Honeydew Milk Tea Recipe

Prepare the melon

Halve the honeydew, scoop out seeds, and cut into roughly 1-inch cubes. You should have about 3 to 4 cups of cubed melon from a medium honeydew.

Make honeydew purée

Place the honeydew cubes, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice into a blender. Add 1/2 cup of cold water to help it blend. Purée on high until completely smooth, about 30–45 seconds. Taste and add more sugar or a splash more lime if needed. If the purée is too thick for your preference, add up to the remaining 1/2 cup cold water and blend again to reach a pourable consistency.

Strain (optional)

For a silky texture, press the purée through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl using the back of a spoon. Discard any fibrous solids.

Brew strong black tea

Bring 1 cup hot water to near-boil (about 200°F / 93°C). Steep the black tea (2 tbs loose-leaf or 2 tea bags) for 4–5 minutes to make a strong brew. Remove tea leaves/bags and let the tea cool at room temperature for 10 minutes. If short on time, place the brewed tea in the refrigerator or an ice bath to cool more quickly.

Sweeten the tea (optional)

If you prefer sweeter tea, stir in 1 tablespoon honey or simple syrup while the tea is still warm so it dissolves easily. Allow to cool completely before assembling the drink.

Combine milk and tea

In a measuring cup or pitcher, combine 1 cup cooled strong black tea with 1 cup whole milk and 1/4 cup half-and-half if using. Stir to combine.

Mix honeydew and milk tea

Add 3/4 to 1 cup of the strained honeydew purée to the milk-tea mixture, depending on how honeydew-forward you want the drink. Stir gently until uniformly combined. Taste and add additional honey or simple syrup (up to 1 tablespoon) if you want it sweeter.

Prepare serving glass

If using tapioca pearls, spoon 1/4 to 1/2 cup cooked pearls into the bottom of each serving glass and drizzle 1 tablespoon honey over them to coat (optional). Fill the glass about halfway with ice cubes.

Finish and serve

Pour the honeydew milk tea mixture over the ice and pearls. Stir gently to combine. Garnish with a few mint leaves on top. Serve immediately with a wide straw if using boba, or a regular straw otherwise.

If you like a frothier top, briefly shake 1/4 cup of the honeydew purée with 2–3 ice cubes in a cocktail shaker and pour over the assembled drink to create a layered froth. For a creamy float, add a small scoop of vanilla ice cream instead of half-and-half.