This strawberry milk tea boba recipe uses FRESH strawberries for a fruity, refreshing & creamy flavor! Make it with green, jasmine, Assam, or oolong tea. Only 5 ingredients are needed for this cheap, easy & pretty pink bubble tea.
This fruity alternative to my chocolate or jasmine milk tea is the perfect summer refresher. Plus, it's WAY cheaper than getting it from your local cafe (like Gong Cha, Ding Tea, Chatime, Tastea, Starbucks, etc).
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Bubble tea originates from Taiwan and has many different names - boba, milk tea, pearl tea, tapioca ball drink, etc. It was invented in the 1980s (Source)
💌 Why I Love This Recipe
- Uses REAL, fresh strawberries
- Super forgiving & simple
- You need only 5 ingredients
- No special tools required
- Every step explained with photos
- Add extra flavors like matcha, chocolate, or Oreo
Don't have fresh strawberries? I've included instructions on how to make the drink with strawberry powder or strawberry milk too!
🥛 Ingredients
You'll need these simple ingredients to make this richer-than-regular strawberry boba!
Ingredient Details
Milk - I used oat milk to keep this dairy-free. Coconut milk works very well too. Feel free to use any milk you want.
Strawberries - I like to use fresh or frozen strawberries as opposed to powder. This gives a real fruity taste instead of an artificial flavor that you get from instant strawberry milk tea.
Tea - I used green tea. You can use green, jasmine, oolong, black, Assam, or even fruit tea. Use loose-leaf or tea bags. Alternatively, you can also leave tea out altogether. This will give a more milky flavor.
Tapioca (boba) balls - I like getting them from my local Asian supermarket. You can also get them on Amazon, but they'll be a lot more pricey. To make things easier, choose quick-cooking boba if you can.
Sugar - Any sugar will work - granulated, white, coconut, brown, etc. I like to use light sugar to make sure the color stays nice and pastel!
🥄 Tools
- 2 glasses
- Pan
- Sieve/strainer
- Knife and chopping board
- Fork
- Large straw - optional
⏲️ Steps
Wondering how to make strawberry milk tea? You won't believe how easy it is.
TIP - This is just a quick visual overview. For detailed instructions & exact ingredients, check out the recipe card at the bottom of this page!
1. In a mug, make tea. Let steep & set aside to cool.
2. Add sliced strawberries, water & sugar to a saucepan.
3. Bring to boil & let simmer for 10 mins.
4. Pour through a sieve.
5. Set aside to let cool.
6. Make tapioca balls and soak them in half the strawberry syrup.
7. Divide balls between two glasses. Add tea, milk & the remaining syrup.
8. Enjoy!
💡 Expert Tips
- Always taste & adjust before serving! Everyone has a different preference - you could add more tea, milk, sugar, etc.
- If desired, blend milk with a handful of ice cubes for an extra refreshing version.
- The drink can separate a bit - don't panic, this is completely normal. Simply give it a stir!
- Decaf - Replace green/black tea with a fruit tea. Peach, mango, or strawberry tea work particularly well.
- Don't let boba pearls stand around for too long - soak them in strawberry syrup straight away.
- When cooking boba, follow the instructions on your own pacakge. Instruction and cooking time can vary!
- You can enjoy it with or without boba pearls.
- Lukewarm boba tea is a no-go! Make sure you serve it ice cold (or very hot!).
Did you know? The word 'bubble' in bubble tea doesn't refer to tapioca pearls! Instead, it refers to the small air bubbles that often appear on the surface of your boba when you mix it.
🥛 Using Powder or Milk
You might not want to make your own strawberry syrup. In that case, you can use simple strawberry milk from the grocery shop.
Alternatively, you can also buy instant strawberry milk tea powder in some parts of the world.
Strawberry milk - Make tea. Skip the syrup section. Then make tapioca balls as described in the recipe. Soak them in 2 tablespoon of sugar. To serve, divide the balls between 2 glasses. Then add tea to each glass and pour strawberry milk on top until the glass is full. Mix & enjoy!
Powder - If you're lucky to live in parts of the world that sell strawberry milk tea powder, you can use that. Simply follow the instructions on the package. Remember, these powders are usually a lot sweeter than homemade boba tea.
❓FAQ
It's refreshing, sweet, and creamy.
The main three flavors are fruity and milky, with some tea flavor and aroma in the background.
If you're using black Assam tea, it will taste stronger, more full-bodied, and perhaps slightly bitter. For a lighter, gentler version, use green tea.
Keep in mind that the taste and creaminess also depend on the type of milk you're using.
There are approx. 293 calories in one very large portion.
Do keep in mind that this is just an estimate and depends on the type of milk you're using or how much sugar you add to it.
If you are using dairy milk alternatives (like soy, oat, coconut, almond, etc) then this recipe is fully vegan.
It's also gluten-free.
Yes, it normally contains caffeine, but not a lot of it.
The caffeine comes from green or black tea that's used in the recipe.
If you skip the tea or replace it with decaf tea, then this drink doesn't contain any caffeine.
Yes! Simply replace it with more syrup and tea.
🍫 Variations
This pink bubble tea offers so many options to experiment with flavors. Some of the most popular variations are listed below!
- Strawberry rose milk tea - Add 1 tablespoon of rosewater and top it off with rose petals.
- Strawberry cheesecake milk tea - Add whipped cream on top.
- Choco strawberry milk tea - Use chocolate milk instead of regular milk.
- Strawberry jasmine milk tea - Use jasmine tea.
- Strawberry matcha milk tea - Instead of green/black tea, use matcha.
- Strawberry Oreo milk tea - Blend milk with Oreo cookies. Top off with crushed Oreos.
There are also numerous ways you can play around with toppings. Add:
- Strawberry chunks
- Lavender
- A drizzle of chocolate sauce
🍵 Serving
To serve this strawberry green boba, you'll need a tall glass and a thick straw.
If you don't have a thick boba straw, you can use a regular straw and then scoop out the pearls with a long spoon.
I like to serve it with plenty of crushed ice because that's how they serve it in my local Gong Cha bubble tea shop.
If you don't have crushed ice, you can crush it yourself in a blender, or even blend the ice together with some milk for an extra cold, refreshing boba.
To serve HOT - Leave out the ice cubes. Serve with warm milk (gently warmed up in a pan or microwave - careful not to burn).
📦 Storage
Boba is best served straight away!
I recommend enjoying it as fresh as possible, but here's how you can store it.
To store - Place strawberry milk tea (with no pearls and no ice) in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 48 hours. Add fresh pearls and ice when you're ready to serve it.
Made a larger bath of tapioca pearls and want to store them for later? Here's an EXPERT TRICK you'll want to remember!
To keep them soft and moist, mix the pearls with syrup. Make sure they're completely covered.
You can either use the strawberry syrup you made earlier or another simple syrup (make it by boiling equal amounts of water and sugar).
Then store the mixture in the fridge for up to 2 days.
🍹 More Boba Recipes
If you're anything like me, you probably can't get enough of milk tea!
Confused about making this? If you have any questions or something wasn't clear enough, simply leave a comment below. I aim to respond to all comments within 24 hours.
Tried out this fruity bubble tea? It would mean a lot if you left a rating or comment below!
Your feedback helps more visitors find this little blog of mine!
🍴Recipe
Strawberry Milk Tea - Boba
Equipment
- 2 glasses
- Pan
- Sieve/strainer
- Knife and chopping board
- Fork
- Large straw optional
Ingredients
Strawberry Syrup
- 3 cups (450 g) fresh or frozen strawberries hulled and sliced
- 2 tablespoon sugar granulated, caster, etc
Milk Tea
- 1 bag tea green, black, fruit
- ½ cup (75 g) quick-cooking tapioca pearls also known as boba pearls, tapioca balls
- 1 cup (240 ml) milk of choice I used unsweetened oat milk
Optional
- plenty of ice if serving cold
Instructions
Strawberry Syrup
- Add strawberries, 1 cup of water & sugar to a saucepan.
- Bring to boil, lower the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Once strawberries are soft, mash them with a fork.
- Remove from heat. Pour the syrup through a sieve into a bowl.
- Use a fork to squish out any remaining liquid from the strawberries.
Milk Tea
- In a mug, combine 1 cup of boiling water with tea. Steep for 5 minutes, then set aside to cool.
- Add tapioca pearls to a pan full of boiling hot water.
- Let simmer for about 5-6 minutes. If you want the pearls to be softer, cook them for longer. If you want them chewier, cook them for less long.
- Remove from heat and strain through a sieve. If you don't have a sieve, simply scoop out the balls with a spoon.
- Immediately soak them in half of the strawberry syrup. Stir & set aside.
- To serve, ensure the syrup & tea have cooled down.
- If desired, blend milk with a handful of ice cubes for an extra refreshing version.
- Divide tapioca balls between 2 glasses. Cover with plenty of crushed ice (if desired). Then add tea, milk, and the remaining strawberry syrup.
- Stir well and add more sweetener (like sugar, syrup, etc) if desired.
Notes
- The drink can separate a bit - don't panic, this is completely normal. Simply give it a stir!
- Decaf - Replace green/black tea with fruit tea. Peach, mango, or strawberry tea work particularly well.
- Don't let boba pearls stand around for too long - soak them in strawberry syrup straight away.
- When cooking boba, follow the instructions on your own package. Instruction and cooking time can vary!
- Lukewarm boba tea is a no-go! Make sure you serve it ice-cold (or very hot!)
Nutrition
Disclaimer: The nutritional information above is calculated automatically. The author of this post cannot guarantee 100% accuracy of this data.
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