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.
Hi, i really liked this recipe but i have one problem when i cook the tapaioca pearls its started to lose its ball shape and started to dissolve with the water so i can you please tell me what did i do wrong
Kim,
Be quick while mixing during the next trying and weight your ingredients. Don’t let the starch over heated.
Hi
I really like this recipe but i have one problem whenever i cook the tapaioca pearls it started loses the ball like shape and started to dissolve with boiling water making the water so heavy and jelly like so the boba couldnt hold its shape and mixed with the water
So i hope you answer ASAP and Thank you
Daesong,
You need to hurry up for mixing the dough. If the pearls loose the shape, it might have two possible reasons: 1 too much water added or 2 the starch is over heated. You can tag me a photo on FB or Ins. I will see whether I can figure out the reasons.
I find your recipe so far is my most successful one I have made. My family really like the pearl.
I also find this is the most pleasuring comment! I love your kindness.
Great recipe. My boba had some tapioca that was not dissolved. The texture was good but when I cooked the boba the boiling water became very sticky and seems like some of the boba melted into the water. Also the boba went back to the shape before I rolled them into a ball. Should I wait for the brown sugar to cool down a little before adding the tapioca starch? I added it to boiling brown sugar mix. Also would it help if I mixed the tapioca starch in some water first?
Mike,
If that happens, slightly shorten the heating time. You can count for 3-4 seconds. Possibly the pot you use is very good at keeping the heat (so the tapioca is slightly overheated). After mix in the flour, hurry up and transfer to the operating board as soon as possible.
Hi there! I followed your recipe and really love the result! Thank you so much! May i asked, you mentioned the uncook pearls can be kept in freezer, do you know how long can those be stored in the freezer for? 😉
I recommend using them up within 2 weeks. Homemade boba pearls don’t get any help on storage from additives.
Hi,
Thank you so much for the recipe! I followed the instruction an it turned out pretty good! However, I still have one problem. When I added the tapioca into the pot and mix it, it was too sticky. And when I poured the mixture on the operation board, the dough was a bit wet and so sticky that it sticked on my hand and on the board. (And it was a mess!) It was quite difficult to knead it properly so I have to add a considerable amount of tapioca starch to make it less sticky. I’m not sure if this is normal or I did something wrong. Please advise 🙂
Parn,
Your pot have a strong hot storage function so the tapioca starch is slightly overheated a little bit. No worries, change a pot or shorten the heating time next time.