Learn how to make boba pearls with this simple tutorial with nature ingredients at home. Caution firstly, this is a time-consuming recipe due to the long time rounding process. Make this in your leisure time for example during watching TV. To make this chewy small balls, we only need three ingredients, brown sugar or dark brown sugar , tapioca starch and water. Sound quite easy and healthy.
You can use this homemade boba pearls to make a traditional Chinese style boba milk tea. My mom always complains milk tea brings her insomnia because of the tea included. And this is her new way of enjoying boba in milk — only using brown sugar syrup for flavoring. This is also a new star Chinese boba drinking on street.
Cook’s Note
- Tapioca starch is the most commonly used option for chewy boba pearls. In Chinese, it is called as “木薯淀粉”. You can get is from amazon. Currently I have never tried other type.
- Making part of the tapioca starch gelatinization is the best way of holding all the flour together and form a dough for further steps. I get several failure report for this one, mainly caused by the over gelatinization or lack of gelatinization.
- If the starch is added directly to the boiling water or cold water, then we get a thing named as non-Newtonian fluid and can’t from a dough. So we add part of the starch in for the gelatinization. However if the starch is over heated or cooked, the pearls can’t hold the round shape and chewy texture after cooked. Becomes quite soft and shapeless. So please follow the steps exactly. I highly suggest watching the video and reading the recipe before starting since we do’t get too much time for thinking during the process.
- The cooked pearls should be used within hours. If you want to use next time, freeze them after the shaping.
Steps
In a small pot, slightly warm the water and dissolve brown sugar (or dark brown sugar). Let the liquid boil completely over slowest fire. Adding a cover can help to avoid too much water lost. Add 1/2 of the tapioca starch in and mix well (count: 6-7 seconds). Remove from heat for electric stove or turn off fire, then add the remaining tapioca starch and continue mixing until gathered. Be quick during this process.
Place the remaining flour on an operation board. Transfer the smooth paste in and knead into a dough with the help of a scraper blade. At first, it might be slightly sticky. Slightly dust the board during the kneading process until it becomes smooth, not sticky any more but still soft. Divide the dough into four parts and then shape one portion into thin and long log. Cut into small cubes.
Round each small squares to small balls (be patient and do not require prefect roundness). You can simple skip this process and save your self lots of time if you get no requirement for the shape. Longer shaping will make the balls more stable after boiled.
In a large plate, spread some flour and coat each ball with enough flour to avoid sticking to each other. Then shift the extra starch off. You can now package in air-tight bags and freeze for later use.
How to make a brown sugar boba drink| in a small pot, melt 1 slice of brown sugar slab and 1cup brown sugar with 100ml water in a small pot. Simmer until melted. Set aside to cool down.
How to cook the boba pearls| bring a large pot of water (at least 6 times of the volume of the pearls) and cook the pears for 20 to 30 minutes. Then transfer the balls into a cold water (they shrink to original size immediately). Drain and mix with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar syrup or honey to avoid sticky together.
How to assemble| drizzle some brown sugar syrup in serving cup, rotate the cup so the syrup can form marbles on the cup wall. Place boba pearls in. Pour in milk. Shake or stirring before enjoy.
Homemade boba pearls
- 1 cup around 135g tapioca starch , + 2 tbsp. more for adjusting and coating
- 6 tbsp. water 90ml
- 60 g brown sugar
- 4 cups milk
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 brown sugar slab , around 70g (can be replaced by brown sugar too)
- 100 ml water 1/3 cup + 1.5 tbsp.
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In a small pot, slightly heat the water and dissolve brown sugar over slowest fire (to avoid too much water lost). Make sure the sugar is dissolved. Heat the liquid to a boiling and then use slowest fire. Now, add 1/2 of the tapioca starch in and mix quickly (Count 6 to 7seconds). Turn off the fire or remove from fire and add the remaining 1/2 of the tapioca starch. Mix until gathered. Quick during the process.
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Place the remaining flour on an operation board. Transfer the smooth paste in and knead into a dough with the help of a scraper blade. At first, it might be slightly sticky. Continue kneading until smooth. Be quick during the process. The dough becomes hard to control when cool down completely.
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Divide the dough into 4 portions. Remember to cover the other three with plastic bag. Then shape one portion into a long log (around 1.5 cm in diameter), cut the log into small cubes.
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Round each small squares to small balls (be patient and do not require prefect roundness).
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In a large plate, spread some flour and coat each ball with enough flour to avoid sticking to each other. After finish all of the pearls, shift the extra flour off. You can now package in air-tight bags and freeze for later use.
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In a small pot, melt 2 slices of brown sugar slab and 1cup brown sugar with 100ml water in a small pot. Heat until there are large bubbles. Or you can simply use brown sugar syrup.
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Bring a large pot of water (at least 6 times of the volume of the pearls) and cook the pears for 20 to 30 minutes. Then transfer the balls into a cold water (they shrink to original size immediately). Wash under running water. Drain and mix with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar syrup or honey (or sugar) to avoid sticky together.
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Drizzle some brown sugar syrup in serving cup, rotate the cup so the syrup can form marbles on the cup wall. Place boba pearls in. Pour in milk. Shake or stirring before enjoy.
Recipe firstly published in 2019 and updated with video in 2020.
Great video and directions. We made this and the boba turned out great but when it was in the pot, it was really liquid then got hard fast so I transferred to board but it wasn’t in dough form. More flat. I kneaded it and it got harder but when I cut to form into balls, some were dry and crumbly. Overall, it worked but seems some boba balls would just crumble in my hand. What could have gone wrong. So we were able to use about 90% of the dough but wondering how I could make it look smooth like yours next time! Thank you!
MJ,
If the pearls turns flat, meaning that the starch is a little bit overheated. Use a pot with lower heat storage next time and speed up the mixing process. It is ok if it becomes dry at the very end, you can get your family to help shaping the balls or wet your hand firstly before shaping into balls.
I’ve tried this 4 times now and keep getting non-newtonian fluid, I have no idea what I’m doing wrong, but it always seems like I have too much liquid once I add the remaining starch and not like your video.
It is not the problem of the water amount. The reason is your pot. Change a pot with lower heat storage and speed up the mixing time. If the starch is over-heated, then you get the fluid, no shape at all.
Hello!
Thank you for your recipe. I realised after my two attempts that I had the stove/pot too hot. The dough was a bit crumbly, but manageable enough to roll them into balls. However, when boiling them they become smaller and smaller, until they are completely dissolved. Some of the smaaal ones left over after 30 minutes are still the same color as the dough was, and not see-through. The water is a bit murky/brown but not any thicker or anything. Is this for the same reasons?
Thank you!
Yes, the starch is still overheated!!
Hi there! I made this 3 times. First 2 times turned out really well. However when i made it the 3rd time, my boba gets into shape but the core of the boba is still hard even after boiling 45min. Would you know why? Could it be because i used a small pot and not enough water to boil the boba?
Thanks
i tried making this and from reading the commenfs i realized i was probably using a wrong pot. what kinds of pots have low heat storage?
Sara,
I suggest a stainless steel or enamel pot with thin bottom. By the way, if you use electric stove, remember to remove from the fire.