How To Make Strawberry Boba Without Tapioca Starch

How to make strawberry boba without tapioca starch? It’s pretty easy if you know how to do it. Don’t worry, my guide will help you! Have a look!

So, you want to make a delicious Strawberry Boba without Tapioca Starch? I’m Mike Olivares. I talk about how to make boba that is healthy and quick.

Strawberry Milk Tea: Boba Tea with fresh Strawberries!

This strawberry milk tea is a smooth, fruity drink, with a hint of tea and strawberry which is served with chewy boba that hit your palate time and again. It is a delicious treat that you are sure to enjoy.

What does strawberry milk tea taste like?

Strawberry milk tea, often called strawberry boba tea is a bubble tea recipe that has a strawberry flavor. This refreshing tea is usually served with brown sugar or black boba pearls. So as far as its flavor profile is concerned, it is more of a fruit drink.

• It has the freshness and flavor of strawberry.
• Tea is there in the drink that pleasantly hits your palate from time to time.
• The brown sugar boba not only gives the chewy surprise as you sip the tea through the boba straw but also gives it a characteristic brown sugar syrup flavor which is characteristic of any bubble tea.
• Milk gives it much-needed smoothness.

Why does this strawberry boba tea recipe work? Or why should you try this recipe?

• Freshly made. Unlike the store-bought boba that is not freshly made. You can whip up this delightful drink for yourself fresh batch at your home.
• Refreshing. This recipe uses fresh strawberry fruits. The freshness that strawberries add to this bubble tea is unbeatable. It is fruity and refreshing.
• Easy to make. The level of skills that you need to make strawberry boba tea is a beginner level. It is so easy to make. It does have some steps involved when you are making the strawberry milk at home. But if you use store-bought strawberry milk, it is going to be way easier and quicker.
• Approachable. The recipe is approachable. All the ingredients are easy to procure and most of them we already have in your pantries. The only thing that you need to buy is tapioca pearls.
• Make it to fit your health or diet needs. You can substitute the ingredients to match your dietary needs. If you are following special diets like vegan, then you can replace the dairy milk with plant-based milk of your choice. If you want to cut down on tea flavor, reduce the quantity of tea that you add to the boba.
• Customizable to taste. You can customize it to match your taste. You can reduce the sugar, add more strawberries, or use frozen ones, use low glycemic sweeteners or sugar-free sweeteners if those are your choices.
• No preservatives or stabilizers. The packed bubble tea has some kind of stabilizers in them to stabilize the liquids in the boba. Some also use preservatives to enhance their shelf life. The best way to avoid them is to make your bubble tea at home.

Other milk tea or bubble tea recipes

Traditionally bubble tea was just taro or Thai tea flavored boba. But over time numerous flavors got added to the list. Like strawberry milk tea, there are numerous other ways to flavor bubble tea.

• Blueberry bubble tea
• Honeydew bubble tea
• Chocolate boba
• Lychee bubble tea
• Mango bubble tea
• Rose milk tea

Ingredients and their substitution for making strawberry boba tea

 1 Boba pearls

I am using brown sugar uncooked boba for making this strawberry milk tea. You can choose whichever boba pears you like the most. Mine is quick cooking boba.

The brown sugar boba is the most common and is very easily available. They are also called black boba sometimes due to their color.  Other options that you can explore are:

•  Clear boba. You can use clear boba. Unlike the brown sugar boba, they can absorb the flavors from the milk tea.
• Mini boba. I love mini boba. I have used them in my lychee bubble tea. They are a type of clear boba, but smaller in size. You do not need an extra-wide straw to sip through if you use them in your strawberry milk tea recipe.
• Flavored boba. These are usually fruit-flavored tapioca pearls. They taste best with respective bubble tea flavors.
• Popping boba. These are juice-filled boba. They come in various flavors. Works wonders with fruity boba tea. But they are not easy to find. And the flavor options are also minimal. They have an interesting texture. A pop-up juice balls sort of thing.
• Jelly boba. They are boba made with fruit-flavored jelly. They are chewy and fruity, but way different than the regular tapioca pearls boba.

2 Fresh strawberry

I am using the fresh strawberries to make a strawberry sauce. You can use frozen strawberries also. They are easier to cook and make a sauce.

Another substitution is to use store-bought strawberry milk. It is easier and more convenient. But you cannot control the intensity of the flavors here. You can use 1 ½  cup strawberry milk for making 2 cups of bubble tea.

The strawberry bubble tea that we are going to make using the fresh strawberry is going to have way far stronger and fresher flavor. Also, it is preservative free strawberry milk.

3. Tea

You can use whichever tea you like. Black or green tea. You can use tea bags or tea leaves. Choose your favorite tea and steep it a few hours ahead of making the bubble tea and refrigerate it. To read the steeping process in detail refer to the lychee sweet tea recipe.

4 Sweetener

You can use whichever sweetener that you like. But the regular cane sugar works best for making the sauce of strawberries.

You can substitute it with brown sugar or vegan sugar alternatives if you follow a vegan diet.

Also, I am using some maple syrup to dunk the boba after cooking it. You can use honey, brown sugar syrup, or any other syrup of your choice.

5 Milk

We are going to need whole milk in this recipe. If you are vegan, choose your favorite plant-based milk.

Also, you can use some cream if you want to raise the bar of decadence.

Now, let us start with the strawberry bubble tea recipe.

Step by step Instruction to make strawberry milk tea

Step 1 Brew the tea

As I discussed in the ingredient section, you can use whichever tea you like. I have used black tea in this recipe.

I placed a teabag in a cup. Then, to brew the tea, I boiled 1 cup of water. When the water started to boil, I turned off the heat and poured the water into the cup. Lift the tea bag 2-3 times in the cup to allow movement of tea leaves to ensure maximum tea flavor extraction. Then cover the cup with a plate and steep the tea bag in the boiling water for 3 minutes of total time. Uncover the teacup and remove the teabag.

You want to do this step in advance so that you have enough time to chill the tea. After brewing the tea, refrigerate it for at least 2-3 hours or until chilled.

Step 2 Make strawberry milk

What is strawberry milk? How to make fresh strawberry milk at home?

Strawberry milk is nothing but strawberry-flavored milk that can be easily made at home.

Making strawberry milk is the key step in making this strawberry boba. If you are using store-bought strawberry milk, skip this step. You just need to cook the boba and assemble the bubble tea.

But if you are making the strawberry milk at home, follow along.

You can use fresh or frozen strawberries to make it. But there are further two ways to do it.

1.  Just blend the strawberries and milk, strain, and use. This is not the best way in my opinion. The strawberry flavor in the milk is not that strong.
2. Make the strawberry sauce. In this method, we can use fresh or frozen strawberries. We cook them with some sugar. It is cooked until it becomes all mushy and sauce-like thick and bubbly.
   
   Use a potato masher to press and mash the strawberries. When done, empty the contents in a strainer or strain through a muslin cloth or a cheesecloth. Push the pulp through the strainer or cloth.
   Now add the cold milk to the gathered sauce. Mix well and there you have it. Strawberry milk!

Step 3 Cooking boba

Cook the boba according to the package instructions. If you are using popping boba or jelly boba, you do not need to cook them. But if you are using tapioca boba pearls like me, you will be cooking boba in boiling water.

I am using the brown sugar boba. It is better to buy fast cooking boba. It is flavored with brown sugar syrup. To cook 1/3 cup of brown sugar or black boba, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Then add the tapioca pearls to the boiling water. Let them boil for 4-5 minutes or until they come floating to the top.

The exact time will vary with the type of boba you use. But look for them to come to the top. When boba starts to float, cook them for additional 10 minutes at medium heat. Then, turn off the heat and cover the pan and let the boba soak for 5 more minutes. Then, strain the water and gather the cooked boba.

 Transfer them into a bowl. Then add some simple syrup to dunk the tapioca pearls. The conventional choice is brown sugar syrup. But you can use whichever syrup you like. I have used a few tsp of maple syrup to soak the boba at room temperature until we are ready to assemble the tea. Tapioca pearls are starchy. They tend to stick together after cooking if no syrupy is added to them.

Step 4 Assemble the strawberry milk tea

To assemble the strawberry milk boba, start by pouring in the syrup dunked the boba into the glasses. Add more or less boba depending on how much you want in your tea. I usually lean towards less boba in my tea as they are starch-rich – high-calorie stuff.

Then add 9-10 ice cubes to each glass. Then pour in half a cup of brewed tea per glass. Finally, add the strawberry milk. Put a boba straw and give it a generous stir. You can also add cream to make it creamier if you want.

There you have it… A strawberry milk bubble tea!

 How to make vegan strawberry bubble tea

To make vegan strawberry bubble tea, just substitute the whole milk with plant-based milk that you like. Also, use vegan sugar instead of cane sugar. Follow the rest of the recipe as such to make the vegan strawberry milk tea.

Recipe notes

• The ideal water temperature to brew the tea is 212 ⁰F or 100 ⁰C which is just the boiling point of water. So just as the water starts to boil, you know that you reached the right temperature to steep the tea.
• Make the tea in advance and chill it in the fridge.
• Cook the tapioca pearls or boba right before making the strawberry milk tea. They taste best when made fresh.
• If you are using popping boba or jelly boba, you do not need to cook them.
• The exact time needed to cook boba will vary with the type of boba you use. But look for them to come to the top. It is better to use quick cooking boba.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the strawberry bubble tea caffeinated?

Yes, it is caffeinated. It has tea so, it is caffeinated. But since it has about half a cup of brewed tea per serving, there is nothing that one should worry about. On top of that, there is a hell lot of ice and milk to dilute it.
Also, if you are caffeine conscious, use green tea. Black tea is known to have larger amounts of caffeine than green tea.

How much boba do you need a per cup of bubble tea?

Now, this is a troubling question. The traditional bubble teas usually have boba equivalent to one-third of the total serving size. Which is a hell lot of pure carbs!  On the contrary, the cafes I have tried in the US add much lesser boba.

Everybody has their preference. You do not have to stick to any fixed ratio. Add boba according to your taste and preference. I add less boba per cup in my bubble teas as I make them very often and want to keep the calories under check.

Can I prepare/ cook boba in advance?

It is not a good idea to prepare boba in advance. As discussed in the post, they are super starchy, made with mainly tapioca starch. On storage, they become starchy and harden. Just contrary to what we want them to be.
So the best boba is made fresh and served fresh.

Why is boba tea called bubble tea?

The names bubble tea and boba tea are used interchangeably.
Boba tea started to be called bubble tea when a few cafes started to shake the boba tea to create bubbles on the top before serving.


Bubble tea is shaken to form bubbles and served with some tapioca balls. It could be just tea flavored or a combination of tea and fruits. It could use green tea, black tea, jasmine tea, white tea, or matcha tea. There are numerous variations but mostly it is served with tapioca pearls dunked in brown sugar syrup.

Lychee bubble tea

The lychee bubble tea is fragrant, sweet, and smooth milk tea served with tapioca pearls. Tea flavor gives the depth, lychee gives the sweet fragrant taste, milk imparts smoothness, boba balls give a texture and the bubbles give a unique mouth feels to this drink. 

If you like this strawberry boba tea recipe, please leave a rating and a comment. It helps me create more recipes like this one.

Make it delicious!

Strawberry milk tea recipe card

5 from 2 votes

Strawberry milk tea

This strawberry milk tea is a smooth, fruity drink, with a hint of tea and strawberry. And not to forget the chewy boba that hit your palate time and again. It is a delicious treat that you are sure to enjoy.

 CourseDrinks

 CuisineAsian

 KeywordBoba tea strawberry, strawberry boba tea, strawberry bubble tea recipe, strawberry milk tea, strawberry milk tea boba

 Prep Time5 minutes

 Cook Time25 minutes

 Total Time30 minutes

 Servings2

 Calories203kcal

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup uncooked boba
• 300 g fresh strawberry or frozen strawberries
• 5 tsp sugar
• 1 cup tea steeped
• 1 ½ cup milk
• 3 tsp Maple syrup

Instructions

Step 1 Brew the tea

• Place a teabag in a cup. Then, to brew the tea, boil 1 cup of water. When the water starts to boil, turn off the heat and pour the water into the cup.
• Lift the tea bag 2-3 times in the cup to allow movement of tea leaves to ensure maximum flavor extraction. Then cover the cup with a plate and steep the teabag in the boiling water for 3 minutes.
• Uncover the teacup and remove the teabag.
• After brewing the tea, refrigerate it for at least 2-3 hours or until chilled.

Step 2 Make strawberry milk

• In a pan, put washed and sliced strawberries with sugar. Cook until it becomes all mushy and sauce thick and bubbly. Use a potato masher to press and mash the strawberries if needed.
• When done, empty the contents into a strainer or strain through a muslin cloth or a cheesecloth. Push the pulp through the strainer or cloth.
• Now add the cold milk to the gathered sauce and mix well.
• Refrigerate the strawberry milk until you are ready to assemble the bubble tea.

Step 3 Cooking boba

• To cook 1/3 cup of brown sugar or black boba, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Then add the boba (tapioca pearls ) to the boiling water.
• Let them boil for 4-5 minutes or until they come floating to the top. After the boba starts to float, cook them for additional 10 minutes at medium heat. Then, turn off the heat and cover the pan and let the boba soak for 5 more minutes.
• Now, strain the water and gather the cooked boba.
• Transfer them into a bowl. Then add maple syrup to dunk the tapioca pearls until ready to assemble the bubble tea.

Step 4 Assemble the strawberry milk tea

• To assemble the strawberry milk boba, start by putting the syrup dunked the boba into the glasses. Add more or less boba depending on how much you want in your tea.
• Then add 9-10 ice cubes to each glass. Then pour in half a cup of brewed tea per glass.
• Finally, add the strawberry milk.
• Put a boba straw and give it a generous stir. There you have it. A strawberry milk bubble tea!

Notes

• You can use fresh or frozen strawberries to make strawberry milk.
• You could also blend the strawberries and milk, strain, and use. This is not the best way in my opinion. The strawberry flavor in the milk is not that strong. But it is quick and saves you time.
• The ideal water temperature to brew the tea is 212 Degree F or 100 Degree C. which is just the boiling point of water. So just as the water starts to boil, you know that you reached the right temperature to steep the tea.
• Make the tea in advance and chill it in the fridge.
•  Cook the tapioca pearls or boba right before making the strawberry milk tea. They taste best when made fresh.
• If you are using popping boba or jelly boba, you do not need to cook them.
• The exact time needed to cook boba will vary with the type of boba you use. But look for them to come to the top. It is better to use quick cooking boba.
• You can also add cream to make it creamier if you want.To make vegan strawberry bubble tea, just substitute the whole milk with plant-based milk that you like. Also, use vegan sugar instead of cane sugar. Follow the rest of the recipe as such to make the vegan strawberry milk tea.

HOW TO PREPARE BOBA PEARLS AT HOME

This post was originally published in 2013. We’ve updated it with more information and photos. We are always aiming to make sure the content on our site is up to date and helpful. 🙂

Have you ever tried boba (bubble) tea before? There are all sorts of flavors and variations, but basically it’s a sweet tea, smoothie, or latte that contains boba pearls you drink along with your beverage. Boba pearls are kind of like small, gummy candies that are made of mostly tapioca. Strange, right?

I think most people either end up loving it or hating it. But it’s always fun to try new things. And today I’m going to share my no-fail method for preparing boba pearls at home.

We used to serve boba tea at the our little boutique’s sweet shop many years ago, so I’ve prepared the pearls lots of times. When I was first learning to prepare boba, I found some information online to be very helpful and some not so helpful.

I’ve also noticed that when I buy boba pearls sometimes the instructions on the package will vary a great deal depending on the brand (and sometimes I am unable to read it if there is not an English version). So, I’m going to share my fool-proof method for preparing boba pearls—it’s super simple!

1. Start with 2 cups of boba pearls, around 10 ounces. There’s lots of places to buy these online (and sometimes locally at Asian markets as well).

Boba can only be prepared up to 24 hours in advance, although it is best when served within 12 hours of making the pearls. So only make as much as you’ll consume. Two cups is plenty for a small get-together— about 6-7 drinks.

2. Fill a large pot (the boba needs to be able to move around so they don’t stick together) about 1/2 to 2/3 full of water. Bring the water to a boil.

Give it a stir and pour the boba pearls in. They should float to the surface within the first 30-45 seconds. If they don’t float you may have a bad batch or you may not have allowed the water to boil all the way before adding the boba.

3. Allow the boba to cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring every so often.

4. Remove the pot from the heat and place a lid on top. Allow the boba to cook covered for an additional 2-3 minutes.

5. Strain the boba from the water and pour into a bowl/container. Add just enough cold water to cover the pearls. Stir in 1/4 cup brown sugar to sweeten the boba. Allow to cool before adding to drinks.

If you don’t need to use the boba pearls for more 12 hours, cover the container and refrigerate. The pearls will stick together some the longer they sit in the syrup, so give them a good stir before adding to drinks to help them unstick.

You will also want to serve boba pearl drinks, bubble tea, with large straws (larger than standard size) so the pearls will fit inside the straw and can be consumed. I also like to serve them in tall skinnier glasses but you can do whatever glass you like.

They also have instant versions of boba tea that come with the milk tea as well if you want to try those out for when you want a drink quickly. If you love boba tea, then try these popsicles or thai tea with boba.

Now that you know how to prepare the pearls will you be making them? Have you ever tried boba before? Love it? Hate it? Totally weird you out? Let us know your thoughts and favorite flavors. 🙂 xo. Emma

How to Prepare Boba Pearls

 Course Drinks

Ingredients

• 2 cups boba pearls
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• water

Instructions

1. Fill a large pot (the boba needs to be able to move around so they don’t stick together) about 1/2 to 2/3 full of water. Bring the water to a boil. Give it a stir and pour the boba pearls in. They should float to the surface within the first 30-45 seconds. If they don’t float you may have a bad batch or you may not have allowed the water to boil all the way before adding the boba.
2. Allow the boba to cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring every so often.
3. Remove the pot from the heat and place a lid on top. Allow the boba to cook covered for an additional 2-3 minutes.
4. Strain the boba from the water and pour into a bowl/container. Add just enough cold water to cover the pearls. Stir in 1/4 cup brown sugar to sweeten the boba. Allow to cool before adding to drinks.

Recipe Notes

If you don’t need to use the boba pearls for more 12 hours, cover the container and refrigerate. The pearls will stick together some the longer they sit in the syrup, so give them a good stir before adding to drinks to help them unstick.

Boba can only be prepared up to 24 hours in advance, although it is best when served within 12 hours of making the pearls— so only make as much as you’ll consume.

How to Make Boba from Scratch (aka Tapioca Pearls) for Bubble Tea

Chewy and sweet boba is such a treat whenever I drink jasmine milk tea or any other bubble tea. After years of buying premade boba, I finally have a recipe to make boba at home anytime I feel a craving coming on. With just three ingredients, dark brown sugar, water, and tapioca starch, you can learn how to make boba too!  

Why make homemade boba?

While I’ve been to plenty of boba cafes in the past 20 years, I’ve found it’s pretty rare to find homemade boba from scratch at these cafes. Recently, OneZo (shops in California, New York and Massachusetts) made headlines making their boba in-store and I started to research making boba at home because I wanted to know exactly what I was consuming.

After buying about 13 varieties of premade boba from different stores and online boba shops online, I saw that many of these boba pearls were made with many types of ingredients that I didn’t recognize. While I was researching how to make boba from scratch, I’ve found that most boba is made by a few ingredients: tapioca starch, dark brown sugar, and water. 

The best tapioca pearl / boba brands

Making boba from home can be quite a challenge so I wanted to offer you another option–buying premade pearls. If you want to make boba milk tea using premade boba, you can buy various brands online and in stores.

But please be warned, many people seem to have difficulty cooking premade boba even when they come with instructions. I bought 13 different varieties to help people troubleshoot these cooking issues, and the methods to cooking can vary greatly from brand, and type within a brand, but in the end if you’re willing to experiment and retry, it’s much easier than trying to make your own boba.

These brands below are four of 13 I tested and these stood out from the pack as the best because of the quick cooking time and better final results.

Why making your own boba can be difficult

When I first attempted this, I honestly thought this would be an easy process; This mindset quickly went out the window after my second time trying to make my pearls. It’s worth mentioning that this can be a tricky process because working with tapioca starch is a sticky situation.

While working with this recipe, I dealt with timing and texture issues with my dough. With my dough going from being too sticky and wet to being too dry. After several rounds of testing, I finally found a recipe that works. I’ve also listed some tips below to help you get chewy and sweet boba.   

How to make tapioca pearls (step by step)

Step 1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the dark brown sugar and water. Stir until the liquid warms up and the sugar dissolves. This takes about 45 seconds.

Step 2. Remove the pan from the heat and add two tablespoons as you constantly mix to make sure its even. This should happen in under five seconds.

Step 3. Add the rest of the tapioca starch in your pan and mix thoroughly. You want to make sure you get all the tapioca starch incorporated into the thick mixture. It may get a little tiring stirring so much, but it’s worth it! This should give you a thick and sticky consistency of dough. It should take about one minute total.

Step 4. Sprinkle tapioca starch over your cutting board or pastry board. Transfer the dough onto the surface, adding a little more tapioca starch on top of the dough.

Step 5. Carefully begin to knead your dough and sprinkle in more tapioca starch if it’s still too sticky. I like to knead for about two minutes. Test your dough by pulling it apart and if it snaps or breaks in the middle then it’s ready. It should also be smooth.

Step 6. Cut your dough in quarters and place three sections in cling wrap to prevent it from drying out. With one quarter, roll it into a log with about a ¼ of a quarter diameter.

Step 7. Then cut the log into about ¼ of a quarter pieces. Take one piece and roll in between your palms to make a small ball. (Note, the boba will expand in the boiling water as it cooks)

Step 8. Sprinkle some tapioca starch into a tray or bowl and place your boba balls in there to prevent them from sticking. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

Step 7. After you’ve finished rolling all your balls, place them in a strainer and remove the excess starch.

Step 8. Boil about 10 cups of water in a large pot and then add about ½ cup of boba into the pot. Wait for the boba to float, then cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes, uncovered. Note: after putting my boba in the boiling water, I noticed they changed their shape similar to raisins. But after boiling for 20 minutes, they rounded out again.

Step 9. Remove the pot from the stove, and then cover with a lid and rest for another 20 minutes. 

Step 10. Strain the boba from the water and run them under cold water to remove the excess starchy layer and stop the cooking process and use these pearls as soon as possible.

Step 11 (optional). If you want to further sweeten the boba, you can add the boba and two tablespoons of dark brown sugar (or honey) in a bowl and leave it to marinate for ten minutes. Serve your boba with jasmine milk tea or thai tea. Again try to serve and eat these pearls as soon as you can.

Tips to ensure better results

• You need to use tapioca starch/flour. These are the same thing, but you definitely cannot substitute cornstarch for tapioca starch. The boba will not form properly. 
• Heat it up: when heating up your water and dark brown sugar, make sure the liquid gets heated enough so that the tapioca starch can dissolve. 
• When you move the sugar water and starch mixture back onto the stove, you need to move fast! Constantly stir the liquid and the instant that you start to see thickening at the bottom of the pan, remove it before it gets too sticky. 
• Knead your dough! I witnessed some videos where people posted their boba fails because they thought their dough was too dry, but it was only because they didn’t knead their dough enough to incorporate the ingredients.
• Don’t over knead though! While kneading, the dough should be warm to the touch. Stop kneading before it gets too cold and dry. Too dry dough will begin to crack. If you pull your dough apart quickly, it should snap in the middle. This is when you should stop kneading and start making your round balls.  
• Keep all the dough under cling wrap to prevent it from drying out before you roll it out into balls.  
• Use more tapioca starch to cover the finished balls to prevent them from sticking together. 
• Drying boba will give you a better round shape. While you can cook your boba immediately, I found that drying them out for about two hours will help them keep their super round shape. If you cook them immediately, they do resemble raisins once you put them in the boiling water, but they round out a bit while cooking. Note: the shapes aren’t perfectly round, but the shape doesn’t change the flavor. 

Can I make tapioca pearls with cornstarch?

It is really important to use tapioca starch when making boba or tapioca pearls because you need the sticky and chewy nature of tapioca starch in your dough. Cornstarch does not have the same properties to give you this same texture.

You can find tapioca starch in various Asian grocery stores or even in grocery stores. I have seen Bob’s Red Mill Tapioca Starch available online and in-stores. Please note, in America, tapioca starch and tapioca flour are one in the same. 

How do you keep Boba chewy?

You should consume boba as soon as you make it to get the perfect texture, or at least four hours within cooking them for the best texture. To keep boba chewy, you can submerge them in a sweet, room temperature liquid until you add them in your drink. Once you put them in the fridge, they begin to harden.

How to Make Boba from Scratch (aka Tapioca Pearls) for Bubble Tea

5 from 5 votes

This tapioca pearl recipe will help teach you how to make tapioca pearls (boba) from scratch! Soon, you’ll have extra chewy and fresh boba at home.

PREP: 10 MINS

COOK: 1 HR 5 MINS

ROLLING BOBA: 30 MINS

TOTAL: 1 HR 45 MINS

SERVINGS: 

INGREDIENTS

• ▢40 g or 3 tbsp dark brown sugar
• ▢60 ml or ¼ c water
• ▢95 g or ¾ c tapioca starch or flour

SWEETENER

• ▢13 g or 2 tbsp dark brown sugar or honey optional

INSTRUCTIONS 

MAKING DOUGH

• In a saucepan over medium-high heat, add 40 grams of dark brown sugar and 60 milliliters of water and stir until the sugar is fully dissolved. Remove the pan from heat and make sure there are no bubbles any longer.
• Add about 1 tablespoon of tapioca starch and mix in quickly before it gets too lumpy. Add the pan back onto the stove on medium-low heat and stir constantly until it begins to thicken. Once you start seeing the mixture thicken on the bottom of the pan, remove it from the stove and begin to stir until the entire mixture thickens.
• Add the rest of the tapioca starch into the pan and continue to stir constantly until you incorporate all the starch into the mixture. It should become slightly sticky and thicker to stir.
• Sprinkle tapioca starch onto a clean surface and transfer your dough. Sprinkle more tapioca starch on top of the dough and carefully knead until it’s smooth and you get a less sticky texture. I knead for about two minutes and add more tapioca starch if the dough still feels too sticky. Pull the dough apart and if it snaps in the middle, then your dough is done kneading.
• Cut the dough into quarters and place three of the quarters under cling wrap to prevent them from drying out.
• Take one quarter and roll it into a long rope with ¼ of an inch diameter. Cut small pieces of about ¼ of an inch sections along the rope. Take one piece and roll it between the palm of your hands to form small balls. Add some tapioca starch into a bowl or sheet pan to prevent the balls from sticking. You want to move pretty quickly because you don’t want to dry out the dough. Repeat until you have formed all the boba balls.
• Once you have enough balls you can start to cook them.

COOKING BOBA

• Boil 10 cups of water in a large pot. Once it hits a boil, add ½ cup of boba. Wait for the boba to float and then lower to medium heat. Continue to cook on a simmer for 20 minutes.
• Then move the pot off the stove, cover with a lid, and rest on the counter for an additional 20 minutes.
• Strain the pearls and run them under cold water to stop the cooking process and remove the starchy outer layer.
• If you want to sweeten your boba, put them in a bowl and mix in two tablespoons of dark brown sugar. Marinate for 10 minutes and serve with your favorite milk tea!