Ever wonder how to make boba (bubble tea) at home? This recipe shows you how to make boba with coconut and vanilla flavors using home-cooked tapioca pearls! You don’t need many supplies nor ingredients to end up with this very refreshing drink.
It’s summer and we need more light drinks like this. Since living in Boston, I have noticed the sad state of affairs when it comes to boba here (or bubble tea, depending on the region you hail from). I’ve had boba that ranges from so-cloyingly-sweet-that-I-need-to-dump-this-out-immediately to tapioca-pearls-are-hard-in-the-center-and-therefore-inedible to this-is-just-okay. I’ve even been in tea shops that only serve boba during certain months of the year. It’s a lot different than growing up in L.A. where I was able to get consistently excellent boba pretty much everywhere.
I love being able to make my own boba so that I can adjust the amount of sweetness to my liking (store-bought drinks are almost always too sweet for me), get the ratio of tea to milk just right, and pick the flavors that I want. And it’s easy to do at home! I remember watching my mom whipping up a big batch of boba when I was a kid.
First, you need to buy tapioca pearls. You can buy these in your local Asian store or online. I ordered mine on Amazon (2 pack black tapioca pearls with straws) and they were really easy to cook! Just 5 minutes or so in a saucepan, then cooling, and then mixing in with some honey. You can adjust the cooking time to get your preferred tapioca pearl texture. I like mine on the soft squishy side, so I cooked them a minute or two longer. Also, get some straws for those tapioca pearls! My purchased tapioca pearls came with straws, which was really convenient, otherwise I would need to get the straws separately.
You can let the boba sit in the honey while you work on the other steps. Next step is brewing some tea. I used black tea because it’s more authentic, but you can use any kind of tea and it will work just fine. Then you’ll want to take that brewed black tea and mix it with coconut milk (I like using the ones that aren’t fat-reduced) and vanilla extract. The coconut milk really shines here and gives the drink a very refreshing taste.
Then you’ll mix everything together: the black tea, coconut milk, and vanilla extract mixture should be combined with the tapioca pearls and honey. Get some ice cubes and serve this drink chilled. Tapioca pearls lose their texture over time and harden, so I recommend consuming this drink soon after making it for the best results.
And that’s it! You can also use this recipe as a general template for other flavors that you would like to infuse this drink with. Other good boba / bubble tea flavors include taro, mango, strawberry, and honeydew — those are my favorites. You can use the fruit to make a blended smoothie version.
Coconut Bubble Tea (Homemade Boba Recipe)
DESCRIPTION
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups brewed black tea
- 2/3 cups coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the tapioca:
- 3/4 cup black tapioca pearls
- 3 tablespoons honey
INSTRUCTIONS
- Tapioca pearls: Cook the tapioca pearls according to package instructions. After cooking, let the tapioca rest in cold water for half a minute. Drain the tapioca and mix with honey. Set aside while you prepare the rest of the drink.
- Assemble the drink: Combine the black tea, coconut milk, and vanilla extract. Mix well. Add and stir in the tapioca pearls and honey. Serve chilled with ice.
i was wondering if you could use coconut water instead of coconut milk? would that work?
Coconut water would result in a much thinner drink, so I wouldn’t recommend it.
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 =)
Delicious! Will be making again soon.
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?
Thanks Joanne! Yes, homemade coconut milk would work as well. 🙂
I love the tapioca pearls
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.
Delicious! ONe question, where did you get those cups, i love them 🙂
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
Did you use canned coconut milk or the more watery version in the carton? Also, what brand black tea do you recommend? Thanks! 😀
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! ?
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?
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 🙂
Thanks for the clarification! 🙂
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.