How to Make Boba, aka. Tapioca Pearls, From Scratch
Store bought tapioca pearls can be tricky to cook. That’s why I’ll show you how to make boba from scratch at home for homemade bubble tea. It doesn’t take long to prepare them, and they’re so much better than dried tapioca pearls found in stores.
In the middle of the summer heat, you may have noticed that I haven’t been posting as often lately. In part it’s due to my new philosophy of blogging. In part it’s due to having my son home for the summer, and him wanting to play with me most of the day. (I can’t be complaining about having to play in the pool and cuddle up with a sweet, adorable little 5 year old, can I?)
Mostly, though, it’s due to me not being completely caught up from my trip to the US a few weeks back. Amidst the fiestas here in my town, lots of birthday parties and being a full time mommy, it’s taking me longer than I expected to get back into the swing of things.
The first week of our adventures in the US, we stayed at my dad’s house in Connecticut, not too far away from good old New York, New York.
Most of that week was pretty relaxed, but we did manage to throw in a fun day of exploring NYC which included a delicious meal in Chinatown. I had been to NYC as a kid, but don’t remember ever visiting Chinatown, so it was a new, fun adventure for me. I loved marveling at the Asian style architecture of normally American styled places like Starbucks, and if I hadn’t been trying to travel lightly while walking the city, I probably would have bought a few kilos of Asian fruits like lychees, mangosteen, dragon fruits… all of the fun fruits that I can rarely (if ever) find here in Spain.
Another delicacy that I wasn’t able to try was boba bubble tea.
After our meal, I eyed the bubble tea for sale at the shop across the street, and hinted at perhaps going over to get some dessert. Normally I don’t go for buying specialty teas and coffees outside the house because I know they’ll be sugar-laden and definitely not paleo. 😉 How often am I going to get the chance to try bubble tea made in Chinatown Manhattan, though, right?
Unfortunately, everybody else was full, except for my boring practical husband who had no interest in trying something as absurd as bubble tea, so in the interest of not drinking alone, I decided to pass and never got to try bubble tea before heading on towards Times Square and Central Park.
Fast forward a few weeks, and I was hanging out at the Asian store here in Spain, browsing all the fun, unusual treats the shop had to offer, and I saw tapioca pearls for sale. I couldn’t help but buy some to make boba at home so that I could try to make homemade bubble tea.
The problem with store bought tapioca pearls
Unfortunately, despite having watched numerous videos and reading numerous blogs about how to cook the darn things, I couldn’t get the store bought boba to cook right!
After some research, I’ve found that it’s probably because the people who have the most success with store bought boba use tapioca pearls that have been sealed in shrink wrap and that need to be stored in the fridge and used up within a week once opened. I’m guessing those are packaged without being completely dehydrated, making their reconstitution easier later on. I have only been able to find the fully dried tapioca pearls here, though.
I tried everything from…
pre-soaking the pearls… which ended in a tapioca starch water and powdery mess…
bringing the water to a boil with the boba tapioca pearls already in the pan… which ended up with a gluey mess and no pearls to be seen…
boiling the water and then adding the boba…which, despite boiling for over an hour ended up with rubbery, transparent balls with an opaque, raw, hard, tapioca flour center. Yuck!
The only thing that sort of worked was to boil for very long periods, followed by very long periods of cooling, usually followed by boiling and cooling again at least once more. Even the boba that almost cooked all the way through (see the picture below) weren’t very appealing, and I decided to give up on making homemade bubble tea!
Or did I?
The tapioca pearls that I bought showed only 2 ingredients: tapioca starch and water.
Making tapioca pearls/boba from scratch
Making boba from scratch can’t be that difficult, right?
I thought about how I used to always make pasta from scratch. People used to think I was crazy when they heard that I always made my own pasta from scratch.
Doesn’t that take forever?
Well, actually, no!
Apart from the clean up, it took me about the same amount of time to make homemade pasta as it did for me to boil the store bought stuff. Plus, mine was just so much better and fully customizable!
Why is homemade pasta and boba so quick to make?
Faster cooking time
Because store bought pasta has been dehydrated so that it will keep for longer. Boiling it to cook it takes much longer than cooking the pasta that you have freshly made.
I no longer make homemade pasta very often; not because it takes too long, or because it’s not great, but because most of the time I have completely eliminated gluten from my diet. I have tried coming up with gluten free and grain free pasta recipes, but so far the closest I’ve come to a paleo pasta is the dough I used in my paleo dim sum recipe. (It actually tastes very similar to pasta, and has a similar texture once cooked, it’s just a lot more delicate to work with so it’s not as practical for making something like spaghetti.)
My logic, though, was that homemade boba tapioca pearls would cook similarly. Because they are fresh and haven’t been dehydrated, they would cook up almost immediately.
And I was right!
It took me less time to make boba tapioca pearls from scratch than it did for me to try to cook the store bought boba!
Seriously!
It’s super quick and easy to make, and it’s actually even kind of fun.
Plus it uses only 2 ingredients, tapioca starch and water, so it’s gluten free, grain free, and, thus, arguably paleo. 🙂
After me having thrown out some of his dried up, unusable playdough, my son was only too happy to help make little tapioca pearls too. Win-win!
(I may or may not have actually used his.) 😉
Wow, I’m chatty today…
Let’s get to it!
Video
Boba, aka. Tapioca Pearls, From Scratch
Instructions
- Boil the water.
- Add the tapioca starch to a bowl, followed by the boiling water. I work the water in little by little in case it isn’t all needed. Kneading with your hands is the best way to incorporate the water and make a non-sticky dough. Be careful not to burn yourself, though.
- Once you have a workable dough, the easiest way to make tapioca pearls is to roll the dough into long snakes of dough, cut them into small pieces and roll them into tiny balls.
- To cook your homemade boba, boil at least twice as much water as the volume of tapioca pearls that you are going to cook.
- Add your homemade boba to the boiling water. The boba should float to the top. When that happens, turn the heat down to medium
- You’ll notice that the boba begin to cook and get their chewy texture almost immediately. At any point after a couple of minutes, you can use the boba and they will be better than the dehydrated store bought pearls. I later found, though, that if you keep simmering until they fall back to the bottom of the pan, and then remove them, they will be more transparent once removed and allowed to steep in honey for a few minutes. (They will still be pretty opaque when you remove them from the water, but they start to become translucent once removed from the boiling water and stored in honey.)
- Remove the boba from hot water with a slotted spoon, and transfer them to a bowl with some honey. The honey will help preserve them until you are ready to use them, slightly sweeten them, and keep them from sticking to each other.
- Add them to your tea! I’ve found that they have the best texture when warm, so if you want cold bubble tea, it’s best to add them first to your glass while they are warm, and pour the cold tea over top, serving immediately!
- Enjoy!
Can you store homemade boba tapioca pearls for later?
I’ve been experimenting with different ways to store them.
Can you let them dry out and then use them later?
Yes, but you end up with the same sort of problem that can be had with store bought dehydrated tapioca pearls. It takes a lot longer to cook them, and you may end up with opaque, raw tapioca flour centers.
Can you freeze the cooked boba?
You can, but they will get opaque and hard. I found that out the hard way when I thought it was a good idea to make popsicles with boba! Some people swear that boba popsicles are great, but I can’t imagine how! I found the frozen boba to be unpalatable and hard. No more boba tea popsicles for me! (I did find one blog post that said that you had to use mini pearls in popsicles for them to stay chewy, but I found the frozen boba to be so gross that I probably won’t be giving it a try!)
If you boil them again, they will warm up and turn translucent again. The texture will come closer to the original chewy texture, but I didn’t find them to be as pleasant as the ones made from scratch and served immediately.
Can you freeze the tapioca pearl dough and form the boba later?
Freezing the dough works pretty well, but the dough can get a bit crumblier and harder to work with once it thaws than when it was freshly made. The cooked boba made from frozen dough seemed pretty much identical to the boba made fresh, so if you get sick of making boba in the middle of the process, freezing the excess dough is definitely an option. I wouldn’t personally make a big batch just to freeze it, though, as it is easy enough to make when needed, and the fresh dough is easier to work with.
Can you freeze the formed, uncooked tapioca pearls?
Yes, and I’ve found that to be the best way to make boba ahead of time and store them for later. They may not turn out exactly like the ones made from scratch, but they are pretty close.
I boil them right from frozen, and boil them a little bit longer than I normally do with freshly made tapioca pearls.
Can you color and flavor homemade boba?
So far, I’ve only tried adding in a pinch of salt and some honey to my homemade boba. They turned out well, and may have been slightly sweeter than the ones that are only soaked in honey, but I didn’t really notice much of a difference in the final outcome. The flavor didn’t really change too much.
A lot of people have asked me about how to make black boba.
So, I began to research the topic. At first, I was pretty sure that the black boba just added food coloring to the boba. That’s probably still the case with most inexpensive black boba for sale. (As you probably know by now, I’m not big about adding colorants to my homemade food, so I haven’t tried using food coloring yet.)
That said, other commenters have brought other theories…
Black sugar
Some people have told me that the difference is that the black boba use dark sugar. There is even a type of Asian sugar called “black sugar” that many have claimed is used in black boba. That said, I’m still of the belief that no matter how much dark sugar was added to the boba, it wouldn’t be enough to make them black!
They may use black sugar in the boba, but it it likely supplemented with some other colorant to make them the deep shade of black that you’re used to seeing in shops.
What does seem more plausible, is another theory offered by readers…
Activated Charcoal
It has been brought to my attention that sometimes activated charcoal is used. One reader saw a video on Facebook showing how activated charcoal was used to make black boba from scratch at a café.
Other colors…
I’ll probably try adding things like matcha or substituting the water with fruit juices in some of my next batches, and I’ll try to keep you updated on the outcome.
I’d love to hear what combinations you come up with!
I mixed finely ground dried chili and cinnamon in my Boba and used the Boba with chai tea. Spicy Boba 🙂
Hi Lara,
Wow- that sounds like fun- and it would definitely give it more of a kick. I’m not sure if I’m up for it, but I always love a creative twist on things. 🙂
Thanks for the great idea!
I know this is late to the boba party, but I think I get black boba you just boil them in brown sugar/water.
Hi Julie,
Thanks for the suggestion. 🙂
You may be able to darken them somewhat by boiling in dark sugar water, but they won’t turn the dark black color of black boba. Those definitely have some other additive or coloring.
I boiled mine in black tea and sugar – the Boba color was a nice dark brown – but definitely not black.
After this experiment, I feel sure that the black has some artificial coloring as you mention.
Yeah, I think it would be very difficult to get such a dark color without a bit of help. I wonder how it would be with a bit of activated carbon as a more natural colorant- probably better than squid ink. hahahaha 😉
Asian brown sugar syrup is generally used with the tapioca starch to make the black color
Hi Patric,
Thanks for the tip. I’ve heard people say that they have tried that, though, and it only makes for a darker brown. Most people think that they use a colorant to make them black.
How long do these store for?
Thanks!
Hi Franchesca,
You can freeze them for keeping them longer, or you can store them covered in syrup or honey in the fridge for a couple of days.
I’m looking forward to trying this! Just a quick question: You give the nutritional information “per serving”, but not the serving size. How big is a serving? Thanks.
Hi Judy,
I had to look to my newer recipe- where I make naturally colored boba to see because I remember counting out the pearls when I made it.
For that one, I used half this recipe and it made around 50 large pearls. (They were around 1cm in diameter.)
I don’t know, it’s hard to give a serving estimate for this sort of thing. 😉
Good day! This is Shiela Frias of IJuander, GMA News and Public Affairs. We would like to ask permission from you if we could use your pictures for our show’s episode. you can contact me thru [email protected]
Hi Shiela,
I just sent you an email! 🙂
I love boba tea and wanted to make this for myself, but I found working with tapioca flour to be impossible. I think I’ll leave it to the experts, lol!
Hi Sarah,
It’s actually quite easy, but there are a few things that may make it tricky- making it seem impossible.
Let me cover them for you to see if you are willing to give it another shot.
First, the water has to be at boiling point. You need to slightly cook the tapioca flour so that it changes in texture. If it doesn’t slightly cook, the dough will be crumbly and fall apart. By cooking it slightly, it will become more elastic (rubbery) in texture and will hold together. If you cook it too much, it gets very rubbery, making it difficult (but not impossible) to work with again. If your batch isn’t working out well, you could try heating it more over a double boiler or maybe even (I haven’t tried this, so I’m not sure) you could even try placing it in the microwave for a few seconds.
Another possible issue has more to do with the type of flour that you used. Some tapioca flours (often called cassava flour) have the full tapioca (yuca) root dried and ground into a flour. Those flours are more difficult to find, so I haven’t really tried this recipe with those flours. Others use only the starch of the root. My suspicion is that this probably wouldn’t work out too well with the full-root flours (that behave more like a “normal” (wheat) flour) and relies on the starchy part.
I understand not wanting to waste time and effort on it, but maybe my suggestions will help you give it another go? 🙂
I have made these pearls numerous times and they always turn out great. Last night I decided to add around 1/8th cup cocoa powder to the recipe and man, they came out just as dark as store bought ones. ‘Cept these had a robust, cocoa aroma which complimented black milk teas well. None of that artifical colouring, AND extra flavouring? I’d call that a win in my books.
Awesome, Adam!
Thanks so much for the tip.
I’ll have to add your findings when I update the post. I’m sure others will love it too (and I’m excited to try myself).
Thank you! Likewise!
That would be a win in my books, too! I definitely have to give that one a try. I bet the cocoa aroma would work really well in a coffee smoothie as well.
I cant get the dough right 🙁 it either gets powdery and breaks or it get too watery. It’s not workable. Pls help 🙁
Hi Jules,
The two possible issues I see are either you’re using a different type of flour or you aren’t getting the water hot enough.
There are two different types of flour-like substances that can be obtained from the same plant. We want just the starch part here, which is normally referred to as tapioca flour or tapioca starch. Some places sell cassava flour, which includes the fiber and the starch fo the tapioca root. Sometimes, though, the various names get interchanged, making things very confusing.
The tapioca starch gets it’s rubbery sort of texture when it gets heated. That’s why you want the water at its boiling point when you mix it with the flour. If you were to add cold water, you’d end up with a dough that would get crumbly.
My guess is that the temperature is your issue. If it’s cold in your house, you’ll have to be especially sure to use boiling hot water and work quickly when mixing the starch and hot water. I’ve had people tell me, though, that they have switched tapioca starch brands and that has made a huge difference for them too.
I hope that helps!
I made this recipe exactly as it was written this morning. It took about ten minutes. I boiled the water as I was rolling and making the balls. Easy and perfect. I was worried about burning myself as i was mixing the boiling water in to the flour. so i just kind of mashed it with a wooden spoon as i poured and then used my hands after, it wasn’t too hot to handle. I don’t like most honeys so I used maple syrup instead and it worked, too! It’s so easy and more delicious than the bubble tea place. It’s awesome because I know EXACTLY what’s in it.
Thanks for making my life better.
Awwww, I’m so happy that it worked out for you and that you enjoyed the recipe. Yes, I find these so fun myself- so much better than what I was finding in the stores, and I always love being able to control the ingredients.
Maple syrup sounds like fantastic idea! I used to cook down brown sugar with water to make a sweet syrup. I have a feeling maple syrup adds a different layer of flavor to the bobas.
I would love to know more about flavoring the tapioca pearls. Have you tried it with matcha or fruit juices yet?
Hi April,
I only tried adding sugar, and didn’t notice much of a difference and decided it wasn’t worth it. They seem to absorb sweetness from the honey when you allow them to rest in honey once made.
I sort of doubt that fruit juices would add much flavor, unless you were to really concentrate them by evaporating off some of the water before using them. That might actually work, then, and you’d have a very hot liquid ready to make the pearls. I haven’t tried with matcha either, but do think that it would probably work well.
If you give it a try, let me know. Your results may help out others. 🙂
I agree Tracy, I think you will need a concentrate to really bring out the flavors. That said, a little hint of the fruit / matcha flavor might be nice enough to complement the milk tea =)
How should I store the pearls after making it? If I am not cooking on the same day
You can store them covered in honey or another syrup in the fridge for a couple of days.
You’ll want to warm them before serving.
Another idea: fruit powders or powders of any kind of food to add a flavor. I like the cocoa idea and the charcoal – perhaps those two mixed for a nice dark color. Or matcha for green.
For those that want fruit flavors, I would suggest doing something like they do at the boba tea shops and use “jellies.” You could use gelatin or agar to make a more concentrated kind of “jello”/gelatin dessert and then cut them into little cubes. You could purchase flavored/sweetened/colored Jello mix and just use less water until you work out the consistency of the jellies you want. A lovely treat we made as kids was grape juice “jello” where the juice is heated and gelatin added at the correct concentration to allow the jello to hold it’s shape (we used to cut them out with cookie cutters and then loosen the whole sheet by putting the bottom of the pan into hot water for just a couple of seconds.
I did a lot of reading online today to learn about making boba and I looked at Amazon products. I ended up here, as I had come to the same conclusion: by the time you do this long boiling process I may as well use my time making fresh boba! So I am definitely going to be using your tips and recipes. And, i do like the comments on this page and learned a lot. The idea for using the hard/dried store bought pearls, boiling for a few moments and then soaking them in the fridge makes a lot of sense. Thanks to “George Lin – the cooking geer”
Thanks, Rachel!
Yes, I think that fruit powders would work great. I also use them to flavor my homemade kombucha these days!