One sip of our passion fruit bubble tea recipe, and you'll be blown away by its sweet and tart flavours combined with chewy tapioca pearls. Add passion fruit popping pearls, and you have an even more refreshing drink.
Our passion fruit boba tastes sweet and tart, with a mellow floralness from green tea. Our fruity bubble tea recipe uses a strong brewed green tea base, but you can skip this and keep it with a pure fruit base.
With only three ingredients, our recipe is easy to make at home in 5 steps.
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Passion Fruit Bubble Tea Ingredients
Here are the passion fruit boba ingredients you'll need for our recipe:
- Passion Fruit
- Hot water
- Green tea (or black)
- Tapioca pearls or other boba topping
- Milk (optional)
- Sweetener (optional)
- Ice cubes (optional)
Passion fruit boba is made with fresh passion fruit juice and green tea or black tea. The juice is mixed with tapioca pearls and other ingredients to create the perfect blend of flavours and textures. These additional ingredients may include sugar, honey, milk, and other flavourings.
Tapioca pearls are usually coated in a sweet brown sugar syrup mixture before being added to the drink. Although milk is not mandatory in this boba drink, many people prefer to add it for flavour and richness.
Passion Fruit
Real fruit, juice, concentrated puree, or frozen have pros and cons. For real fruit, you need about 1½ to 2 fruits per 1 serving of 200 ml cup. If you want a stronger flavour, you can use more fresh fruit. However, from our experience, 1½ to 2 fruits is a good amount.
Using real fruit is our favourite option because it provides the most authentic taste. There's also not a lot of prep work. You just need to cut the fruit and then puree it by pressing against a fine mesh sieve to extract the juice.
Alternatively, you can use passion fruit juice and puree (½ cup). These options are much more convenient, and they still taste great. However, they may contain added sugars or preservatives that can affect the overall taste of the passion fruit bubble tea.
Frozen fruit is also a good option, providing a good balance between convenience and taste. However, it may not be as fresh as the other options. Ultimately, this will depend on personal preference and what you can get.
Green Tea
For our fruity bubble tea recipe, we like to use Chinese green tea which is more floral and sweet. You either use loose leaves or tea bags. If you want to keep your boba caffeine free, you can skip this.
Most of the time, the only difference between green tea-based boba and a fruit-based passion fruit bubble tea is the concentration of green tea.
For a stronger fruit base, steep the green tea leaves for just 3-5 mins. If you want a stronger green tea base, you can steep it for up to 10 minutes longer. You don't need to use more tea bags if you're making just one serving. Don't steep the leaves in boiling water, as this will make them bitter.
However, different regions produce different types of green tea, each with its unique flavour profile. Japanese green tea, for example, tends to be more vegetal and grassy. You may also opt for a lighter, more delicate tea, like the white one. This will allow the flavours of the boba to shine through without being overpowered by the tea. However, if you like a stronger base, you can use Assam, which has a malty flavour.
Tapioca Pearls
One of the main advantages of using pre-made pearls or store-bought tapioca is that they are convenient and easy to use. If you follow the packet instructions, your pearls will be ready quickly.
Deciding whether to use pre-made or homemade tapioca pearls depends on personal preference. Ready-made pearls can be a good option if you are short on time or need more ingredients. However, making your pearls from scratch may be the way to go if you want to control the sweetness and texture.
Milk (Optional)
Firstly, you can opt for traditional whole milk, which adds a layer of creaminess. Alternatively, almond milk is popular among those who want to make our recipe dairy-free. It adds a nutty and slightly sweet taste to the mix. Another option is coconut milk, perfect for those who love tropical flavours.
Although milk is optional, adding it will take your passion fruit bubble tea to another level. Whichever type of milk you choose, make sure it complements the main tangy and sweet flavours, creating a delicious and enjoyable drink that will leave you refreshed and satisfied.
If you want to try alternative milk tea recipes, you can start with honeydew milk tea, which is very easy to make.
Sweetener (Optional)
One popular option is honey. Its distinct taste pairs well with the tangy flavour of the passion base. You can use raw or regular honey, depending on your preference.
Another sweetener option is agave nectar. Agave nectar is a natural sweetener that's derived from the agave plant. It also has a mild taste that won't overpower the flavour of the passion fruit bubble tea.
You can certainly use regular granulated sugar to sweeten this drink. However, we recommend making a simple syrup to avoid just pouring the rough sugar granules into the drink. You can easily do this by dissolving sugar in water in a 1:1 ratio in a small pot under low heat until it becomes a thick slurry.
Alternatively, use stevia if you're looking for a zero-calorie sweetener option. Stevia is a natural sweetener that's made from the leaves of the stevia plant.
It's much sweeter than sugar, so you only need to use a small amount. However, stevia has a slightly bitter aftertaste, so it's best used in small quantities to avoid overpowering the flavour of the passion fruit.
Passion Fruit Boba Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup hot water
- 1 bag green tea or black tea
- 1-2 passion fruit
- 2-3 tablespoon tapioca pearls
- ice optional
- 3 tablespoon milk optional
Cooking Instructions
- Steep the green tea in hot water for 5 minutes or 10 minutes for a stronger brew.
- Cut the passion fruit in half. Scoop out the fruit's pulp into a fine mesh sieve, and press on it to extract the juice into a glass. Extract as much juice as possible. You will reach a point where you cannot extract any more juice, but there seems to be some pulp still stuck to the seeds.
- Once the tea is ready, pour the remaining pulp and seeds into the tea. Stir to mix. Then, pour the tea into the juice glass while filtering the pulp and seeds. You have now made passion fruit tea. Allow it to cool on the side.
- Cook the tapioca pearl according to packaging instructions. Once ready, submerge it in ice water for 1 minutes before putting aside.
- To assemble the drink, first put in the tapioca pearls into the glass, followed by ice, passion fruit tea. Then add any optional sweetener of choice and milk.
Recipe Notes
- In the final step, you can add a milk of your choice. This milk adds flavour and sweetness to the boba. You can also just omit the milk.
- You will see some curdling because of the acidic nature of passion fruit juice. But don't worry about it as it won't affect the taste. Just make sure to stir the drink before drinking.
- Cooked boba will last 4 to 6 hours. After that, they don't keep well in storage and will become harder as they cool.
- If you are going for a fruit-based boba, you may add mango, strawberry, lychee, and more.
- You can also use additional ingredients like sugar, honey, and syrup for extra sweetness.
Nutrition
Calories have been calculated using an online calculator. Nutritional information offered on Honest Food Talks is for general information purposes and is only a rough estimate.
Using Passion Fruit Syrup
You can use passion fruit syrup to make our fruity boba recipe instead of juice or fresh fruit.
You'll need roughly 40 ml of passion fruit syrup for one drink. You can either buy this or make your own. To make your own passion fruit syrup, simmer 1 cup of passion fruit pulp with 1 cup of sugar and water until it thickens for 5 minutes.
How to make passion fruit boba pearls
You'll need passion juice, sugar, water, and tapioca starch to make fruit-infused pearls. First, mix the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Then, add the juice and stir until it's well combined.
Next, add the tapioca starch and stir until it forms a dough-like consistency. Roll the dough into small balls and boil until they float to the top. Drain the boba pearls and rinse them with cold water before adding them to your boba tea. These will have the same chewiness but a hint of sweetness.
How to make passion fruit popping pearls
Passion fruit popping pearls are a great boba topping alternative to black tapioca pearls for a few reasons. Firstly, they add a burst of flavour to your boba tea. The pre-made popping pearls are filled with juice, and when you bite into them, they release a burst of flavour that complements the tea.
Secondly, they're a more visually appealing topping than black tapioca pearls. The bright orange colour of the passion fruit popping pearls adds a pop of colour to your drink, making it more Instagram-worthy. And finally, they're a healthier alternative to black tapioca pearls.
Passion fruit boba pearls are made with real fruit juice and contain less sugar than traditional boba pearls. Ultimately, these pearls are a great way to switch up your popping boba game and add some tropical flair to your passion fruit bubble tea.
Fruity Boba Variations
Passion fruit bubble tea is a delicious and refreshing way to enjoy your cup of tea. However, you can customise your boba by adding more fruit like mango or strawberry. You can add these flavours to the tea base or as toppings, making either a mango passion fruit boba or strawberry-passion fruit boba. This is a great way to customise your drink and add flavour.
Other great options include sliced lychee, honeydew, and even chopped kiwi. There are many fun fruit choices to make your perfect fruity boba, so don't be afraid to experiment with different combinations until you find your favourite.
Whether you're a fan of tartness or prefer a more subtle flavour, there's something out there that can help take your drink to the next level. If you want to explore more fruit-based teas, you can try mango boba tea. Aside from that, another boba variation worth trying is lychee bubble tea.
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