Strawberry milk tea is the fruity, creamy, and refreshing popular boba shop drink that you need! This strawberry bubble tea, made with fresh strawberries, jasmine green tea, and milk, will be your next go-to pink drink for the summer.
Strawberry milk tea is the fruity, creamy, and refreshing popular boba shop drink that you need! This strawberry bubble tea, made with fresh strawberries, jasmine green tea, and milk, will be your next go-to pink drink for the summer.
The warmer months quickly approaching and this means fresh, plump, juicy, and sweet strawberries are in season! If you have a plethora of strawberries in the fridge and need to use them ASAP this recipe is for you.
You can make this strawberry boba tea with fresh strawberries, jasmine green tea, milk, and simple syrup for the perfect treat yourself drink to sip poolside. This strawberry milk tea recipe is the fruity and delicious treat that you need to brighten up your week. If you are looking for more boba shop favorites, check out my taro milk tea, mango green tea, jasmine milk tea, and brown sugar milk tea!
This strawberry milk tea boba is made with fresh strawberries, floral jasmine green tea, milk, and brown sugar boba for the ultimate refreshing drink!
This recipe features step-by-step photos and tips and tricks to guide you along the way.
You can make this strawberry bubble tea recipe inadvance and have it ready whenever you have a craving for strawberry milk tea!
Kitchen Equipment
This strawberry milk tea recipe only requires a few standard kitchen equipment.
Saucepan: you will need a small saucepan to cook down the strawberry compote.
Rubber Spatula: you will need a rubber spatula to mix and lightly smash the strawberry compote.
Skimmer: you will need a skimmer to skim off the white/light pink bubbles on the top layer of the strawberry compote.
Kettle or Saucepan: you will need an electric kettleor a saucepan with a thermometer to measure the heat of the water.
Mixing Bowl: you will use a mixing bowl to steep the boba in the brown sugar syrup.
Spider strainer: you will need a spider strainer to scoop up all the boba pearls.
Ingredients
You can make this strawberry milk tea recipe with a few pantry staple ingredients that can be found at your local grocery store. My strawberry bubble tea recipe is broken down into three parts 1) strawberry compote, 2) strawberry milk tea and 3)brown sugar boba.
Strawberry Compote
Strawberries: Fresh strawberries are the best to work with when it comes to slicing the strawberries into smaller chunks.
GranulatedSugar: adding the sugar will give the drink that extra boost of sweetness if the strawberries are not fully ripe or in season. Also, the sugar acts as a binding and thickening agent. Make sure to taste the strawberry compote as it cooks to get your desired level of sweetness.
Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice cuts the sweetness of the sugar while also naturally complementing the strawberry flavor. I suggest adding the lemon juice once the strawberries and sugar have cooked down and tasting to get your desired sweetness level. The amount of lemon juice varies by the sweetness of the strawberries you use.
Vanilla Extract: vanilla extract adds an extra layer of depth you can’t achieve with sugar alone.
Strawberry Milk Tea
Hot Water: you will need hot water for both the tea and the brown sugar syrup that you steep your boba pearls in. For best results, you will need a kettle that can measure the heat of the water or a thermometer.
Jasmine Green Tea:Jasmine green teais the star of this jasmine milk tea. So I recommend buying a good quality Jasmine green tea. My favorite tea is Rishi Jasmine green tea. It has beautiful floral notes.
Milk: for authentic milk tea, use whole or 2% milk. If you are lactose intolerant like me, I always reach for Lactaid whole milk. For alternatives see below.
Simple Syrup: simple syrup is very simple to make hence the name. You will need to cook 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and 1/2 cup of water in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Strawberry pieces: finely diced fresh strawberry pieces brighten up the strawberry boba tea.
Brown Sugar Boba
Boba Pearls: you can find dried boba pearls online or at your local Asian grocery store. I recommend either making your boba from scratch or using boba that is not instant for the best tasting results.
Granulated Sugar: sweetens the boba pearls
Dark Brown Sugar: creates the brown sugar flavor for the brown sugar boba.
Substitutions and Additions
This is your strawberry boba tea. That means you can substitute some of the ingredients based on your dietary preferences.
Substitutions
Milk: you can substitute the whole milk for your milk of choice such as oat milk, almond milk, soy milk, etc. This may alter the flavor of the milk tea so you may need to adjust the sweetness accordingly.
Simple syrup: you can substitute simple syrup for a sweetener of your choice such as honey, agave, or simply sugar.
Brown Sugar: for the boldest brown sugar flavor, I recommend using dark brown sugar or dark brown turbinado sugar which has a rich molasses taste.
Additions
Strawberry Compote: you can add additional ingredients to your strawberry jam such as basil, rhubarb, and balsamic vinegar for a more complex flavor!
How to Make Strawberry Milk Tea
This strawberry milk tea recipe made with Jasmine green tea and fresh strawberry compote is the fruity boba drink that you deserve. You can make this strawberry boba tea by following the steps and tips and tricks below.
Strawberry Compote
Prepare the strawberries. Rinse and cut the stems off 1 lb of strawberries. Using a pairing knife, dice the strawberries into small pieces.
Cook down the strawberries. In a small saucepan, mix together the strawberries, sugar, lemon, and vanilla extract on medium-high heat until the strawberries release their juices and begin to boil for about 6-8 minutes. After it boils, turn down the heat to medium and simmer for 10-15 min stirring and smashing the strawberries occasionally with a rubber spatula until the strawberries cook down and thicken. Skim the foam that rises to the top layer with a skimmer spoon.
Chill. Transfer to a small bowl and chill the strawberry sauce in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes or in the freezer for 15 minutes or until cooled.
Brown Sugar Boba
Prepare the boba. Prepare your boba based on your boba packaging. If using non-instant boba, simmer the boba for 25 min. covered. Then, remove from heat and let the boba sit in the saucepan covered for another 25 min and then drain.
Steep the boba. In a heat-proof bowl, mix 1/2 cup hot water, 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar and carefully steep in boiled boba for 30 min.
Assemble
Brew the Jasmine green tea. Steep the Jasmine green tea in the hot 175°F or 79°C water for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until cooled.
Make strawberry milk tea. In a large mixing bowl or pitcher, mix together 2 cups Jasmine green tea, 2 cups milk, 1/4 cup simple syrup, and 1/2 cup strawberry compote until combined. You can adjust the sweetness by adding more strawberry compote or simple syrup
Assemble. In a tall glass, add boba, ice, and 1-2 tablespoons of freshly diced strawberries. Then top with strawberry milk tea and enjoy!
Tips for the Best Strawberry Milk Tea
Dice the strawberries. To achieve the best consistency avoid using a blender. Using a blender will make the sauce overly watery and will not bind and thicken as well as dicing into small pieces.
Skim the white frothy layer when cooking the strawberry compote: skimming the white/light pink frothy layer will yield a more beautiful and deep red compote instead of a muddied less flavorful one with all the air bubbles.
Chill the strawberry compote. This will thicken the strawberry compote and ultimately add more flavor to the strawberry boba tea.
Steep the jasmine tea in 175°F or 79°C water. This is the optimal temperature for jasmine tea which brings out its flavors without burning the tea leaves creating overly bitter results.
This strawberry bubble tea recipe makes 2 cups. You can double or triple the recipe if you want to make this for larger groups of people.
You can change the sugar level. Just like in a boba shop, you can adjust the sugar level of this strawberry milk tea recipe by adding more or less simple syrup or strawberry compote.
Storage Instructions
You can store the strawberry compote in an airtight container separately for up to 2 weeks.
If you had already mixed strawberry milk tea together, you can store it in the refrigerator without the boba for up to 3 days.
For the steeped boba, it is best served immediately. You cannot store already cooked boba for more than 2 hours on the counter. It will disintegrate and become mushy after 2 hours.
Frequently Asked Q’s & A’s
What does strawberry milk tea boba taste like?
This strawberry bubble tea recipe tastes like strawberries and cream in a refreshing drink. The milk adds a creamy flavor to the strawberry compote while the jasmine green tea adds a slight bitterness that balances out the sweetness of the other ingredients. And the brown sugar boba adds a fun bouncy brown sugar-flavored chew at the end of each sip.
What is strawberry milk tea made of?
This strawberry boba tea recipe is made with floral jasmine green tea, milk, and freshly diced strawberries that are cooked down with sugar, vanilla, and a hint of lemon. It can also be sweetened with simple syrup or honey.
Can strawberry milk tea boba be made vegan?
Yes. You can use substitute any vegan dairy-free milk of your choice to make this strawberry bubble tea recipe.
Can I substitute the sugar?
Yes. For sugar alternatives, you can use honey, condensed milk, or a sweetener of your choice.
Strawberry milk tea is the fruity, creamy, and refreshing popular boba shop drink that you need! This strawberry bubble tea, made with fresh strawberries, jasmine green tea, and milk, will be your next go-to pink drink for the summer.
Prepare the strawberries. Rinse and cut the stems off 1 lb of strawberries. Using a pairing knife, dice the strawberries into small pieces.
Cook down the strawberries. In a small saucepan, mix together the strawberries, sugar, lemon and vanilla extract on medium high heat until the strawberries release their juices and begins to boil, about 6-8 minutes. After it boils, turn down the heat to medium and simmer for 10-15 min stirring and smashing the strawberries occasionally with a rubber spatula until the strawberries cook down and thickens. Skim the foam that rises to the top layer with a skimmer spoon.
Chill. Transfer to a small bowl and chill the strawberry sauce in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes or in the freezer for 15 minutes or until cooled.
Brown Sugar Boba
Prepare the boba. Prepare your boba based on your boba packaging. If using non-instant boba, simmer the boba for 25 min. covered. Then, remove from heat and let the boba sit in the saucepan covered for another 25 min and then drain.
Steep the boba. In a heat proof bowl, mix 1/2 cup hot water, 1/2 cup dark brown sugar and 1/2 cup granulated sugar and carefully steep in boiled boba for 30 min.
Assemble
Brew the Jasmine green tea. Steep the Jasmine green tea in the hot 175°F or 79°C water for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until cooled.
Make strawberry milk tea. In a large mixing bowl or pitcher, mix together 2 cups Jasmine green tea, 2 cups milk, 1/4 cup simple syrup and 1/2 cup strawberry compote until combined. You can adjust the sweetness by adding more strawberry compote or simple syrup
Assemble. In a tall glass, add boba, ice and 1-2 tablespoons freshly diced strawberries. Then top with strawberry milk tea and enjoy!
Notes
Dice the strawberries. To achieve the best consistency avoid using a blender. Using a blender will make the sauce overly watery and will not bind and thicken as well as dicing into small pieces.
Skim the white frothy layer when cooking the strawberry compote: skimming the white/light pink frothy layer will yield a more beautiful and deep red compote instead of a muddied less flavorful one with all the air bubbles.
Chill the strawberry compote. This will thicken the strawberry compote and ultimately add more flavor to the strawberry boba tea.
Steep the jasmine tea in 175°F or 79°C water. This is the optimal temperature for jasmine tea which brings out its flavors without burning the tea leaves creating overly bitter results.
This strawberry bubble tea recipe makes 2 cups. You can double or triple the recipe if you want to make this for larger groups of people.
You can change the sugar level. Just like in a boba shop, you can adjust the sugar level of this strawberry milk tea recipe by adding more or less simple syrup or strawberry compote.
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