Anyone else worried about the current boba shortage? Boba milk tea is one of my absolute FAVORITE things, and with supply apparently running thin, now is the best time to give making boba milk tea at home! This (super simple) recipe is just for regular milk tea, but it also serves as a great base to build on to create tons of different flavor combinations! One of my favorites is substituting almond or coconut milk for regular milk for a completely different flavor. What’s your favorite boba drink?
Boba Milk Tea
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp loose-leaf black tea of choice
- 3/4 cup uncooked boba
- whole milk or milk of choice
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- First, you will need to prep the tea. In a small pot, boil 4 cups of water. As soon as it boils, turn off the heat, and once the bubbles stop, add the loose-leaf tea and stir to mix. Allow the tea to steep until the water has completely cooled to room temp; you want the tea very strong so the flavor doesn't get too diluted after adding in the milk. This will take up to several hours to cool, so do this ahead of time! Once cool, strain out the loose tea and transfer the tea to a pitcher.
- To make the simple syrup, in a small saucepan add the 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water. Heat over medium-high heat while stirring. Cook just until the water boils; the sugar should be completely dissolved at this point. Remove from the heat and again allow to cool to room temp before transferring to a storage vessel of your choice, I prefer a small mason jar.
- When you're ready to make the drinks, it's time to cook the boba. If the boba you bought has directions, follow those. I used this boba and have been very happy with them. However, if you don't have directions, a general guideline for quick-cooking boba pearls is boil 4-5 cups of water and stir in the boba. Once they float to the surface, let them cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. From there, remove one and test it's softness, if it's still too firm to your liking, let them go a few more minutes. It's worth noting that they'll firm up a bit after cooking, so don't worry if they feel way too soft.
- Once the boba is done cooking, remove them with a slotted spoon and quickly rinse them in cold water for 10-15 seconds. Place them in a small bowl and add 2-3 tbsp of the simple syrup, gently tossing them to make sure they're fully coated. If you prefer completely unsweetened milk tea, skip this step.
- To assemble the milk tea, divide the cooked boba evenly into 4 large glasses, along with a few ice cubes. Pour 1 cup of tea into each glass, and then add 1.5 tbsp of milk, and 1.5 tbsp of simple syrup into each glass. Both the milk and the syrup can be adjusted to taste, if you're used to store bought milk tea, this will likely not be sweet enough for you. Stir the glasses and serve immediately!
- Enjoy!
