Boba Milk Tea Mochi Recipe To Make at Home!

Boba milk tea mochi is a fun version of daifuku with a sweet milk tea filling. If you've tried store-bought versions and feel like it didn't hit the spot, we've got a home recipe for you!

We've taste-tested most of the popular brands and came up with our own version. In our boba milk tea mochi recipe, you can choose anything you want to put in it.

So continue reading if you want to have a go at making this yummy treat! We promise it'll taste much better than the store-bought one.

What is boba milk tea mochi made of?

Boba milk tea mochi is made of glutinous rice flour wrapped around bubble tea paste. 

The paste is usually a mixture of sword beans, black tea powder and brown sugar. Bite open the daifuku, and there's a tapioca core hidden inside. Pillowy and smooth, each one is about the size of an adult thumb. 

Boba milk tea mochi review

There are several popular brands that you'll find while shopping. Our favourite boba mochi has to be Bamboo House's bubble tea mochi. If you're not in the mood to make your own at home, here are a few we've tried and a review of them.

Yuki and love

Yuki and love boba milk tea mochi is from Taiwan. It has a bold flavour and tastes exactly like the drink. The skin texture is soft and chewy.

It's labelled in Chinese as 'Quan Shu', which means it is vegan! So if you're vegan, stick to Yuki and love boba mochi.

Royal Family

Next up is bubble milk tea mochi from Royal Family. This dessert has a fragrant milk tea bean paste. But what makes it unique is the brown sugar inner core.

So it's a layered flavour sensation of bubble tea, brown sugar and thin rice flour! Royal Family bubble tea mochi is a good choice for those who prefer a stronger flavour. 

Bamboo House

Another Taiwanese brand, Bamboo House. The small treats are a perfect size and is not too sweet.

Its subtle sweetness makes the treat perfectly balanced. Additionally, the texture is also soft and chewy.

Costco

This Costco Boba Milk Tea mochi has a soft, squishy texture. The outside is slightly powdery, whilst the inside is rich and sweet. There's a mild taste of brown sugar. 

While the packaging shows a tapioca pearl inside, we could not taste much of it since there is a lot of filling. However, if enjoyed frozen, it tastes very refreshing even without the pearl. 

Nestle boba milk tea

Nestle boba milk tea mochi is a trendy product that has taken Southeast Asia by storm. Open the packet and find a single ball of daifuku ice cream. Inside, there is a dense core of brown sugar syrup and brown sugar pearls. A thin skin made of rice flour encases the wagashi.

It's very sticky sweet, as is typical of ice cream. But the brown sugar pearls are smaller than average-sized boba milk tea mochi. As a result, each bite tastes light and refreshing, and it's a very different sensation from your usual store-bought dessert. 

If you prefer to try making a similar version, use our recipe for mochi ice cream and boba ice cream to recreate your version at home! 

Out of all the ones above, our favourite is Bamboo House's bubble milk tea mochi. Its filling is not too sweet, and it tastes fresh. The skin is also bouncy, which makes it very pleasant to chew. 

Boba milk tea mochi calories

Each piece of boba milk tea mochi contains around 150-200 calories. However, this may change depending on the size of each piece, and the amount of sugar added.

Bubble milk tea mochi ingredients

Here's the list of boba milk tea mochi ingredients you will need first:

• Glutinous rice flour such as Shiratamako and Mochiko 
• Tea and milk (or milk tea powder)
• White bean paste
• Cane sugar or brown sugar
• Cornstarch 

Glutinous Rice Flour

Shiratamako and Mochiko are both glutinous rice flour types. So, you'll find them used interchangeably in daifuku recipes.

We recommend using Shiratamako if possible. As the flour absorbs water faster, the rice cake will usually turn out plumper. However, if you cannot find shiratamako, use mochiko for boba milk tea mochi instead. Just add less water. Made from short-grain glutinous rice, both flours do not have any gluten.

The two types of flours also differ in textural properties when cooked. Shiratamako is sticky and chewy. Therefore, its consistency makes it more suitable for thickening gravies. Moreover, this stickiness makes it perfect for Asian desserts.

You can use bubble milk tea powder if you're looking for an easy way to get the flavour for the boba milk tea mochi filling. Using the powder means you do not have to brew your own. 

White Bean Paste

Shiroan is the Japanese name for White Bean Paste. It is a smooth sweet white paste made from lima beans, also known as butter beans.

White Bean Paste is a standard filling for Japanese confectionary. The paste has a mild taste, making it a great alternative to red bean paste if you want something more subtle!

However, if you prefer to use red bean paste, feel free! Everything is really up to your preference. 

You can also check out our microwave mochi recipe to make this dessert.

Is bubble milk tea mochi halal?

Bubble milk tea mochi is halal. Many people think the tapioca pearls inside the dessert are made of gelatin. But these pearl balls are made from seaweed extract, also known as agar. So this is a halal product.

Many assume that since boba originated from Taiwan before spreading to Southeast Asia, it is not halal. But since Southeast Asia has a sizeable Muslim population, many products have been created for this market or tweaked to suit their needs. 

Therefore, yes! This confectionery is halal, including the skin of the wagashi too! 

Is it vegan? 

Unfortunately, most store-bought bubble milk tea mochi is not vegan.

To be vegan, it must not have dairy or other animal products. But most manufacturers will add diary into the dessert-making process to get a creamy core. But you do not have to do so if you want a vegan option.

The way of making this wagashi is to soak the rice flour with water, then steam and pound it into a sticky state. Many retailers use milk for a denser taste, but it still works if you don't.

You can skip this step or substitute the dairy with almond or coconut milk to make it vegan. For the tea, you can brew black tea instead and sweeten it with vegan substitutes.  

If you feel this might make the dessert too watery, you can use red beans, matcha paste or fruits to fill the wagashi. This creates a dense inner core, so you will not even notice that the confectionary tastes less creamy. 

How to store

When you want to store your boba milk tea mochi, keep them individually wrapped to keep them fresh.

They do not taste good at room temperature after one day. So, store them in the freezer or keep them in a cool, dry place.

The tapioca pearls will harden after three days. If you do not want that to happen, make sure you consume them within three days. 

For the ice cream, you can store it in an airtight container for up to a week. 

How to eat boba milk tea mochi

You can consume boba milk tea mochi all in one bite. But if you like, some matcha tea is an excellent pairing to offset the sweetness.

We hope you like your boba milk tea mochi! If you want more Asian dessert inspiration, follow Honest Food Talks on Instagram @honestfoodtalks!