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Coconut Bubble Tea

Updated Jun 2, 2021Published Aug 16, 2016 By Julia 24 CommentsThis post may contain affiliate links.

Summary:
Ever wonder how to make boba (bubble tea) at home? This recipe describes how to make boba with coconut milk and vanilla using home-cooked tapioca pearls, making it easy to adjust the flavors and sweetness to your liking.
three glasses of coconut bubble tea

Coconut Bubble Tea

4.2 from 5 votes
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Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups brewed black tea (Note 1)
  • 2/3 cup canned coconut milk (Note 2)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparing Tapioca:

  • 3/4 cup black tapioca pearls (Note 3)
  • 3 tablespoons honey

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Cook Tapioca: Cook tapioca pearls according to package instructions (Note 4). After cooking, let tapioca rest in cold water for half a minute. Drain, then stir tapioca with honey until evenly coated. Set aside.
  • Assemble Drink: Stir together brewed black tea, coconut milk, and vanilla extract until well-mixed. Stir in tapioca-honey mixture, and adjust honey for desired sweetness. Serve chilled with ice (Note 5).

NUTRITION

Makes 4 Servings
Amount Per Serving (8 oz drink):
Calories 210 (23% from fat)
Total Fat 6g 8%
   Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 20mg 1%
Net Carb 39.5g
Total Carb 40g 13%
   Dietary Fiber 0.5g 1%
   Sugars 15g
Protein 1g
Vitamin A 0% · Vitamin C 0% · Calcium 1% · Iron 5%

PHOTOS

three glasses of coconut bubble tea
holding up coconut bubble tea in hand
coconut bubble tea served in glasses

NOTES & TIPS

(1) Black Tea. I use black tea, but any kind of tea will work (like green tea). Just use two cups of brewed tea.
(2) Coconut Milk. Use an unsweetened full-fat version, not light or reduced fat. I’ve used Goya and Chaokoh brands. Before measuring out the amount to use, stir or shake well because there will be separation in the can. Properly stirred coconut milk should appear thick and creamy, not watery.
(3) Tapioca Pearls. Buy black tapioca pearls from a local Asian grocery store or online. I found mine on Amazon: 2 pack black tapioca pearls with straws.
(4) Cooking Tapioca. I usually cook tapioca by boiling for 5 minutes in a saucepan on the stovetop, then transferring to cold water to stop the cooking process. Adjust the cooking time to get your preferred tapioca pearl texture. For example, if you like them to be soft and squishy, cook them a minute or two longer.
(5) Serving. Adjust proportions of coconut milk and honey for desired sweetness and taste. Serve chilled with ice cubes and extra thick straws wide enough for the boba to pass through. Enjoy promptly because tapioca pearls lose their texture over time and harden.

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Filed Under: Drinks, Per Serving: More Than 10g Net Carbs Tagged With: 0-30min, 1-5ingredients, black tea, coconut milk, gluten free, honey, paleo, stovetop, tapioca, vanilla extract, vegetarian

About Julia

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Julia is a recipe developer and the founder of Savory Tooth. Since 2015, she has been sharing simple recipes for tasty dishes, mostly low carb and gluten free. Learn more.

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newest oldest most voted
Paz

can u make this with white tapioca pearls?

Vote Up5Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
☯︎︎♪♲︎♪ᴥ︎

Any tapioca pearls will do – their flavours will be different though. Also, it won’t look as ꧁𝕒𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕥𝕚𝕔꧂

Vote Up1Vote Down  Reply
1 year ago
Jotroop Kaur

*aesthetic

Vote Up1Vote Down  Reply
1 year ago
Suzi

I love the tapioca pearls

Vote Up3Vote Down  Reply
5 years ago
Kathy Swenson

Can you make pearls using coconut instead of the tapioca and if so can you buy them instead of making them?

Vote Up1Vote Down  Reply
1 year ago
Julia

I’m not aware of any way to make the pearls using coconut instead of tapioca. Sorry I can’t be of more help!

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
1 year ago
Boba Made

What a refreshing drink! I love boba tea, and I make it at home all the time (even from scratch with tapioca powder) I am definitely going to try this Coconut tea recipe next time, which is probably tomorrow =)

Vote Up1Vote Down  Reply
4 years ago
Travis

Delicious! Will be making again soon.

Vote Up1Vote Down  Reply
5 years ago
Joanne

This looks so cool! I’ve always wanted to try one of these boba bubble teas but for some reason I never did. Also I was intrigued about the little bubbles. I had no idea they were tapioca pearls! Oh and coconut and vanilla combo sounds amazing. I can’t wait to try it! Do you think I can use homemade coconut milk instead of the canned one?

Vote Up1Vote Down  Reply
5 years ago
Julia

Thanks Joanne! Yes, homemade coconut milk would work as well. 🙂

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
5 years ago
Shaheen

I’ve had black tapioca pearls in my cupboard forever and have been slow to make Bubble tea, hopefully this year I will get round to it.

Happy New Year to you too.

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
6 years ago
ashley

Delicious! ONe question, where did you get those cups, i love them 🙂

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
6 years ago
Julia

Thanks Ashley! Those cups are actually milk jugs. You can get them on Amazon (http://amzn.to/2bREVWf) or at Red Hill General Store: http://www.redhillgeneralstore.com/housewares/kitchen/kitacc/Glass-Milk-Bottles.htm

Vote Up1Vote Down  Reply
6 years ago
Nicole

Did you use canned coconut milk or the more watery version in the carton? Also, what brand black tea do you recommend? Thanks! 😀

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
6 years ago
Julia

Hi Nicole! I used canned coconut milk. As for the black tea, I used a Taiwanese brand that’s hard to find at most stores, but any brand will work nicely for this recipe. Hope that helps!

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
6 years ago
Manar

Followed your directions. The same coconut can you have, I used. It was gritty. Tried straining it but still didn’t work. Didn’t taste good either. Not at all like the store bubble tea

Vote Up1Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Caitlin

It probably went bad, did you check the expiration date?

Vote Up1Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Julia @ HappyFoods

I am really curious about this bubble tea as I had never heard of it before! Do the tapioca pearls add some specific flavour to the tea? What do they taste like?

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
6 years ago
Julia

Not so much flavor as texture. The tapioca pearls have a soft, squishy texture that make the drink more interesting. Instead of just drinking a beverage, you occasionally get something to chew on 🙂

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
6 years ago
Julia @ HappyFoods

Thanks for the clarification! 🙂

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
6 years ago
Roma Soodeen

The pearls actually don’t have any taste but you can change that by letting them sit and (soak) to absorb what ever flavor you like. such as strawberry syrup, honey etc.

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
6 years ago
Pam

I’ve seen recipes for soaking or cooking them in brown sugar syrup. Yum!

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
10 months ago
tiffany

i was wondering if you could use coconut water instead of coconut milk? would that work?

Vote Up-1Vote Down  Reply
3 years ago
Julia

Coconut water would result in a much thinner drink, so I wouldn’t recommend it.

Vote Up1Vote Down  Reply
3 years ago

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