Chocolate Milk Tea

5 from 2 votes

Save yourself a trip and make delicious and creamy Chocolate Milk Tea Boba in the comfort of your own home! With homemade chocolate milk, robust black tea, and chewy tapioca pearls, this refreshing drink will satisfy both your bubble tea and chocolate cravings!

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Syrup Bath Time 30

Total Time 1 40

Servings servings

Calories 483

Author Jessica Kwon

Ingredients

Honey Boba in Syrup

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

Chocolate Milk Tea

1¾ cups hot water 200-212℉
2-3 black tea bags Assam black tea recommended
½ cup half & half
¼ cup chocolate chips (see notes)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cook the boba. Pour 2½ cups (600ml) water into a small pot. Cover and bring to a boil, then add the boba and stir for 1 minute. Bring the heat down so it's at a rolling simmer, cover with a lid, and let cook for 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Make sure the boba is fully submerged in water - add more water if needed.
Take the pot off the heat and let sit, covered, for another 30 minutes - no peeking or stirring! Continue cooking the rest of the components while the boba is resting.
After resting, drain the boba and rinse briefly with cold water.
Brew the tea while the boba is cooking. Steep the tea bags in 1¾ cups hot water for 3-5 minutes, depending on how strong you'd like the tea to be. Let cool completely, either on your countertop or in the fridge.
Make the chocolate milk. Add chocolate and half & half to a small pot. Heat over medium-low heat, constantly whisking, until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Let cool.
Make the syrup. Add ½ cup (120ml) water to a small pot or pan. Add the white sugar, brown sugar, and honey. Heat over medium to medium-low heat for 5-7 minutes and whisk continuously until sugars are dissolved.
Add the drained boba to the warm syrup and let sit for 30 minutes covered. Option to keep warm over low heat for soft boba.
Assemble. Divide the boba, tea, and chocolate milk between two tall glasses. Sweeten with a couple spoonfuls of syrup to your preference, then top with ice.
For one glass, my preferred measurements are: ¼ heaping cup boba pearls (with a little of the syrup), scant ¾ cup tea, ¼ cup chocolate milk, and 1-2 tablespoon honey boba syrup.

Notes

Tapioca pearls: Visit your local Asian supermarket to find them in vacuum bags usually in the tea or drink aisle. They come in a variety of sizes, flavors, and cook time - I get the brand Bolle.
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: I recommend using black Assam tea. It's bold and robust with a malty taste, which tastes great with chocolate. Ceylon tea is also popularly used in milk teas.
Chocolate: Use any type of chocolate chips or bars to make your chocolate milk. The sweetness level of the chocolate milk will depend on the type of chocolate you're using. Milk chocolate is the sweetest, followed by semi-sweet and then dark chocolate. Adjust the final drink to your preferred level of sweetness.
Use a jumbo straw that will fit the tapioca pearls. I like these reusable straws from Amazon.
Substitutions:
- To save time and convenience, you could use 5-minute pearls or instant frozen boba. But they do harden within minutes so consume your drink within 1-2 hours.
- Instead of chocolate chips or bars, you could use 2-3 tablespoon cocoa powder instead. Hot chocolate or cocoa mix would also work, but be aware that it's pre-sweetened.
- To make dairy-free Chocolate Milk Tea Boba, substitute with vegan chocolate chips and oat milk. For a vegan version, omit the honey and use more white or brown sugar instead.

Nutrition