How cute is Boba tea?!?! I'm a fan of boba, but honestly I've never thought it was worth the $5 at a tea cafe....SO I decided to make my own! I actually was only planning to make it for a birthday party and ramen dinner, and wanted to serve boba as the welcome drink when guests arrived!
So I got brave, went to H-Mart (huge Asian food store!) and looked for boba!! Honestly, I had no clue what I was looking for!! After wandering the aisles for an hour looking for all of my supplies for the birthday party, I finally spotted these boba balls! They look like dog kibble!!!
But turns out....you have to boil them and sweeten them before they turn into the traditional boba tapioca balls that you get in your milk tea!
I used a lavender milk tea to serve the boba in, and it was such a hit! Everyone loved our homemade boba! The response was so great to my Instagram stories that I knew I had to share how to make it, so here we are!
INGREDIENTS (lose measurements!)
- tapioca pearls (I made about 2 cups)
- milk tea (whatever flavor or brand you prefer; here's what I used)
- 1/2 c. sugar
- 2 c. water for simple syrup
- 5 c. water to boil boba
- you can't enjoy boba without a fat straw!!
DIRECTIONS
- Start by making a simple syrup! After we cook our boba, we'll let them soak in the simple syrup for 30 minutes to sweeten them. Heat your water in the microwave or on the stove, then add your sugar and stir until combined. Set aside.
- Boil 5 cups water on stove. Add boba tapioca balls and continue to boil for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent boba from sticking to the bottom of pot. Do not cover pot with lid.
- Drain boba in a colander. Pour boba into your simple syrup mixture. Let soak for 30 minutes.
- DONE! You can add boba to any beverage; I used milk tea and prepared according to the tea directions then let it chill in the refrigerator. Add boba to the glass, then pour milk tea. Serve chilled. Enjoy!!