How to Make Tapioca Pearls – 7 Flavors

Tapioca pearls have gained popularity among bubble tea enthusiasts looking for a fun, creative, and cost-effective way to enjoy their favorite beverage, especially bubble tea. We will include some basic versions include brown sugar tapioca pearls, white tapioca pearls and other creatively ones like mango, strawberry, matcha, passion fruit and even dragon fruit.

Why making it at home

• It is a funny activity especially for children.
• Making tapioca pearls at home not only allows for customization of their size, texture, and flavor, but also ensures that the ingredients are of high quality and freshness. We will make include lots of different flavors – brown sugar, white, mango, strawberry, matcha, passion fruit and dragon fruit.
• The process is simple and easy. Once mastered, it is super easy to make different flavor of tapioca pearls at home.

Basic Ingredients

Tapioca Starch

The primary ingredient for homemade tapioca pearls is tapioca starch, which is derived from the cassava plant. It is a gluten-free but strong starch that can creating a chewy texture to the tapioca pearls.

Make boba pearls without tapioca starch

If tapioca starch is not readily available, you may consider alternatives such as other starch like cornstarch. Those starch can be used to make boba pearls but definitely not tapioca pearls. We have a guideline about how to make cornstarch pearls.

Sweeteners, colors and Flavors

Tapioca starch has a fine and white color, which can turn into a little bit transparent after cooking. If nothing but only white sugar added in the tapioca dough, the tapioca pearls can be white. You can find some lovely little ones known as sago tapioca pearls which is smaller and white than regular black boba pearls.

To enhance the taste of tapioca pearls, usually sweeteners will be added. One common option is to incorporate brown sugar into the boiling water, which lends a rich, caramel-like taste.

Black tapioca pearls are the most popular type among all of those boba pearls. You can add a few drops of food coloring to the boiling water to give your pearls a vibrant hue. However, this is not necessary, as the natural color of tapioca pearls is also visually appealing.

In addition, you can add syrups or fresh fruits like mango, strawberry, passion fruit or dragon fruit to make your tapioca pearls super unique and creative.

Creating the Dough

Heat the liquid and Make the dough

Heat the liquid content firstly until boiling and then place half of the starch in. 6-7 seconds later, mix in the remaining starch. Then knead the dough until smooth. You will need to knead until it is still warm but not hot.

Shaping

Once the dough is smooth, pinch small portions and shape them into small balls as quickly as possible. Since it becomes hard to shape when completely cooled down.

How to make uniform tapioca pearls

To create the perfect homemade tapioca pearls, it is essential to shape them into small, uniform balls. Start by taking a small portion of the prepared dough and rolling it into a thin log, approximately 1/4-inch in diameter.

Then, using a sharp knife or dough scraper, cut the log into equal-sized pieces – about the size of a small marble for standard pearls – and roll each piece between your palms to create a smooth, round shape.

Dusting and Preventing Stickiness

To prevent the tapioca pearls from sticking together, it is crucial to dust them with extra tapioca starch to avoid them sticky together.

To dust the shaped pearls, prepare a shallow container filled with the chosen starch and gently roll the pearls until they are evenly coated.

Shake off any excess starch and transfer them to a plate or baking sheet in a single layer. It’s essential to keep the pearls apart so they don’t clump together.

For any leftovers, after dusted, you can store the unused pearls in an airtight container and keep them in the freezer for future use. They can be cooked directly from frozen – there’s no need to thaw them beforehand.

Cook the tapioca pearls

How to boil tapioca pearls

First, bring a large amount of water to a boil in a pot. The general ratio for cooking tapioca pearls is at least 8 cups of water to 1 cup of tapioca pearls. Once the water is boiling, slowly add the tapioca pearls into the water, stirring gently to prevent them from sticking to each other.

As the pearls cook, they will gradually change from an opaque white color to a partially translucent state. The cooking process takes around 15 to 20 minutes. However the inner side of the tapioca pearls might stay hard, so the next step is to still get the lid covered and let it stand for another 15 minutes.

Draining and Cooling

Drain the tapioca pearls out after 15 minutes standing. The remaining water can be very sticky and thus should be removed completely. Then we have two different options.

1. Rinse the pearls in cold water to prevent them from sticking and help them maintain their shape. Brown sugar boba for tiger milk tea is further simmered again with brown sugar.
2. If you prefer a super firm texture, soak them in iced bath for 10 minutes.

Sweetened with syrup

Transfer the pearls to a bowl and mix with a sweetener, like simple syrup or brown sugar, to add flavor and create a shiny coating.

7 different flavors of tapioca pearls at home

Now let’s start making different flavors of tapioca pearls, those are regular white boba pearls, brown sugar tapioca boba, mango, strawberry, matcha, passion fruit and dragon fruit.

White tapioca pearls

You will only need three ingredients- water, white sugar and tapioca starch. You can

Instructions

• Add white sugar to water a small pot. Heat until boiling. Stir from time to time to avoid burning.
• Turn off the fire, and add half of the starch. Mix for 5-6 seconds. add the remaining starch.
• Mix the dough when it is still hot using tools like scraper. Knead with hand until it is warm.
• Knead until the dough is almost smooth. Then cut into four pieces, shape each piece into a long log. Pinch a small portion and roll into a round ball.
• Dust with more starch to avoid sticky. Then shift the extra flour off with a strainer.

Matcha Tapioca pearls

Ingredients

• 90 ml water
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 cup tapioca starch , dip and scoop method
• more tapoica starch for dusting
• 3 tsp. matcha powder

Instructions

Divide the tapioca starch into halves. Then shift one half with matcha powder.

Melt white sugar with water. Bring to a boiling and then add 1/2 of the tapioca starch in. Mix for 5-6 seconds and then add the other half shifted with matcha powder.

Shape to a smooth dough and shape the dough into small tapioca pearls. Dust to avoid stickying together. Now the matcha tapioca pearls are ready.

Strawberry Tapioca pearls

Strawberry tapioca pearls have a lovely pink color and are the best ideal boba choice for strawberry milk tea or other fruit based milk teas.

Ingredients  

• 100 g strawberry cubes
• 1 tbsp. water
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 cup tapioca starch
• more tapoica starch for dusting

Instructions 

• Add strawberry, sugar and water. Blend until smooth.
• Add the strawberry puree to a small pot. Heat until boiling. Then turn off the fire, add the half of the starch. Mix for 6-7 seconds quickly. Then add the remaining starch.
• Mix the dough when it is still hot using tools like scraper. Knead with hand until it is warm, but not competely cooled.
• Knead until the dough is almost smooth. Then cut into four pieces, shape each piece into a long log. Pinch a small portion and roll into a round ball. Dust to avoid sticky together. Now your strawberry tapioca pearls are ready.

Dragon fruit boba pearls

Dragon fruit boba pearls have lovely black seeds inside and thus I will recommend using it as topping for ice creams or puddings.

Ingredients  

• 3.5 oz (100g) red dragon fruit cubes
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1 cup tapioca starch
• more tapoica starch for dusting

Instructions 

• Blend dragon fruit and sugar until smooth.
• Add the puree to a small pot. Heat until boiling. Then turn off the fire, add the half of the starch. Mix for 6-7 seconds. Then add the remaining starch.
• Mix the dough when it is still hot using tools like scraper. Knead with hand until it is warm, but not competely cooled.
• Knead until the dough is almost smooth. Then cut into four pieces, shape each piece into a long log. Pinch a small portion and roll into a round ball.
• Dust with more starch to avoid sticky. Then shift the extra flour off with a strainer.

Mango boba pearls

Ingredients

• 1 cup tapioca starch , around 130g
• more for dusting
• 3.5 oz. (100g) fresh mango cubes
• 1 tbsp. water
• 1 tbsp. sugar ,optional

Instructions 

• Blend the mango cubes with water until very smooth, and sweeten up with sugar.
• Heat the mango base, and add half of the starch into the boiling hot mixture. Stir for 5 seconds. Turn off the fire and mix in the other half. If you are using a pan witha large pan, you can add the starch one time.
• Knead into a smooth dough, add more starch if you feel it is sticky.
• Now you can choose to cut the strips into small squares or use your hand to pinch a small portion out. Shape it a round shape. You can keep the square shape if you really don’t want to spend time shaping the pearls. Only shape influences, no taste difference.
• Dust the mango boba pearls after shaping to avoid sticky.

Passion fruit tapioca pearls

Like mango tapioca pearls, passion fruit tapioca pearls have a lovely yellow color, but with the black seeds, it looks quite interesting.

Ingredients  

• 3.5 oz (100g) passion fruit pulp
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 cup tapioca starch
• more tapoica starch for dusting

Instructions

• Choose a ripe passion fruit with wrinkled skin that slightly feels soft on pressing. Hold the fruit firmly in one hand and cut it through the skin in half by using a sharp knife. Scoop out the thick, gelatinous pulp along with the seeds by using a spoon.
• add the passion fruit puree to a small pot. Heat until boiling. Stir from time to time to avoid burning.
  Turn off the fire, and add half of the starch. Mix for 5-6 seconds. And then add the remaining starch.
• Knead into a smooth dough, add more starch if you feel it is sticky.
• Now you can choose to cut the strips into small squares or use your hand to pinch a small portion out. Shape it a round shape. You can keep the square shape if you really don’t want to spend time shaping the pearls. Only shape influences, no taste difference.
• Dust the mango boba pearls after shaping to avoid sticky.

How to use tapioca pearls

Tapioca pearls can be served in various other ways in addition to bubble tea, incorporating their chewy texture and flavor into a wide range of dishes.

Dessert Parfaits: Layer cooked tapioca pearls with fruit, yogurt, and granola for a unique breakfast or dessert parfait. Get creative with flavors like chocolate, coconut, or matcha.

Pancakes and Waffles: Add an interesting twist to your regular pancakes or waffles by gently mixing cooked tapioca pearls into the batter before cooking. This adds a surprising and delightful chewy texture to each bite.

Ice Cream Toppings: Use tapioca pearls as a topping for your favorite ice cream flavors, alongside fruit, nuts, and other delicious accompaniments. The sweet, chewy pearls perfectly complement the cold creaminess of the ice cream.

Remember to always cook the tapioca pearls according to package instructions for the best taste and texture.

Storage and Preservation

You can choose to cook the tapioca pearls just after shaped and dusted. Or place them in air tight container and freeze up for 1 month.

Health and Nutrition

Caloric Content and Diet Considerations

Homemade tapioca pearls contain primarily carbohydrates and some minerals, such as calcium and iron. However, they do not have significant amounts of protein, fiber, or vitamins. Here is a summary of the nutritional content per 100g of cooked tapioca pearls:

Nutrient	Amount
Calories	96 kcal
Total Fat	0g
Sodium	1mg
Total Carbohydrate	23g
Dietary Fiber	0g
Protein	0g
Calcium	2% of Daily Value
Iron	1% of Daily Value

Conclusion

Hope you love our creation of making tapioca pearls at home and twist with your favorite flavors and colors. Happy bubbling!