Almond Milk Tea Recipe (Warm or Iced with Boba)

Almond milk tea is a plant-based version of our favourite Asian boba drink. The nutty and lightly sweet flavour of the plant-based milk perfectly accompanies black tea's robust, malty taste. A match made in heaven, we say. 

Our almond milk tea recipe is sweet, creamy and dairy-free. We will show you the foundations of how to make this drink. Then, you can play around with other variations, such as adding boba to spice things up a little.

Jump to:

• Almond Milk Tea Ingredients
• Almond Milk Tea Recipe (Hot or Iced with Boba)
• Cooking Tips
• Almond Milk Tea Calories 
• Other variations

Almond Milk Tea Ingredients

The ingredients you'll need for our almond milk tea recipe are almond milk, black tea, and a sweetener.

Almond milk

We recommend using an unsweetened version since we will be adding sugar. However, if you use a sweetened version, reduce the sweetener you use by half. Otherwise, it may be too sweet.

This beverage is slightly more watery because the plant-based substitute contains less fat than other dairy products. You can also use the plant-based alternative as a dairy replacement for similar recipes, such as our taro bubble tea, honeydew milk tea, and Thai iced tea. 

Black tea

We recommend using a blend of Assam, Ceylon, and Oolong. However, if you can't find Ceylon or Oolong, you can also use 2 black tea bags for this recipe.

For 1 cup, we recommend brewing 4 g of Assam (2 tsp), 1 g of Ceylon (½ tsp), and 1g of oolong (½ tsp) for the base brew. This is the same blend we like to use for our classic bubble tea recipe, as it gives you a rich and strong taste.

Sweetener

We recommend using white sugar for ease of use. If you plan to make a cold drink, prepare a simple syrup by dissolving 1 part sugar in 1 part water.

Use zero-calorie sweeteners if you want to cut down on calories. Otherwise, use brown sugar for an earthy, caramel-like taste. A sweetener or syrup will enhance the overall flavour and deliciousness, so we don't recommend skipping this.

Tapioca pearls (optional)

We like to add tapioca pearls for a fun chew in our drink. However, this is entirely optional, and you can choose to remove it or add a different boba topping, such as crystal boba or grass jelly.

In our recipe, we use Wu Fu Yuan instant tapioca pearls, as these are quick to use. We typically add the tapioca pearls to boiling water and reduce the heat of the stove so that the water continues to simmer. Then, we allow the pearls to cook for 5 minutes before removing them from the hot water pot and placing them into an ice bath for 1 minute.

Cooking Tips

Here are some of our cooking tips for beginners making almond milk boba.

No tea

You can also make almond milk tea without the tea. If so, we recommend using brown sugar boba instead of normal tapioca pearls for added sweetness and texture. This will be similar to fresh milk drinks from boba stores.

Less caffeine

Black loose-leaf blends, typically used in this recipe, contain high amounts of caffeine. If you're worried about the amount of caffeine in this drink, you can reduce it by half, resulting in a milder brew.

Changing the type of loose-leaf blend

Replacing the black variety with a green or oolong loose-leaf blend will create a milder but more fragrant floral drink. Our favourite is oolong oolong milk tea using almonds.

Adding boba toppings

This drink first gained popularity when the famous boba chain from Taiwan added almond bubble milk tea to their menu. You can make this sweet beverage by simply adding boba to the base drink.

We recommend using the store-bought boba to whip this up quickly. But if you're going to make something from scratch, you can refer to our tapioca flour boba recipe. We also recommend using a boba kit if you're in the mood for DIY without much hassle.  

This version of the drink is very similar to the traditional, just less creamy and has a subtle nutty flavour. In addition, the chewy and bouncy boba balls bring extra delight to the drink.

Another topping that works with our recipe is a cream cheese foam top that adds a salty-sweet twist.

Almond Milk Tea Calories 

Following our recipe, this drink contains around 170 calories without boba pearls. However, the calories add up if you decide to add any additional syrups or boba toppings.

The popular brand Kung Fu almond milk tea has about 450 calories. So, our homemade version is more diet-friendly.

Other variations

Are you addicted to this drink's pleasant, nutty flavour and light creamy texture? You can experiment with other types of beverages. For example, adding frothy milk can turn it into a latte. Adding a few slices of ginger or a pinch of turmeric to your drink adds spice and warmth.

Want to impress your friends and family members with your culinary skills? Follow us on Instagram @honestfoodtalks for more exciting drinks and food recipes. Next, check out our recipe for rosehip milk tea, a fragrant and beautiful drink that pairs well with non-dairy milk ingredients.