Lychee Milk Tea

5 from 2 votes

Lychee Bubble Tea combines homemade iced tea, half and half, delicious lychee fruit, and chewy boba for a sweet and creamy drink. It's the best fruit bubble tea that's incredibly simple to make at home!

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Syrup Bath Time 30

Total Time 1 40

Servings servings

Calories 293

Author Jessica Kwon

Equipment

Boba straw

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

Lychee Milk Tea

1½ cups hot water 180-200°F
3 bags black or green tea
1 (10-15 oz) can lychee in syrup
½ cup half and half
Ice cubes

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cook the boba. Pour 2½ cups 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.
After the first 30 minutes, take the pot off the heat and let sit for another 30 minutes - without peeking!
Then drain the boba and rinse briefly with cold water.
Make the syrup. While the boba is cooking, add ½ cup water to another small pot. Add the white sugar, brown sugar, and honey. Heat over medium heat for 5-7 minutes and whisk continuously until sugars are dissolved. Let cool.
Add the drained boba to the syrup and let sit for 30 minutes to sweeten.
Brew the tea while the boba is cooking. Steep the tea bags in 1½ 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.
Prepare the lychee. Pick out about 5 lychee from the can. Dice very finely, making sure they're small enough to fit through a straw. Reserve the lychee syrup.
Assemble. Divide the boba, lychee bits, tea, and half and half between two tall glasses. Sweeten with a couple spoonfuls of lychee syrup to your preference, then top with ice.
For one glass, my preferred measurements are: ¼ cup boba pearls (with a little of the syrup), scant 1 tablespoon lychee fruit, ⅔ cup tea, ¼ cup half and half, 2-3 tablespoon lychee syrup, and 1 tablespoon homemade honey boba 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.
If using fresh lychee, remove the skin and pit of 8-10 lychee. Add to a blender with the half and half and purée until smooth. Use as your creamer but you may need more sweetener.
Want more lychee flavor? Try adding lychee coconut jelly (cut into small strips so they fit through a boba straw) or lychee popping boba.
Make sure you have a proper boba straw! I like these reusable straws from Amazon.

Nutrition