Oolong Milk Tea Boba with Sea Salt Crema (V, GF, NF)

I’m absolutely obsessed with boba. I’ve scavenged every spot in Seattle and Hawaii to understand what exactly makes a perfect milk tea. It comes down to a few key criteria:

  • STRONG TEA FLAVOR

  • SWEET, WELL-COOKED CHEWY BOBA

  • CREAMY CONSISTENCY

Unfortunately, most boba shops use heavy dairy for their base which isn’t agreeable for most lactose-intolerant asians such as myself. And how much sugar does “50% sweetened” entail? As my wallet began to cry more and I felt the calories rack up, I decided to take matters into my own hands and make homemade boba. OOLONG MILK TEA WITH SALTED CREMA to be specific.

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INGREDIENTS (for sea salt crema and boba)

  • 1/4 cup of tapioca pearls

  • 2 tbsp honey or agave

  • aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas)

  • 1 tsp himalayan salt

  • 1 tbsp oat milk (or any nut milk)

INGREDIENTS (for milk tea)

  • 2 bags of oolong tea

  • 1 cup of water

  • 1/4 cup of oat milk (or any nut milk)

  • stevia to taste

DIRECTIONS

  1. Boil the tapioca pearls in 1 cup of water on high heat. When they float to the top, turn the heat down to low-medium heat and cover for 10-15 minutes (this varies on which brand of pearls you purchased)

  2. In a large cup, steep the tea bags with 1/2 a cup of hot water. The longer this steeps, the richer the flavor!

  3. In a bowl, add the aquafaba, a splash of oat milk, sea salt, and a drop/packet of stevia. With your mixer or frother, blend the aquafaba concoction until it has a fluffy, texture (similar to meringue).

  4. Taste test one of the pearls. If it’s still hard in the center when you bite into it, continue to let the tapioca simmer with the cover on. If the tapioca tastes like its’s ready, bring to the sink and rinse under cold water in a colander.

  5. Place the boba into a bowl with the agave or honey to sweeten the boba.

  6. The tea should be well-steeped now. Add in another 1/2 cup of cold water to even out the temperature. Remove the tea bags.

  7. Here’s where it all comes together. Put the boba into the bottom of your cup that you will be drinking your milk tea out of.

  8. Next, place ice cubes on top and pour your oolong tea over. Add another splash of nut milk then spoon the sea salt aquafaba to finish it off.

healthy dessertsBryn Yasui1 Comment