How to Make Tapioca Pearls (Boba)

These tapioca pearls aren’t difficult to make, but they require time and patience. Grab someone to help you make the boba or put on a good TV show in the background.In the ingredients section, I grouped the ingredients based on the different colors of pearls. I used a scale to measure the ingredients during recipe testing, so use a scale if you have one. This recipe yields about 1 cup of raw pearls. You can double the recipe to make a larger batch, but it’ll take a long time to shape all the pearls.Cooked pearls can harden relatively quickly, so only cook as much as you think you’ll need in a few hours. Don’t bother refrigerating the boba because it won’t cut down the cooking time significantly. Freeze any uncooked raw pearls for up to 6 months.The directions below are for making and cooking tapioca pearls. To assemble a bubble tea, you’ll need to make sugar syrup and brew some tea, both of which you can make a day ahead. See notes 1 and 2 for more directions.