How to cook boba for bubble tea is here! We will show you how to boil tapioca pearls on the stove, how long is perfect to serve in a coconut milk tea drink you’ll love. This popular Taiwanese treat has made it to the states and goes viral on TikTok drink all the time.
OMG this is my favorite boba drink ever. Yes there are different types of tapioca pearls out there but I like the Old Fashioned brown sugar style. Steps are the same for them all to become chewy and tender, sucked up with a wide straw as an afternoon dessert. (affiliate links present)
Table of Contents
How to Make Boba Tea
Ok so there are tons of ways to serve this, and drinks it is good in. From cold chai, to sweet tea with Lipton tea bags paired with a splash of heavy cream inside, the list goes on and on as to what to put these in.
Boba Recipe
Below we will share two things, how to boil boba pearls, or if you prefer white tapioca pearls that become completely translucent, and a chocolate coconut drink to include them in. You can of course include them in lots of things. They are great in iced tea of course, chai, or frozen coffee!!
What is boba?
The term “boba” refers specifically to the tapioca pearls used in bubble tea. These pearls are made from tapioca starch, which is extracted from the roots of the cassava plant. The pearls are cooked until soft and chewy, then added to the drink to provide texture and flavor.
Originating as a popular Taiwanese drink in the 1980s, it was brought to the states and now is loved by everyone. They come in a wide variety of flavors, other than black tea or green tea now. You can sometimes find mango, strawberry, or lychee which are great inside our Sun Tea Recipe. Typically served inside tea but can be easily customized with different types of milk too.
How do you cook boba?
You will need a few batches of water to soak dried tapioca pearls, then that will be drained, rinsed and then poured into a pot when reaching a rolling boil with new liquid. The whole process will take about 30 minutes, then you will want to cool a bit in some liquid brown sugar before adding into your drink.
- Brown tapioca pearls is “traditional” and the most recognizable, you can find at Asian grocery stores or online it is linked below
- Water for soaking and clean for boiling
- Sugar is optional but good
How to Make Boba Syrup
You will want to boil equal parts of coconut sugar to water in a pan until bubbling to break down the crystals so you have a smooth syrupy mixture. You could use bottled liquid sugar from Torani that comes in sugar free versions too.
How long do you boil tapioca pearls?
With the time it takes for the water or liquid to reach a rolling boil you will need a total of about 20 minutes or so. Cook time for boiling tapioca pearls will depend on the size you have chose, larger will take longer than tiny pearls. No need to cook covered, in fact I think it is easier not to so I can check consistently near the end.
Should you soak tapioca pearls before boiling them?
You may have done this if you ever made our Instant Pot Tapioca Pudding and your “beads” were quite large. The reason for this step is to ensure they get soft all the way thru, not sticky, and decrease the cook time overall.
- Rinse in a fine colander to start.
- Soak pearls in a bowl full of clean water for 15 minutes.
- Boil Water in a large pot. You want to bring water to a rolling boil.
- You’ll need about 10 times the amount of water to boba pearls ratio
- Add Tapioca Pearls once the water is boiling, add the tapioca pearls to the pot. Stir gently to prevent them from sticking to the bottom.
- Cook Tapioca Pearls in the boiling water for about 15-20 minutes, or until they become somewhat see thru and soft.
- Stir occasionally to ensure even cooking and taste test along the way so they don’t become mushy.
- Taste to check if the they are cooked tender to your liking. I would take one pearl out of the pot and let it cool slightly. It should be soft and chewy all the way through with no hard center.
- Drain and Rinse once cooked using a fine-mesh sieve or colander. Then rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process and wash away excess starch.
- Sweeten if desired by tossing them in a simple syrup made with sugar and water, or liquid sugar. This step is optional and can be adjusted to your taste preferences.
- Serve in bubble tea, desserts, Lotus drink, or other recipes. They can be added to drinks or desserts while still warm or chilled in the refrigerator for later use.
I will go over quickly below what to do if you do not want to soak beforehand……
How to Boil Tapioca Pearls without Soaking
Bring 4 cups of water to a rolling boil on the stove. Pour 1 cup of dry pearls into the water and boil for about 20 minutes, stirring pretty often so they don’t stick until they are tender. Pour into a colander to drain and pour back into the pot, or a bowl. Immediately sugar syrup over the top to coat.
The actual tapioca pearls would be difficult to make but can you cook those at home, yes you can boil them to tender and add to tea or other drinks you love. If you have had these chewy balls of tapioca in your drink before you know how delicious they are. Just soak, boil, rinse and enjoy. We will show you how long to cook boba below.
Boba, also known as tapioca pearls is the main ingredient used to make these chewy black balls in drinks you may have tried before. It’s a starchy substance extracted from the cassava plant’s roots and is processed into small, round pearls.
Yes, people are referring to the same thing when they say either of these terms. You can find a variety of sizes from small to large. They are sold hard typically and need to be soaked and then boiled to get tender. Occasionally you can buy packages already made. Popping pearls are entirely different though.
How do you store cooked boba?
Cooked tapioca balls are best consumed on the same day they are prepared, and within 4 hours, for the best texture and flavor. If you want to try keeping leftovers, store with some liquid in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Use them next day. Reheat gently in warm water or a simple syrup before serving if desired.
The more often you make this the more adjustments you will make as you go along. Whether you want to add sugar into the water is up to you, and most of all what you spoon them into once tender is the biggest way to add sweetness to the balls.
How to Cook Boba for Bubble Tea
Equipment
- 1 pot
- 1 strainer
- 4 boba straw
Instructions
- Boba Syrup – In a pan on the stove heat coconut sugar with water until it dissolves, stirring continuously, and becomes a smooth mixture. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. (you can choose to use bottled liquid sugar or honey for the soaking after boiled syrup too)
- How to Boil Tapioca Pearls No Soak – Bring 4 cups of water to a rolling boil on the stove. Pour 1 cup of dry pearls into the water and boil for about 20 minutes, stirring pretty often so they don't stick until they are tender. Pour into a colander to drain and pour back into the pot, or a bowl. Immediately add sugar syrup over the top to coat.
- How to Cook Boba Soaked – Soak pearls in water for 15 minutes. Drain, rinse, boil 4 cups water on stove and pour soaked pearls inside to boil for about 15 minutes or until tender to your liking. Drain in a colander, rinse with cool water, add into sugar syrup to submerge.
- Ideally you want to let them sit in your desired syrup for 30 minutes so they can cool and soak up the sweetness. Use within 4 hours as well or the texture will change dramatically.
- Coconut Drink Featured – Shown drink is 1/2 cup coconut milk + 1 cup almond milk + 1 tsp coconut extract stirred together with boba on the bottom.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
