Healthy Boba Tea

A guide to making healthy boba tea from history to home recipes, combining authentic flavors with healthier choices.

Scale

8–12 g loose black tea (or other tea options)
1 L water (for cooking pearls)
100 g tapioca pearls (fresh or quick-cook)
1:1 simple syrup (1 part sugar, 1 part water) or 2:1 honey syrup (2 parts honey, 1 part water)
¼ cup milk or creamer (dairy or plant-based)
Ice (for iced boba tea)

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Decide on the base tea and milk.
Bring water to the appropriate temperature for brewing the tea.
Brew the tea using 8-10 g of tea per 500 ml of water, steeping according to the type (black: 3-5 mins, oolong: 3-4 mins, green: 2-3 mins).
Cook tapioca pearls by boiling 1 L of water for every 100 g of pearls. Stir pearls in boiling water and cook according to type (fresh: 30-40 mins; quick-cook: 5-10 mins).
Make the simple syrup and toss cooked pearls in warm syrup for flavor.
Assemble the drink by adding pearls, brewed tea, milk, and sweetener to taste. Stir or shake to combine.

Store cooked pearls in warm syrup for up to 6 hours at room temperature. Avoid refrigeration to maintain texture.