Sometimes, regular boba is just not enough. This custard bubble tea is filled with custardy flavours, creamy and just so delicious. Sounds like a great alternative to a regular bubble tea, doesn't it? Since you don't need to make the custard from a scratch, this drink is super easy to make.
Custard and boba tea
Custard and boba tea have been a delicious match for many years. However, a typical custard boba will contain custard pudding, rather than the custard itself. And that's exactly what makes this recipe super tasty. Besides, it's much creamier than regular boba tea. This recipe is made with instant custard powder, but you can use ready to eat custard too.
Which boba pearls to use?
Boba pearls or tapioca pearls are a chewy ingredient that makes boba tea a boba tea. Pre-made boba pearls are easy to cook and come in a whole range of flavours, with the most popular one being brown sugar. Taro boba pearls are a great alternative for this recipe.
Ingredients for making custard bubble tea
Custard powder – 2-3 teaspoons of custard powder will be enough to get a delicious creamy texture. Heat the milk, add powder and whisk until smooth. Then add it to a brewed tea. If you are using ready to eat custard, use it instead of milk.
Milk – when making custard to milk teas, whole or full-fat milk is always the best choice. However, since the custard powder will make the drink creamier, you can opt for semi-skimmed milk too. If using a milk alternative, choose barista style milk or cashew milk. Barista style milk alternatives tend to have a higher sugar content, so use less honey if you prefer less sweet drinks.
Black tea — Breakfast blends and Indian Assam tea with chocolate notes will work well with this recipe. Avoid black teas that are too crisp and light. Choose teas you'd typically drink with milk. When making any milk tea, it's always a good idea to make a stronger tea base with 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of tea leaves.
Sweetener – honey is a perfect sweetener for this drink. Use it instead of simple syrup to coat boba pearls and to adjust the sweetness.
Boba pearls – use either brown sugar boba or taro boba pearls. Brown sugar tapioca pearls are readily available online, while taro pearls can be found in specialised Asian grocery stores. Alternatively, you can make your own boba pearls with tapioca starch water, sugar and some vanilla flavouring.
Love custard? Try out this Custard Milk Tea recipe too.
Custard Bubble Tea
Equipment
- Kettle
- saucepan
- strainer
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons instant custard powder
- 100 ml milk
- 170 ml water
- 1 1/2 heaped teaspoon black tea
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 teaspoons honey
- 30-50 grams taro boba pearls
Instructions
- Bring fresh water to a boil.
- Steep 2 teaspoons of black tea in 170 ml of water for 5 minutes.
- Strain the tea into a serving glass.
- Add ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- Add milk into a saucepan andsimmer on low-medium heat. Once hot, add 2-3 heaped teaspoons of custard powder and whisk until smooth.
- Cook tapioca pearls following the instructions on the packaging.
- Strain boba pearl and coat them in honey.
- Add boba pearls together with honey into a serving glass.
- Add ice and top up with custard milk.