I used Chinese breakfast tea for my bubble tea recipe, but any other black tea or strong tasting green teas will also work! For my version of the Jasmine Green Bubble Tea, check out my recipe on Numi's blog!In the recipe, you may notice that I use 8 tea bags to steep in just 4 cups of water. Because the tea will be watered down with milk and ice cubes, you want to start off with a pretty strong tasting tea.If you enjoy a lot of tapioca pearls in your drinks, I recommend cooking 1 cup of tapioca pearls instead of the 3/4 cup I listed below. You can also halve ingredients for simple syrup if you don't think you'll need that much.
Recipe by Lisa Lin on July 19, 2018
Prep time: PT120M
Cook time: PT10M
Total time: PT130M
Rating
4.83 stars (333 reviews)
Keywords
bubble tea
Ingredients
8 bags of black tea or 3 tablespoons loose-leaf black tea
4 cups hot water
3/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca pearls
whole milk to serve (or your choice of milk)
simple syrup to serve (or your choice of sweetener)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
Categories
Drinks
Cuisine
Asian
Steps
Prepare the tea: Steep the tea bags or leaves with 4 cups of freshly boiled water. Let the tea sit in water until it cools completely. (See note 2)
Prepare the simple syrup (if using): Add the water and sugar to a saucepan and quickly stir everything together. Heat the water on medium-high and cook until the water boils and the sugar completely dissolves. Remove the saucepan from heat and let the simple syrup cool before transferring to a jar.
Cook the tapioca pearls: Bring about 4 cups of water to boil and add the tapioca pearls. Stir the pearls and wait for them to float to the top. Then, cook them for another 5 minutes. Test a pearl to see if it has reached the desired level of softness. Cook the pearls for another few minutes if they are still stiff. Use a slotted spoon to remove the pearls from the hot water. Quickly rinse the pearls with water. Transfer the pearls into a bowl, and mix the pearls with a few tablespoons of simple syrup (to taste).
Assemble the drinks: Strain the tea into a pitcher. Divide the cooked tapioca pearls into 4 large glasses. Next, add a few ice cubes to each glass. Pour 1 cup of the tea into each glass. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of milk and 1 1/2 tablespoons of simple syrup into each glass. Stir and taste the milk tea. Add more milk or simple syrup to your taste.
If you are serving the beverage to guests, have a small pitcher of milk and the jar of simple syrup ready so that each guest can adjust their drinks to their taste. The drink is usually served with large boba straws (large enough for the tapioca pearls to go through). If you don't have the straws on hand, you can use spoons to scoop out the tapioca pearls.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 drink
Calories: 160 kcal
Carbohydrates: 36.9 g
Protein: 1 g
Fat: 1 g
Saturated Fat: 0.6 g
Cholesterol: 3.1 mg
Sodium: 20.6 mg
Sugar: 11.9 g
Reviews
Andrea on 2026-06-02 (5 stars): Thanks for sharing this Bubble Tea recipe. Much, much Thanks!
paralives wiki on 2026-05-26 (5 stars): Game-changer! Finally, a guide that teaches you how to get that perfect chewy boba texture at home. No more sad, hard tapioca pearls — just delicious, restaurant-quality bubble tea anytime the craving hits
Global Mapper on 2026-05-17 (5 stars): Thank you for such a detailed guide! I spend way too much money buying bubble tea at shops, so this recipe is an absolute lifesaver. Your step-by-step instructions make the whole process look so approachable. I can't wait to make my own boba at home!
Sophia Carter on 2026-03-26 (5 stars): This is a fun and informative comment! It nicely explains what bubble tea is, highlights its origins, and describes the variety of flavors. It makes readers curious to try it and gives a clear, tasty picture of what to expect.
wa gb on 2026-03-14 (5 stars): thanks for shairng love it reallt
Alex on 2026-03-12 (4 stars): Me too but I don't like the flavour that much with Nido powder, I feel that either it is too sweet (too much Nido) or we don't feel the milk taste (not enough Nido). Have you experienced this ? Do you have ideas ?
Merzouga camp on 2026-01-26 (5 stars): his looks fun—I’m excited to try it! I remember the bubble tea craze when everyone was meeting up for it. Making it at home sounds way better. Thanks, Lisa!
teddy on 2026-01-23 (5 stars): Was really good!
Morocco on 2025-12-11 (5 stars): "Making bubble tea at home is so much fun! I love how customizable it is — from choosing your tea base to adjusting the sweetness and adding your favorite toppings. Once you get the hang of cooking the tapioca pearls just right, it tastes just as good as (or even better than!) the store-bought version. Definitely worth trying!"
AZ Boyama on 2025-12-05 (5 stars): I just wanted to share my appreciation for the thoughtful and insightful content you provided in your article.
cineby on 2025-11-24 (4 stars): A well-written piece is interesting, succinct, and straightforward. It begins with a compelling opening that draws the reader in and makes a point. The body is coherent, logically flowing, and well-structured.
mugs on 2025-11-04 (4 stars): Your efforts are truly appreciated. You have made a real difference in the lives of many people.
Email Extractor on 2025-10-27 (5 stars): This guide on making bubble tea sounds fantastic! I'm really keen on learning about the different types of tea and milk to use, plus getting the tapioca balls just right. It's great to have a comprehensive breakdown for making my own boba at home...
Adam on 2025-07-13 (5 stars): Tastes exactly like boba from shops!
