Best 6 Classic Bubble Tea Recipes

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"Bubble tea", also known as pearl milk tea or boba tea, has become a widely popular beverage around the world, originated from Taiwan in the 1980s. It consists of a tea base mixed with milk, sugar, and tapioca pearls providing a unique and enjoyable drinking experience. With numerous variations and recipes available, finding the best classic bubble tea recipe can be a delightful adventure for boba enthusiasts. In this article, we'll guide you through the process of creating the perfect classic bubble tea, from selecting high-quality ingredients to understanding the essential steps involved in brewing the tea, cooking the tapioca pearls, and assembling the final drink.

Here are our top 6 tried and tested recipes!

VERY POPULAR BUBBLE TEA



Very Popular Bubble Tea image

Bubble tea is very popular, especially to Asians, but now, more and more people from different backgrounds like the taste of it. I'm no expert at this, but I do know how to make it. It's simple but some of the ingredients may be a little tough to find. Just be patient and look for them in Chinese grocery stores. It is worth the trouble!

Provided by skybaby

Categories     Drinks Recipes     Tea     Iced Tea Recipes

Time 1h30m

Yield 1

Number Of Ingredients 6

1 teaspoon white sugar
⅓ cup pearl tapioca
1 cup brewed black tea
2 tablespoons milk
4 teaspoons white sugar
1 cup ice cubes

Steps:

  • In a small saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Stir in 1 teaspoon sugar until it dissolves. Toss in the pearl tapioca. Cook for about 20 minutes. Rinse, drain, and refrigerate until chilled.
  • Pour tea, milk, and 4 teaspoons sugar into a cocktail shaker. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and the milk is well mixed in. Add the ice cubes, and shake so the whole drink can get cold. Pour into a glass, and add tapioca.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 279.6 calories, Carbohydrate 67.9 g, Cholesterol 2.4 mg, Fat 0.6 g, Fiber 0.5 g, Protein 1.1 g, SaturatedFat 0.4 g, Sodium 20.1 mg, Sugar 23.9 g

CLASSIC BUBBLE TEA RECIPE



Classic Bubble Tea Recipe image

This recipe for iced boba tea with tapioca pearls is perhaps Taiwan's most famous culinary export. The tea may be milky or not, sweetened or not, and flavored with any number of additional powders or infusions, like mango. This recipe is this classic black tea with milk, and sugar.

Provided by Cathy Erway

Categories     Tea     Iced Tea     Tapioca     Taiwan     Milk/Cream     Drinks     Non-Alcoholic

Yield 2 servings

Number Of Ingredients 5

1 cup tapioca pearls (found in the dry goods section in Asian groceries)
4 cups freshly brewed strong black tea
1 tablespoon sugar
Ice cubes, for shaking
1/2 cup whole milk

Steps:

  • Soak the tapioca pearls according to the package instructions. Once fully reconstituted and softened, drain.
  • While the tea is still hot or warm, add the sugar and stir to dissolve completely. Let cool and then refrigerate until completely chilled, about 2 hours, before serving.Place the tapioca pearls at the bottom of 2 cups. Use a cocktail shaker to shake together the ice, milk, and tea and strain into each cup and serve.

BUBBLE TEA



Bubble Tea image

Provided by Food Network Kitchen

Time 40m

Yield 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 0

Steps:

  • Cook 1 1/2 cups large black tapioca in boiling water, 6 minutes; cover and let sit off the heat, 30 minutes. Bring 1 cup each water and sugar to a boil; transfer to a bowl. Drain the tapioca and soak in the sugar syrup. To serve, put 1/4 cup tapioca in a glass. Shake 1 cup cold green tea, 3 tablespoons soaking syrup, 1/4 cup milk and 1 tablespoon sugar with ice; pour over the tapioca.

SIMPLE BUBBLE TEA



Simple Bubble Tea image

Popular Asian tea drink.

Provided by Kshi86

Categories     World Cuisine Recipes     Asian

Time 1h10m

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 6

4 cups water
1 cup quick cooking pearl tapioca
6 cups brewed black tea
¼ cup sweetened condensed milk
4 teaspoons white sugar, or to taste
ice cubes

Steps:

  • Bring water to a boil in a pot, add tapioca pearls, and cover pot. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain pearls and set aside.
  • Pour brewed tea, condensed milk, and sugar into a pitcher; stir to dissolve sugar. Refrigerate tea mixture until chilled, about 1 hour.
  • Scoop tapioca pearls into 4 large glasses, about 2 tablespoons each. Fill each glass with tea mixture; top with ice.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 217.1 calories, Carbohydrate 49.3 g, Cholesterol 6.5 mg, Fat 1.7 g, Fiber 0.3 g, Protein 1.6 g, SaturatedFat 1.1 g, Sodium 42.4 mg, Sugar 15.8 g

TAIWANESE BUBBLE TEA RECIPE BY TASTY



Taiwanese Bubble Tea Recipe by Tasty image

Craving bubble tea but don't want to keep spending so much money on it? Making your own is really easy - and much more customizable. You can buy tapioca pearls or boba from Walmart or Amazon (or your local Taiwanese store) then make the tea with a blend of your favorite black tea, sweetener, and half and half or non-dairy substitute. Just add ice and a wide straw, and you can have your favorite treat anytime!

Provided by Frank Tiu

Categories     Drinks

Yield 2 servings

Number Of Ingredients 11

2 cups water
6 black tea bags
½ cup medium black tapioca pearls
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup hot water
½ cup tapioca pearls, cooked
½ cup ice
brown sugar syrup, to taste
1 cup black tea, chilled
¼ cup half & half
2 wide-opening straws

Steps:

  • In a medium pot over high heat, combine the water and tea bags. Bring to a boil, then remove the pan from the heat and let the tea cool to room temperature.
  • Bring a medium pot of water to boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, add the tapioca pearls and boil until softened, about 20 minutes.
  • Drain the pearls through a strainer.
  • Set the strainer with the pearls over a medium bowl. Add the brown sugar to the strainer and pour the hot water over.
  • Stir to dissolve the brown sugar. Soak the pearls in brown sugar syrup for 30 minutes, then store the bubbles and syrup separately until ready to serve.
  • Assemble the tea: Divide the pearls and ice between 2 glasses, then add the brown sugar syrup, tea, and half and half.
  • Stir with a wide-opening straw, then serve.
  • Enjoy!

BOBA MILK TEA RECIPE BY TASTY



Boba Milk Tea Recipe by Tasty image

This classic boba milk tea was inspired by my experiences walking around Taiwan. Every cup of boba milk tea had this signature condensed milk flavor that fused perfectly with the concentrated black tea. A lot of stands also use whole milk, so if you're not a fan of condensed milk, whole milk will also give you an authentic taste of Taiwanese Boba Milk Tea! This drink is a thirst-quencher with a great caffeine kick. If you prefer your drinks to be less sweet, reduce the amount of brown sugar syrup or condensed milk during assembly. Don't have muscovado sugar? Swap it out for brown sugar!

Provided by Jasmine Pak

Categories     Desserts

Time 1h

Yield 2 servings

Number Of Ingredients 11

⅓ cup water, plus more as needed
¼ cup dark muscovado sugar, or brown sugar
¾ cup tapioca flour, plus more for dusting
1 cup dark muscovado sugar, or brown sugar
1 cup water
2 cups water
6 black tea bags
3 tablespoons half & half
3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
3 cups ice, divided
wide-opening straw

Steps:

  • Make the boba pearls: Add the water and muscovado sugar to a medium pan over medium-high heat. Cook until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil, 3-4 minutes. Add a bit of the tapioca flour and cook, stirring constantly, until smooth. Add half of the remaining tapioca flour and stir vigorously until a sticky dough forms. Turn off the heat and add the remaining tapioca flour. Stir until the dough comes together in a ball (not all of the flour will be incorporated at this stage). Let cool slightly.
  • Turn the dough out onto a clean surface. Knead until all of the flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth, adding more flour or water as needed if the dough is too sticky or too dry.
  • Divide the dough into 2 portions. Roll the dough into long, thin ropes about ¼-inch (6.35 mm) thick, cutting in half crosswise if they get too long. Cut the ropes into ¼-inch (6.35 mm) pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place in a bowl with a bit of tapioca flour. Dust the balls with the flour to prevent them from sticking to each other.
  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Shake off any excess flour from the tapioca pearls, then add to the boiling water. Stir to separate the pearls, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes, until cooked through.
  • Meanwhile, make the brown sugar syrup: Add the muscovado sugar and water to a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the sugar dissolves and the syrup reduces slightly, 5-7 minutes. Pour the syrup into a large heatproof bowl.
  • Once the pearls have cooked through, drain and rinse with cold water. Add the pearls to the bowl with the brown sugar syrup and let sit for 30-60 minutes.
  • Make the black tea: In a medium pot over high heat, combine the water and tea bags. Bring to a boil, then remove the pan from the heat and let the tea cool to room temperature.
  • Make the milk mixture: In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the half-and-half and sweetened condensed milk until combined.
  • Assemble the boba milk tea: Add about ⅓ cup (80 ml) boba pearls and brown sugar syrup to the bottom of each glass. Top with 1½ cups (225 grams) ice, then add ½ cup (240 ml) black tea and 3 tablespoons of the milk mixture. Stir with a wide-opening straw, then serve.
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts : Calories 598 calories, Carbohydrate 146 grams, Fat 1 gram, Fiber 0 grams, Protein 1 gram, Sugar 99 grams

Tips:

  • Choose the right tea: The type of tea you use will determine the flavor of your bubble tea. Black tea is the most popular choice, but you can also use green tea, oolong tea, or white tea.
  • Steep the tea properly: The steeping time will affect the flavor of your tea. For black tea, steep for 3-5 minutes. For green tea, steep for 1-2 minutes. Oolong tea and white tea should be steeped for 2-3 minutes.
  • Add your desired sweetener: You can use sugar, honey, or syrup to sweeten your bubble tea. The amount of sweetener you add is up to your personal preference.
  • Chill the tea: Once the tea has cooled, chill it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This will help the flavors to meld together.
  • Add your toppings: There are many different toppings that you can add to your bubble tea, such as tapioca pearls, fruit, and pudding. Choose your toppings based on your personal preferences.
  • Enjoy!: Bubble tea is best enjoyed fresh. So, once you've made it, drink it up!

Conclusion:

Bubble tea is a delicious and refreshing drink that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. It's a great way to cool down on a hot day or to enjoy a sweet treat. With so many different flavors and toppings to choose from, there's sure to be a bubble tea that everyone will love. So, next time you're looking for a refreshing drink, give bubble tea a try!

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