Learn how to make this fun and delicious creamy Thai Boba Tea at home. This refreshing, bright orange bubble tea is perfect for sunny days or anytime indulgence.
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Thai boba tea at home
Bubble teas have been my weakness for many years. I'll take a creamy boba tea over a Starbucks latte anyday! The slurpable and chewy tapioca balls (boba pearls) add so much joy to a plain milk tea (I also use them in my Boba Smoothie recipe), which is probably the reason why the world has gone crazy over delicious bubble teas.
The only issue is - they are so. darn. expensive for no particular reason. Plus, you need to live near a boba tea place, which is not common.
The closest bubble tea shop to me is at the mall. about 15 minutes from my house, but I don't frequent it often because their teas are made from pre-mixed tea powders and you can't control the sweetness of your tea.
This is why I like to make boba teas at home - you can make it as sweet and as strong (or weak) as you want, all at a fraction of the price of takeout.
The bright orange Thai Pearl Milk Tea is my favorite because of its unique flavor and creaminess. I always get it at Thai restaurants, where it's usually made with sweetened condensed milk.
My homemade version is a bit healthier, made with Thai tea leaves, low-fat milk, maple syrup and , of course, chewy tapioca pears (aka boba).
Ingredient notes
- Thai Loose Leaf Tea: made with black Assam tea leaves, sometimes roiboos (red) tea and distinct flavoring, which combines notes of vanilla and subtle spice. Thai loose-leaf tea is usually strong and rich, with a reddish-brown color when brewed (it turns orange once you add milk). It is naturally sweet but contains no sugar. You can buy it in Asian markets or online.
- Milk of Choice: I used lactose-free low-fat dairy milk but you can use any milk you like, dairy or plant-based. Oatmilk, soy milk, almond milk or coconut milk will all work. For extra creamy Thai milk tea, use condensed milk or full-fat canned coconut milk.
- Sweetener: you can sweeten your tea with brown sugar, cane sugar, maple syrup, agave or sugar-free sweetener such as monk fruit or stevia.
- Tapioca Pearls: also known as tapioca balls or boba, they are small, chewy spheres made from tapioca starch, which is extracted from the cassava root. I buy these brown sugar flavored tapioca pearls from Amazon.
How to make Thai Boba Tea at Home
STEP 1: Prep the boba. Boil 3 cups of water, then add boba pearls and cook for 5 minutes or follow the instructions on the package. Drain and rinse thoroughly under cold water (don't skip this step). Mix with a bit of maple syrup or agave and set aside.
STEP 2: Brew the tea. Depending on how strong you like your tea, place 1 ½ teaspoon to 2 teasponns of loose leaf tea in a diffuser or a disposable tea bag. Pour 1 ½ cup of boiling water over and let steep for at least 3 minutes, or longer. Remove the tea bag and add sweetener, if desired.
STEP 3: Cool it. Let the tea cool to room temperature - you can place the glass in the fridge to speed up the process.
Note: Thai loose leaf tea tends to be fine so I recommend using paper tea bag instead of a diffuser or a fine mesh strainer, which tend to have bigger holes. I've tested both methods and ended up with some tea leaves in my drink when using strainers.
STEP 4: Assmble your boba tea. Place ½ cup of prepared tapioca pearls in a tall 16-oz glass (I love these beer can glasses!). Pour in the cooled tea, ice cubes and ½ cup milk of choice. Taste and adjust flavors, as needed - you can add more sweetener or milk, if you want.
STEP 5: Serve with a wide straw.
How to store leftovers
You can brew a whole pot of Thai black tea, sweeten it (if desired), cool to room temp and store in the refrigerator in a jar or tea jug with a lid for a few days. This way you can whip up iced Thai boba tea whenever you want by adding cooked boba pearls, ice and milk.
If you have leftovers of already assembled Thai milk tea, tranfer it to a jar or an airtight container, place in the fridge and consume within 2-3 days.
Recipe FAQs
Thai tea (or "cha yen) gets its vibrant orange color due to the addition of food coloring, specifically an orange or yellow food coloring. The use of food coloring in Thai tea is a common practice to enhance its visual appeal and create a distinct appearance. The orange color is iconic and helps distinguish Thai tea from other types of tea.
Thai boba tea is sweet (with notes of vanilla), creamy, with a distinct flavor of black tea and subtle spice, such as star anise and cardamom. It's NOTHING like chai though - more like aromatic and sweet black tea with milk.
Yes. Thai boba tea is made with black tea leaves, which contain caffeine. The caffeine content is influenced by the brewing time and the strength of the tea used in the recipe.
Yes! There are a couple different names for this fun Asian tea (originally from Taiwan): boba tea, bubble tea, milk tea, milk pearl tea -but they are all the same thing.
Yes. If you have Thai black tea bags, you can use those instead of loose tea.
If you like, you can serve it warm. It's very easy to burn your mouth when drinking tea through a wide straw, so make sure to cool it first. It can be warm but NOT hot.
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Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ teaspoon Thai loose leaf tea See Note 1
- ½ cup milk of choice See Note 2
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or agave or more as sweetener
- 1 ½ cup water boiling hot
- ½ cup ice cubes
Boba (Tapicoca Pearls)
- ¼ cup dry tapioca pearls See Note 3
- 3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or agave
Instructions
- To make boba pearls, bring 3 cups of water to boil. Add dry boba pearls and boil for 5 minutes or according to instructions on the package. Drain on a colander and rinse thouroughly under cold water. Transfer to a small bowl or glass, add 1 teaspoon of maple syrup or agave, mix to coat and set aside.
- To make the tea, place the tea leaves in a tea infuser or a disposable tea filter bag. Place the infuser or tea bag in a tall glass.
- Pour 1 ½ cup of boiling water over and let steep for at least 3 minutes, or longer.
- If you want the tea to be sweet, add 1-2 teaspoons of maple syrup or agave and stir.
- Place the hot tea in the fridge or leave on the counter to cool to room temperature.
- Place ½ cup of prepared tapioca pearls in a 16 oz glass. Pour in the cooled tea, ice cubes and milk.
- Give it a taste. If you like sweeter bevarages, add additioal maple syrup or agave.
- Enjoy immediately. Use a wide straw to slurp up the boba pearls.
Notes
Nutrition
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Meet the Author
Hi, I'm Agnieszka. I'm a mom of three and recipe developer, writer and photographer behind Wholly Tasteful. I love creating comforting, delicious, family-friendly recipes that you can feel good about.
Kim says
Great flavor! Definitely overboil the bobas. Boba Al dente is gross.
Agnieszka says
Kim, haha. Thanks for your comment - I hear you about al dente bobas.