Add Boba Recipe

Inspired by Nom Nom Pho

Time40m

Serves1

POPPING OR REGULAR TAPIOCA.

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Ingredients

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1
Boil water
Bring 6 cups of water to a rolling boil in a medium saucepan over high heat.
2
Add pearls
Add 1/2 cup regular tapioca pearls to the boiling water. Stir gently once immediately after adding to prevent sticking.
3
Cook pearls
Return to a boil, cover partially with a lid, reduce heat to maintain a steady simmer and cook for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cooking time varies by brand—cook until pearls are fully translucent through the center with a slightly chewy core.
4
Rest
Turn off heat, cover the pot, and let the pearls sit for an additional 10–15 minutes to finish cooking and become uniformly chewy.
5
Rinse and sweeten
Drain the cooked pearls into a colander and rinse quickly under cool running water to remove excess starch and stop cooking. Transfer to a small bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar or simple syrup to coat and keep them from sticking. Keep warm if serving hot, or refrigerate briefly if serving chilled.

6
Check and chill
Popping boba are pre-made and should be kept refrigerated. Measure out 1/2 cup of popping boba and, if desired, toss gently with 1 teaspoon honey or 1 tablespoon simple syrup to glaze and add sweetness. Keep chilled until assembling the drink.
7
Storage note
Do not boil popping boba—high heat will burst them. Keep them cold and add directly to the drink at serving.

8
Portion tapioca
Spoon 1/4 cup cooked regular tapioca pearls (chewy boba) into the bottom of your serving glass. If using popping boba, add up to 2 tablespoons of popping boba alongside or instead of chewy boba, depending on preference.
9
Add ice and beverage
Add ice (about 1 cup) to the glass if serving cold. Pour 12 oz of your prepared beverage (milk tea, iced tea, smoothie, etc.) over the boba and ice, leaving a little headroom to stir.
10
Stir and finish
Gently stir to distribute the boba and sweetness from the syrup. If the regular pearls were prepared with syrup, they will already be sweet; taste and add additional sweetener to the whole drink if desired.
11
Serve
Serve immediately with a wide boba straw so both chewy and popping boba can be enjoyed. If making ahead, store the cooked tapioca pearls in syrup in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours (they will lose chew over time). Popping boba should remain chilled and used within package guidance.