How to cook boba in instant pot

Craving milk tea? Now you can easily make your favorite boba drink at home using the Instant Pot! It’s ready in minutes and requires only six ingredients!

How to cook boba in instant pot
Instant Pot Boba Milk Tea

  • 1 What you’ll need
  • 2 Quick Tip
  • 3 Making the tea
  • 4 How to serve
  • 5 Instant Pot Boba Milk Tea

Instant Pot is one of my favorite kitchen gadgets and I’m super excited to grow the number of pressure cooker recipes on the blog. And what better way to showcase the wonders of this small appliance than fun bubble milk tea?

If you frequent boba shops, you know how tapioca drinks can get pretty costly. But why spend $5 and up for a small cup when you can easily make your own at home?

How to cook boba in instant pot

The milk tea is ready in minutes and all you need are five simple ingredients. Six if you want it on ice.

What you’ll need

  • Tapioca Pearls- also called boba, they’re chewy, translucent balls made with cassava starch
  • Tea- while classic Taiwanese bubble milk tea traditionally uses black tea, you can also switch up the flavor with other tea varieties like earl grey, oolong, green tea, or jasmine.
  • Water- the recipe below uses a ratio of 1 tea bag per 1 cup of water. Adjust amount according to desired strength.
  • Sugar- feel free to swap with your preferred sweeteners such as brown sugar or honey.
  • Milk-adds creamy taste. You can substitute almond, oat, or cashew milk for a vegan alternative.
How to cook boba in instant pot

Quick Tip

Do not refrigerate the cooked tapioca pearls as they get harder and lose their chewiness when cold. If you want to chill the tea in the refrigerator, remove the boba and store separately in a simple syrup.

How to cook boba in instant pot

Making the tea

Make the tea stronger as the addition of milk will dilute the flavor. However, do not over “pressure cook” as this will extract too much tannin, resulting in a bitter and astringent taste.

For more tea flavor, you can increase the amount of tea bags per cup of water or use a more full-bodied black tea such as Assam, Yunnan, Ceylon, or English Breakfast.

How to cook boba in instant pot

How to serve

  • The tea drink can be enjoyed plain or with a dash of milk for creaminess. Serve chilled or over ice for best results.
  • For a fun experience, sip the drink with a large straw!

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @kawalingpinoy on Facebook and Instagram!

4 servings

  • 1/2 cup tapioca pearls, uncooked
  • 3 cups water
  • 3 black tea bags
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • milk
  • ice

  • Instant Pot

  • Place tapioca pearls, water, and black tea in the inner of the Instant Pot.

  • Close lid and position valve in the sealing position. Cook on high pressure for 2 minutes.

  • Do a quick release. Carefully open the lid. Remove and discard the tea bags.

  • Set on SAUTE function. Add sugar and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes or until dissolved.

  •  Turn off SAUTE FUNCTION and allow the tea mixture to cool completely.

  • In a serving glass, combine boba, ice, and tea. Add milk as desired and shake to distribute. Serve with a straw.

Do not refrigerate the cooked tapioca pearls as they get harder and lose their chewiness when cold. If you want to chill the tea in the refrigerator, remove the boba and store separately in a simple syrup.

Calories: 164kcal, Carbohydrates: 42g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 1g, Sodium: 9mg, Potassium: 3mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 26g, Calcium: 9mg, Iron: 1mg

“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”

Welcome to Kawaling Pinoy. Here you’ll find hundreds of delicious Filipino and Asian recipes. Make sure to browse around and pick a favorite dish or two. Happy cooking! Read More

Reader Interactions

How long should you cook boba for?

Instructions.
Fill a large pot (the boba needs to be able to move around so they don't stick together) about 1/2 to 2/3 full of water. ... .
Allow the boba to cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring every so often..
Remove the pot from the heat and place a lid on top. ... .
Strain the boba from the water and pour into a bowl/container..

How do you cook the perfect boba?

How to prepare Tapioca Pearls for Bubble Tea.
Step 1: Boil Water. ... .
Step 2: Pour tapioca into boiling water. ... .
Step 3: Stir lightly. ... .
Step 4: Let the tapioca float to the top. ... .
Step 5: Cook for 15 minutes on high heat with cover on. ... .
Step 6: Steep the cooked tapioca for 15 minutes. ... .
Step 7: Drain the water from the cooked tapioca..

What is the ratio of boba to water?

Combine the boba with water: Measure 2 cups of water for every 1/4 cup of boba being prepared into a saucepan. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add the boba and stir gently until they begin floating to the top of the water. Cook the boba: Turn the heat to medium and cook the boba for 12 to 15 minutes.

How do you cook packaged tapioca pearls?

Bring 6 cups water to a boil in a deep pot, and add the tapioca. Bring it to a boil again, cover, and turn the heat down to medium low. Cook covered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. After 15 minutes, turn off the heat, keep the pot covered, and allow to sit for another 15 minutes.