Honeydew Bubble Tea

This honeydew bubble tea is the perfect cool and refreshing drink for the summer made with fresh honeydew and chewy tapioca boba pearls.

Jump to:

• Why you'll love this recipe
• Tools you'll need
• Ingredients
• How to make honeydew bubble tea
• Storage
• Tips & tricks
• Frequently asked questions
• More bubble tea recipes to try
• Recipe

I'm something of a bubble tea connoisseur myself and this honeydew boba is one of my favourite drinks for the warmer months. It's light, fruity, and doesn't feel heavy at all!

The blended honeydew milk is easy to make and just tastes like juice with a slight richness from the milk. It's so good and quick to whip up at home - you have to try it if you haven't before!

Why you'll love this recipe

• This drink is so refreshing and cooling! Perfect for the warmer months.
• It's so easy to make! The hardest part is waiting for the boba pearls to cook.
• The recipe is very customizable to your liking. Just like placing an order at a bubble tea shop, you can change the amount of sugar, adjust the amount of ice, and use your favourite kind of milk, especially if you're lactose intolerant or vegan.

Tools you'll need

Aside from basic tools like a pot, drinking glasses, and utensils, you'll also need these specific items to make this recipe.

• Blender - You can use any full-sized blender you have on hand. I personally use a Vitamix blender but any blender will do. It doesn't need to be particularly powerful unless you're also blending in ice to make a slush. If you're using a personal-sized bullet blender, you will need to separate the ingredients and blend them in batches.
• Bubble tea straws - You'll need straws that have a large opening for the boba pearls to fit through. I'd recommend picking up some reusable stainless steel bubble tea straws or glass straws.

Ingredients

• Tapioca boba pearls - You'll need large uncooked tapioca boba pearls. You can usually find them in Asian grocery stores in vacuum-sealed packaging.
• Brown sugar - This is for the brown sugar syrup that will coat the boba pearls. Tapioca pearls themselves don't have much flavour so this will give them sweetness and the caramelized flavour that you know and love about boba.
• Honeydew melon - You'll need about half a small, ripe honeydew melon. Cut it into rough chunks just so blending is easier.
• Granulated sugar - This gives sweetness to the drink. You can adjust the amount of sugar to your taste or skip it altogether if the brown sugar is enough sweetness for you or if your honeydew is very ripe and sweet.
• Milk - Use any dairy or non-dairy milk you prefer. I like using oat milk because it's thicker and creamier.
• Ice - Add as much or as little ice as you like.

How to make honeydew bubble tea

Cook tapioca pearls - Fill a medium pot about ⅔ full with water, cover, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add in all the tapioca pearls and stir immediately to prevent clumping. Boil for 15 minutes uncovered. After 15 minutes, cover the pot, remove it from the heat, and let it sit for another 15 minutes.

Make brown sugar syrup - Drain the water from the tapioca pearls and stir in the brown sugar while the pearls are still warm. Set aside.

Blend honeydew milk - To a blender, add honeydew chunks, sugar, and milk. Blend until smooth.

Put together the drink - To each serving glass, add about 100g of boba pearls with brown sugar syrup. Fill the glass about half full with ice. Fill the rest of the glass with the honeydew milk. Garnish with some extra honeydew chunks if desired. Stir well before enjoying!

Storage

This honeydew bubble tea is best served freshly made while the tapioca pearls are still warm. The pearls will harden over time as they get cold from the ice. If you can't drink it right away, you can keep it in the fridge for a few hours but keep in mind that the boba texture will be different.

Tips & tricks

• Use a ripe and sweet honeydew. Ripe honeydew will have a sweeter and stronger honeydew flavour which is what we want! If your honeydew isn't very green, you can also add a tiny bit of green food colouring if you'd like your drink to be green.
• Keep the boba pearls warm until you use them. Cover the cooked pearls to keep them warm and moist to prevent them from hardening and drying out.
• Blend in ice to make a slush. You can do this when blending the honeydew milk. If you make this drink a slush, be sure to serve it right away before it melts. This makes the drink even better when it's hot outside!
• Put together the drink right before serving. You can cook the tapioca pearls and make the honeydew milk ahead of time but keep them separate until you're ready to serve the drinks. This prevents the boba from hardening in the cold drink.
• Don't forget a bubble tea straw. This is obvious but you'd be surprised at how easily overlooked this can be. You'll need a straw with a wide opening that the large boba pearls can pass through.

Frequently asked questions

More bubble tea recipes to try

• Earl Grey Bubble Tea
• Sweet Potato Bubble Tea
• Strawberry Matcha Boba
• Brown Sugar Milk Boba
• Avocado Boba

Recipe