Refreshing, light, smooth, and creamy, Mango Boba Tea is a dreamy drink you can enjoy any time of day. It's made with just a handful of ingredients and is surprisingly easy to make. Naturally gluten-free and dairy-free and perfect for the whole family!
This post is sponsored by Chef's Choice. All opinions are my own.
Table of contents
What is Boba Tea?
Also called bubble tea or milk tea, boba tea is a drink that is made with sweetened boba, green or black tea, milk, and often a fruit or other flavor.
Boba are large tapioca pearls that are tender, chewy, and mildly sweet. They are often soaked in simple syrup before being added to bubble tea. The tea is often mixed with milk, fruit, or other flavor, and poured over the boba.
Milk tea is served cold; either poured over ice or blended with cold or frozen fruit. Common flavors for boba tea are strawberry, brown sugar, avocado, lychee, honeydew, and mango. You can also make green, matcha, or black milk tea.
Why You'll Love This Mango Bubble Tea Recipe
- Simple. Just boil the boba, soak it in simple syrup, and blend up the 3-ingredient mango puree, and this mango tea boba is all yours!
- Fun. If popping into the boba shop is your or your children's idea of a treat, this mango boba milk tea will be a fun recipe to make together.
- Budget-Friendly. As much fun as they are to make, trips to the boba shop can take a toll on the pocketbook. Save money but still enjoy all the classic flavor by making boba with mango at home!
- Sweet and Fresh. Silky fresh mango blends with creamy and rich coconut milk for a sweet puree you won't be able to get enough of!
Ingredients
All you need is water and these five ingredients to make this refreshing mango green tea boba. Easy-peasy and so delicious!
- Mango: Choose mangoes that give when pressed gently but firmly with the heel of your thumb. Look for Ataulfo mangoes (also known as Champagne or Honey mangoes), Alphonso mangoes, or whichever type of sweet and juicy mangoes you can find at your local grocery store.
- Boba Pearls: Large tapioca balls are the star of this mango boba drink. Find boba pearls in Asian markets or on Amazon.
- Green Jasmine Tea: Fresh brew your own jasmine tea (see my notes below) or use a bottled variety.
- Brown Sugar: Mixes with hot water to create a brown sugar simple syrup.
- Coconut Milk: Canned, full-fat coconut milk provides richness and depth of flavor to the recipe. Light coconut milk can be substituted in a pinch, though the mango boba milk tea will likely not be as rich and creamy.
How to Make Mango Boba
Though it may appear intimidating, mango bubble tea is actually quite simple to make. Just follow these few easy steps and you'll be sipping your own mango boba tea in no time!
Step 1: Boil the water in a medium pot. Add the tapioca pearls. Once the tapioca is floating, cover the pot and turn the heat down to medium-low heat and cook for 3 minutes.
Step 2: Keeping the pot covered, turn the heat off and let the tapioca continue to cook for another 2 minutes.
Step 3: Drain the tapioca and rinse with cold water.
Step 4: Add the brown sugar and hot water to a bowl and mix until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Step 5: Add the cooked tapioca pearls to the syrup and stir. Move the mixture to the refrigerator until ready to use.
Step 6: Add the coconut milk, mango, and jasmine green tea to a blender. Blend until smooth.
Step 7: Divide the tapioca into 2 glasses and pour the mango milk tea over it. Add ice cubes if desired. Serve immediately!
Recipe Success Tips
- Using Frozen Mango. Make boba tea with frozen mango instead of fresh. The frozen fruit can make the mango puree thicker. So, if using it, blend in additional coconut milk by the tablespoon, or until the mango puree is smooth and thin enough to sip.
- How to Brew Green Tea. Brew green jasmine tea by steeping a tea bag in water heated to just before boiling, or to 175 or 180°F for 2-3 minutes. After 3 minutes, remove the tea bag from the water and use it in the recipe as directed.
- Soaking the Boba in Brown Sugar Simple Syrup. Boba pearls on their own are mildly flavored and sweetened. Soak them in the brown sugar simple syrup for at least 5-10 minutes to enhance their sweetness.
- Serve the Bubble Tea with Wide Straws. Both kids and adults alike enjoy sucking up the large tapioca pearls. Find wide straws on Amazon, Target, or at your local Asian grocer.
Recipe Variations
- Make It Extra Cool and Frosty. For an extra refreshing boba mango tea, blend a few ice cubes with the mango, coconut milk, and tea. Alternatively, you can also stir a few ice cubes into the mango puree before pouring over the boba pearls.
- Make It Tropical. Blend half pineapple and half mango with coconut milk for an extra tropical take on milk tea!
- Use Mango Popping Boba. Add extra mango flavor and a fun popping boba experience by using popping boba. This type of boba can be purchased on Amazon and doesn't require any boiling, making preparation even quicker!
Storage Directions
- Storage: This drink is best served fresh, as cooked boba pearls get tough when stored. To make a single serving of this drink, just divide the ingredients in half and make the recipe as directed.
Dietary Adaptations
This recipe is naturally gluten-free, vegan, and dairy-free. To make it processed sugar-free, substitute coconut sugar for brown sugar and follow the recipes as directed.
To make nut-free mango milk tea, substitute oat milk or soy milk for coconut milk and follow the recipe as directed.
FAQs
Classic boba pearls are made from tapioca starch, sugar, and water.
Jasmine green tea is naturally low in caffeine. One cup of the tea has approximately 20 to 60 mg of caffeine. Divided between the two servings of milk tea, that equals out to only 24-30 mg of caffeine per glass of this mango boba recipe!
Yes, classic boba balls are vegan. Though they are chewy and gelatinous, they are not made with gelatin, making them plant-based friendly.
Tools Needed to Make This Recipe
More Fruit Recipes
Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you loved this Mango Boba Tea recipe as much as I do. For more mouth-watering dairy-free, gluten-free, and/or vegan dessert inspiration, make sure to follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also get all of my newest content delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for my email newsletter — I promise not to spam you!
Mango Boba Tea
Ingredients
Tapioca
- ½ cup boba tapioca pearls
- 4 cups water
Syrup
- 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons hot water
Mango Milk Tea
- 1½ cups mango chunks fresh or frozen (see notes)
- ⅓ cup Nature's Charm coconut milk
- ⅔ cup jasmine green tea fresh brewed or bottled
Instructions
Tapioca
- Boil the water in a medium pot. Add the tapioca pearls. Once the tapioca are floating, cover the pot and turn the heat down to medium-low heat and cook for 3 minutes.
- Keeping the pot covered, turn the heat off and let the tapioca continue to cook for another 2 minutes.
- Drain the tapioca and rinse with cold water.
Syrup
- Add the brown sugar and hot water to a bowl and mix until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Add the cooked tapioca pearls to the syrup and stir. Move the mixture to the refrigerator until ready to use.
Mango Milk Tea
- In a blender, add all the ingredients and blend until smooth.
- Divide the tapioca into 2 glasses and pour the mango milk tea over it. Add ice cubes if desired.
Notes
- Mango: This boba tea can be made with fresh or frozen mango. Frozen can make the mango puree thicker. If using it, blend in additional coconut milk by the tablespoon, or until the mango puree is smooth and thin enough to sip.
- Storage: This drink is best served fresh, as cooked boba pearls get tough when stored. To make a single serving of this drink, just divide the ingredients in half and make the recipe as directed.
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