This brown sugar boba recipe only requires 3 simple ingredients to make a delicious cup of bubble tea right at home. With soft and chewy tapioca pearls soaked in a tea-infused brown sugar syrup, this sweet treat is guaranteed to brighten your day.

What is Brown Sugar Boba?
Brown sugar boba, also known as brown sugar bubble tea or brown sugar milk tea, is a popular Taiwanese drink that has taken the world by storm due to its irresistible flavors and eye-catching look.

Often referred to as “Tiger Sugar Milk Tea,” this iconic drink is famous for the tiger stripe effect created by drizzling brown sugar syrup into the milk, which then dissolves, blending the flavors perfectly.

In recent years, brown sugar milk tea has become my go-to order at bubble tea shops, even replacing my long-time love for regular milk tea.

The caramelized brown sugar adds such a rich sweetness to the milk, making each sip an incredibly satisfying treat for your taste buds.

While this drink is absolutely delicious, it can get pretty expensive if you have it regularly, not to mention the long wait times at bubble tea shops.

But here’s the good news: making brown sugar bubble tea at home is super easy, and it’s a fun activity to share with family or friends!

How to Make Brown Sugar Boba
There are plenty of ways to make brown sugar milk tea at home, and some recipes involve making tapioca pearls from scratch. But this one is the simplest. We’ll be using store-bought tapioca pearls, which we’ll cook in a tea-infused brown sugar syrup to make sure each pearl is packed with flavor.

Although the traditional recipe only calls for brown sugar syrup and milk, I found that adding tea to the syrup gives it a much deeper flavor, and it helps balance out the sweetness.

If you prefer a caffeine-free version, you can skip the tea and just use water to make the syrup, and it’ll be just as tasty!

What You’ll Need to Make Brown Sugar Boba
This recipe is incredibly easy, and you only need 3 basic ingredients from your pantry plus some milk. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Tapioca Pearls: Pre-made tapioca pearls are what we’ll use. You can find them online or at the Asian grocery store in the tea section. Just keep in mind that cooking times may vary depending on the brand, but they’ll only need a few minutes in boiling water to become soft and chewy again.
• Brown Sugar: I suggest using dark brown sugar for a richer caramel flavor in the syrup. If you have dark muscovado sugar, it’s a great substitute and adds an even bolder flavor.
• Black Tea: You can use any kind of black tea for this recipe. I used orange pekoe tea, but feel free to use your favorite loose-leaf tea or tea bags. If you want a caffeine-free version, just use water instead of tea to boil down the syrup.
• Milk: Both dairy and non-dairy milk work well for this recipe. 2% milk or oat milk will give you the creamiest results.

And that’s all you need to make your own brown sugar boba at home!

Can You Make This Drink Without the Tapioca Pearls?
If you’re not a fan of tapioca pearls, you can make the syrup on its own and just mix it with milk. You can also adjust the serving size to suit your needs. If you’re skipping the tapioca pearls, I recommend halving the recipe to make a smaller portion.

The syrup’s consistency is easy to adjust by changing the cooking time, but keep in mind that it will thicken slightly as it cools.

How to Serve Brown Sugar Boba
This recipe isn’t just simple; it’s also super versatile! There are so many ways to serve the sweet and chewy tapioca pearls.

In addition to making milk tea, you can also add the pearls to vanilla ice cream, cakes, or other desserts to give them a delicious caramel-boba twist.

If you’re as obsessed with boba as I am, I’m sure you’ll find even more creative ways to enjoy it!

I hope you love this easy bubble tea recipe. Feel free to message me on Instagram or drop a comment below if you have any questions. Happy boba-making! 💛