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

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.

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.

RELATED:

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

• 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.

Step-by-Step Instructions

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.

5. Put tapioca balls in brown sugar syrup into a glass.
6. Add ice.
7. Pour in tea.
8. 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

Related

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

Want to save this recipe to Pinterest for later?Pin it now to your Pinterest board!