Learn how to make black tapioca pearls or boba pearls from scratch with this simple tutorial. You'll only need 3 main ingredients. It is so easy and fun to make and much better than using the store-bought dried ones.
Making your own boba pearls is really easy and it could be a fun and rewarding project for the family. Plus you can have bubble teas anytime the cravings hits and save some bucks too. I also find that fresh tapioca pearls are much better than the dried ones. They cook faster, for one and you know exactly what's in it. They are just like the ones we had in bubble teas when we were in Taipei.
Actually, I get mixed reviews with this tapioca pearls recipe. There are a lot who were able to make it successfully without any problem, there those who were able to work it out and there are those who are not so lucky. I collected some tips and advices from our readers who tried making it and I did some more trials to find out what works and what doesn't so please read the whole post.
What are tapioca pearls?
Tapioca pearls or balls are small, edible orbs, slightly smaller than marbles that are typically used for desserts and drinks in Southeast Asian cuisine. They are made from the starch or cassava roots that gives them their chewy, transluscent characteristics. They also have neutral flavors and are sometimes soaked in sugar syrup to sweeten them.
Black tapioca pearls or boba are colored tapioca balls used for milk or 'bubble' teas that are very popular nowadays.
What are they made of?
There are just two main ingredients for making tapioca pearls, tapioca starch and water. The tapioca starch is the starch extracted from the cassava roots. Sometimes also called cassava starch, but do not confuse it with cassava flour as the latter is typically powdered cassava roots. The other ingredient is water that binds the starch together to form a dough. For it to work it must be boiling hot.
Dark brown sugar can be added to give them a darker shade and make them sweet. But for the real black color, you have to use food coloring.
How to make tapioca pearls or boba?
- Place tapioca flour or starch in a bowl.
- Place black food color in a separate bowl and add a tablespoon of boiling hot water to the food color.
- Add the rest of the water directly to the tapioca flour and immediately pour the colored water to the bowl as well.
- Let it sit for a few seconds then fold-in the tapioca flour with a fork until they start to stick together.
- Transfer to a flat surface and knead until the dough becomes smooth.
- Cut them into small pieces. Try to make them as even in size as possible and should be small enough to pass through your straw.
- Roll each piece in between your palms to make them round.
How to cook tapioca pearls?
Cooking freshly made tapioca pearls is much simpler than using dried ones.
- Bring enough water to a rolling boil (4 cups of water for every 1 cup tapioca pearls).
- Add the fresh tapioca pearls to the boiling water and let it cook for 15 minutes or longer until the desired consistency (soft or chewy) is achieved. They will turn opaque to translucent and become darker as they cook.
- Remove from heat and let it rest for a few minutes. They will shrink back to the original size and will turn black at this point.
- Transfer tapioca pearls into a sugar syrup or a bowl with a little water to prevent them from sticking together.
If using dried boba pearls, add the balls in a pot of boiling water. Cover and cook for several minutes depending on the size of the balls, 15 minutes for the tiny ones and 30 minutes or up to an hour for the bigger ones. Just cook them until there is no longer a white or solid core visible. You may need to add more water if it starts to get too thick and slimy.
How to store?
This recipe will make about a cup of tapioca balls or about 2-3 servings. You can make a bigger batch, but I will not really recommend it. First, because fresh ones cooks faster and has better texture and they are not that difficult to make anyway. Second, working in smaller scale is easier and more manageable. Bigger scale means bigger dough and if you have nobody helping you to roll them into those tiny balls, the dough will start to dry up and will no longer be as pliable and you might have difficulty forming the balls.
But in case you like to make them ahead or was not able to use them all up at once, here are my tips for storage:
To store fresh uncooked tapioca pearls, place the balls on a plate and just leave them on the kitchen counter for a day or two to dry up completely. Then transfer them to a container or jar for future use.
To store cooked tapioca pearls, place them on a container with lid and add sugar syrup or water to cover. Refrigerate for up to 3 days. For longer storage, place them in a Ziplock bag and remove as much air as you can, then freeze.
Just add them to boiling water and reheat for 5 minutes when ready to use.
FAQs
Use only tapioca starch/flour or sometimes called cassava starch, but not cassava flour, cornstarch, nor regular flour.
Using room temperature water will not work! It has to be boiling hot, directly from the pot/kettle of boiling water would be best. Once the hot water is added to the tapioca starch, it will cook the part it touches that will turn into transparent slime in seconds. This will act as a paste while you fold in the rest of the starch to make the dough.
If you get a oobleck, it means the water was not boiling hot.
If the dough is too crumbly and won't form, then water was not enough. Like I said it could be that the starch you got absorbs more liquid than others. Do this instead: Initially use only 2:1 ratio to make the dough, it might be too soft and sticky then just add a bit more of tapioca starch until you get a play-dough consistency.
You can skip the food color and have plain transparent balls instead. You can also add dark brown sugar to the water and boil them together and use that to make brown balls.
Recipe Video
Printable Recipe
How to make Black Tapioca Pearls (Boba) from scratch.
Ingredients
- 9 tablespoon tapioca flour
- 3 tablespoons boiling water
- ¼ teaspoon liquid black food color
Instructions
- Place tapioca flour or starch in a bowl. Place black food color in a small bowl and add a tablespoon of boiling water to the food color. Add the rest of the boiling water directly to the tapioca flour and immediately pour the colored water to the bowl of starch as well.
- Give it a few seconds for the slimy paste to form. Fold in tapioca starch with a fork until they start to stick together. Transfer to a flat surface and knead until the dough becomes smooth.
- Divide the dough into 2 and roll each forming thin sticks. Cut them into small pieces. Try to make them as even in size as possible and should be small enough to pass through your straw. Roll each piece in between your palms to turn them into small balls.
- Bring 2 cups of water to a rolling boil in a small pot or saucepan. Add the tapioca pearls to the boiling water and let it cook for 15 minutes or longer until the desired consistency (soft or chewy) is achieved. They will also become darker as they cook.
- Remove from heat and let it rest for a few minutes. They will shrink back to the original size and will turn black at this point.
- Transfer tapioca pearls into a sugar syrup or a bowl with a little water to prevent them from sticking together.
Notes
- The amount of black food color may vary depending on the brand you are using.
- Using a glass bowl or metal bowl is better especially when using food color.
- If making a larger batch, just follow the 3:1 ratio of tapioca starch to boiling water.
- Different brands of tapioca starch has varying texture and fineness so they may have varying results. I have some people commented that they are having difficulty using the Bob's Red Mill and I had a success using the same but adding a teaspoon of xanthan gum. This recipe was tested using Polar Bear brand.
- Using room temperature water will not work! It has to be boiling hot, directly from the pot/kettle of boiling water would be best. Once the hot water is added to the tapioca starch, it will cook the part it touches that will turn into transparent slime in seconds. This will act as a paste while you fold in the rest of the starch to make the dough.
- If you get a oobleck, it means the water was not boiling hot.
- The ratio of starch to water is 3:1. This generally works and I have tried it in 3 different brands and had success but I had to adjust the ratio in one of them.
- If the dough is too crumbly and won't form, then water was not enough. Like I said it could be that the starch you got absorbs more liquid than others. Do this instead: Initially use only 2:1 ratio to make the dough, it might be too soft and sticky then just add a bit more of tapioca starch until you get a play-dough consistency.
Neve says
hi I was wondering if you can use normal corn starch instead of te tapioca starch
Bebs says
Hi Neve, sorry but it has to be tapioca starch. Cornstarch will not give you the same chewy and firm results. It will not also form a dough.
Neve Lenis says
Hi! Since I only have green, blue and yellow food colouring I was wondering If I can use that instead of the black food colouring.
Bebs says
Sure you can use other colors as you like.
Melissa says
How do you store the boba once you make them?
Bebs says
Hi Melissa, if you are going to use them the next day or two just refrigerate the cooked boba pearls with some water or syrup. You can also let them dry out and cook for later use.
Sophia says
Can I use a different color food coloring like for baking?
kent says
hi! i saw your video and it was pretty good, i also make my own tapioca, but i cooked it in a brown sugar with a exact amount of boiling water instead of food dye. and you're right Bebs you must to take a exact measurement coz when i try for my first attempt it was messy and i felt discourage to my self but when i try again it was amazing and i've got the perfect pearl the cheweyness is in there and the the perfect texture of boba. thanks so much for another tutorial video and i try it to my next experiment.
Bebs says
Hi Kent, yes, brown sugar added to the hot water is what others do. I bet it tastes great too.
Celestial says
Instead of black food coloring, could I use melted brown sugar?
Bebs says
Hi Celestial, sure you can. Dissolve the sugar in the water that you will use.
Carlo says
Hi, your recipe should say 3 tablespoons of water not two. I think you have a misprint. Two with the flour and one with the food coloring and mix them together.
Bebs says
Hi Carlo, The ratio of tapioca flour to water is 3:1 so 6 Tbsp of tapioca flour is to 2 Tbsp of boiling water. If you are referring to the video, that was with 9 Tbsp tapioca starch so 3 Tbsp boiling water. Please see notes.
Pauline Lepeigneul says
Hi ! Can we prep boba in advance and put the uncooked dough in the fridge or in the freezer ? Also how long can the cooked pearls last and preserve themselves ?
Bebs says
I let some dry out and lasts really long time like months. The only downside of that is that dried tapioca balls take longer to cook than the fresh one.
Margaux says
Hello, can I use cassava flour instead of tapioca flour ?
Thank you,
Bebs says
Hi Margaux, it has to be the tapioca starch/flour. Cassava flour will not work.
rachel says
how much flour do we use? the whole packet?
Bebs says
Hi Rachel, it's in the recipe box below.
Tamika Cunningham says
Turned into oobleck and made a mess all over the kitchen, wouldnt form dough
Bebs says
If you used boiling water, it would cook some of the tapioca flour and it will turn into a paste which will make the rest stick together. Either your water is not boiling hot when added or it is not the right tapioca flour/starch.
Mariana says
Hello!
do you think that instead of using brown sugar I can use Stevia?
Bebs says
Hi Mariana, Making boba pearls does not require sugar.
Tobin says
Hi Beb!
The reason boba pearls you get at shops are so dark is because you're supposed to use brown sugar. Look up a brown sugar boba recipe and you'll see what I mean
Peace ☺
Bebs says
Hi Tobin, yes, I am actually thinking to make syrup and to use it instead of just plain water. But the boba pearls we had in Taipei were not sweet at all so I did not think of adding sugar to it. Next time I'll try it.
Laila says
Hi, i made these tapioca pearls but my tapioca starch mixed with water made a substance known as 'oobleck'. Does anyone know how i could fix this? I have been really eager to try this recipe so I would really like to know what I did wrong. Thank you!
Bebs says
Hi Laila, this happens when your water is not boiling hot when added to the tapioca starch. That or you are not using real tapioca starch.
Mariana says
Hi!,Im planning on making this at home and I have a question about the recipe intructions,When it says"Add the rest of the water "is that both tablespoons of water?
and is the water we will put them to boil include both table spoons or is that just water to boil them?
Bebs says
Hi Mariana, all the water (3tbsp) should be boiling hot when you add it to the tapioca starch. The first tablespoon to be added first to the food color if you are using any then immediately to the starch and mix.
mariana says
thank you!
sheila says
How much black food colouring?
Bebs says
It depends on the kind you are using and how dark you want them to be. Start with a few drops and add more if needed.
Kate says
Thanks for the recipe!! I didn't have black food coloring, so I tried mixing food colors, only to get a dark green. ;). I also didn't make mine small enough/don't have consistent sizes. So, I call them boba rocks. And I got impatient during the boiling process, so some of them are a bit undercooked. Other than that, I'm enjoying my boba tea.
Bebs says
That is great, Kate. Glad it still worked out 🙂
Dee says
Our dough turned into crumbly oobleck but somehow we managed to make them! We made them too big so they didn’t cook through and were hard on the inside but it was still fun to make
Kaelie says
I tried this and my dough became crumbly as I was trying to roll it. I added water by the fingertip and it started to work out. Eventually I gave up on making it perfect and started to pinch bits of the dough to make the balls. I boiled them and holy crap they turned out amazing. My parents then proceeded to question my sanity because I love boba tea and they find it gross. 🤣 Thanks for this amazing recipe. I plan on using it all the time.
Bebs says
Hi Kaelie, yes, you have to be fast in rolling them because the dough will dry out and be crumbly. Of cover it with a damp towel so it will not dry out fast.
Gg says
Hi! We're staying in the house due to coronavirus right now so I really appreciate the recipe, thanks for sharing. I made this for the first time and it was fantastic. Is there a way to make it a little less chewy? I love the chewy consistency but I think the batch I made was a little too chewy. Does it have to do with the boiling time?
Bebs says
Hi Gina, I find that tapioca pearls refrigerated overnight losses some of its chewiness. Just make and cook them ahead, place them in a bowl with water or sugar syrup and refrigerate. Before using, soak them in hot water to return to the original color as they turn opaque.
Tricia says
No matter how much I tried this did not work at all. I did notice that you used 2 tbsp water in black dye and one in the starch but even with more water it was still crumbly and not molding together. What brand of tapioca starch did you use?
Bebs says
Hi Tricia, I did this already with different brands of Tapioca starch. Is the water you are using boiling hot? It should. If you need to adjust water it should only be a bit and not so much.
Nayeli Molina says
how much water do I use in total ?
Bebs says
To make the pearls, 2 tablespoons.
Hailey Huang says
can we make it without the black food coloring?
Bebs says
Sure you can! They will be transparent boba pearls. You can also add brown sugar to the water and bring to boil then use this to add to the tapioca flour for some color.
Ars says
Cn i use cassava starch instead of tapioca flour?
Bebs says
If I am not mistaken, cassava starch is actually tapioca flour.
maya says
Can you make them than store them away? (not boiled yet)
Bebs says
Yes Maya, I've done it before. Just let them dry out a bit on the counter then store in a jar. But dried tapioca pearls would need longer time to cook.
emily says
does tapioca starch work?
Bebs says
Yes, tapioca flour or tapioca starch is the same.
Help me says
I tried three times but what was supposed to be the dough turned to an oobleck like substance. I made sure I was using the right measurements and boiling water but it kept turning to that substance. Maybe it has something to do with the starch but I need help.
Bebs says
Are you using tapioca starch/flour? Try to reduce the water. Normally when the hot water is added to the tapioca starch it will get cooked and form a sticky clump. So it should not turn into oobleck.
A says
This happened to me the first time- it means the water you added wasn’t hot enough. It needs to be boiling! If you get oobleck, you can save it by microwaving it for one minute 🙂
vanessa says
How much food colouring do we put?
Bebs says
It depends on what kind and the brand of the food color you use. If using liquid or del food color, start with some drops and then adjust.
Azalia says
I can't get the dough right! It just crumbles! 🙁 Help!
Bebs says
Hi Azalia, make sure the water is boiling hot. Use proper measuring spoon and measure at level only, not more. Add just a bit more water or decrease the amount of tapioca flour.
Lily says
Black tapioca is black because it’s made using brown sugar. But I like this for a sugar free alternative. Thanks.
Bebs says
Yes, normally the sugar in the milk tea itself is enough 😉
Jeannette says
Hi, so happy to find this recipe and I tried to make them this morning! They are so chewy like you said. However, when I chew, I can still taste the raw taste from the flour, is there any ways to remove the raw taste? 😀
Bebs says
Hi Jeannette, you can cook them in brown sugar syrup or just soak them after in it after they are boiled.
Lola says
Hi I wanted to ask if it work with rice flour please. thank you 🙂
Bebs says
No, it will not. It has to be tapioca flour/cassava starch.
Emily says
Hi.
Can i store and freeze the freshly made uncooked pearls in the freezer?
If so, how to cook the frozen pearls?
Bebs says
I haven't tried freezing them but I did let them dry out at room and just cooked them as you do dried tapioca pearls.
Florence says
It's a hit. Love the texture. I substitute the colouring with black tea and the result turn out nice. Thanks for the recipe.
Bebs says
Black tea sounds a good substitute for food color...I think Armin would like coffee-flavored boba pearls too! Thanks for the tip!
Conner Travanini says
Not sure if I posted the comment right, but I am planning on using the recipe, but substituting the tapioca flour for cornstarch and using spirulina powder as a green, healthy coloring agent for a matcha boba tea. Will this work, and how much spirulina powder should I use, and should I add more water to the powder so the pearls don't dry out?
Conner Travanini says
Hello! I am planning on making this, but I am thinking of using cornstarch instead of tapioca flour and spirulina powder for a green coloring agent. Would cornstarch work for this, as I don't have tapioca flour, and would spirulina powder work instead of the black food coloring, and how much should I use? Thanks in advance!
Bebs says
Hi Conner, I am sorry to say that cornstarch will not work. It has to be tapioca flour/starch because of the very glutinous texture that is needed to form the Boba pearls.
Spire says
No. There is no substitute for tapioca flower for boba pearls.
Holly says
Made these yesterday and had the same problem as user Ginny but in the end they turned out fantastic! I made them blue too which was lots of fun. I'd love to make more and store them, but how should I dry the pearls out?
Bebs says
Hi Holly, just leave them in a bowl or a plate on a kitchen counter to dry out for some days.
Elise says
Used this recipe twice now. Thank you! The pearls are so good!!!
Bebs says
I used it countless times, and you are right! The pearls are best!
Ginny says
I just made my first batch today. The dough was difficult. I guess I didn't let the water get to a boil. I warmed it up, but no boil. I had to add some water. Too much! Added some more tapioca flour. Workable. I managed to successfully get it right. I have them sitting in brown sugar syrup to soak in the flavor. Thank you for the recipe. I plan to make all the time! I love boba milk tea! 🙂
Bebs says
Glad it worked out well, Ginny!
Katrin says
Hi, love the recipe. I was wondering if you could somehow store them and if so, how? Thank you.
Bebs says
Hi Katrin, I tried letting them dry at room and put the balls in a jar. The cooking time is longer though for dried tapioca balls. But if to be used the next days, just refrigerate cooked tapioca pearls and reheat in boiling water when ready to use.
Brandon says
Try boiling water and add dark brown sugar for the dark inside instead of the food coloring.
Bebs says
Hi Brandon, it will have to be a lot of brown sugar to get it really dark, and even then it will not be black but brown. Which is totally fine of course, if you are into really sweet tapioca pearls or just use lesser sugar and settle for a light brown pearls.
JJTwins says
Hi,
Can a KitchenAid be used for kneading if making a large batch?
Bebs says
Hi JJ, I haven't tried using a mixer myself for this so I can not answer for certain. As long as the water is boiling hot as you add it maybe it should work. But the problem I see in making this in a large batch is that the dough might start to dry out while you are forming the pearls and become crumbly and difficult to form. I would recommend up to 15-18 tablespoons of tapioca flour at a time.
Mae says
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Love it.
Leeanne Lau says
Hey, I'm from Hong Kong, and I am a huge bubble tea fan. I just wanted to suggest some improvements for your bona, because my mom used to work in the food industry and she sold boba tea as a specialty beverage on her food truck. Did you know that the boba contain brown sugar for colouring and flavor? They already have a bit of sugar in them, but you need to boil them or 'braise' them in a sugar syrup. I will definitely try making boba sometime though
Bebs says
Hi Leeanne, yes, I have people suggesting the same that you can already boil them in sugar syrup. My mom does it the same way when cooking dried sago pearls. But the tapioca pearls we had in Taipei were not sweet at all though. I am pretty sure your mom's boba tea tastes fantastic! I miss visiting HK and I love your food there...should make plans to visit again soon! Thanks for your wonderful advice and have a great day!
Saba says
These are amazing.
Mei Yi says
Hi, I stumbled across your page today & I'm very interested in making my own tapioca pearls.
Just a quick question - can these tapioca pearls be kept? If so, how long can I store it?
Bebs says
You can dry them after forming them into pearls and store in an airtight container or jar like the store bought tapioca pearls. They should keep for a long time.
Angela B. says
Hi there, I have your page bookmarked in my iPad and while watching KMJS today (April 14, 2019), I saw a feature about this recipe and recognized you and your husband. Excellent segment on the show and I will try this recipe before the summer heat here in Ontario.
Bebs says
Hi Angela, thanks for the nice comment...yes, we were asked to do a demo on how to make tapioca pearls for their milk tea segment. You should really try it, so easy and fun to make...
yoan says
Is tapioca starch or powder the same thing with cassava flour?
Bebs says
Hi Yoan, no they are not. Although derived from the same source which is the cassava root, the process of producing them and the composition are different. Cassava flour is made from the whole root while tapioca flour or starch is only from the starch of the root. But I haven"t tried using cassava flour to make tapioca pearls so I cannot say if it will work or not.
Gracie says
Hi, thanks for the recipe as I've been searching for a recipe to make tapioca pearls!
Just a question - can I add sugar into the boiling water while cooking the balls to ensure that they get the sweetness?
Bebs says
Sure Gracie, or you can also dissolve some sugar to the liquid that will be boiled and added to the tapioca starch.
Derlina says
I will definitely try this. I am so excited about this. Thank you for all your delicious recipes.
Bebs says
Thanks for the stars and you will definitely love this black tapioca recipe. They were fun to make.
Shobelyn Maria Dayrit says
Bebs, I will surely be making this,since we don't have Boba here. When I saw this post, I got so excited of the prospect of making my own. Bubble Tea.
yann says
hello bebs
do you have link of the colored black food you bought for this amazing boba recipe?
is the same as black sugar syrup you buy at chinese market?
Bebs says
I got my liquid black food color from our local supermarket in the baking section. If not try the baking supplies shops, I am pretty sure they will have it.
Sage says
I am a 11 year old cook and i have seen the boba teas to be a trend right now so I really wanted to make homemade boba. This recipe worked great.
Bebs says
Wow!Thanks for the great comment and 5 stars Sage...