Bubble Tea Recipes

Making bubble tea at home is easier than you think: tea, milk or fruit syrup, a few ice cubes – and of course the pearls. Once you get the hang of it, your boba is ready in five minutes, exactly as sweet and exactly as strong as you like it.

Your basic kit: tapioca pearls or popping boba, a shaker or a large jar with a lid, an extra-wide straw from our bubble tea accessories and your favourite tea. The fastest way to start is a complete bubble tea set. Brand new to boba? Then read our beginner's handbook first.

The basics: how to cook tapioca pearls

Almost every recipe on this page stands or falls with the pearls. We work with the Bubble Tea Tapioca Pearls 250 g – that makes around five to six servings.

1. Bring plenty of water to the boil, roughly seven parts water to one part pearls.
2. Add the pearls to the bubbling water and stir once so nothing sticks to the bottom.
3. Let them simmer for 20 to 25 minutes over medium heat.
4. Take the pot off the heat and let the pearls rest, covered, for 15 minutes. Only then are they soft inside and chewy outside.
5. Drain, rinse briefly with cold water and toss them in sugar syrup or brown sugar. That keeps them supple and adds the typical sweetness.

Important: use cooked pearls within four hours. After that they turn hard, and neither the fridge nor reheating will save them. You will find all the details and common mistakes in our guide to cooking tapioca pearls.

Basic bubble tea recipe

This base recipe works with any tea and any milk. Every recipe below is a variation of it.

For 1 glass, approx. 400 ml:

• 200 ml strongly brewed tea, cooled
• 100 ml milk or plant-based drink
• 1–2 tbsp sugar syrup
• 40 g cooked tapioca pearls
• Ice cubes

1. Put the cooked pearls at the bottom of the glass.
2. Shake tea, milk, syrup and ice for about 15 seconds.
3. Pour the mix over the pearls.
4. Add an extra-wide straw, stir, enjoy.

Classic Milk Tea

The Taiwanese classic: strong black tea, plenty of milk, soft pearls. If you only learn one recipe, make it this one.

Ingredients: 200 ml strong black tea (Assam or Ceylon, see loose leaf tea), 100 ml whole milk, 2 tbsp sugar syrup, 40 g tapioca pearls, ice.

1. Brew the tea twice as strong as usual and let it cool.
2. Add the pearls to the glass and pour the syrup over them.
3. Shake tea, milk and ice for 15 seconds.
4. Pour over the pearls and drink right away.

Brown Sugar Bubble Tea (Tiger Milk Tea)

The dark caramel stripes on the inside of the glass made this drink famous. Here the brown sugar syrup replaces the tea almost entirely – the result is a creamy milk drink.

Ingredients: 40 g cooked tapioca pearls, 3 tbsp brown sugar, 250 ml cold milk, ice. You will find everything together in our bubble tea sets.

1. Heat brown sugar with 2 tbsp water until you get a thick syrup.
2. Toss the warm pearls in the syrup.
3. Use a spoon to spread the syrup along the inside of the glass so the tiger stripes appear.
4. Add ice and cold milk, stir briefly.

Explained in detail in our brown sugar recipe.

Matcha Latte Bubble Tea

Grassy, slightly bitter, wonderfully creamy. Matcha needs water at around 75 °C, otherwise it turns harsh.

Ingredients: 1 tsp matcha powder, 100 ml water (75 °C), 250 ml warm milk, 1–2 tsp honey, 40 g tapioca pearls.

1. Whisk the matcha into the hot water until lump-free, ideally with a bamboo whisk.
2. Stir in the honey while the mix is still warm.
3. Pour in the milk and stir well.
4. Pearls into the glass, matcha milk on top. Cold with ice or warm without.

More on quality and preparation: matcha for bubble tea.

Taro Milk Tea

The pale purple classic tastes nutty and vanilla-like and is a favourite with kids. It works best with a blender.

Ingredients: 250 ml cold black tea, 4 tsp (approx. 35 g) taro powder, 40 g tapioca pearls, ice.

1. Put the tea and taro powder in the blender.
2. Blend for about 30 seconds until creamy.
3. Add the pearls to the glass and pour the mix over them.
4. Add ice – or use hot tea for a warm version.

Background on the root: taro bubble tea explained.

Fruity iced tea with popping boba

The lightest version: no dairy, but fruit pearls that burst in your mouth. Perfect for hot days and for kids.

Ingredients: 300 ml cold green or fruit tea, 2 tsp syrup or fruit puree, 40 g popping boba (mango, lychee, passion fruit or strawberry), ice, a squeeze of lemon.

1. Brew the tea, let it cool and season with syrup.
2. Add the fruit pearls to the glass – they do not need to be cooked.
3. Pour ice and tea over them, add the lemon.
4. Stir briefly and serve with a wide straw.

More ideas: iced tea at home and mango bubble tea.

Ube Latte

Ube is the purple sweet potato from the Philippines: mild, sweet, with a hint of vanilla. Visually it is hard to beat.

Ingredients: 2 tsp ube powder, 250 ml milk or oat milk, 1 tsp sugar syrup, 40 g tapioca pearls, ice.

1. Mix the ube powder with 50 ml warm milk into a smooth paste.
2. Pour in the rest of the milk and sweeten to taste.
3. Pearls into the glass, ube milk and ice on top.
4. Stir until the colour is an even purple.

Read more: what is ube? With oat milk the recipe becomes vegan.

Frequently asked questions

How long do cooked tapioca pearls last?

About four hours at room temperature, stored in sugar syrup. In the fridge they turn hard and cannot be softened again. So it is better to cook smaller batches fresh.

Which tea works best for bubble tea?

Strong black tea such as Assam or Ceylon for milk tea, jasmine or green tea for fruity versions, oolong for a bit more character. Always brew it twice as strong, because milk and ice dilute it. You will find an overview of every variant in our bubble tea flavours guide.

Can you make bubble tea without sugar?

Yes. Leave out the syrup and sweeten with dates, erythritol or nothing at all – the pearls bring some sweetness of their own. We show you how it tastes in bubble tea without sugar.

Tapioca pearls or popping boba – which is better?

Tapioca pearls are neutral in taste, soft and need cooking. Popping boba are ready to use, burst in your mouth and add fruit flavour. Use tapioca for milk tea and fruit pearls for iced tea. Our direct comparison helps you choose.

How many calories are in a bubble tea?

A glass with milk, syrup and 40 g of pearls comes to roughly 250 to 350 kcal. At home you are in control: less syrup, low-fat milk or fruit pearls instead of tapioca quickly save 100 kcal. Details in our post on bubble tea calories.

Get started

The easiest way to start is a bubble tea set: pearls, powder, syrup and straw are matched to each other, you only need to add milk. For groups and gifts there are our drink sets, and if you are in a hurry, the ready-made ready to drink cups. Everything else is in our full range – free shipping within Switzerland from CHF 79.