Almond Milk Tea

5 from 2 votes

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!

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 1

Syrup Bath Time 30

Total Time 1 35

Servings servings

Calories 377

Author Jessica Kwon

Ingredients

Boba In Syrup

½ cup boba (pearls) (see notes)
3 cups water divided
2 tablespoon white granulated sugar
2 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoon honey

Milk Tea

2¼ cups hot water around 200-212°F
4 tea bags I used Assam black tea
½ teaspoon almond extract
⅔ cup half and half
Ice cubes

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Pour 2½ cups water into a small pot, cover with a lid, and bring to a boil. Pour in the boba and stir for 1 minute. Bring the heat down so it's at a rolling simmer, cover, and let cook for 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Make sure the boba is fully submerged in water the whole time, adding more if needed.
Take the pot off the heat and let rest for 30 minutes without peeking. Then strain the boba and rinse briefly with cold water.
While the boba is cooking, add the tea bags to the 2¼ cups hot water. Let steep for 4-5 minutes, depending on how strong you'd like your tea to be. Discard the bags and let cool completely.
To another small pot, add ½ cup water, white sugar, brown sugar, and honey. Warm over medium heat, stirring constantly, until slightly reduced and dissolved, about 5-7 minutes. Add the cooked boba to the syrup and let sit for 30 minutes.
To assemble your milk teas, prepare two tall glasses. Divide the boba, tea, almond extract, and half and half between the two glasses. Add as much honey syrup as preferred and top with ice.
For one glass, my preferred ratios are: ¼ cup boba (70g) with a little syrup included, 1 cup (240mL) black tea, ¼ teaspoon almond extract, ⅓ cup (80mL) half and half, and 3-4 tablespoon syrup.

Notes

Tapioca pearls: Look for vacuum-sealed bags at Asian supermarkets. Avoid "quick cook", "instant", or "5 minute" pearls. They have a hardening quality in the starch that prevents them from getting perfectly chewy.
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.
To make almond milk tea without boba, stir in sugar to freshly brewed tea and adjust to your liking. Let cool before adding the milk and almond extract.
Milk can curdle when added to an acidic drink, like coffee or tea. Even non-dairy milks can curdle, though not as quickly. To prevent this, stir while gradually pouring the creamer into the tea to fully incorporate. Also make sure your tea has cooled to room temperature as a large temperature difference can also cause curdling.

Nutrition