If you’re looking up recipes to learn how to make bubble tea yourself, chances are that you’re a self-professed (and proud) boba addict like me. The popular choice these days is the ubiquitous brown sugar pearl milk, but any self-respecting bubble tea connoisseur understands that the beauty of this love affair extends far beyond!
With this in mind, here are five easy-to-follow bubble tea recipes with different toppings to satisfy your discerning taste buds. We’ve also saved the best for the last — if you’re looking to impress, read on till the end for a bonus that teaches you how to make bubble tea pearls from scratch!
1. Brown sugar royal milk tea with brown sugar pearls
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes
Servings: 2 cups
Recipe Ingredients:
For the brown sugar syrup and brown sugar pearls:
- Tapioca pearls
- 240ml water
- 110g dark brown sugar
For the royal milk tea:
- 2 tsp Darjeeling tea leaves
- ½ tsp Assam tea leaves
- Boiling water
- 300ml milk (full cream for extra creaminess)
- Honey (to taste)
- Ice cubes
Royal milk tea originates from Japan and is well-liked for its aromatic, complex flavour. You can save time by using a pre-made royal milk tea mix (available on S-Mart) or make it yourself with our easy recipe below to take your brown sugar bubble milk tea to the next level!
Recipe Instructions:
- Begin by measuring out the Darjeeling tea leaves (available on S-Mart) in a bowl. Add just enough boiling water to the bowl until the leaves are covered. Let it sit.
- Meanwhile, heat up the milk in a small saucepan until small bubbles appear at the edge, then pour it into the bowl.
- Cover and let steep for five minutes, then strain the tea leaves. Sweeten with honey to taste and let cool in the fridge while you cook the tapioca pearls.
- Cook your pre-rolled tapioca pearls (available on Eryna Shop) according to the instructions on the package. Then make the brown sugar syrup by bringing dark brown sugar (available on S-Mart) and water to a boil.
- Add in the cooked tapioca pearls and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes until the liquid has thickened and is very syrupy.
- To get that Instagram-perfect tiger stripe-like effect, tilt a transparent glass at a 45 degree angle and spoon tapioca pearls into the glass from the top from all sides. Let them slide their way slowly down the glass to the bottom!
- Add additional brown sugar syrup if you prefer a sweeter beverage, followed by ice cubes and the chilled royal milk tea. Snap a quick picture to make your friends envious and enjoy with a fat bubble tea straw!
2. White rabbit candy milk tea
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Servings: 1 cup
Recipe Ingredients:
- 1 black tea bag
- 150ml hot water
- 1 tbsp white sugar (adjustable to your taste)
- 220ml fresh milk
- 6 white rabbit candies
- Ice cubes
- Cooked tapioca pearls (optional)
If we’re talking about trending flavours, white rabbit candy has to be on the list. With white rabbit candy flavoured cakes and ice cream causing a stir among foodies, why not try making white rabbit candy milk tea at home!
Recipe Instructions:
- Place the black tea bag (available on chnyoujie) and sugar in a glass and let steep for 15 minutes in hot water. While waiting, carefully chop up the white rabbit candies into small pieces so they will melt more easily.
- Heat up the milk in a saucepan and add the chopped up candy pieces while stirring constantly to combine into a smooth liquid. Let your white rabbit candy mixture cool.
- If you’d like to add tapioca pearls to your white rabbit milk tea, spoon them into a transparent glass before adding ice. Pour in the black tea, followed by the white rabbit candy mixture then stir and enjoy!
Pro-tip: If you’re interested in making your drink look extra Instagrammable, use coloured tapioca pearls (available on RedMan) instead for a unique pop of colour!
3. Black sesame latte with sea salt milk foam
Prep time: 40 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Servings: 1 cup
Recipe Ingredients:
For the sea salt milk foam:
- 120ml heavy whipping cream
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt (adjustable to taste)
- ½ tbsp sugar (adjustable to taste)
For the black sesame latte:
- 1 black tea bag
- 100ml hot water
- 1 tbsp white sugar (adjustable to taste)
- 2 tbsp sweet black sesame paste
- 120ml warm milk
- Black sesame powder (optional, for decoration)
- Ice cubes
Black sesame as a flavour has also risen in popularity in recent years! No longer seen as an ingredient just for oriental cooking, it has made its way into ice cream, pudding, cakes and now, boba! Here’s an awesome bubble tea recipe for nutty and aromatic black sesame latte that you can easily make from the comfort of your home.
Recipe Instructions:
- Using a whisk or an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream and sugar until thick and creamy, but not quite to soft peaks. Stir in the fine sea salt (available on S-Mart) then leave it to chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Next, steep the tea bag in hot water for 10 mins and sweeten with sugar according to your preferences. In the meantime, dissolve the sweet black sesame paste (available on Xin Sheng Yu Happy Seed) in the hot milk, then combine with the steeped tea. Refrigerate until sufficiently cold.
- To assemble, pour the black sesame latte into a glass over ice cubes. Then, spoon a generous amount of sea salt milk foam on the top. Garnish with black sesame powder (available on RedMan) to decorate and enjoy!
4. Fresh fruit tea with lime jelly
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Servings: 1 cup
Recipe Ingredients:
- 1 green tea bag
- 250ml hot water
- 1 lime, juiced
- 2 tbsp honey (adjustable to taste)
- Fresh fruits (e.g. watermelon cubes, diced strawberries or pineapples, passion fruit)
- Lime jelly
- Ice cubes
If you’re looking for a lower-calorie alternative or you’re lactose intolerant, here’s a bubble tea recipe you can enjoy as well! This fresh fruit tea is packed with antioxidants and vitamins and is to give a boost to your immune system. It also uses lime jelly or aiyu jelly that originates from Taiwan, and adds to the beverage’s refreshing flavour.
Recipe Instructions:
- Steep your green tea bag (available on HelloJapan) in hot water for 15 minutes, then stir in lime juice and honey to taste. Let your tea base cool.
- In a separate glass, spoon in your prepared fresh fruits, ice cubes and lime jelly (available on OLT Beverages Pte Ltd). Pour your tea base over your toppings and enjoy!
Pro tip: Choose a variety of fruits with different colours to make your fresh fruit tea look extra appetising!
5. Bonus: how to make brown sugar bubble tea pearls from scratch
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Recipe Ingredients:
For the brown sugar bubble tea pearls
- 120g tapioca flour
- 70ml water
- 50g dark brown sugar
For the brown sugar syrup:
- 240ml water
- 110g dark brown sugar
If you like challenges, cooking pre-made bubble tea pearls may be a little too easy for an overachiever like you. Try learning how to make bubble tea pearls from scratch with us instead! You’ll not only be able to impress your friends and loved ones even more but you’ll also get a greater sense of self-satisfaction when you sip on your hard-earned bubble tea.
Recipe Instructions:
- First, sift the tapioca flour (available on S-Mart) into a bowl in order to eliminate any lumps.
- In a small saucepan, bring the dark brown sugar and water to a simmer on low heat, then stir in the tapioca flour using a heatproof rubber spatula (available on feikamy28.sg).
- Cook your brown sugar tapioca dough over low heat for five minutes, making sure to constantly stir to keep the bottom from burning. Then, turn the dough out onto a clean and heat-proof work surface.
- Use a bench scraper (available on Special Products) to portion your dough into four portions and roll each portion into a string. Cut the strings into equal, bite-sized pieces and roll them into little spheres. Dust your uncooked brown sugar bubble tea pearls with more tapioca flour. This keeps them from sticking to each other. Set aside until ready.
- Boil water in a large pot and cook the pearls for 20 minutes while stirring constantly. Once ready, ladle pearls into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
- Prepare your brown sugar syrup by bringing your water and brown sugar syrup to a simmer over low heat. Then, simmer the cooked brown sugar pearls in the syrup for 20 minutes. Use your freshly made pearls in any bubble tea recipe you like!
We hope you’ll have a tea-riffic time learning how to make these unique bubble tea recipes and drinking them with your family and friends! Don’t have the time to putter about in the kitchen? Check out our list of best bubble tea brands you can try to get your boba fix, and maybe even get yourself some boba merch! If you’re itching to experiment with even more recipes, keep yourself busy with these easy to follow Milo recipes to satisfy that sweet tooth!
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