This Taiwanese Milk Tea has only five ingredients. It's authentic and tastes exactly like the ones from your favorite Taiwanese tea shops. You can serve it hot or cold, with or without ice cubes. Adjust the milk and sweetness to your liking.
Can't get enough of Asian beverages? Try my Hong Kong Lemon Tea or Durian Milkshake next!
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🥄 What is it?
Taiwanese milk tea is a popular beverage in Taiwan. It's made by simmering black tea and mixing it with milk, usually evaporated or sweetened condensed milk. It's available at nearly every boba tea shop in Taiwan, and many people use it to judge the overall quality of a shop. You'd be surprised at how different milk tea tastes at different establishments. Every shop has its own unique blend of black tea, which sets them apart from the competition.
One of the best parts of Taiwanese milk tea is the addition of toppings like chewy tapioca balls or grass jellies. It makes the drinks a little more filling and also more fun to consume. Typically they're served with a wide straw so the toppings can be sucked up easily.
What tea to use?
Traditionally, Taiwanese milk tea is made with black tea, specifically Ceylon tea, which has a robust and bitter flavor that marries well with the creaminess of the milk. However, most Taiwanese bubble tea shops make their own black tea blends by combining two or more different black teas.
I tested this recipe using only Ceylon tea, but you can combine two or more to create a different flavor. Here are some popular black tea varieties and brands you can try: Lipton, Earl Gray, Orange Pekoe, and Ceylon.
You can also use Oolong or green tea if you prefer.
🧂 Ingredients
- Dried Tapioca pearls - These can be found in most Asian grocery stores. Get the larger ones that are about ¼ inch in diameter.
- Black tea - Tea bags or tea leaves can be used. Use any black tea or a blend of black teas such as Ceylon, Earl Gray, Orange Pekoe, Tetley, Lipton, etc.
- Evaporated milk - Evaporated milk is available in cans in the baking section of any Western supermarket. Evaporated milk has had 60% of its moisture evaporated.
- Sweetened Condensed milk - Similar in viscosity to corn syrup. It's milky and very sweet.
🔪 Instructions
Step 1. Boil tapioca pearls
Bring a medium pot of water (8 cups) to boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, add the tapioca pearls, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for 30 minutes.
Turn off the heat, cover the pot with a lid, and let the tapioca pearls rest for 30 minutes until they're translucent. Make a brown sugar syrup by combining ¼ cup of brown sugar and ½ cup of hot water in a bowl and stirring to dissolve. Rinse the tapioca pearls through a strainer and place them in the bowl of brown sugar water. Set aside.
📋 Note
If the tapioca pearls aren't translucent, add another cup of water and bring it back to a simmer. Turn off the heat and let it rest for another 15-30 minutes. Test the tapioca pearls to see if they're fully cooked. Sometimes, they can still be fully cooked, even if they're not fully transparent.
Step 2. Brew the tea
Boil 4 cups of water in a small pot. Add the tea, turn off the heat, and steep for 15 minutes. If you're using tea leaves, strain the tea through a fine-meshed strainer or cheesecloth.
Step 3. Add milk
Add ½ cup of evaporated milk and 2-3 tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk to the pot and stir thoroughly. If you want to serve it cold, store the milk tea in the refrigerator for a few hours. But note that tapioca pearls harden up in cold temperatures.
When you're ready to serve, divide the Taiwanese milk tea and tapioca pearls among four cups and serve immediately.
💭 Top Tips
- Choose the right tea. See the blog post for details. You can use any type or combination of tea, but Ceylon tea is recommended for its robust flavor that pairs well with milk.
- Rinse the tapioca pearls after boiling to remove excess starch.
- Be mindful of the steeping time and adjust it to fit your preferences.
👨🏻🍳 Add-ons & Substituions
- Grass jelly - Available in cans at most Asian grocery stores. Chop them into small cubes.
- Red beans - You can buy them canned or dried. Dried red beans must be rehydrated and then simmered in boiling water. See my Red Bean Soup recipe to learn how to prepare red beans.
- Coconut jelly - Available at most Asian grocery stores. Usually, they come in a plastic tub or individual jelly packets. Chop them into small cubes.
- Milk - Almond milk or soy milk can be substituted for evaporated milk.
🥡 Storage & Leftovers
Storing: Store leftover Taiwanese Milk Tea in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Avoid storing the tapioca pearls in the fridge as they harden due to the cold temperature. Ideally, you prepare the tapioca pearls right before serving.
Reheating: Reheat milk tea in a saucepan over medium heat until hot.
📖 Recipe FAQs
You can substitute any nondairy milk, such as oat, coconut, almond, or soy. Simply replace the evaporated milk with an equal amount of nondairy milk. You can use white or brown sugar instead of condensed milk as the sweetener. Brown sugar will give it a more complex flavor.
Tapioca pearls are cooked when they become soft and chewy with no hard or uncooked centers. Ideally, they should be completely translucent with no solid spots. However, you can do a taste test, and if the tapioca pearls are soft and chewy, they're OK to eat even if the center isn't fully translucent.
Yes, you can cold brew the tea. Add ¼ cup of tea leaves (or ten tea bags) to 1 liter of room temperature water, and let it sit at room temperature for 8 hours. You can use it right away or store it in the refrigerator for later.
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📋 Recipe
Taiwanese Milk Tea
Ingredients
Boba
- 8 cup water (plus more as needed)
- ½ cup dried tapioca pearls
- ¼ cup brown sugar
Milk tea
- 4 cup water
- 8 black tea bags (or ⅓ cup of tea leaves. Use any black tea or a blend of black teas such as Ceylon, Earl Gray, Orange Pekoe, Tetley, Lipton, etc.)
- ½ cup evaporated milk (or to taste)
- 2-3 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk (or to taste)
Instructions
Tapioca pearls
- Bring a medium pot of water to boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, add the tapioca pearls, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pot with a lid, and let the tapioca pearls rest for 30 minutes until they're translucent. Note: If the pearls aren't translucent, add another cup of water and bring it back to a simmer. Turn off the heat and let it rest for another 15-30 minutes. Test the pearls to see if they're fully cooked. Sometimes, they can still be fully cooked, even if they're not fully transparent.
- Combine brown sugar and ½ cup of hot water in a bowl and stir to dissolve.
- Rinse the tapioca pearls through a strainer and place them in the bowl of brown sugar water. Set aside.
Milk tea
- Boil 4 cups of water in a small pot. Add the tea, turn off the heat, and steep for 15 minutes. If you're using tea leaves, strain the tea through a fine-meshed strainer or cheesecloth.
- Add ½ cup of evaporated milk and 2-3 tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk to the pot and stir thoroughly. If you want to serve it cold, store the milk tea in the refrigerator for a few hours. But note that tapioca pearls harden up in cold temperatures.
- When you're ready to serve, divide the milk tea and tapioca pearls among four cups and serve immediately.
Notes
- Choose the right tea. See the blog post for details. You can use any type or combination of tea, but Ceylon tea is recommended for its robust flavor that pairs well with milk.
- Rinse the tapioca pearls after boiling to remove excess starch.
- Be mindful of the steeping time and adjust it to fit your preferences.
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