This dairy-free boba tea (aka bubble tea) is made with homemade tapioca pearls and coconut milk. This delicious recipe is different than the average boba tea recipe out there. It’s made with all dairy-free, gluten-free, and paleo-friendly ingredients!
Boba team, also known as bubble tea, is a sweet milk tea with soft tapioca pearls (bubbles). This drink is eye-catching, but it’s delicious too!
Below, I will share how to make this recipe from scratch, but if you’d like to use store-bought tapioca pearls, you can! I wanted to offer a from-scratch recipe for the adventurous cook or those who need to avoid specific ingredients.
Boba Tea Ingredients
There are a lot of moving parts here, but fortunately most of the ingredients are readily available (like water, ice, and tea). I’ve linked out to buying guides for some of the less common ingredients.
Simple syrup:
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup water
Tea:
- 8 tea bags of black tea, oolong tea, or jasmine tea or various green teas (each offer different flavors)
- 4 cups water
Boba:
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour + extra for rolling the boba
For serving:
- Coconut milk, cold (you can also make your own coconut milk at home)
- Ice cubes
How To Make Boba Tea (Bubble Tea)
The first step in making bubble tea is the simple syrup. I used coconut sugar to make the syrup, but other granulated sweeteners like organic white sugar, brown sugar, and maple sugar will work. To make the simple syrup, you will boil water and sugar together and remove them from the heat.
Then you’ll prepare the black tea. Tea is optional for this recipe, but I really enjoy the mix of tea, tapioca pearls, and sweet coconut milk! Boil 4 cups of water and seep eight black tea bags in the water for 3-5 minutes. Remove the tea bags and refrigerate the tea to chill.
The next step in making boba tea is to make the tapioca pearls. If you’re using store-bought tapioca pearls, follow the cooking instructions on the package and skip to the next step. To make the tapioca pearls, you’ll warm the water and coconut sugar, then slowly add the tapioca flour to form a sticky dough.
Then you place the dough on a floured surface (I used tapioca starch), roll it out, and cut it into small pearl-sized pieces.
Lastly, you’ll cook the tapioca pearls for 10 minutes in a saucepan. Then, remove the cooked tapioca pearls from the pot, and mix them into the simple syrup.
To make your first cup of boba tea, you’ll mix two tablespoons of boba balls into a long glass, pour chilled black tea and cold coconut milk over them, add ice and enjoy cold.
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PrintBoba Tea Recipe (Bubble Tea)
This dairy-free boba tea (aka bubble tea) is made with homemade tapioca pearls and coconut milk.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Beverages
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
Simple syrup:
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup water
Tea:
- 8 tea bags of black tea, oolong tea, or jasmine tea or various green teas (each offer different flavors)
- 4 cups water
Boba:
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour + extra for rolling the boba
For serving:
- Coconut milk, cold
- Ice cubes
Instructions
Simple syrup:
- In a medium saucepan, place the water and coconut sugar, stir until all the sugar dissolves.
- Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and set aside.
Boba Pearls:
- Place the coconut sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stir until all the sugar is dissolved. Add in the tapioca flour and stir until it forms a soft, sticky dough.
- Sprinkle some tapioca flour onto a work surface, then transfer the boba dough onto it.
- Roll the dough into a log, then cut into medium pieces. Next, form the medium dough pieces into smaller logs, then cut them to form small balls.
- Place the boba dough balls into a saucepan filled with water, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for further 10 minutes.
- Remove the boba balls from the saucepan into a deep bowl, then pour the simple syrup over them to cover completely.
- Set aside for 15 minutes.
To serve:
Add two tablespoons of boba balls into a long glass, pour chilled black tea and cold coconut milk over them, add ice and enjoy cold.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 160
- Sugar: 11g
- Fat: 3g
- Carbohydrates: 37g
- Fiber: .3g
- Protein: 1g
Can we substitute arrowroot instead of the tapioca for the pearls?
Can we keep the boba in the freezer? If yes, for how long?
Would this work with actual tapioca cooked? I have some that I have wondered how to use them up. Is it better to make your own balls?
I’ve only used it with the large tapioca balls, but I think the small tapioca would work too!
★★★★★
very nice recipe
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