Sunbutter Brown Sugar Boba Tea - Dairy Free Boba "Milk" Tea and Homemade Tapioca Pearls

Vegan dairy free brown sugar boba tea recipe homemade tapioca pearls from scratch — Sunbutter Brown Sugar Boba Tea - Dairy Free Boba "Milk" Tea

This post was sponsored by Sunbutter Sunflower Seed Butter

Sunbutter Brown Sugar Boba Tea - Dairy Free Boba "Milk" Tea and Homemade Tapioca Pearls

What is Boba Tea?

Boba Tea, also called Bubble Tea, is a cold drink made from tapioca pearls, chilled brewed tea, milk, and flavourings. You can find boba tea in nearly any flavour imaginable from fruit based to floral botanicals. It can come with whipped topping or just plain, sweet or merely lightly sweetened. The fun of boba tea is going to a tea shop and trying their specialties. I say this as though I have participated in boba tea culture, when in reality I have not! There isn’t much I can drink in such a milky environment.

Why am I making homemade Boba Tea?

I did once have a boba tea-ish drink about 15 years ago. I was at a boba cafe with a few friends and one of them was able to order me a glass of something that barely resembled bubble tea. It was strawberry powder (many flavours come powdered) with green tea and water, no tapioca bubbles in sight. Nevertheless I enjoyed it because it was new, my friend had gone out of his way to order it for me, and it was an allergy safe version of a popular treat.

My husband loves boba tea and there is a spot in Toronto that I visit with him often. I enjoy helping him pick his flavour and watching it be made behind the counter. In true allergic person fashion, I usually request to smell the drink before he takes a sip, just so I can understand and appreciate the aroma. What can I say; I love food even if I am not the one enjoying it. I recently decided that I had enough of watching everyone around me sip on boba tea - it was time to make some for myself! I watched some videos about the technique involved in making tapioca pearls, and it seemed pretty straightforward. The ingredients are very simple and I happened to have them all on hand. I found that the recipes I followed tended to result in a dry tapioca starch dough, so I tweaked it until I had my own concoction that worked for me. I left out the black food dye as it appeared to be optional and was not consistently used in the recipes I researched. That worked out well because I don’t know an allergy safe brand of black food dye! The next adjustment I made was to replace the milk portion of milk tea with creamy Sunbutter Sunflower Seed Butter. This is the biggest divergence from classic boba tea, however one that is necessary when you have a dairy allergy like myself. I debated adding oat milk but Sunbutter makes the tea creamy enough on its own, and adds a beautiful flavour to the drink. Since boba tea flavouring is so fun and whimsical, I felt like sunflower was a great fit that honors the beverage.

Ingredients for Sunbutter Brown Sugar Boba Tea - Dairy Free Boba "Milk" Tea and Homemade Tapioca Pearls

Tapioca pearls

1/2 cup water
1/4 cup + 3 tbsp dark brown sugar, divided
3/4 cup tapioca starch plus a little extra for dusting

The Sunbutter Dairy Free “Milk” Tea

3 tbsp Original Sunbutter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Optional: 1 tbsp sweetener of your choice
2 cups brewed and cooled black tea
2 handfuls of ice cubes

How to make Sunbutter Brown Sugar Boba Tea - Dairy Free Boba "Milk" Tea and Homemade Tapioca Pearls

Set out a sheet of parchment paper lightly dusted with tapioca starch as you will need this later.
First, make the tapioca pearls. Add the water and 1/4 cup brown sugar to a small non-stick frying pan and turn to low heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. The water should not be simmering or boiling as you do not want the sugar to caramelize.
Add half the tapioca starch and mix well using a spatula or wooden spoon, with the heat still on low. When the mixture becomes sticky, opaque, and thick, and is clinging to the sides of the pan, add the remaining tapioca starch.
Take the pan off the heat and mix until the tapioca starch is mostly incorporated.
Scrape the mixture out onto the parchment paper and knead until it is a smooth dough. It should come together quickly.
Cut the dough into strips, then cut the strips into small pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and set it aside in a container very lightly dusted with tapioca starch. Work quickly as the dough dries out easily. This batch should make 40 - 50 tapioca pearls.
To cook the tapioca pearls, ready a small pot of boiling water and dump the pearls in all at once. When they float up to the surface (about 3 minutes), skim them off with a slotted spoon or a spider and place directly into a non-stick frying pan (not yet over heat). Add the remaining 3 tbsp of brown sugar to the pan and swirl it around with the boiled boba pearls. Place over medium heat and stir often, just until the sugar is thickened to a syrup. This should only take a couple minutes.
Set the completed tapioca pearls aside for now.
Add the Sunbutter, vanilla extract, tea, and sweetener (optional) to a blender and blend until creamy and frothy.
To assemble: You will need two large glasses. Spoon half of the pearls along with their syrup into each glass, top with a handful of ice in each, and then pour half of the creamy tea into each glass. Serve just like that or with a boba tea straw. Enjoy cold.

Serves 2