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This sweet and creamy Strawberry Bubble Milk Tea is packed with chewy homemade strawberry boba pearls and is perfect for hot summer days. It’s made with fresh, ripe, in-season strawberries! The recipe has options for soy milk or oat milk, making it dairy-free and vegan-friendly.
Why You’ll Love This Strawberry Milk Tea
This Strawberry Bubble Milk Tea is a fruity drink perfect for summer! Here are a few reasons why we’ve been loving this recipe and you will too:
- Fruity Flavor – Made with real strawberries, this homemade strawberry milk tea recipe brings out all the best flavors of summer.
- Dairy-Free & Vegan – You can use almond milk, soy milk, oat milk, or any other choice of milk to keep it dairy-free and vegan.
- Homemade Boba – Making your own strawberry-flavored chewy tapioca pearls is fun and adds an additional layer of strawberry flavor! The chewy boba pearls will give you that bubble tea shop experience at home.
- Customizable – Switch up the type of tea (green, black, oolong), your choice of milk, or the kind of boba pearls to your liking!
What is Strawberry Milk Tea?
Strawberry Milk Tea, also known as strawberry boba tea, is a sweet and creamy beverage made from fresh strawberries, milk of choice, sugar, and boba pearls. It’s a fruity variation of the traditional Taiwanese milk tea.
Ingredients
To make this strawberry bubble tea recipe, you’ll need these main ingredients:
- Fresh Strawberries – This recipe uses real strawberries for the sweet and refreshing strawberry milk and for the homemade tapioca pearls.
- Choice of Milk – Whether it’s soy, oat, or almond milk, choose what you prefer or have on hand. This will be mixed with the strawberry puree for a creamy texture.
- Sugar – Used to sweeten both the strawberry milk and the boba balls, cane or brown sugar will work perfectly.
- Tapioca Starch – This is the magic ingredient that will be used to create those chewy homemade boba balls.
- Optional Tea Bags – Black, green or oolong, adding tea is completely up to you. The addition of tea will give the drink a classic tea taste. I recommend a green tea or a fruit tea for this particular recipe.
Substitutions
Here are some options if you need to make any adjustments to the recipe:
- Fruit – If strawberries aren’t in season or you prefer another fruit, you can substitute them with a similar amount of raspberries, blueberries, or even peaches. You could also use frozen strawberries- just let them thaw before using them.
- Milk – Feel free to substitute with any plant-based milk you have on hand or enjoy, like almond or coconut milk.
- Boba Pearls – If you don’t have time to make homemade boba pearls, you can use store-bought black tapioca pearls. Just follow the package instructions or this recipe to prepare them.
Helpful Equipment
Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe:
- Small Saucepan or Pot– to make the boba pearls
- Fine Sieve or Blender– for smoother strawberry milk
- Serving Glass
- Bubble Tea Straw
Step By Step Instructions
Exact quantities are in the recipe card below!
To Make the Strawberry Puree for the Milk
STEP 1: Combine your diced strawberries, sugar, and a touch of water in a small pot. Let this simmer until the strawberries are soft.
STEP 2: Mash the strawberries with a fork or blend them. Set aside to chill until ready to make the strawberry milk.
How to Make Strawberry Boba Pearls
STEP 3: Blend more fresh strawberries and strain the puree.
STEP 4: In a pot on medium heat, combine this puree with sugar and part of your tapioca starch. Once it starts to clump together, add in the rest of your starch.
STEP 5: Knead the mixture into a dough. Divide, roll, and cut these into small pieces. Then roll them to form small boba balls!
STEP 6: Boil these pieces to create your chewy, homemade strawberry boba pearls!
Need step by step photos or a video to make boba pearls?
Learn how to make boba pearls from scratch here!
Assembling the Milk Tea
STEP 7: Blend your strawberry puree with the milk of choice and strain for a smooth texture. This step is optional. You can also layer the strawberry puree from steps 1 and 2 above on top of the boba like in the image below.
STEP 8: Assemble your drink by adding your homemade boba pearls at the bottom of the glass, followed by ice and your milk tea mixture.
Serving
For additional sweetness and depth of flavor, add your favorite syrup such as simple syrup, brown sugar syrup, strawberry syrup, maple syrup, or agave nectar.
If you are a fan of matcha, this milk tea would be amazing with matcha green tea too! You can make a cup of matcha at room temperature. Pour the matcha over ice cubes to help chill it, then top it with the strawberry milk tea.
Stir everything to combine, and there you go- homemade strawberry boba tea!
This Strawberry Bubble Tea has a sweet, creamy milk and the BEST chewy tapioca pearls. I’ve been loving making this drink on humid and hot summer days and I hope you love it too!
Storage
Storing your Strawberry Bubble Milk Tea correctly is important to keep the flavors fresh and delicious.
- Strawberry Milk: The strawberry milk can be stored in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
- Boba Pearls: The homemade boba pearls are best enjoyed immediately after making them. This is because tapioca pearls tend to firm up when chilled. If you need to store them, they can be kept at room temperature for a few hours, but again, they are best enjoyed fresh!
Helpful Tips
- For the chewy boba pearls, be sure to cook them in boiling water and then allow them to sit in the hot water off the heat. Rinse them in cold water immediately after cooking and place them in syrup to prevent them from sticking together.
- For slightly softer homemade tapioca pearls, simmer them for 5 additional minutes.
- Adjust the sweetness of your milk tea according to your preference. More or less sugar can be used in strawberry milk.
- Use ripe, fresh strawberries for the best strawberry flavor.
FAQ
Yes, you can use store-bought black tapioca pearls if you’re short on time. Just be sure to cook them according to the package instructions.
I recommend using soy or oat milk for a vegan version, but you can use any type of milk you prefer or have on hand.
Yes, you can use other types of sweeteners like vegan honey, agave nectar, or a simple syrup.
Strawberry Bubble Milk Tea with Boba
Rate this RecipeIngredients
Strawberry Milk:
- 2 cups diced fresh strawberries
- 2 tbsp cane sugar or brown sugar
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 ½ – 2 cups soy milk or milk of choice
- Ice cubes
Homemade Strawberry Boba:
- ⅓ cup strawberry puree (about 5-6 whole strawberries), 70 mL
- 2 tbsp cane sugar
- ¾ cup + 2 tbsp tapioca starch, 110g – divided
- ¼ cup liquid sweetener, maple syrup, agave nectar, brown sugar syrup
- Or Store Bought Brown Sugar Boba Pearls, as per this recipe
Optional Green Tea:
- 2 green tea bags, such as Jasmine Tea
- 8 oz hot water
Instructions
Prep
- Combine the 2 cups diced strawberries, sugar, and water in a saucepan and simmer for 5-6 minutes.
- Mash the strawberries with a fork or blend in a blender. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Steep the tea bags in 8 oz hot water for 3-5 minutes. Allow the tea to cool completely in the fridge for the best results.
Prepare the Homemade Strawberry Boba
- NOTE: you can also use store-bought boba and follow this recipe.
- Blend 5-6 large strawberries and strain the puree through a fine sieve.
- In a small pot, combine this strawberry puree and sugar and heat on medium-low. Once simmering, stir in half the tapioca starch. Mix together to form a paste.
- Remove from heat when the mixture clumps together. Then, add the remaining tapioca starch and mix. When no more starch can be incorporated, transfer to a work surface.
- Knead the dough on a clean surface until smooth (cover when not in use).
- Divide dough into 4 sections. Roll each into a log and cut into small pieces (about 0.5-1g each). Roll each piece into a small ball and dust with extra starch. Remove excess starch using a sieve.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and simmer the pearls for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, and allow to sit in hot water for 5 additional minutes.
- Rinse pearls under cold water and immerse in your chosen liquid sweetener to prevent sticking.
Prepare the Strawberry Milk Tea:
- (Optional) For a smooth texture, combine the strawberry puree (from the first step) and milk in a blender. Add ½ cup of the cooled tea, if using, and blend until smooth.
- If preferred, strain the mixture for a smoother texture, discarding the pulp.
- Spoon 3-4 tbsp of prepared boba into a glass, add the strawberry puree (if you choose not to blend it with the milk), then a handful of ice, and pour the strawberry milk tea on top. Serve with a large bubble tea straw.
Recipe notes
- If you prefer store-bought brown sugar boba, follow the linked recipe above.
- The strawberry puree can either be blended with the milk for a smoother texture, or layered on the boba pearls before adding ice and milk (like the photos).
Did You Make This?
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Categories:
10 Ingredients or Less, Bubble Milk Tea, Drinks, No Bake Treats, Seasonal, Spring, Summer, Valentine's Day, Vegan Recipes,
My 11 year old and a friend made this with a friend. It turned out so tasty! We’ve tried some other boba recipes but this was definitely has been the best one we’ve tried. Thank you for sharing the recipe!