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Bubble Tea Recipe (Boba Tea)

Make your own Boba Tea with this simple Bubble Tea Recipe. Using 6 ingredients, this tea is super easy, tasty, refreshing and perfect for any time!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Asian
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 250kcal

Ingredients

For the tea:

  • 4 cups water
  • ¼ cup loose-leaf chinese breakfast black tea

For the tapioca:

  • 1 cup tapioca pearls
  • ½ cup dark brown sugar
  • ¼ cup water

To assemble:

  • Ice
  • 2 tbsp Half and half

Instructions

  • Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the loose tea to the boiling water and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer tea for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it  steep for 5 minutes.
  • Using a fine mesh strainer to strain the tea into a large heat-proof bowl. Discard the loose tea leaves. Lett the tea cool to room temperature and then put it in the refrigerator to chill.
  • Cook the tapioca pearls according to the directions on the packaging. When they're finished, place them in a medium-sized heat-proof bowl and set them aside.
  • In a medium-sized saucepan, add the brown sugar and water, and stir to combine. Place over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce it to a simmer and simmer for 3 minutes, continuing to stir constantly. Be very careful as this can boil over easily. Remove from the heat if it starts to rapidly boil.
  • The syrup should be slightly thickened before pouring it over the tapioca pearls. Stir to combine. Let it cool to room temperature, do not refrigerate.
  • When ready to serve, add the tapioca pearls with some of the syrup to the bottom of four large glasses.
  • Add ice.
  • Then add 1 cup of the tea to each iced glass.
  • Add 1-2 tablespoons of half and half to each tea glass or to your taste.
  • Gently stir to combine and enjoy.

Notes

  1. You can swap out the half and half for other dairy options, see my suggestion above. 
  2. For this Boba Tea, I used dark brown sugar to really bring that extra depth of flavor, but if needed, you can use light brown sugar instead. It'll still be delish.
  3. If you want more of a sweeter Boba Tea, I like to add more of the brown sugar syrup to the glass or add some simple syrup to the drink. 
  4. I love using Chinese Black Breakfast Tea, but you can use whatever tea you prefer. 
  5. This is super easy to double or triple to make more servings. 

Nutrition

Calories: 250kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 0.3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 25mg | Potassium: 51mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 27IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1mg