In this post, I’ll walk you through a simple DIY for making tapioca pearls, including how to cook them with dark brown sugar, and a simple brown sugar bubble milk tea recipe. Once you master the art of making boba pearls at home, you can customize them with flavors like mango (see Mango Tapioca Pearls) and add them to your favorite bubble tea, milk tea, or other fruity drinks for that perfect chewy texture. They also make a fantastic topping for desserts like puddings and shaved ice.
Watch the tapioca pearls video
How to make boba
If you try this homemade boba recipe, let me know how it goes in the comments below. I’d appreciate a recipe card rating and would love to see your recipe recreations – tag me on Instagram @Alphafoodie! Making and using these boba pearls requires two techniques. First, you need to make the tapioca dough and form the dried pearls. Once these are ready, you have to cook them before you can use them in your drink. Add about one tablespoon of the tapioca starch and stir until well combined. Make sure there are no lumps. Then, place over low heat and stir until the mixture starts thickening like a paste. Once it becomes thicker, remove from the heat. Add the rest of the tapioca starch and mix well until you obtain a sticky, shaggy dough. Then, on a lightly floured surface (floured with tapioca starch), knead the dough until it becomes smooth and uniform. Knead the dough while it’s still warm so it’s pliable. Tapioca dough can be very sticky, so sprinkle some extra starch if needed. Roll the dough into thin, long rod-like pieces. Each roll should be quite thin, as the tapioca pearls will expand when cooked later. Then, cut the rolls into small pieces and roll each piece into a tiny ball. Place the rolled pearls in a bowl and dust them with tapioca starch to avoid sticking. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Now, you have your dried tapioca pearls ready. Make sure each boba pearl is coated with tapioca starch to prevent them from sticking together. At this point, you can choose to store them (see the notes below for more information). Finally, drain the tapioca pearls and quickly place them in cold water to prevent sticking. Alternatively, you can put them in sugar syrup to prevent sticking and add sweetness and flavor. For a quick and extra special treat, cook the tapioca pearls in brown sugar. Add the boba and stir well to coat all the pearls with the melting sugar. If using tea, make it as you would typically in warming water, adding milk to dilute it. Chill the tea in the fridge. Pour warm brown sugar boba pearls into a glass, coat the walls with melted sugar, add ice cubes, pour in the tea, and serve with a boba straw.
