How to Make Boba Tea at Home

Liputan6.com, Jakarta Do you want to know how to make boba tea at home? This popular drink has become a favorite around the world. Many people enjoy the sweet taste and chewy texture that makes boba tea special.

Boba tea is a sweet drink that comes from Taiwan. It has black tea, milk, sugar, and small round balls called tapioca pearls. The tapioca pearls are also called boba or bubbles. People drink this tea through a wide straw so they can eat the pearls too.

In this article, we will talk about everything you need to know about how to make boba tea at home. We gathered the information from various sources, Thursday (18/9/2025).

Before you start making your boba tea, you need to get the right ingredients and tools. Having everything ready will make the process much easier and faster. Here are some key ingredients that you need to make a boba tea at home:

- Tea: Black tea is the traditional choice for boba tea because it has a strong flavor that works well with milk. You can use tea bags or loose tea leaves. Green tea, oolong tea, or fruit teas are good alternatives for different flavors.

- Tapioca Pearls: These are the signature "boba" in boba tea. Buy dried tapioca pearls from Asian grocery stores or online. You can also find quick-cook pearls that take less time to prepare, or colored pearls for fun variations.

- Milk: Regular dairy milk creates the classic creamy taste. Plant-based alternatives like almond milk, coconut milk, or oat milk work well too. Condensed milk adds extra sweetness and richness.

- Sweetener: Regular white sugar is most common, but brown sugar adds a deeper flavor. Honey, maple syrup, or artificial sweeteners are healthy alternatives. Simple syrup mixes easier than granulated sugar.

Making boba tea at home is a fun process that anyone can learn. The key to perfect boba tea is cooking the tapioca pearls correctly and brewing strong tea.

Ingredients:

- 1 cup dried tapioca pearls

- 4-5 black tea bags or 3 tablespoons loose tea leaves

- 2 cups water for tea

- 6-8 cups water for cooking pearls

- 2-4 tablespoons sugar for tea

- 2 tablespoons brown sugar for pearls

- 1/2 cup milk

- Ice cubes

Instructions:

1. Cook the Tapioca Pearls: Fill a large pot with 6-8 cups of water and bring to a strong boil. Add one cup of dried tapioca pearls to the boiling water. Stir the pearls gently to prevent them from sticking together. Cook the pearls for 15-20 minutes until they become soft and chewy. The pearls should be dark and translucent when ready.

2. Prepare the Tea: While the pearls cook, boil two cups of water in a separate pot. Add 4-5 tea bags or 3 tablespoons of loose tea leaves. Let the tea steep for 5-7 minutes to make it strong. Remove the tea bags or strain the loose leaves. Add 2-4 tablespoons of sugar while the tea is still hot. Stir until the sugar completely dissolves. Set aside to cool.

3. Sweeten the Pearls: Drain the cooked pearls and rinse them with cold water. Put the pearls in a bowl and add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar or regular sugar. Mix well so all pearls are coated with sugar. This prevents them from sticking together.

4. Assemble the Boba Tea: Put 2-3 tablespoons of sweetened pearls in a tall glass. Add ice cubes to fill half the glass. Pour the cooled tea over the ice, leaving space at the top. Add 1/4 cup of milk and stir gently. Taste and add more sugar if needed.

5. Serve: Serve immediately with a wide straw. The straw should be wide enough for the pearls to pass through easily. Stir the drink before drinking to mix all ingredients well.

These helpful tips will make your boba tea taste better and help you avoid common mistakes when making this delicious drink.

- Use Plenty of Water: Always use plenty of water when boiling pearls. This gives the pearls enough space to move around and cook evenly without sticking together.

- Stir Pearls Regularly: Stir pearls regularly during cooking to prevent them from sticking to each other or the bottom of the pot. Use a wooden spoon for gentle stirring.

- Test Pearl Texture: Test pearls by eating one before finishing cooking. They should be soft but still chewy, not hard or mushy in the middle.

- Avoid Overcooking: Never overcook pearls as they become mushy and lose their pleasant chewy texture. Follow the cooking time carefully.

- Rinse Immediately: Rinse cooked pearls immediately with cold water to stop the cooking process and remove excess starch.

- Brew Stronger Tea: Use more tea than normal to make stronger flavor. Strong tea will not taste weak when you add milk and ice to your boba drink.

- Cool Tea First: Let tea cool before adding ice to prevent the ice from melting too quickly and making your drink watery.

- Add Sugar While Hot: Add sugar while tea is still hot for better mixing. Hot liquid dissolves sugar much faster than cold liquid.

- Layer Ingredients Properly: Add pearls to glass first, then ice and liquids. This creates the best texture and prevents pearls from floating to the top.

- Use Wide Straws: Use wide straws designed for boba drinks. Regular straws are too narrow for the tapioca pearls to pass through.

- Add Fruit Syrups: Add fruit syrups for different flavors like strawberry, mango, or passion fruit. These create colorful and tasty variations.

Many people make boba tea and then wonder if they can save it for later. This is a common question, especially when you make too much tea or want to prepare drinks ahead of time.

According to Reteacup, you can keep boba tea in the fridge for up to 24 hours maximum. However, the taste and texture will change during storage. The main ingredients in boba tea are milk, sugar, tea, and tapioca pearls, which all react differently to cold storage. If your boba tea contains only fruit tea without milk, it may last slightly longer than 24 hours, but other factors still affect the quality.

The source says the biggest problem with storing boba tea is that tapioca pearls become hard and unpleasant after a few hours in the fridge. The cold temperature changes the texture of the pearls, making them difficult to chew. Additionally, milk can curdle or spoil, and tea with sugar can develop bacteria faster. For the best experience, drink your boba tea within 2 hours of making it, and always check for signs of spoilage before drinking stored boba tea.