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Thai Iced Bubble Tea

1 hr + 32 min

Drink
Thai tea can be served hot or cold. It's a strong brew or tea, usually spiced with the likes of anise, cardamom, vanilla and cloves. It's sweetened with condensed milk or sugar and diluted with more milk for a super creamy and delicious finished product. Tapioca boba pearls add just enough extra sweetness and chew to this fun drink.

Servings

Total

1 hr + 32 min

Prep

7 min

Cook

25 min

Rest

1 hr

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Ingredients

Thai tea concentrate

  • 1 cup (240 mL)
    water
  • 1 Tbsp (6 g)
    loose rooibos tea leaves
  • 1 Tbsp (6 g)
    loose black tea leaves
  • 2
    star anises
  • 2
    whole cloves
  • 2
    cardamom pods, cracked
  • 2 tsp (10 mL)
    pure vanilla extract

Pearls in brown sugar syrup

Finishing touches

  • 1 Tbsp (15 mL)
    sweetened condensed coconut milk, plus more to taste (optional)
  • 1½ cups (166 g)
    ice cubes
  • 2 cups (480 mL)
    unsweetened oat milk

Directions

  1. In a saucepan, bring the water, tea leaves, anise, cloves, and cardamom to a boil.
  2. Once boiling, remove from heat, cover, and let sit for an hour to steep.
  3. Meanwhile, make a simple syrup by whisking together the water and brown sugar in a bowl until the sugar is dissolved.
  4. In a large pot, cook the pearls according to package directions. For us, this took 5 minutes.
  5. Strain the pearls, rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process, and transfer them to the syrup container.
  6. Once the tea has steeped, place a sieve over a mason jar and strain the tea into the jar. Then add the vanilla extract and stir to combine.
  7. To assemble, add some sweetened condensed milk to each cup. Then add the pearls, ice, milk, and tea concentrate. Stir, and enjoy!

Notes

  • †We used quick-cooking boba, which cooks in 10 minutes.

Storage

  • The prepared drink is best to enjoy immediately.
  • The tea concentrate can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week.
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Let us know what you think

Nutrition info

We believe that focusing on numbers can harm our relationship with food. Instead, our philosophy is to Nourish the Cells & the Soul. If you require specific nutrition information due to a medical condition, please consult with a dietitian or physician. The nutritional information provided is composed with the utmost care. However, we cannot guarantee the correctness of the displayed values, see also our disclaimer.

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Discussion & Rating

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Aileen - March 25, 2024, 10:19 p.m.

So delicious!! I’m not a fan of tapioca boba, so I excluded that.

Reply
nie scha - Dec. 19, 2023, 9:51 a.m.

Definitely going to make this one, I just have a question regarding the tea: I have red Thai tea at home and was wondering if I should just replace the rooibos and black tea with the Thai tea but still add the spices or if I can skip the spices as they might be in the Thai tea as well? Thanks a lot in advance, so happy the app is available for Android users now as well 😁

PUL Team - Dec. 20, 2023, 8:11 a.m.

Hey, Nie scha! We haven't tried with red Thai tea but we imagine you could still add the spices. To be safe, you can always add half the amount of spices so that it's not overpowering. Thai tea may have its own flavours, but the added spices will enhance the overall taste of the bubble tea. Let us know if you test it out 😃

Reply
Holly Jones - Dec. 31, 2022, 10:14 p.m.

Thanks for inspiring me to make bubble tea at home. As someone who cannot have caffeine but loves the taste of coffee and tea, I feel slighted when there are no decaf options at cafes.
I made this according to your instructions, except I used decaf earl grey and a berry hibiscus tea.
I love it and will be making it again 😊👍

PUL Team - Jan. 1, 2023, 9:31 p.m.

So glad to hear you were able to enjoy it, Holly! Thanks so much for sharing the decaf idea for those who need it 🤗

Reply
Tony - Sept. 6, 2022, 10:21 a.m.

Just made this after seeing your story on it - wow! Better than the bubble tea shops! 🤤

PUL Team - Sept. 7, 2022, 4:39 p.m.

Such a big compliment, Tony, thank you!

Reply
Tischan - Aug. 8, 2022, 9:22 p.m.

I love this recipe but I made a couple substitutions to simplify it. I steep two chai tea bags with two rooibos tea bags for an hour instead of using all the spices. I also use vanilla almond milk to reduce calories. I add an extra tablespoon of brown sugar to the syrup and then I leave out the condensed milk and just divide the pearls with syrup between the two glasses. I don’t use the quick cook boba pearls, but the ones that cook for 50 min because they have less preservatives in them. You make a bigger batch and store the pearls in the syrup in the fridge. Then just microwave briefly until warm when you want to use and they will soften up again. I have tried it both ways and it definitely takes it up a level when you use the original recipe’s spices and condensed milk, but this simplified version works too!

PUL Team - Aug. 10, 2022, 8:16 a.m.

Hey there, Tischan, thanks a bunch for taking the time to share your take on it! It's so appreciated and we're sure it will help others too. Happy cooking 😃

Reply
Andrea - Aug. 7, 2022, 9:39 a.m.

Get outta here, this was so good!! So flavorful with all the spices. Will definitely be making again!

PUL Team - Aug. 7, 2022, 5:22 p.m.

Woohoo! We're so glad it was enjoyed, Andrea :D

Reply
Clara - Aug. 1, 2022, 6:23 p.m.

Loved the video🧋!!! Made me wanna try every single one of them so I started with this one, OMG this was soooooo delicious 🤤😍
Thank you so much for your amazing recipes and I just saw on instagram so congratulations to you and Robin!!!

PUL Team - Aug. 2, 2022, 5:14 a.m.

Awe you're the best, Clara, thanks so very much for the support 💛

Reply
EJ - July 25, 2022, 11:53 p.m.

Your video of bubble tea variations is great and I want to try them all! This is the first recipe I've tried, but WOW, this is the best bubble tea I've ever had. Thank you, Sadia!

PUL Team - July 26, 2022, 7:45 a.m.

Such a massive compliment, EJ, thank you for the glowing feedback! Enjoy 😃

Reply
Mary - July 24, 2022, 11:51 p.m.

Learned the hard way that boba doesn't fit through regular straws 🤣🤣🤣 but the tea is really nice and delicious and flavorful!

PUL Team - July 25, 2022, 3:37 a.m.

Oh no! Glad the recipe was still enjoyed, Mary 😊

Reply
Charlotte - July 24, 2022, 6:16 p.m.

I think this is my favourite one of your bubble tea recipes so far! The flavours and the sweetness are so divine! 🧋❤️❤️ I am so excited to be able to make this again especially as my reusable boba straws arrived just in time today. 🙌🏻

PUL Team - July 24, 2022, 8:39 p.m.

Ooo so exciting to hear about the new straws! Thanks a bunch, Charlotte 💛

Reply
Anna - July 24, 2022, 8:57 a.m.

Amazing! I have never drunk bubble tea before, but after your new video, I started to be curious. Took my a while, to gather all the ingredients, but I finally did it. I made Ube tea, Matcha tea, which where all great, but this one is absolutely the winner!

I am steeping larger batch of tea, keeping it in the fridge and then it takes just a few moments to make new drink.

Thank you!

PUL Team - July 24, 2022, 8:32 p.m.

Oh, Anna, we're so thrilled the bubble tea was enjoyed! It means so much. Thank YOU 💛

Reply
Jen M - July 15, 2022, 9:45 p.m.

Really nice! It IS a lot of work for a casual afternoon beverage, though, so I highly recommend making extra to have it ready to go.

PUL Team - July 16, 2022, 6:57 a.m.

It's a bit of a labour of love, although a lovely idea to make extra! Thank you, Jen 😃

Reply
Jigya - July 15, 2022, 7:37 p.m.

Excited to try this recipe! What is the type of black tea that you used for this? Thanks

PUL Team - July 16, 2022, 6:55 a.m.

Hey there, Jigya, ours was a generic black tea from our local grocery store. Thai teas are often made with Ceylon tea, but any type will do 🙂

Reply
Salimermiko - July 12, 2022, 4:21 p.m.

Great! Love your website, saw the bubble tea video, went straight to Amazon and ordered just your brand of tapioca pearls and made it the very next day for me and my kids - totally loved it, already addicted! Will be our 2022 summer drink! Thank you so much for your creativity and the beautiful videos you present your ideas with!

PUL Team - July 13, 2022, 6:19 a.m.

Oh it means so much, Salimermiko, we're so thrilled it was enjoyed with the little ones 😃

Reply
Jermaine - July 11, 2022, 9:50 p.m.

Whhhhaatt! This was SOOO good. Wow. Can't wait to make it again and impress my friends with it!

PUL Team - July 13, 2022, 5:31 a.m.

So nice of you to consider making it for friends! Thank you, Jermaine 😊

Reply
Kelly - July 11, 2022, 1:47 a.m.

Delicious!!!

Reply