Thai Iced Coffee Boba Recipe
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Love coffee and bubble tea? This Thai iced coffee boba recipe combines the best of both into one creamy, refreshing drink that’s easy to make at home. Perfect if you love café drinks without the café price tag.
What is coffee boba?
Coffee boba is a bubble tea drink made with coffee and chewy tapioca pearls. It combines coffee with the signature chewy texture of the pearls that makes bubble tea so fun to drink.
The taste is rich, creamy, and slightly sweet with a bold coffee flavor, while the boba pearls add a soft, chewy bite that contrasts perfectly with the cold coffee.
This Thai version combines strong coffee with sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk, giving it the same creamy, sweet flavor as traditional Thai iced coffee.
Ingredient notes & substitutes
You can find everything at Asian grocery stores or markets. Head to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the exact measurements.
- Tapioca pearls: I recommend using these black tapioca pearls because they’re commonly used in cafés and bubble tea shops.
- Water: For cooking the tapioca pearls.
- Sugar: A little sugar sweetens the tapioca pearls after cooking so they stay glossy and flavorful instead of bland.
- Coffee: I always make this with a double shot of espresso because it gives the strongest café-style flavor. Strong brewed coffee, moka pot coffee, cold brew concentrate, or even instant coffee also work well.
- Sweetened condensed milk: This gives boba coffee its signature sweetness and creamy texture. You can always add a little more or less depending on how sweet you like your drinks.
- Evaporated milk: This makes the drink smooth without making it too heavy.
Tip: Tapioca pearls are best served fresh. If they sit too long, they become firm and lose their chewy texture. I like cooking the pearls first, then preparing the coffee while they cool for a few minutes.
How to make boba coffee
1: Cook the tapioca pearls. Cook the tapioca pearls according to the package instructions. Drain well, then toss them with the sugar while they’re still warm until evenly coated. Let them cool slightly.
2: Brew the coffee. Prepare a double shot of espresso or your preferred strong coffee and let it cool for a few minutes.
3: Fill the glass. Spoon the sweetened tapioca pearls into the bottom of a tall serving glass. Fill the glass with ice.
4: Add the milk. Pour in the sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk.
5: Pour the coffee. Slowly pour the cooled coffee over the ice. Stir well before drinking so the condensed milk mixes evenly throughout the coffee.
6: Serve. Enjoy immediately with a wide boba straw while the tapioca pearls are still soft and chewy.
Learn Thai cooking step by step
My cookbook is a combination of authentic Thai recipes and Western dishes cooked with Thai flavors and ingredients. It’s a great starting point if you’re new to Thai cooking or want to cook it more often.
How to store
This drink is best enjoyed immediately. If you want to prepare it ahead, cook the tapioca pearls and store the coffee separately. Assemble the drink just before serving for the best texture.
Cooked tapioca pearls are at their best within a few hours. As they sit, they gradually become firmer and lose their signature chewy texture.
If you have leftovers, store the pearls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 6 hours, or in the refrigerator overnight. Before using them again, warm them briefly in hot water or the microwave to soften them, although they won’t be quite as chewy as when freshly cooked.
Thai Iced Coffee Boba Recipe
Equipment
- Coffee maker
- Small saucepan for cooking the pearls
- Fine mesh strainer
- Tall serving glass
- Wide boba straw
Ingredients
- ½ cup tapioca pearls
- 8 cups water
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 double shots espresso
- 3 tbsp sweetened condensed milk, add more to taste
- 6 tbsp evaporated milk
Instructions
- Cook the tapioca pearls according to the package instructions. Drain, then toss with the sugar while still warm until evenly coated. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Brew the coffee. Prepare 2 double shots of espresso (or 120 ml / 4 fl oz strong coffee) and let it cool for a few minutes.
- Assemble the drinks. Divide the tapioca pearls between two tall glasses and fill each glass with ice.
- Add the milk. Divide the sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk evenly between both glasses.
- Pour in the coffee. Slowly pour the espresso over the ice. Stir well before drinking so the milk is fully combined.
- Serve. Enjoy immediately with a wide boba straw while the tapioca pearls are still soft and chewy.
Notes
- Use the nutrition card in this recipe as a guideline.