boba pearls

A simple DIY for 3-ingredient homemade tapioca pearls (aka boba) - including how to cook tapioca pearls and a delicious brown sugar bubble milk tea recipe.

Homemade Boba 'Tapioca Pearls' Bubble Milk Tea

tapioca flour (plus a bit more for dusting)

tbsp brown sugar (use Taiwanese brown sugar AKA 'black sugar', if possible)

tBsp water

tBsp brown sugar (soft)

almond milk (or any other milk

Heat up the water and sugar over medium heat. Stir until all the sugar has dissolved. Then turn off the heat.

Add about 1 tablespoon of the tapioca flour and stir until well combined. Make sure there are no lumps.

Turn the heat on again and stir the mixture until it starts thickening. Once it becomes thicker, remove from the heat.

Add the rest of the tapioca flour and mix well until you obtain a sticky dough.

On a lightly floured surface (floured with tapioca flour), knead the dough until it becomes uniform, soft and elastic. Tapioca dough can be very sticky, so add some extra flour, if needed.

Roll the dough* into thin long rod-like pieces. Each roll needs to be quite thin, as the tapioca pearls will expand when cooked later on.

Cut the rolls into small pieces. Then quickly roll each into a ball. **Repeat with the rest of the dough. Now you have your dried tapioca pearls ready. ***

DIY Tapioca Pearls (Boba)

In a large saucepan, boil enough water to cover your boba. Then add the tapioca pearls to the boiling water (carefully, so you don't splash yourself). Stir well, so they don’t stick to the bottom of the or each other.

Cover the pot with a lid. Boil for 20 minutes, then let them rest for another 20 minutes. Finally, drain the boba.You can now either add them to your favourite tea or milk drink or first make a sugar syrup for an extra special treat. I definitely suggest going for the extra next step though, as this takes the pearls from being 'nice' to 'more please' - adding a caramel-like flavour and softening the texture. 

How To Cook Tapioca Pearls

For a traditional boba, then a black tea base is the norm. However, you can also use a variety of herbal teas, flavoured milks and even juices/smoothies as your drink base. If making a tea then simply steep the tea bags/tea leaves in warm milk (alternatively, make a tea as you would typically in the water, adding milk to dilute) and leave this to chill in the fridge until you want to use it. For my recipe, I decided to use Bantha Milk AKA &#039;Blue Milk&#039;, as my base. This drink is a sweet butterfly pea flower and lavender coconut milk (inspired by the Star Wars blue milk) and the combination of flavours with the pearls is delicious. 

How To Make Bubble Milk Tea:

To make the tapioca peals with brown sugar syrup, warm up the brown sugar over medium heat for a couple of minutes. The sugar only needs to be warmed up, not completely melted.

Add the boba and stir well to coat all the pearls with the sugar.

Add the warm sugary boba to a cup or glass (use a glass for a great visual effect) and roll the cup/glass to coat the walls with melted sugar.

Then add ice cubes (optional) and your liquid - the cold brew tea/ iced tea, flavoured milk, juice or smoothie. You can also top it with some whipped cream and then serve.

DIY Brown Sugar Boba Drink

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/vc30m3WI.mp4

Bubble Milk Tea is such a fun and refreshing drink. This simple 3-ingredient recipe shows how to make tapioca pearls (aka boba), how to cook them and how to make a delicious brown sugar bubble milk tea.

Homemade Boba &#39;Tapioca Pearls&#39; Bubble Milk Tea

Why use plain boba pearls when you can use mango boba in your next mango bubble tea. All you need is 3 ingredients, including fresh mango, to create fruity mango tapioca pearls at home!

How to Make Mango Boba (Mango Tapioca Pearls)

mango

tapioca starch (plus some more for dusting)

water

Tbsp sugar

mango coconut milk (or plain milk of your choice)

date syrup

Extract the flesh from your ripe mango.

Blend the mango into a smooth consistency. It must be as lump-free as possible for smooth tapioca pearls.

Give the mango a taste and if you think it needs it, add the powdered sugar, along with one tablespoon of tapioca starch and the warm water.

Step 1: Prepare the mango

Tapioca starch needs heat to ‘activate’ and work the way we need it to create mango boba pearls. In fact, most ‘mistakes’ made when making homemade tapioca pearls have to do with temperature.You can heat the mango tapioca mixture in one of two ways, microwave or stovetop.Stovetop: Transfer the mixture to a medium pan and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly.Microwave: Heat the mixture in 20-second bursts, stirring in between. You’ll need to do this for around 1:30 minutes or so.

Step 2: Heat the mixture

Allow the mixture to cool for just a couple of minutes before adding the remainder of the tapioca starch. Add it a little bit at a time, mixing vigorously in-between.

Keep adding tapioca until a shiny, non-sticky dough forms. It may be easier towards the end to knead it with your hands on a kitchen surface dusted with extra starch, but be careful as it is hot.As soon as it’s ready, wrap the dough with plastic wrap.

Step 3: Add the remaining tapioca

Pull off a little of the dough at a time, keeping the rest wrapped tightly to stop it from drying out.

Dust your countertop with tapioca starch and roll the dough out into a long rope/snake that’s around 3/8 inch/1 cm in thickness.

Then cut the rope into pieces every 3/8 inch/1 cm apart or slightly more if you want bigger pearls. Keep in mind the pearls will expand when cooking.

Roll each piece into a ball, then dust them with tapioca starch to stop them from sticking together. Repeat this with the remaining dough.At this point, you could freeze any pearls you don’t plan to use immediately or go ahead with cooking them.

Step 4: Shape the mango boba pearls

Place the pearls in a pot with boiling water and simmer at a lower temperature for 20 minutes with a lid on. Then remove the pan from the heat, keep the lid on, and allow them to steam for a further 20 minutes.At this point, the mango tapioca balls should be slightly translucent with a slightly ‘bouncy’ texture.

Drain the pearls through a sieve and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process and rinse off excess starch.Alternatively, you could place the pearls into an ice bath – depending on which is easiest for you.

Step 5: Cook the mango boba

Add the date syrup to the bottom of your glass – feel free to swirl it around the inside of the glass, too, to coat the walls.

Then add the pearls, ice cubes (if using), and the mango coconut milk. Enjoy immediately!

Step 6: Prepare the mango boba drink

Learn how to make homemade boba pearls (tapioca pearls). Easy recipe and better than store-bought, and makes the best brown sugar bubble tea or any kind of bubble tea! EASY - This is an easy recipe. However, shaping the boba pearls can be time consuming. One batch makes about 1 cup of uncooked boba pearls. Each batch is enough for 6 drinks.

Brown Sugar Boba Pearls

dark brown sugar (¼ cup)

water (¼ cup)

100 g tapioca starch (sifted)

g cocoa powder

95 g tapioca starch (sifted)

g white sugar (¼ cup)

g culinary grade matcha powder (or butterfly pea powder)

water (1 cup)

brown sugar

milk (substitute

Place the brown sugar and water in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, and stir to dissolve the sugar.

Bring the water and sugar mixture to a boil.  If you want to use food color to color the dough, add a few drops to the water at this stage.

While the water is coming to a boil, mix the cocoa powder (or matcha powder or butterfly pea powder if you&#39;re making those versions) and tapioca starch together if you’re making black or colored boba pearls.

As soon as the liquid comes to a proper boil, remove the pan from the heat.

Add roughly 3 - 4 tbsp of the tapioca starch (or tapioca starch + cocoa mix for black boba pearls), into the water. Whisk well (but quickly), to completely dissolve the starch in the water.

Return the mixture back to the stove, and heat over medium low heat while whisking quickly and constantly. If the dough is heating too quickly, you can momentarily remove it from the heat to whisk the dough to temper the heat.

The mixture will start to thicken and form a gelatinous mass within 2 - 3 minutes. This is your starter dough.

Add the rest of the tapioca starch to this, and fold it in to mix it as well as possible.

Turn the dough out onto a clean, smooth work surface. It is normal to have some dry spots of tapioca starch, and you may have a few lumps as well. These will disappear when you knead the dough. Scrape as much of the dough from the saucepan as possible.

The dough will be hot, so be careful when handling the dough. Knead the dough while it’s hot until you get a nice, smooth dough, that is still soft while warm, and a little tacky. Knead quickly, as the dough will harden as it cools down and become hard to knead.

The dough will be smooth, soft, and tacky while warm.

Optional - Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap, and set aside until it comes to room temperature.You can still work with the dough while it&#039;s warm as well.

Dust your work surface very lighty, and roll out the tapioca dough until it’s about ¼ inch thick.

Cut 1 cm strips in one direction first. Then, cut 1 cm strips in the perpendicular direction. This will create small squares (see pictures in the post). You can also use a cooling wire rack to create the grid pattern, to use as a guide to cut the dough.

Cover the cut up squares in plastic wrap. Also, add some tapioca starch to a bowl and set aside.

Start rolling the small dough squares into balls, a little at a time (keep the rest of the squares covered in plastic wrap, as the dough can dry out quickly if exposed). Place each ball in the bowl with tapioca starch, and move it around to coat the ball.

Repeat with all the square pieces of dough. This is the time consuming step of the recipe.

If a piece of dough feels dry and doesn’t form into a smooth ball (and develops cracks), you can dip a finger in a little cold water and use it to moisten the piece of dough. This will make it easier to roll it up again.

When all the dough squares have been rolled into little balls and are coated in tapioca starch, place them on a quarter sheet pan (or half sheet pan).

Let them dry for 4 hours (if you want to store them for a long time). Then, at one hour intervals, use your palm to lightly roll the balls on the surface of the half sheet pan. After 4 hours, the pearls should be firm, and they will remain nice and round.

Store them in air-tight containers, or vacuum seal them and freeze for later.

Tapioca starch dough

Measure out how much of the boba pearls that you will be cooking. Each batch will make about 1 cup of pearls, which should be enough for about 6 drinks. You can make as much or as little of the boba pearls as you like.

For every cup of boba pearls you&#039;re cooking, bring at least 4 cups of water to a boil (i.e. at least 4 times the volume of the boba pearls). I like to use about 5 - 6 cups. A covered pot will come to a boil faster as well.

When the water has come to a boil, remove the lid and add the boba pearls. Immediately start stirring to prevent the pearls from sticking to each other.

After the boba pearls float to the surface, let them cook for about 30 - 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are mostly translucent at the edges. Remove the pot from the heat.  Cover the pot, and let the boba pearls sit for about 15 - 25 more minutes, until completely translucent or almost translucent.The cooking time will vary depending on how big and how dry the tapioca pearls are.

The cooking liquid might be thick at this stage, and this is natural.

Remove the tapioca pearls with a slotted spoon, and transfer them into a bowl with cold water.

Let them sit in the cold water for a few minutes to rest. At this point, they may also return to their original size.

Cooking the boba pearls

In a clean saucepan, add the brown sugar/s and water.

Cook over medium heat while stirring with a spatula to dissolve the sugar, and then bring it to a boil.

Boil the mixture until it reaches the desired thickness / consistency.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the tapioca pearls from the cold water and transfer them into the saucepan.

Bring the sugar syrup back to a boil. Cook the syrup a little longer to thicken it. About 2 - 3 minutes. Cooking them further in the syrup will also turn the boba pearls completely translucent (if they weren&#039;t before). Then remove the saucepan from the heat. Transfer to a glass jar.

The boba pearls are best used while warm (since they harden as they cool down).

Making the brown sugar syrup

Place 2 - 4 tbsp of boba pearls WITH the brown sugar syrup, in a glass.

Using a spoon, drag the brown sugar syrup along the inside wall of the glass to create streaks. This is optional, but does make the drink look visually better.

Add a few cubes of ice, and top with milk.

Serve immediately with a boba straw. Stir well before drinking.

Making brown sugar bubble tea

Looking to learn how to make tapioca pearls (or boba balls) from scratch? This recipe features 5 delicious flavors: brown sugar, matcha, mango, strawberry, and peach. The best part is that the method can be applied to any fruit, so the possibilities for your boba pearls are endless!

These homemade tapioca balls are not only chewy and sweet, but also vegan-friendly, making them a fantastic addition to your bubble tea or milk tea. Plus, I&#x27;ve included step-by-step photos and a video to make your first time making DIY boba as smooth as possible.

How to Make Tapioca Pearls (Boba) | 5 Flavors

maple syrup, agave nectar, simple syrup, or brown sugar syrup

(70 milliliters) peach puree (about 2-3 ripe peaches)

tbsp cane sugar

food coloring

(70 milliliters) mango puree (about 1-2 ripe mangoes)

(70 milliliters) water

cane sugar

tbsp ceremonial grade matcha

(70 milliliters) strawberry puree (about 5-6 whole strawberries)

(65 grams) packed dark brown sugar or Muscovado sugar

black food coloring

For the Fruit Flavors: Blend the fruit until...

For the Fruit Flavors: Blend the fruit until smooth, then press through a fine metal sieve. Discard the pulp. Alternatively, you can use store-bought juice. Combine the strained fruit puree and sugar in a pot. Add food coloring if using.

For Brown Sugar and Matcha Flavors: Add the...

For Brown Sugar and Matcha Flavors: Add the water, sugar, matcha (if using), and food coloring (if using) to a pot.

Dissolve the sugar over medium heat. Bring to...

Dissolve the sugar over medium heat. Bring to a very gentle simmer. 

When the sugar is dissolved and the mixture...

When the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is simmering, add half the tapioca starch. Mix to form a paste.

Turn off the heat and remove the pot...

Turn off the heat and remove the pot from the burner, once the mixture becomes sticky and starts to clump.

Immediately add the remaining tapioca starch. Mix as...

Immediately add the remaining tapioca starch. Mix as much in as you can, then transfer to a work surface and gently knead until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth when not working with the dough. 

See troubleshooting tips in the notes for help....

See troubleshooting tips in the notes for help. If the dough is sticky, gradually add 1 tsp of starch and knead to combine. If the dough is dry, dip your hands in water or add 1 tsp of water at a time and knead to combine until it forms a smooth, playdough-like consistency that doesn’t break or crumble.

Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Roll each...

Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a long log about 1 cm in diameter. Cut it in half, and lay the halves next to each other.

Cut the halves into smaller pieces (about 0.5x0.5...

Cut the halves into smaller pieces (about 0.5x0.5 cm and 1g each), then roll each piece into a ball and dust lightly with extra starch. This part is a bit time consuming, see the tip below to help save time.

Place the balls in a metal sieve and...

Place the balls in a metal sieve and shake off the excess starch.

Bring a large pot of water to a...

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Boil the boba pearls for 15-20 minutes - they should rise to the surface. Boil for 20 mins. if you like softer boba. 

Turn off the heat and let them cook,...

Turn off the heat and let them cook, covered, in the hot water for an additional 5 minutes.

Drain the pearls and immediately place them in...

Drain the pearls and immediately place them in simple syrup, maple syrup, or agave nectar to prevent sticking.

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/qsjgg7hbmdub7xwidxbz.mp4

Looking to learn how to make tapioca pearls (or boba balls) from scratch? You're in the right place. Today, we'll be walking you through how to make boba at home! This recipe features 5 delicious flavors: brown sugar, matcha, mango, strawberry, and peach. The best part is that the method can be applied to any fruit, so the possibilities for your boba pearls are endless!

How to Make Tapioca Pearls (Boba Balls)

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