Fruit bubble tea is a popular drink that’s been around for decades. It combines tapioca pearls with milk, fruit juice, and sugar.
You can make it at home, buy it in stores, or both!
You can use fresh fruit to give the drink more flavor than canned or bottled varieties.
We’ll show you how to make fruit bubble tea and give you exciting tips that will make your fruit bubble tea more delicious.
Let’s begin.
How To Make Fruit Bubble Tea
Fruit bubble tea is a sweet drink that originated in Asia. It’s made with black tapioca pearls and served cold with ice or milk.
That makes it more refreshing than other drinks like iced coffee or tea.
But there are many variations on the basic recipe — some add fruit juice (like lychee) or condensed milk (like durian). Some people don’t even add any sugar at all.
You can add candied ginger or rose syrup if you’re feeling adventurous when making your version of fruit bubble tea at home.
Ingredients For Making Fruit Bubble Tea
- Black tapioca pearls: These are the bubbles you’ll find in your fruit bubble tea.
- Fresh fruit: You can use any combination of fruits you like, but we recommend strawberries and raspberries for their sweetness and colorful appearance.
- Water: This will be the liquid used to make your drink. Make sure it’s cold so it doesn’t float up too much when adding ice cubes later.
- Sugar: The amount needed varies depending on how sweet or sour you want your drink. More sugar means sweeter; less sugar means more tartness or sourness per serving size. For this recipe, use 1 tablespoon per cup of liquid (1/2 cup) plus another half teaspoon if desired.
- Ice cubes: You don’t need special equipment. After removing them from their freezer packs, just put them straight into the drink!
Places To Buy Tapioca Pearls
Usually, you can find tapioca pearls at any local Asian market. But if you can’t find the pearls there, try online.
A few websites sell the pearls online, and they range in price depending on how many pearls you’re buying.
Some websites may have more variety than others, so make sure to check out all of them before purchasing.
You can start with Amazon since it has excellent customer service. It also has a good return policy if anything goes wrong with your purchase (which is rare).
Related: Tapioca Starch Vs. Flour: Is There A Difference?
How To Make The Fruit Bubble Tea
1. Start By Cooking The Tapioca Pearls
Start by cooking the pearls in boiling water until they’re chewy and translucent. Then, you can test to see if they’re ready by poking one with your finger.
If it collapses almost immediately, it’s probably too soft for bubble tea. Once you have about 15 minutes left on your timer, remove them from the heat.
Then, let them cool completely before making the syrup base.
Next, add sugar and honey to a small saucepan over medium heat (3 tablespoons each).
Stir frequently while heating until melted together into a syrup consistency.
This should take no more than three minutes at most.
Pour this mixture into a large bowl or container to store your ingredients once assembled.
Set aside until needed later in preparation time and when serving everyone else at home.
2. Use The Half Cup Of The Pearl Cooking Water To Make The Syrup
When you’re done cooking the pearls, save half the water you cooked them in to make your syrup.
This is a great way to use leftovers and ensure that your tea is sweetened just as you like it.
You can choose any kind of sugar for this recipe. You want something with a little bite but not so much that it overwhelms the flavor of your fruit bubble tea.
Honey or agave nectar will also work well.
Try cinnamon sticks or ginger slices if you’re feeling extra fancy and want something even more flavorful than plain old sugar.
Measure about two tablespoons of sugar into a small bowl (or measuring cup if using dry ingredients).
Mix everything thoroughly before adding other ingredients into your food processor bowl or blender jug.
That way, everything gets mixed evenly.
Related: Hand Mixer Vs. Immersion Blender: Which One Is Better?
3. Cut Your Fruits And Squeeze Out Enough Juice For About Two Cups
While the pearls cook, chop up your fruit (any kind will do!) and squeeze out enough juice for about 2 cups.
You can use a blender or food processor to puree it.
But if you don’t have one handy and don’t want to buy one right now, feel free to cut up your favorite fruit by hand.
You may need to adjust the amount of sugar and water you add to the syrup depending on how sweet or sour your berries are.
If they’re too tart, for example, add more sugar.
If they’re too sweet, reduce the ingredient in proportion to what’s left over after adding them to the syrup mixture.
Pour your liquid into a pitcher, add ice, and blend. Serve!
Conclusion
If you’ve never had fruit bubble tea, this is probably the best way to try it! It’s fun, delicious, and easy to make.
This drink is delicious if you like sweet drinks with a fruity flavor! It’s also great for people on the go because you can make it in a few minutes.