Here's what you need to know about matcha bubble tea - I spent about fifty bucks and six attempts before I stopped making gritty, clumpy disasters that tasted like grass water with sad, hard boba. Had matcha that wouldn't dissolve, tapioca pearls that were either mush or rocks, and cheap matcha powder that tasted bitter and weird. Two years of failures until my roommate who worked at a tea shop showed me what I was doing wrong. Turns out it's not complicated. Whisk your matcha properly, cook your boba right, and use good quality matcha powder. My homemade matcha bubble tea tastes exactly like the shops now.
Why You'll Love This Matcha Bubble Tea Recipe
This matcha bubble tea solved my biggest craving problem - wanting that creamy, slightly sweet matcha drink with chewy boba pearls without spending six dollars every time.
What Actually Works: This matcha bubble tea recipe creates a smooth, creamy drink with perfectly cooked tapioca pearls that are chewy on the outside and soft inside. The matcha is properly whisked so there are no clumps, and the sweetness is just right. My sister, who literally goes to boba shops three times a week and is extremely picky about her matcha milk tea, said this tastes better than most places she's tried. Makes enough for one or can easily double for friends.
Why Other Methods Fail: Most matcha bubble tea recipes don't tell you to sift the matcha powder so it stays clumpy and gritty. Some use water that's too hot which makes matcha bitter. Others don't cook the tapioca pearls long enough or don't let them sit in sugar syrup so the boba is either hard or flavorless. This easy matcha boba tea recipe sifts everything, uses the right temperature water, and cooks boba properly so they're actually chewy and sweet.
The thing that changed everything: learning to whisk matcha with a bamboo whisk (or electric frother) instead of just stirring with a spoon. Also understanding that tapioca pearls need to sit in brown sugar syrup after cooking to get that signature sweetness and glossy look. Started following proper technique and suddenly my matcha boba drink went from disappointing to actually worth making.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Matcha Bubble Tea Recipe
- What You'll Need for Matcha Bubble Tea
- How to Make Matcha Bubble Tea
- Top Tip
- Ingredient Substitutions & Variations
- Storage and Reuse Instructions
- What to Serve With Matcha Bubble Tea
- My Matcha Bubble Tea Journey
- FAQ
- More Recipes You'll Love
- Matcha Bubble Tea Recipe (Better Than Boba Shops!)
- Related
- Pairing
What You'll Need for Matcha Bubble Tea
This best matcha boba recipe uses ingredients you can find at Asian grocery stores or order online. Nothing crazy expensive or impossible to get.
Good quality matcha powder matters here - ceremonial grade tastes smoothest but culinary grade works fine for milk tea. Quick-cook tapioca pearls are way easier than traditional ones and taste just as good.
For the Tapioca Pearls (Boba)
- Quick-cook tapioca pearls
- Water
- Brown sugar
For the Matcha Milk Tea
- Matcha powder
- Hot water
- Milk or oat milk
- Sweetener
- Ice cubes
For Serving
- Wide bubble tea straws
- Tall glass
Exact measurements are in the recipe card.
How to Make Matcha Bubble Tea
This matcha bubble tea recipe is about doing each component right instead of just throwing everything together and hoping it works.
Cook the tapioca pearls properly
- Bring a large pot of water to rolling boil
- Add quick-cook tapioca pearls and stir immediately so they don't stick
- Boil for 5-7 minutes (check package directions)
- They should float to the top when done
- Turn off heat, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes to soften
- Drain and immediately rinse with cold water
- This stops them from overcooking and getting mushy
Make the brown sugar syrup
- While boba cooks, mix equal parts brown sugar and hot water
- Stir until sugar completely dissolves
- Add drained tapioca pearls to the warm syrup
- Let them sit in syrup for at least 10 minutes
- This sweetens the boba and makes them glossy
- Boba tastes so much better when it soaks up this syrup
Prepare the whisked matcha
- Sift 1-2 teaspoons matcha powder into a small bowl - don't skip sifting
- Add about 2 tablespoons hot water (around 175°F, not boiling)
- Whisk vigorously with a bamboo whisk or electric frother until completely smooth
- You want it frothy with no clumps at all
- This is the secret to smooth matcha milk tea instead of gritty drinks
- Whisking properly takes about 30 seconds of effort
Sweeten your matcha
- Add honey, simple syrup, or sugar to the whisked matcha
- Stir until dissolved
- Taste and adjust sweetness now before adding milk
- Easier to mix sweetener into concentrated matcha than the final drink
Assemble the iced matcha bubble tea
- Scoop tapioca pearls into the bottom of a tall glass
- Add plenty of ice cubes on top
- Pour in your choice of milk (dairy, oat, almond, whatever)
- Leave about 2 inches at the top
- Pour the sweetened matcha mixture over the milk
- The matcha will create pretty layers at first
Mix and serve the matcha boba drink
- Give everything a good stir with your bubble tea straw
- The green matcha will swirl into the white milk creating that signature look
- Taste and add more sweetener if needed
- Enjoy immediately while boba is still chewy
- The tapioca pearls start getting hard after about 30 minutes
When you've done this right, you'll have creamy matcha bubble tea with perfectly chewy boba pearls, smooth matcha flavor with no bitterness, and just the right amount of sweetness.
Top Tip
Sift your matcha powder. I cannot stress this enough. For two years I skipped this step thinking it didn't matter, then spent five minutes trying to break up clumps with a spoon. Matcha clumps will NOT dissolve no matter how much you stir once they form. Sift it through a small strainer into your bowl first, then add water. Takes ten seconds and completely changes your matcha bubble tea from gritty to smooth.
Also, don't use boiling water for matcha. Boiling water makes matcha taste bitter and vegetal instead of sweet and smooth. Let your water cool to about 175°F (when you can hold your finger in it for a couple seconds without pain). This temperature extracts the good flavors without the bitter ones. That's the difference between matcha milk tea that tastes like expensive tea shops and drinks that taste like you're drinking lawn clippings.
Ingredient Substitutions & Variations
Work with what you have. No bamboo whisk? Use an electric milk frother or even a regular whisk - just whisk really hard for 30 seconds. Can't find quick-cook boba? Regular tapioca pearls work but take 20-30 minutes to cook. No matcha powder? This obviously won't work without matcha, but you could make regular milk tea with black tea instead.
Dairy-Free Matcha Bubble Tea
Use oat milk, almond milk, or coconut milk instead of regular milk. Oat milk is creamiest and tastes most like dairy. Sweeten with maple syrup or agave instead of honey.
Matcha Boba Tea Without Milk
Skip the milk entirely and just mix matcha with water, ice, and sweetener. Add the tapioca pearls. This is traditional iced matcha with boba - less creamy but you taste the matcha more clearly.
Matcha Latte with Boba
Make it hot instead of iced. Prepare matcha the same way, add steamed milk, then put warm boba at the bottom. Comfort drink for cold days.
Quick Matcha Bubble Tea
Use instant tapioca pearls that cook in 5 minutes or pre-cooked boba from the store. Honestly not quite as good but works when you're in a rush.
Storage and Reuse Instructions
This homemade matcha bubble tea is best enjoyed immediately, but you can prep components ahead.
Cooked Tapioca Pearls: Use within 4 hours for best texture. Store in brown sugar syrup at room temperature. Don't refrigerate or they get hard. After 4 hours they start getting tough no matter what.
Whisked Matcha: Make this fresh every time. Matcha oxidizes quickly and tastes bitter if it sits. Takes 2 minutes to make fresh anyway.
Brown Sugar Syrup: Keeps in the fridge for up to 2 weeks in a sealed container. Reheat before using with boba.
Assembled Drink: Drink immediately. The ice melts, boba gets hard, and everything separates if it sits. This isn't a make-ahead drink.
Can't really freeze any components except maybe the syrup. Matcha doesn't freeze well and tapioca pearls turn rock hard when frozen.
What to Serve With Matcha Bubble Tea
Matcha bubble tea is usually a drink on its own, but it goes great with certain foods.
Asian Snacks: Mochi, rice crackers, or sesame cookies complement the matcha flavor. Onigiri (rice balls) or spring rolls make it a light meal.
Sweet Treats: Macarons, cheesecake, or pound cake pair nicely with the slightly bitter matcha. Egg tarts or custard desserts balance the tea flavor.
Light Meals: This iced matcha bubble tea is refreshing with sushi, poke bowls, or Vietnamese banh mi. The creamy drink balances spicy or acidic foods.
Best enjoyed as an afternoon pick-me-up or dessert drink. The matcha has caffeine so maybe not right before bed unless you want to be awake.
My Matcha Bubble Tea Journey
Two years ago, I couldn't make matcha bubble tea without creating either bitter, clumpy drinks or boba pearls that were rock hard or complete mush.
The worst was when I made matcha boba for my roommate's birthday party. Fourth attempt overall. Thought I finally had it figured out. So wrong. Used cheap matcha powder from the grocery store thinking "green powder is green powder." Didn't sift it. Mixed it with actually boiling water. The result was this bitter, gritty drink with clumps floating in it. Made the boba but didn't let them sit in syrup so they were flavorless and stuck together in a clump. Served these sad drinks to eight people who all took one sip and then quietly stopped drinking them. My roommate politely said "it's okay, we can just order from the shop." I wanted to disappear.
Spent the next week actually researching what makes good matcha bubble tea. Found out that matcha quality matters a lot - ceremonial grade for straight tea, culinary grade minimum for milk tea, but never the cheapest stuff. That you HAVE to sift matcha or it clumps. That water temperature matters - too hot makes it bitter. That tapioca pearls need to soak in brown sugar syrup or they're bland.
Started practicing every weekend. Learned to actually sift the matcha powder through a small strainer. Figured out that 175°F water is the sweet spot. Started making brown sugar syrup and letting boba soak. Bought a cheap bamboo whisk online and learned to use it properly.
Now I make matcha bubble tea at home at least twice a week and it tastes exactly like my favorite shop. My roommate specifically requests it when friends come over. The gap between disaster and success was literally just using good matcha and following proper technique instead of winging it.
FAQ
How to make matcha bubble tea?
Making matcha bubble tea took me forever to get right. Boil tapioca pearls (boba) for 5-7 minutes until they float, drain, then soak in warm brown sugar syrup for at least 10 minutes - plain boba tastes like flavorless rubber otherwise. Sift matcha powder through a strainer (I made clumpy drinks for months skipping this), add 2 tablespoons hot water around 175°F, and whisk hard for 30 seconds until frothy. Sweeten with honey or simple syrup, then build your drink: tapioca pearls at the bottom, ice cubes, milk or oat milk three-quarters full, drizzle whisked matcha on top. Mix with your bubble tea straw and drink immediately - boba gets hard after 30 minutes. After making this fifty times, fresh is everything.
What is matcha boba tea made of?
Matcha boba tea needs five things and cheapening out ruins it. Decent matcha powder - I used grocery store junk for months wondering why it tasted like bitter grass. Use culinary grade minimum. Tapioca pearls (boba) made from cassava starch (quick-cook saves time). Brown sugar syrup makes boba actually sweet instead of bland. Milk or oat milk - whole milk is creamiest. Ice cubes and sweetener. Some creamy matcha drink versions add condensed milk for richness. Matcha green tea bubble tea shops use these exact ingredients, just with fancy equipment. You need a proper bubble tea straw - regular straws won't fit boba through.
How to make matcha bubbles?
That foam on matcha milk tea confused me forever. You create bubbles by whisking matcha powder aggressively with hot water. I stirred with a spoon for months getting nowhere. Bought a bamboo whisk for eight bucks and everything changed. Sift matcha, add 2 tablespoons water at 175°F, whisk in fast zigzag motions for 30-60 seconds. Your arm gets tired but that friction creates the froth. Electric frothers work too but there's something satisfying about doing it traditionally. This whisked matcha foam is what makes iced matcha bubble tea taste professional instead of like green powder dumped in milk.
How to make matcha like boba shop?
I spent way too much money analyzing what makes shop matcha bubble tea better. They use 1.5-2 teaspoons matcha powder per drink, not the wimpy half teaspoon I was using. They always sift it. Water temperature is controlled at 175°F, not boiling. They soak tapioca pearls in brown sugar syrup for 15+ minutes after cooking - that's where sweetness comes from. They use whole milk or creamy oat milk, never skim. They add more sweetener than you think. My biggest mistakes were cheap matcha, not sifting, boiling water, and under-sweetening. Fix those and you're 90% there. Once I figured it out, my version tastes better than chain stores because I use higher quality matcha.
More Recipes You'll Love
Once you've mastered this matcha bubble tea, you might want something completely different for your next meal. My Butter Chicken Recipe brings rich, creamy Indian flavors that are total comfort food. When you're in the mood for easy weeknight dinners, my Sheet Pan Chicken Pitas with Herby Ranch delivers juicy marinated chicken with Mediterranean vibes. And if you're craving indulgent burgers, my Crack Burgers Recipe has juicy beef patties loaded with cream cheese and ranch that are ridiculously addictive!
Matcha Bubble Tea Recipe (Better Than Boba Shops!)
Equipment
- 1 Small pot For boiling tapioca pearls
- 1 Small bowl or cup For whisking matcha powder
- 1 Bamboo whisk or electric frother Essential for smooth, frothy matcha - spoon doesn't work
- 1 Small strainer or sifter To sift matcha powder and prevent clumps
- 1 Tall glass (16 oz) For serving the bubble tea
- 1 Wide bubble tea straw Regular straws won't fit the boba pearls through
Ingredients
- ½ cup quick-cook tapioca pearls boba
- 4 cups water for boiling boba
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons hot water for syrup
- 1.5 teaspoons matcha powder culinary or ceremonial grade
- 2 tablespoons hot water 175°F, not boiling
- 1 tablespoon honey or simple syrup
- 1 cup milk or oat milk cold
- 1 cup ice cubes
- 1 wide bubble tea straw
Instructions
- Bring 4 cups of water to a rolling boil in a pot. Add quick-cook tapioca pearls and stir immediately so they don't stick to the bottom. Boil for 5-7 minutes until they float to the top. Turn off heat, cover the pot, and let sit for 5 minutes to soften. Drain and immediately rinse with cold water to stop them from overcooking and getting mushy.
- While boba cooks, mix 3 tablespoons brown sugar with 2 tablespoons hot water in a small bowl. Stir until sugar completely dissolves. Add drained tapioca pearls to the warm syrup. Let them sit in syrup for at least 10 minutes. This sweetens the boba and makes them glossy. Boba tastes so much better when it soaks up this syrup.
- Sift 1.5 teaspoons matcha powder through a small strainer into a bowl - don't skip sifting or it clumps. Add 2 tablespoons hot water around 175°F, not boiling. Whisk vigorously with a bamboo whisk or electric frother for 30 seconds until completely smooth and frothy. You want foam with no clumps at all. This is the secret to smooth matcha milk tea instead of gritty drinks.
- Add honey or simple syrup to the whisked matcha while it's still concentrated. Stir until dissolved. Taste and adjust sweetness now before adding milk. Easier to mix sweetener into concentrated matcha than the final drink.
- Scoop tapioca pearls with some syrup into the bottom of a tall glass. Add plenty of ice cubes on top. Pour in cold milk or oat milk, leaving about 2 inches at the top. Pour the sweetened matcha mixture over the milk. The matcha will create pretty layers at first.
- Give everything a good stir with your bubble tea straw. The green matcha will swirl into the white milk creating that signature look. Taste and add more sweetener if needed. Enjoy immediately while boba is still chewy. The tapioca pearls start getting hard after about 30 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Matcha Bubble Tea:
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