How To Make Your Own Bubble Tea At Home

Put an end to your bubble tea cravings…

One of the things I’ve had to come to terms with since we started working from home is that I would no longer be passing by my favourite bubble tea shop for my weekly (ahem, daily) pick-me-up. Eventually, my sugar cravings got the better of me so I decided to take matters into my own hands and make my own bubble tea at home. The process was surprisingly simple and all you need is three ingredients (two of which you probably already have in your pantry!). I’m not going to lie, it is time consuming – but we have more spare time than ever now, so that’s no excuse! It would be a lot quicker to use ready-made pearls, but what’s the fun in that? Scroll down to learn how to make your own tapioca pearls and bubble tea from scratch.

Read more: Quick And Easy Microwavable Mug Cake Recipes To Try

Ingredients:
For tapioca pearls:
3 tablespoons water
35g brown sugar (the darker in colour the better)
³⁄4 cup tapioca flour (plus extra for dusting)

For milk tea:
2 cups water
5 bags black tea
Milk
Brown sugar (optional)

Method:

1. To make the pearls: add the brown sugar and water to a small, non-stick pot, stir with a spatula to dissolve the sugar and bring to a boil.
2. Add ¹⁄3 of the tapioca flour and stir vigorously until the mixture thickens.
3. Turn off the heat and add the remaining flour. Combine lightly with your spatula (but don’t worry if all the flour is not incorporated at this stage).

1. Turn out dough onto a working surface and knead until it is smooth and all the flour is incorporated. Add a bit of extra flour or water if the dough feels too wet or dry (it shouldn’t be sticking to your hands).
2. Divide the dough in half (keeping the other half wrapped in cling film) and roll the dough into thin logs.
3. Cut your logs into small pieces (making sure they are small enough to pass through your drinking straw). Roll the pieces into balls and place them in a bowl with a bit of tapioca flour to prevent them from sticking to each other. Sassy tip: you can double the recipe and freeze half of your pearls to boil on another day.

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Use a strainer to shake the excess flour off your pearls then drop them into the water. Stir occasionally to prevent pearls from sticking.
2. Simmer on medium-low heat for approximately 30 minutes, until the pearls are cooked through.
3. Strain the pearls and transfer to a clean bowl. Add a spoonful of brown sugar to the pearls (this will prevent them from drying out or sticking).
4. Leave pearls to cool while you make your milk tea.

1. To make the milk tea: add the tea bags to boiling water and leave in to steep for 4 minutes.
2. Add your preferred amount of milk and sugar to taste.
3. Add a spoonful of pearls and ice to a glass and top up with your milk tea.
4. Alternatively, you can make a brown sugar milk drink with pearls: Combine 3 tablespoons brown sugar and 3 tablespoons water to a pot and simmer for around 5 minutes until the mixture has thickened (it will continue to thicken as it cools). Add the syrup to your glass and swirl it around so it sticks to the sides, add in a spoonful of pearls and ice and finally top up with milk.