Almond Milk Tea

This sweet and creamy Almond Milk Tea is both refreshing and comforting! The almond flavor is lightly floral and nutty, making the bubble tea even more addicting. It's a delicious and easy recipe that can be served hot or cold!

Jump to:

• 🧋 Almond + Milk Tea = Bes-Teas
• 🧂 Ingredients
• 🔪 How To Make Almond Milk Tea
• 💭 Top Tips
• 🥡 Storing and Make Ahead
• 📖 Recipe FAQs
• 🍽 Looking For More Drinks?
• 📋 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

🧋 Almond + Milk Tea = Bes-Teas

This Almond Milk Tea recipe is inspired by one of Cha For Tea's most popular drinks. I lived across this Southern California-based boba shop when I was in college and my friends and I would go almost every single day! Their Almond Black Milk Tea with pearls always hit the spot, hot or cold. And hot bubble tea might sound unusual but it's perfectly cozy and warming at night.

Great news is this Almond Bubble Tea is very easy to make at home! It follows the same steps as my Classic Milk Tea, Lychee Bubble Tea, and Passion Fruit Boba. Pre-made boba gets cooked until qq (Taiwanese for "chewy"), then is bathed in a brown sugar and honey syrup. Black tea plus half and half forms the base of our drink, and a tiny splash of almond extract gives it an irresistible sweet and nutty flavor. Simple, delicious, and easy!

Why You'll Love It

• Homemade is better: Many boba shops use shelf-stable powdered milk and artificial sweeteners to make their drinks. Making almond bubble tea at home is both healthier and budget-friendly!
• Customizable: Choose the type and amount of tea, sweetener, and creamer you want. This recipe is hard to mess up and you get to make it exactly how you want.
• Only 7 ingredients: You only need a handful of ingredients for this easy recipe. I always have these staples ready so I can make boba whenever I want!

🧂 Ingredients

• Boba (tapioca pearls): Find pre-made boba in vacuum-sealed bags in the tea aisle of your Asian grocery store. I get the Bolle brand from H-Mart, which can also be found on Amazon. But shipped tapioca balls can become powdery during delivery so I recommend purchasing them in-person if you can.
  • TIP: Avoid "quick cook", "instant", or "5 minute" pearls. They have a hardening quality in the starch that prevents them from getting perfectly chewy. You can check the instructions on the back of the bag to double check - there should be a 20-30 minute cooking time.
• Tea: You can use any type you'd like for almond milk tea, but black assam is my favorite. It's rich, malty, and bitter so it provides a lot of depth and pairs well with the sweet almond flavor.
• White sugar, brown sugar, and honey: For the homemade syrup to flavor the pearls. You can use just 1 or 2 of these, but I like the depth and flavor of using all 3.
• Half and half: My choice of creamer in all my milk teas. It's super velvety and smooth without being too heavy. You can absolutely use almond milk for this recipe - but I find it too thin for my taste.
• Almond extract: Very fragrant so a little goes a long way! Start with less and add more as needed.

Substitutions & Variations

• I totally understand if you don't want to wait 1½ hours for your boba. Substitute with the 5-minute pearls or these instant frozen boba from Costco. But they do harden within minutes so consume your drink within the hour.
• You can use any type of tea you'd like. Earl grey, English breakfast, oolong, chai, or matcha green tea are popular options.
• Any type of creamer would work in almond milk tea. Almond milk is the obvious choice to reinforce the flavor. I recommend one that's unsweetened with minimal ingredients like MALK or Three Trees. But whole milk, oat, or soy milk would also work.
• Feel free to leave out the tapioca pearls if preferred. To make plain almond milk tea, stir in sugar to freshly brewed tea and adjust to your liking. Let cool before adding the milk and almond extract.

🔪 How To Make Almond Milk Tea

⬇️ Please scroll down to the recipe card to see full ingredient amounts and instructions.

STEP ONE: Start by cooking the boba. Bring a pot of water to a boil, covered. Then add the pearls and stir for a minute to prevent them from sticking to the bottom. Turn the heat down so it's at a rolling simmer and cook for 30 minutes, covered, stirring every 5 minutes.

STEP TWO: After the initial 30 minutes, take pot off the heat and let sit undisturbed, covered, for another 30 minutes.

STEP THREE: It should be an hour after the initial cook. Strain the boba and rinse with cold water.

STEP FOUR: While the boba's cooking, prepare your tea. Each tea has a specific brew temperature so follow package instructions. I use 4 black tea bags and steeped them for 4 minutes - I recommend a slightly stronger tea since the flavor will be diluted with creamer and sugar.

STEP FIVE: Make the honey and brown sugar syrup (I also do this as the boba's cooking/soaking). Add water, white sugar, brown sugar, and honey to a pot. Simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, until homogenous and dissolved, about 5-7 minutes.

STEP SIX: Then add the cooked boba to the syrup and let soak for another 30 minutes.

STEP SEVEN: Now you're ready to assemble! Get your brewed tea, boba in syrup, half and half, almond extract, and ice cubes ready. Divide everything between two tall glasses, adjusting as needed to your preferred taste.

How to Make Hot Almond Milk Tea

• Make the boba and syrup as directed.
• Brew the tea right before serving so it's still hot.
• Lightly microwave the creamer in 20 second intervals until warm but not boiling hot, stirring between each interval. The milk should not go over 180ºF or else it'll curdle (separate and sour). Alternatively, you could warm the milk in a small pot over medium heat for a couple minutes.
• To a tall glass, add the cooked boba with some syrup and the warm creamer. Slowly pour in the tea, while stirring, until combined. Top with almond extract and more syrup.

💭 Top Tips

• It's important to brew teas at their indicated temperature. Since the tea is the main ingredient, it's important to treat it with care. 200-212°F water is generally best for black tea, but follow the instructions included with your tea. A temperature-specific electric kettle will make this a breeze.
• Only make as much boba as needed. Cooked tapioca pearls don't store well, especially the instant or quick cooking ones. Over time, the boba will stiffen and become overly sweet if sitting in the syrup bath. They're at their best quality when fresh and warm, within 4-6 hours of cooking.
• Make sure you have a proper boba straw! I like these reusable straws from Amazon.

🥡 Storing and Make Ahead

Storing: Store each item separately for best quality.

• I don't recommend storing cooked boba as it will harden in the fridge. Instead, make it fresh each time you want a glass of bubble tea.
• Brewed black tea can be stored in a jar with a tight-fitting lid in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• You can store any leftover syrup, even if you've used up the boba. Transfer to a small jar with a tight-fitting lid and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Use it in any drink or cocktail.

Make Ahead: The tea and syrup can be made 2-3 days in advance. For the tea:

• You can warm brew the tea, as directed in the recipe. Let cool slightly before transferring to a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Store in the fridge until ready to use. It will turn cloudy in the fridge but it won't affect the flavor.
• To cold brew, add the bags to a pitcher of water (can be cold or room temperature) and let sit in the fridge overnight. Strain and store in the fridge until ready to use. Cold-brewed tea will be sweeter, less bitter, and less caffeinated.

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