Ube Milk Tea Boba Recipe

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

I love this recipe because ube gives ordinary milk tea a distinctive flavor and striking purple color. It pairs especially well with creamy milk and the caramel-like sweetness of brown sugar boba.

I can also customize practically every part of the drink. I can choose my favorite tea, use dairy or plant-based milk, change the sweetness, or make the ube flavor stronger.

Best of all, I can prepare the milk tea ahead of time and refrigerate it. When I’m ready for a drink, I cook fresh tapioca pearls, assemble everything over ice, and enjoy homemade ube boba in minutes.

Ingredients

(Tip: You’ll find the full list of ingredients and measurements in the recipe card below.)

For the Ube Milk Tea

• 2 black tea bags
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk or plant-based milk
• 3 tablespoons ube halaya
• 1–2 teaspoons ube extract
• 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
• 1–2 tablespoons sugar or simple syrup, optional
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
• 1–2 cups ice

For the Boba

• 1/2 cup quick-cooking black tapioca pearls
• Water, for cooking
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons water

Directions

I start by preparing the tea. I place the tea bags in 1 cup of hot water and let them steep for about 5 minutes. I remove the tea bags and allow the brewed tea to cool.

While my tea cools, I prepare the ube mixture. I combine the milk, ube halaya, ube extract, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla extract in a blender. I blend until the mixture becomes completely smooth and creamy.

I add the cooled tea and blend briefly again. I taste the mixture and add sugar or simple syrup if I want a sweeter milk tea. I refrigerate it while I prepare the tapioca pearls.

For the boba, I bring a pot of water to a boil and add the tapioca pearls. I cook them according to the package directions because cooking times can vary significantly between brands.

Once my boba is chewy and cooked through, I drain it and briefly rinse it if the package instructions recommend doing so.

In a small saucepan, I combine the brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of water. I heat the mixture until the sugar dissolves and begins forming a light syrup.

I add the cooked tapioca pearls to the brown sugar syrup and let them sit for several minutes. This gives my boba extra sweetness and a caramel-like flavor.

To assemble the drinks, I spoon the warm brown sugar boba and some of its syrup into the bottom of two tall glasses. I add plenty of ice and pour the chilled ube milk tea over the top.

I stir everything together with a wide boba straw and serve immediately.

Servings and Timing

I usually get 2 generous servings from this recipe.

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Tea steeping time: 5 minutes
• Boba cooking time: about 5–10 minutes, depending on the brand
• Assembly time: 5 minutes
• Total time: about 20–25 minutes
• Servings: 2 drinks

Variations

For an ube latte boba without tea, I leave out the brewed black tea and increase the milk. This gives me an especially creamy drink with a stronger ube flavor.

For coconut ube milk tea, I replace some or all of the regular milk with coconut milk. I particularly like this combination because coconut complements the sweet, nutty character of ube.

For a dairy-free version, I use oat, soy, almond, or coconut milk and replace the sweetened condensed milk with a dairy-free alternative or simple syrup.

For stronger tea flavor, I brew an extra tea bag without increasing the amount of water. I avoid steeping the tea for too long because this can make my drink unnecessarily bitter.

When I want an extra-decadent version, I top the finished drink with cold foam or lightly whipped cream and dust it with a small amount of ube powder.

I can also replace the traditional tapioca pearls with popping boba, grass jelly, or another bubble tea topping when I want a different texture.

Storage/Reheating

I can prepare the ube milk tea mixture ahead of time and keep it in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2–3 days. I shake or stir it well before serving because some separation can occur.

I prefer cooking tapioca pearls immediately before serving. Boba gradually becomes firmer and loses its pleasantly chewy texture when refrigerated, so I don’t usually store cooked pearls for later.

If my brown sugar boba cools and becomes slightly firm before I assemble the drinks, I can gently warm it in its syrup until it becomes soft again.

I don’t reheat the assembled Ube Milk Tea Boba because I serve it cold over ice.

FAQs

What is ube?

Ube is a purple yam commonly used in Filipino desserts. I love it for its vibrant purple color and gently sweet, nutty, vanilla-like flavor, which makes it particularly good in creamy drinks and desserts.

Can I make Ube Milk Tea Boba without ube halaya?

Yes. I can make a simpler version using ube extract, although I find that ube halaya gives the drink more body and a fuller ube flavor. If I leave out the halaya, I adjust the sweetness to taste.

What tea works best for ube milk tea?

I usually choose black tea because its stronger flavor holds up well against the creamy milk and sweet ube. I can also experiment with jasmine green tea or oolong when I want a lighter or more floral flavor.

Why did my tapioca pearls become hard?

I find that tapioca pearls are best shortly after cooking. They can become firm when left sitting for too long or when refrigerated. I prepare only the amount I plan to use and keep the freshly cooked pearls in warm brown sugar syrup until I’m ready to assemble my drinks.

Can I make Ube Milk Tea Boba dairy-free?

Yes. I replace the dairy milk with oat, coconut, soy, or almond milk and use a dairy-free sweetener instead of regular sweetened condensed milk. I especially like coconut milk because its flavor pairs naturally with ube.

Conclusion

This Ube Milk Tea Boba gives me everything I enjoy about a bubble tea shop drink in a homemade version: creamy milk tea, fragrant ube, plenty of ice, and chewy brown sugar tapioca pearls. The purple color makes the drink especially eye-catching, while the combination of ube and brown sugar gives it a rich, dessert-like flavor.

Ube Milk Tea Boba Recipe

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Creamy purple ube milk tea made with black tea, sweet ube, milk, and chewy brown sugar tapioca pearls. This homemade bubble tea is rich, refreshing, and easy to customize.

• Author: Laura
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 5–10 minutes
• Total Time: 20–25 minutes
• Yield: 2 drinks
• Category: Drinks
• Method: Steeping and Blending
• Cuisine: Filipino-Inspired
• Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

• 2 black tea bags
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk or plant-based milk
• 3 tablespoons ube halaya
• 1–2 teaspoons ube extract
• 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
• 1–2 tablespoons sugar or simple syrup, optional
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
• 1–2 cups ice
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking black tapioca pearls
• Water, for cooking
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons water, for brown sugar syrup

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Instructions

1. Steep the black tea bags in 1 cup hot water for about 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags and let the tea cool.
2. Blend the milk, ube halaya, ube extract, sweetened condensed milk, and optional vanilla until smooth and creamy.
3. Add the cooled tea and blend briefly. Taste and add sugar or simple syrup if desired. Refrigerate while preparing the boba.
4. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the tapioca pearls according to package directions, usually about 5–10 minutes for quick-cooking boba.
5. Drain the cooked pearls and rinse briefly if directed by the package instructions.
6. Combine the brown sugar and 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan. Heat until the sugar dissolves and forms a light syrup.
7. Add the cooked tapioca pearls to the brown sugar syrup and let them sit for several minutes to absorb the flavor.
8. Divide the warm brown sugar boba and some syrup between two tall glasses. Add ice and pour the chilled ube milk tea over the top.
9. Stir with a wide boba straw and serve immediately.

Notes

• For an ube latte without tea, omit the brewed tea and increase the milk.
• For coconut ube milk tea, replace some or all of the milk with coconut milk.
• For a dairy-free version, use plant-based milk and dairy-free condensed milk or simple syrup.
• For stronger tea flavor, use an additional tea bag rather than extending the steeping time.
• Prepare tapioca pearls shortly before serving because they become firm and lose their chewy texture during storage.
• The ube milk tea mixture can be refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 2–3 days. Shake or stir well before serving.
• If the boba becomes slightly firm before serving, gently warm it in the brown sugar syrup.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 drink
• Calories: 520 kcal
• Sugar: 58 g
• Sodium: 130 mg
• Fat: 10 g
• Saturated Fat: 6 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Carbohydrates: 101 g
• Fiber: 2 g
• Protein: 8 g
• Cholesterol: 30 mg