Strawberry Milk Tea

5 from 2 votes

This creamy and decadent Strawberry Milk Tea with boba is the perfect summer drink! It's made with fresh strawberries, black tea, and a homemade brown sugar and honey syrup for the ultimate bubble tea refresher.

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 1

Syrup Bath Time 30

Total Time 1 35

Servings servings

Calories 401

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

1½ cups hot water around 200-212°F
3 tea bags I used Assam black tea
¼ cup half and half
Ice cubes

Strawberry Syrup

2 cups strawberries hulled
2 tablespoon white granulated sugar

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 1½ 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 make the strawberry syrup, add strawberries and 2 tablespoon white sugar to a blender. Blend until smooth, then strain through a fine colander or cheesecloth. Use the back of a spoon to push down the purée to get as much liquid as possible. You should end up with ¾ cup thick strawberry syrup.
To assemble your milk teas, prepare two tall glasses. Divide the boba, tea, strawberry syrup, 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 ,⅔ cup (180mL) black tea, 6 tablespoon strawberry syrup, 2 tablespoon half and half, and 1-2 tablespoon honey 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 your strawberries aren't as sweet as preferred, add additional white syrup to the strawberries when blending.
Save the strawberry pulp! Freeze it to add into a smoothie or use it as a topping for Greek yogurt, oatmeal, or cereal.
If using frozen strawberries, let completely thaw before blending.
To make this dairy free, substitute half and half with almond, oat, or soy milk. It won't be as creamy but will still taste great.
To make this vegan, use a dairy-free creamer and replace the honey with additional brown sugar in the boba syrup.
Don't forget the boba straws to enjoy this drink with boba!

Nutrition