What do you get when you combine two of the most popular drinks right now in a single cup? I call it dalgona boba coffee! Made with bubble milk tea and whipped dalgona coffee, this is a creamy, delicious and fun combination for bubble tea and dalgona coffee lovers.
You can find coffee bubble tea on the menu at your local bubble tea shop. But I’m here to show you how you can save time and money by making this coffee boba tea recipe at home.
What Is Boba Coffee?
Boba coffee, also known as bubble coffee, is a unique cold coffee drink made with tapioca pearls topped with ice and milky coffee.
It is similar in many ways to an iced coffee or coffee milk, but with the addition of the chewy pearl balls found in bubble tea.
Bubble tea is thought to have originated in Taiwan and traditionally consists of small cooked tapioca balls topped with ice and milk tea.
Over the years this has evolved into literally hundreds of different drinks, including fruit boba, matcha boba and now boba coffee.
Instead of a typical coffee boba recipe, I thought it would be fun to combine a common bubble tea recipe with whipped coffee.
The result is a visually stunning, creamy, delicious coffee drink for bubble tea lovers!
If you love instant coffee drinks, try this Greek frappe or an eggnog dalgona coffee or one of these instant iced coffee recipes.
Boba Tea vs Bubble Tea
The popular Asian drink is known in different parts of the world as bubble tea, boba tea, milk pearl tea and tapioca tea.
Whichever word you know it by, tapioca drinks are taking the world by storm and you can find bubble tea stores in many cities and towns world wide.
Like many specialty coffee drinks the cost can really start to add up if you buy it regularly, so here I share with you how to make bubble tea with dalgona coffee whip at home.
What You Need To Make Coffee Milk Tea Boba
To make dalgona coffee you will need a whisk or a hand blender to whip your coffee. A hand blender is much quicker to use, but it is possible to achieve a frothy whip with a hand whisk – just be prepared for an arm workout!
To prepare the bubble tea all you need is a small saucepan to boil your pearls and a jug to steep your tea.
If you haven’t made dalgona coffee before, see our detailed whipped coffee guide here.
Coffee Bubble Tea Ingredients
- Tapioca pearls
- Tea bags
- Boiled water
- Milk
- Instant coffee
- Sugar
Tapioca Pearls
Tapioca pearls are small pea size balls made from tapioca starch from the cassava root.
It is possible to make them from scratch, but it is quicker and easier to buy dehydrated pearl balls and rehydrate them at home as you need them. They are sold in Asian supermarkets or on Amazon.
I like these quick-cook pearls as they take just a few minutes to cook on the stove.
Click here to check the price for quick-cook tapioca pearls on Amazon.
Note: Some brands will take longer than others to cook, so check the packaging and follow the instructions.
Tea
You want to brew a nice strong tea for this coffee boba recipe.
I like to use black english breakfast tea, but you can also use other black teas, jasmine tea or even chai tea instead.
Sugar
There are a few ways to sweeten your coffee bubble tea.
The easiest way is to add sugar to the brewed tea. I suggest you start with a tablespoon, but add more for a sweeter drink.
You can also soak the cooked tapioca balls in syrup such as maple syrup or liquid sweeteners to sweeten the pearls before adding them to your drink.
Dalgona Coffee
The whipped coffee on top is our modified dalgona coffee recipe.
Most traditional dalgona coffee recipes use equal portions of instant coffee, sugar and hot water. I find the taste to be quite bitter.
So in this recipe I increased the ratio of sugar to coffee for a sweeter, less bitter dalgona recipe. I think you will like it!
It has a soft, fluffy texture and a sweet coffee flavor.
How To Make Dalgona Boba Coffee
Below I explain step by step how to make dalgona coffee with boba.
Step 1 – Brew your tea
First up you need to steep your tea. Pour 4 cups of boiling water into a jug with 4 tea bags.
Leave to steep for 5 minutes (or to your preferred strength) then remove the tea bags, add 1 tablespoon of sugar (or more for a sweeter drink) and stir until dissolved.
Place the jug of brewed tea in the fridge to cool.
Step 2 – Prepare the tapioca pearls
Follow the instructions on the packet to cook the tapioca pearls. Some brands offer quick-cook pearls, others are more dehydrated and need longer to cook.
Typically you place bring water to the boil in a small saucepan, add the tapioca balls, and cook over a medium heat for the recommended time (5-20 minutes).
When they are cooked to your desired level of chewiness, drain the water and set aside.
Step 3 – Whip your dalgona coffee
Next you want to whip your coffee. Place 1-2 teaspoons instant coffee, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar and 4 tablespoons of hot water into a deep bowl.
This isn’t a regular dalgona coffee ratio. I find the common TikTok dalgona recipe very bitter and it overwhelms the drink. My ratio gives a sweeter taste and has a lighter, fluffier texture.
Tip: use a deep bowl when using an electric whisk, otherwise the mixture may spray out of the bowl.
Using a whisk or hand blender, whip the ingredients until frothy and smooth. With an electric blender this takes just a minute or so. With a hand whisk it will take around 5 minutes.
Note: The mixture will have a lot of bubbles when you first start mixing. Continue whisking until it is creamy, light and well combined.
You are now ready to combine your ingredients!
Step 4 – Layer your drink
Now you have all the components prepared it’s time to put your coffee bubble tea together in the glass!
First divide the cooked tapioca pearls into the base of 4 glasses.
Tip: If your milk tea is still warm, add some ice to your glass before adding the tea.
Then pour the milk tea over the pearls, leaving enough room at the top for your dalgona whipped coffee mixture.
Top each glass with your whipped coffee.
Serve as is, or with a spoon or bubble tea straw like these and enjoy!
I hope you enjoy this delicious home made boba coffee milk tea. Let us know in the comments what you think of the recipe!
Bubble Coffee Variations To Try
- Skip the tea and simply add cold milk to your glass instead. The dalgona coffee on top still gives you plenty of coffee flavor.
- Add pieces of coffee jelly as well as the tapioca pearls to the glass for an extra caffeine boost and chewy texture.
- Add extra sugar to the brewed tea for a super sweet coffee drink.
- Use coffee creamer instead of milk to sweeten and flavor your tea.
More Cold Coffee Recipes
If you loved this dalgona coffee boba recipe, here are some more great recipes with coffee to try at home.
- Coffee Jelly With Milk
- Dalgona eggnog coffee
- Easy Greek frappe
- Strawberry Matcha Smoothie
- Iced brown sugar coffee
Find all our coffee drinks recipes here or browse all our coffee recipes.
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Like this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below.
And don’t forget where you found it! Pin it to your Pinterest Board.
Dalgona Coffee Bubble Tea
Equipment
Ingredients
Whipped coffee
- 4 tbsp water boiling
- 1 – 2 tsp instant coffee
- 1 tbsp sugar
Bubble Tea
- ½ cup tapioca pearls
- 4 cups water boiling
- 4 black tea bags
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ½ cup milk
Instructions
- Place tea bags in boiled water, add sugar and stir to dissolve. Steep for 5 minutes (or to taste).4 cups water, 4 black tea bags, 1 tbsp sugar
- Remove tea bags and place brewed tea in fridge to cool for 5 minutes.
- Prepare tapioca pearls as per package instructions, drain and set aside.1/2 cup tapioca pearls
- Next prepare the dalgona whip. Place whipped coffee ingredients in a bowl.4 tbsp water, 1 – 2 tsp instant coffee, 1 tbsp sugar
- Using a hand blender or a whisk, whisk the dalgona mixture until fluffy and thick. Set the mixture aside.
- Remove the tea from the fridge, add the milk to the tea and stir to combine.1/2 cup milk
- Now it’s time to assemble your dalgona boba coffee.
- Place the bubble pearls in the base of your glasses.
- If your tea is still warm, add some ice to your glass, otherwise pour the cold milk tea over the pearls in each glass.
- Top each glass with the whipped coffee, serve with a thick straw or spoon and enjoy!
Notes
- Cook your bubble tea pearls just before preparing your boba coffee drink. They don’t store well and are best eaten fresh.
- For a stronger coffee flavor, add 2 teaspoons of coffee to the whipped coffee mix, otherwise use just the 1 teaspoon.
- Add more sugar to the tea for a sweeter drink.
- You can find tapioca pearls at an Asian grocer or online.
- Serve with a spoon or with bubble tea straws.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
