tapioca balls

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

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!

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