4 portions):

• Black tea — 8 bags (3 tablespoons of black tea leaves)
• Hot water — 4 cups (32 fl oz or 240 ml)
• Tapioca pearls — 3/4 cups
• Some milk

For sugar syrup (optional):

• Water — 1/4 cup (2 fl oz or 59 ml)
• Sugar — 1/2 cup (4 oz or 115 g)

Step 1: Bring 4 cups of water to a boil, then steep the tea bags in it. Let the tea bags stay in the water until it cools down.

Step 2: For the syrup, pour sugar into a saucepan and add 1/4 cup of water to it. Turn on the heat to medium and start stirring the sugar. The water needs to start boiling and the sugar needs to get dissolved in it. Remove the pan from the heat and let the syrup cool down.

Step 3: Transfer an even amount of tapioca pearls into 4 big glasses. Add around 1 cup of tea (8 fl oz or 240 ml), some milk, and 1.5 tablespoons of sugar syrup to each glass. Stir well.

Tip: You can also use pre-packed tapioca pearls instead of making your own. Boil 4 cups of water and add the boba pears to it, and stir well. Wait until the pearls start to float to the top and cook them for 5 minutes more. When they get soft enough, remove them from the pan, quickly rinse with water, and transfer them into a bowl. You can coat them with some sugar syrup to your taste.

Fruity bubble tea

You will need:

• Fresh or frozen fruit or berries of your choice (strawberries, mango, blueberries, etc.) — 1 cup (6 oz or 190 g)
• Milk — 1 cup (8 fl. oz or 250 ml)
• Honey — 1 tablespoon
• Prepared tapioca pearls
• Some ice

Step 1: Add fruit or berries of your choice, milk, ice, and honey into a blender. Blend until smooth.

Step 2: Put some boba pearls at the bottom of a glass. Pour the milk mixture into the glass.