Matcha bubble tea is a classic milk tea flavor that you’ll find at any boba store. It’s sweet, creamy, slightly earthy, and a delicious treat you can easily make yourself. All you need is matcha powder, tapioca pearls, and a little patience.

Once you make your tapioca pearls, you can create endless drink combinations! Plus, you’ll save a lot of money making bubble tea at home.

So, here’s how to make matcha bubble tea at home!

What is Matcha?

Matcha is a finely ground powder made from specially grown green tea leaves. Unlike regular green tea, where you steep and discard the leaves, matcha is whisked into the water, so you’re drinking the whole leaf. That’s why matcha has such a rich, vibrant green color and is packed with antioxidants and nutrients.

Its flavor is earthy, slightly grassy, and has a natural umami quality that makes it incredibly unique. Depending on the quality, it can also have subtle hints of sweetness and creaminess. It’s been a staple in Japanese tea ceremonies for centuries, but now it’s popular worldwide in everything from lattes to desserts.

Matcha is amazing in drinks like bubble tea because its bold flavor holds its own against sweeteners, milk, and tapioca pearls. It’s the perfect base for a creamy, refreshing treat.

What is Bubble Tea?

Bubble tea, also known as boba, is a drink that originated in Taiwan in the 1980s and quickly became a global sensation. At its core, it’s a tea-based drink served with milk, fruit, or sweet syrups, and the star of the show: chewy tapioca pearls (boba) or other toppings like popping pearls, grass jelly, or even pudding.

The beauty of bubble tea is how customizable it is. You can pick your tea base, sweetness level, type of milk, and even swap tapioca pearls for fun toppings. It’s more than just a drink—it’s an experience.

When you combine bubble tea with matcha, it’s a match made in heaven. The earthy flavor of matcha perfectly complements the pearls’ sweetness and the milk’s creaminess, making for a drink that’s both indulgent and refreshing.

What is Matcha Boba Tea Made Of?

Most matcha bubble tea is made of whisked matcha, milk, sugar, ice, and cooked tapioca pearls. It’s creamy and delicious with the satisfying chew of sweet pearls!

Sometimes, you can also find matcha boba tea with different flavors like strawberry, blueberry, or even cinnamon. It’s a versatile pairing that’s perfect for any additional flavors and also easy to drink.

What Does Matcha Taste Like in Bubble Tea?

In bubble tea, matcha tastes quite similar to what it tastes like without it. Matcha is sweet, creamy, and earthy and can have some great umami flavors. However, in bubble tea, the matcha will also taste slightly like boiled tapioca pearls by default.

If you’ve ever smelled tapioca pearls being boiled, it’s like heaven. It smells like warm brown sugar with a hint of starch and sweetness. So, in a drink, it imparts similar flavors to the matcha. If you were to take the pearls out of the drink, you’d be able to tell that boba was in it!

Together, it’s a great combination of cold, smooth liquid and soft, warm, chewy pearls. Just divine.

Is Matcha Bubble Tea Healthy?

I think a lot of people don’t realize that bubble tea has a lot of calories. Tapioca pearls are made from cassava flour or tapioca flour, which are all carbohydrates. One single serving of boba (1/4 cup) can have around 130-150 calories, which doesn’t include the drink itself, which can also be 150+ calories.

If you’re drinking a sweetened boba tea and have boba in it, it can be at least 300 calories or more, which is a caloric drink! Most bubble teas also have no nutritional value other than carbohydrates unless you opt for a fruit or matcha version, which may have antioxidants and vitamins.

So, unless you’re adding very little sugar to your bubble tea, chances are, it’s not the healthiest. But hopefully, you already knew that!

How to Prepare Matcha

Matcha is different from other teas because you have to whisk it in water for drinking rather than brewing. This is because you are consuming the whole leaf in powder form, so it needs to be dispersed in water.

Traditionally, you whisk matcha powder in water with a bamboo tea whisk that helps froth the matcha nicely. A matcha whisk runs you about $20 per whisk, and while that may sound expensive, a matcha whisk will last you about 3-4 years or more! They last a long time and make amazing matcha, so it’s worth investing in.

Plus, you’ll get the best froth and texture using a matcha whisk, which you can easily find online or in a tea shop. However, even without a matcha whisk, you can also prepare your matcha by shaking it in a lidded jar or bottle until frothy. You can also use a handheld frother!

What’s most important is that the matcha is whisked well and that there are no clumps.

Which Matcha Powder to Use?

When it comes to making matcha bubble tea, the type of matcha powder you use makes all the difference. The best matcha powders are always ceremonial grade because they have the purest, most vibrant flavor. They’re slightly pricier but totally worth it if you want your bubble tea to taste authentic and rich.

If you’re making bubble tea at home and using milk and sweeteners, a good-quality culinary-grade matcha will do the job just fine. It’s slightly more robust and bitter, but that works well when balanced with sweet tapioca pearls or syrups.

Some high-quality Japanese brands to look for include Ippodo and Marukyu Koyamaen. For a more affordable option, Ito En has great matcha perfect for desserts and lattes. Always go for loose powder rather than pre-mixed matcha packets, as those often have added sugars or artificial flavors. And remember: the greener and brighter the powder, the better the quality. Avoid matcha that looks dull or brownish—it’ll taste flat and stale.

How to Make a Matcha Bubble Tea

Here’s what you’ll need to make a matcha bubble tea:

• Tapioca pearls
• Water
• Honey or sugar
• Milk
• Matcha tea powder
• Water
• Ice

Matcha Bubble Tea Recipe

1. Boil tapioca pearls. Boil tapioca pearls and water in a medium-sized pot on high heat for 2 minutes, then bring it to a simmer on medium heat. Simmer the pearls, covered, for 20 minutes or until soft and chewy.
2. Soak tapioca pearls. Drain the boiled tapioca pearls and add them to a mixture of dissolved sugar and water. Let the boba and sugar syrup come to a gentle simmer, then turn the heat off and let the boba soak for 10-15 minutes or until sweet.
3. Whisk matcha. Whisk matcha powder and water in a zigzag motion in a bowl using a bamboo whisk until a froth forms. You can also shake in a lidded jar or bottle.
4. Assemble drink. Add sweetened boba, ice, and milk into a separate cup, then top with the whisked matcha.
5. Mix and enjoy!

Other Bubble Tea Flavors

Bubble tea is amazing because you can customize it to your taste and pick from dozens of flavors and tea combinations. So, if you want to try something beyond matcha, here are some great bubble tea flavor options:

• Classic black milk tea with boba
• Roasted oolong milk tea with brown sugar boba
• Jasmine green milk tea with boba
• Honey jasmine bubble tea
• Fresh fruit smoothie with boba
• Fresh fruit green tea with boba
• Red velvet milk tea with boba
• Matcha brown sugar boba
• Earl grey milk tea with boba
• Tiger milk tea

Tips

Here are some tips for making a delicious matcha bubble tea at home!

• Use instant boba to save time! You can find instant boba at any Asian grocery store, and they come in small packets you put in the microwave. In 2 minutes, you have soft and chewy boba!
• Use different sweeteners to flavor your boba! Brown sugar and honey are extremely popular sweeteners for tapioca pearls and make for a yummy drink.
• You can make this drink into a smoothie by blending the ice and matcha latte together, then pouring it into a cup with boba.