This milky & golden Oolong milk tea is the best DIY iced refreshment! You'll need just 4 ingredients & less than 10 minutes! Packed with rich flavor & even some health benefits.
You might know this blog is brimming with boba recipes. From irresistible Okinawa milk tea all the way through fruity favorites like mango, strawberry & honeydew to feel-good classics like Oreo & chocolate boba.
Today I'm bringing you the irresistible OOLONG milk tea - you simply can't go wrong with this classic!
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💌 Why I Love This Recipe
Ever tried Oolong milk tea in places like Chatime, Kung Fu Tea, and Sharetea? Then you know they can be pricy! This one is MUCH cheaper & tastes even better!
- Super easy
- Just 4 ingredients
- Creamy but refreshing
- Easy to customize
- Perfect for beginners
- Use any type of milk or sugar
🥛 Ingredients
To make this simple Oolong milk tea you'll need just 4 ingredients plus ice cubes.
Ingredient Details
Oolong tea - Grab it from your local Asian supermarket, tea store, or online (Republic of Tea is a great brand). Use loose-leaf if you can, but teabags are fine too.
Milk - For this recipe, I used unsweetened oat milk. It's so rich & creamy! You can use any other type of milk too.
Sugar - I like using soft brown sugar thanks to its rich, caramelly flavor. Feel free to replace it with white, dark brown, coconut, or even real Okinawa sugar.
Tapioca (boba) balls - The easiest way to find them is either online or in your local Asian supermarket. Make sure to choose quick-cooking boba pearls. They take just 5 minutes (or less) to make.
Important Tip! I prefer to keep my boba tea free from too many added sugars. If you prefer it sweeter, simply add more sugar or a drizzle of your favorite sweetener/syrup.
🥄 Equipment
- 2 tall glasses
- Saucepan
- Large straw (optional)
⏲️ Steps
Wondering how to make your own iced Oolong milk tea? Follow these EASY steps.
HINT - I recommend you read the entire post thoroughly. This will give you the best information on how to recreate Oolong boba at home. However, if you're in a rush just scroll to the bottom and find the full recipe there.
1 - Make a cup of tea. Steep for 2-3 minutes & let cool.
2 - Add boba pearls to a pan full of boiling hot water. Simmer until they reach your desired consistency.
3 - Remove them from heat & drain. Sprinkle them with sugar & 3 tablespoon of hot water.
4 - Divide tapioca balls between 2 tall glasses & fill the glasses with ice.
5 & 6 - Add tea and cold milk.
Don't forget to make small adjustments at the end. For example, you could add more tea, milk, or ice cubes according to taste.
If you have a bit of a sweet tooth you could also add sugar or a drizzle of syrup (maple, agave, etc).
☕ Oolong Tea
Oolong tea is made from the same plant as green and black tea. However, it actually belongs to its own category. It's neither black nor green.
While black tea is fully oxidized, achieving the rich aroma & dark color, green tea is barely oxidized at all. Oolong teas fall somewhere in between.
In terms of its flavor, many people describe Oolong as somewhere in between black and green tea.
It's not as strong as green tea and should have a mild, floral taste.
Oolong also provides some potential health benefits. It might help prevent memory loss, strengthen bones, decrease stress & promote a healthy gut (Source).
Don't forget that Oolong tea contains caffeine.
If you're looking for a decaf version, replace it with decaffeinated green or black tea. They're easy to find in large supermarkets.
💡 Pro Tips
- When making boba pearls, follow the instructions provided on your packaging. Every brand varies!
- If you want to achieve softer pearls, let them cook for longer.
- If you prefer chewier pearls, cook them for less long.
- Always taste boba before serving & make adjustments if necessary.
GREEN Tip! If you're making boba more often I highly recommend investing in some reusable boba straws. They come in glass, metal, or silicone versions and are great for other (non-boba) drinks too.
❓FAQ
It's refreshing, slightly sweet, and with a hint of floral, herbal notes. If you're using creamy milk (like oat milk), it will also have a rich, smooth, creamy texture.
Aim for about 2 to 3 minutes.
Yes, no problem. Some enjoy drinking boba without the milk. You can simply leave it out and replace it with more tea.
There are roughly 224 calories per portion (estimate only).
🍫 Variations
It's practically impossible to list all the different variations of this tea.
However, here are some of my absolute favorites!
- Flavored milk: instead of using regular milk, serve it with strawberry, chocolate, or vanilla milk (works with dairy-free milk).
- Top it off: you might want to turn it into a dessert drink by adding whipped cream, a drizzle of sauce, and chocolate shavings.
- Spice it up: When the days are getting shorter & colder, this drink can be served hot with some seasonal spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, or mixed spice.
- Sweetener: Add some syrup or more sugar if you prefer a sweeter finish.
- Salt: If you're using sweetened milk and sweet toppings, add a pinch of salt to the drink. This will bring out more taste & help balance the flavors
🍵 Serving
This Oolong milk tea boba is SO easy to serve.
- Just grab two large glasses.
- Add tapioca pearls first.
- Then fill the entire glass full with ice cubes.
- Pour cooled down tea & milk on top.
It's super important that you use plenty of ice cubes.
When making boba from scratch it can be tempting to rush & serve the drink while the tea hasn't cooled down entirely.
This is where plenty of ice cubes will help bring it down to a super refreshing & cooling temperature.
📦 Storage
Is it possible to store boba tea for later? Yes!
Would I recommend it? Not really! I think fresh is by far the best.
However, if you do need to store it here's how to do it correctly.
To store - Place the milk tea (without ice cubes) in an airtight jar in the fridge. Drink within 2 days. Store boba pearls separately.
To store boba pearls for later, cover them in a simple syrup. Place them in an airtight container and eat within 2 days.
You can use shop-bought syrup or make it yourself by simply mixing 1 cup of water with 1 cup of sugar.
Bring this mixture to a boil and let it simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes.
🍹 More Boba Recipes
Nothing comes close to a glass of freshly made boba on a hot summer day (well, all year round really).
Here are some brilliant recipes similar to this one:
Got a question about this Oolong bubble tea? Get in touch via the comments section below.
Tried this Oolong boba? I would LOVE it if you could leave a review or rating below. This is SO helpful as every single review can help more people find this recipe.
Thank YOU!
Recipe
The BEST Oolong Bubble Milk Tea - Boba
Equipment
- Two glasses
- Saucepan
- Scoop or spoon
- Large straws optional
Ingredients
- 1 cup Oolong tea
- ½ cup quick-cooking tapioca pearls
- 2 tablespoon sugar brown, white, etc
- 1 cup milk I used oat milk
Optional
- plenty of ice cubes if serving cold
Instructions
- Make a cup of tea. Steep for 2-3 minutes. Then let cool down completely.
- Add boba pearls to a pan full of boiling hot water.
- Simmer for about 5-6 minutes. Tip - read the instructions on your tapioca pearls packaging. Cooking times vary per brand.
- When boba pearls have reached your desired consistency, remove them from heat & drain, but reserve 3 tablespoon of hot water.
- Sprinkle them with sugar & the reserved water. Stir well.
- To serve, divide tapioca balls between 2 tall glasses.
- Fill the glasses with ice cubes. Add tea and cold milk.
- Stir well and add more sweetener if desired.
Notes
- If you want to achieve softer pearls, let them cook for longer.
- If you prefer chewier pearls, cook them for less long.
- Taste boba before serving & make adjustments if necessary.
Logan
Just tried this recipe along with the rose bubble milk tea on this blog. They were both amazing! Can't wait to try out some more.
Tajda Ferko
Thank you Logan, so happy you enjoyed them both!