Milk Tea is amazing, however if you add the boba or bubbles to your drink, it is a fun and filing way to enjoy this refreshing drink. Sweet and caffeinated to get you threw that mid afternoon slump.
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Pearl milk tea first came to prominence in Taiwan and quickly spread out through all of Asian and then the world. This bubble or Boba version consists of black tea, milk, ice, and chewy tapioca pearls.
Want to know the history of this fun, refreshing drink? Find out more here.
- Quick: Can be made in less than 30 minutes.
- Ingredients: Get everything you need easily. Including the black tapioca pearls at any supermarket.
- Family Friendly: Yes, to a point, they are great for bigger kids but avoid for smaller children who might have a problem chewing the pearls.
- Adaptable: Can make it in so many different flavors, you will never get bored.
What You Need to Make Recipe Name
Ingredients
- black tapioca pearls
- brown sugar
- tea bags
- milk
Equipment
How to Make Milk Tea – Step by Step
- Pearls: First, place the boba pearls in the instant pot with 2 cups of water. Cook on high for 5 minutes and then manually release.
- Drain: Second, drain and rinse pearls and add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Stir.
- Tea: Third, set instant pot to sauté and add 4 cups of water and tea bags. Bring tea to a boil and remove tea bags. Add the remaining brown sugar to tea and mix in milk.
- Finish: Lastly, in a glass, add 1/4-1/2 cups of pearls and mix the tea over ice.
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Common Questions About Boba Milk Tea
You drink the tea by sipping on the tea and chewing the bubbles or boba.
Boba are Tapioca pearls usually black, but can sometimes be found white or transparent or different colors depending on what they add. The black usually consist of sweet potato, brown sugar and cassava root.
Indeed. Just adjust the ingredients accordingly.
Yes, you can make it ahead of time and allow the tea to cool before assembling. I would wait until you are ready to drink before assembling.
The bubbles in the boba milk tea break down over time and therefore should be consumed as soon as possible, you can still drink it, it just wont be the same consistency.
Expert Tips for Making Bubble Milk Tea
- Flavors: Currently, there are tons of different varieties of Boba to choose from. Like this three pack fruity blend.
- What type of Milk can you use: Dairy Free? You can substitute soy, oat or almond beverage.
- Variation tip: Use any type of tea that you like, caffeine free, flavored, or extra strong. Here are some great flavors for boba milk tea. For example: Honeydew, Lychee, mango, peach, or strawberry.
- Alternate ingredient: Feel free to make it a little healthier with Matcha.
- Dietary consideration tip: A low calorie of brown sugar can be used such as Swerve.
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Instant Pot Boba Milk Tea
Equipment
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Ingredients
- 1 cup wufu yuan black tapioca pearls
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 cups water
- Milk Tea:
- 8 earl grey tea bags
- 4 cups water
- ¾ cup milk
Instructions
- Place the boba pearls in the instant pot with 2 cups of water. Close lid and pressure valve. Pressure Cook on high for 5 minutes. Release pressure manually when finished.
- Drain and rinse pearls and add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Stir.
- Set instant pot to sauté and add 4 cups of water and tea bags. Bring tea to a boil and remove tea bags. Add the remaining brown sugar to tea and mix in milk.
- In a glass, add 1/4-1/2 cups of pearls and mix the tea over ice.
Christina’s Notes
- Flavors: Currently, there are tons of different varieties of Boba to choose from. Like this three pack fruity blend.
- What type of Milk can you use: Dairy Free? You can substitute soy, oat or almond beverage.
- Variation tip: Use any type of tea that you like, caffeine free, flavored, or extra strong. Here are some great flavors for boba milk tea. For example: Honeydew, Lychee, mango, peach, or strawberry.
- Alternate ingredient: Feel free to make it a little healthier with Matcha.
- Dietary consideration tip: A low calorie of brown sugar can be used such as Swerve.
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided are estimates. It is recommended that you verify this information with your own trusted resource.
We love honest feedback, but to keep reviews helpful for everyone, we reserve the right to remove star ratings if it is clear the recipe has not been made, if the comment does not provide meaningful input, or if significant substitutions or alterations were made. Please note that ratings should reflect the original recipe as written to avoid confusing other readers.
This recipe is my personal adaptation of an ethnic inspired recipe. It is not intended to be an authentic recipe. I’ve recreated this recipe because I enjoy the flavors and I want to encourage my readers to expand their tastes and try new flavor combinations. The recipe, ingredients and processes may have been adapted to make the recipe accessible for the average American. I have provided links to authentic versions of the recipe in the post above. I encourage you to visit these pages and learn more about the traditional version(s) of this recipe.
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Don’t do it this way if you don’t have Wufu bobas. I followed the recipe but my instant pot told me food burn and I opened it up to find a sticky, globby, burnt mess which is, I assume, because I used US Boba Company Tapioca pearls. Because I didn’t follow the recipe completely I cannot rate it, but take this as a warning.
I never thought I could make boba at home, much less with the help of my instant pot. Love this recipe!
Reminded me of a london fog but better!
I love how easy this is in the instant pot! And love even more that I can now enjoy boba from home!