This Homemade boba coffee or should I say bubble coffee is the perfect refreshing iced drink, delicious milky coffee served over succulent chewy tapioca pearls. Ditch the queue and also save some coins by making this drink at home under 15 minutes.
Instant tapioca pearl
I started making my own bubble tea and coffee at home since the start of the lockdown, and it was no longer cost-effective travelling miles for one. Honestly, it wasn’t long before I started craving for a cup of the bubble drink so I turned to Amazon for an instant premade tapioca pearls.
Happy days, I was able to make my own boba coffee and tea at home under 15 minutes. At every point in time, I have a stash of cold brew tea or cold brew coffee and simple sugar syrup in my fridge, so that makes the recipe very simple to recreate as ABC.
This homemade bubble coffee (boba coffee) recipe is
- Easy and Quick
- Perfect with leftover coffee
- Vegetarian and gluten-free
- Affordable, especially if made at home.
- Not overly sweet yet refreshing
- Perfect for entertaining, you can totally impress your guest with this refreshing drink
What is tapioca pearl
Tapioca pearl or balls, also known as boba are edible small chewy balls made from tapioca starch. Made from simple ingredients, tapioca, black food colouring, sugar and water, It is made into the size of small marbles with a texture of a gummy bear but a tad softer with the physical appearance of a jelly.
Originally, tapioca pearls are served with milk teas or flavoured teas, known as bubble tea or boba tea, it originated from Taiwan but is now available in most parts of the world.
You can make your own tapioca pearls at home if you want, it can be time-consuming hence why I always buy the ready-made version from Amazon.
What you'll need to make boba coffee at home
Cooked tapioca pearls: homemade or store-bought
Brewed coffee: this could be instant coffee, cold brew, espresso or cooled freshly brewed coffee
Milk: any type of milk of choice dairy and plant-based milk would work here, whole milk, heavy cream, semi-skimmed, half and half, coffee creamer, condensed milk, almond milk, coconut milk, oat milk and more.
Vanilla sugar syrup: this is optional
Honey: to sweeten the cooked tapioca pearl, you can substitute with brown sugar syrup
Ice: This is optional if you would be serving the coffee hot or warm.
How to make boba coffee (Boba coffee)
Cook the boba pearls: add tapioca pearls to a large pot, add enough water and cook for about 5 minutes or until the pearls become translucent and floats on top of the water. Alternatively, cook the pearls according to the packet instructions.
Drain the cooked boba in a colander and run under cold water to stop the cooking process (this is to stop the pearls from sticking together) and transfer to a bowl. Add some honey to it and stir to combine then move on to make the drink
Assemble the drink: to a coffee glass, add about 3 tablespoons of sweetened tapioca pearl to the bottom of the glass or as needed. Add ice, coffee, add sugar syrup if desired and top with milk. Stir to combine and serve.
Variations
Other than coffee, add cooked boba to any of the following drinks for delicious variations
Coffee tea drink
Vietnamese iced boba coffee
Brown sugar boba tea
Brown sugar boba milk
Dalgona coffee with boba
How to store leftover cooked boba
While the instructions on most instant tapioca pearls say to store leftovers for a few days in the fridge, it is best to cook what you need at a time. If you have any leftovers, store them in the fridge no longer than 24 hours.
More iced drink recipes to try
Brown sugar oat milk shaken espresso
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Boba Coffee (Bubble Coffee)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup instant tapioca pearls
- 5 cups water
- 2 cups brewed coffee this could be instant coffee, cold brew, espresso or cooled freshly brewed coffee
- 200 ml milk dairy or plant based
- Vanilla sugar syrup optional
- 2 tbsp honey
- Ice optional
Instructions
- Cook the boba pearls: add tapioca pearls to a large pot, add enough water and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the pearls become translucent and float on top of the water. Alternatively, cook the pearls according to the packet instructions.
- Drain the cooked boba in a colander and run under cold water to stop the cooking process (this also stop the pearls from sticking together) and transfer to a bowl. Add some honey to it and stir to combine then move on to make the drink
- Assemble the drink: to a coffee glass, add about 2-3 tablespoons of sweetened tapioca pearls to the bottom of the glass or as needed. Add ice, coffee, add sugar syrup if desired, and top with milk. Stir to combine and serve. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional data: Please note that the nutrition label provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients and brands you use. Under no circumstances will thedinnerbite.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information.
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