If you love the nostalgic strawberries and cream, then you will love this homemade Strawberry Milk Tea. It is fruity, creamy, made with vibrant fresh strawberries, and has only 5 ingredients.
Learn how to make it hot or cold and with or without boba bubble pearls.
For more strawberry drinks, try my Strawberry Daiquiri Mocktail and Strawberry Mojito Mocktail.
Why You Will LOVE This Strawberry Milk Tea Recipe:
- We use fresh strawberries for the strawberry flavor. Most recipes call for strawberry simple syrup but that is more work that I just don’t feel like doing. Plus the fresh strawberries give it a nostalgic strawberries and cream flavor.
- A one stop shop recipe! What do I mean by that? This recipe has full instructions for making it cold, hot, and with or without boba. A great option for any one at any time of the year.
If you’re looking for another iconic strawberry and tea based drink try this Homemade Starbucks Pink Drink!
What is Strawberry Milk Tea (Boba Tea)?
Strawberry Milk Tea is simply tea, milk, strawberries, and a little bit of sweetener. It can be served cold or hot and even with boba bubble pearls (as pictured). They are made from tapioca flour or cassava and on their own have no flavor. But when you boil and soak them in simple syrup and tea, they quickly take on those flavors. I use this brand of black Boba pearls.
Watch Me Make Strawberry Boba Tea in Under 30 Seconds
Ingredients In Strawberry Milk Tea
This recipe is 4 easy ingredients, 5 if you make yours with boba.
- Tea (brewed in water): I used black tea but green tea tastes great too. Just make sure you are using high quality tea for the best flavor, it can be tea bags or loose leaf. If you want a stronger tea flavor then use double the amount of tea.
- Half and Half: This adds creaminess and is the traditional type of milk used. Feel free to substitute it for whole milk, oat milk, or any neutral flavored milk to fit your needs. Just know the texture and creaminess will vary.
- Fresh Strawberries: Washed and thinly diced. In a pinch you can use frozen strawberries, just be sure to thaw them first.
- Simple Syrup: This adds sweetness to the milk tea. Feel free to use store-bought or my homemade simple syrup recipe. You can also use honey, agave, or other liquid sweeteners in a pinch.
- Boba Bubbles (or tapioca pearls): This is optional. I highly recommend this brand of quick cook variety boba.
How To Make Strawberry Milk Tea At Home
You can make this homemade Strawberry Milk Tea a few different ways. Here are the basic instructions, the recipe card below will have more details.
Prepare Boba Bubble Pearls (optional):
- Cook the boba as specified on the package (make sure they are the quick cook variety).
- Soak them in simple syrup and a little tea for 10 to 30 minutes to absorb flavor.
Cold Milk Tea:
- Steep the tea for 5 minutes. Set aside to come to room temperature (if it is too warm the milk will curdle when you mix this drink together).
- Muddle together the finely diced strawberries and simple syrup until it is a pulp.
- To a glass add the cooked boba (optional), strawberry pulp, ice, cooled tea, and half and half.
- Stir well and sip!
NOTE: Boba bubble pearls will not go through regular straws. Grab yourself some large, reusable boba tea straws.
Hot Milk Tea:
- Steep the tea for 5 minutes.
- Cook the strawberries and simple syrup in a saucepan, mashing frequently.
- Add the half and half and stir while bringing to a simmer.
- To a tea cup add tea and warmed strawberry milk.
- Stir well and sip!
PRO TIP: Adjust the amount of simple syrup to suit your taste buds. This recipe is slightly sweet because I like to lean on the sweetness from fresh strawberries.
3 Tips About Boba Bubble Pearls
- There are two types of boba, I always recommend using the quick cook variety. They require not only less time, but also less effort to make. You can also use pre-prepared boba bubbles that come in a plastic tub.
- Never refrigerate boba because they tend to get super hard and tough to eat. Immediately eat them or throw away any leftovers.
- ALWAYS make boba right before you want to drink your boba tea. This is so you have the best flavor and texture from them.
Variations:
- Add fun toppings- whipped cream, coconut cream, drizzle of chocolate sauce, shredded coconut, a whole fresh strawberry, etc.
- Use other types of tea- Feel free to use caffeinated or decaffeinated black tea, matcha tea, jasmine tea, green tea, Earl grey tea, or even leave it out all together.
- Add other fruits to compliment the strawberry- blueberries, kiwi, raspberries, etc.
- Use different forms of strawberry- strawberry jam, strawberry milk, freeze dried strawberry, and even frozen strawberries.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
Delicious! It is a balance between fruity strawberry, creamy sweet milk, and a hint of tea flavor. Drinking this brings me back to the days of strawberries and cream Lifesavers.
Amazon because it is so much easier than searching for them at the store.There are many varieties out there, make sure you are using quick cook boba or pre prepared boba. You’ll need some reusable boba straws too!
This depends on the type of tea you choose to use. The packaging will tell you how much caffeine one cup of tea yields. If you are looking for a caffeine free version, use decaffeinated tea.
Steep 2 tea bags (4 to 6 teaspoons of loose leaf) in 1 cup of water. Steeping tea longer will not result in a stronger flavor, it will only make your tea bitter.
More Milk Tea Recipes You Might Enjoy:
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Strawberry Milk Tea
EQUIPMENT
- glassware
- muddler - metal
- straws - large boba sized
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 bag tea - 2-3 teaspoons of loose leaf tea – black or green, I used Twinings Irish Breakfast black tea
- ½ cup half and half - or other types of milk
- ⅓ cup fresh strawberries - finely chopped*
- 1 tablespoon simple syrup - store bought or homemade
For the Boba; optional
- 1 cup boiling water
- ¼ cup bobas - tapioca pearls (quick cook variety)
- 2 tablespoons simple syrup - store bought or homemade
- 1 tablespoons tea - take from prepared amount above
INSTRUCTIONS
COLD Strawberry Milk Tea
- Pour boiling water over tea bag in a heat-safe glass. Allow it to steep for 5 minutes before removing the tea bag. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- To a glass, add the finely diced strawberries and simple syrup. Muddle until it becomes a liquid pulp.
- Add the prepared boba (instructions below, optional), ice, cooled to room temperature tea, and half and half.
- Stir well and sip!
HOT Strawberry Milk Tea
- Pour boiling water over tea bag in a heat-safe glass. Allow it to steep for 5 minutes before removing the tea bag.
- In a saucepan, over medium heat, add the finely diced strawberries and simple syrup. Lightly smash them until they become a liquid pulp.
- Add the half and half and bring to a light simmer. Remove from heat.OPTIONAL: Strain the strawberry pulp from the strawberry milk.
- To a tea cup or mug, add the hot tea and warmed strawberry milk.
- Stir and carefully sip!
How to Make Boba (optional)
- Bring water to a boil and then add the boba. Cook according to package instructions.
- In a small bowl combine 2 tablespoons simple syrup and 1 tablespoon of the prepared black tea with the boiled boba.
- Allow boba to absorb the tea syrup mixture for at least 10 (up to 30) minutes.
VIDEO
RECIPE NOTES
Substitutions for Fresh Strawberry
- 3 tablespoons of strawberry jam
- Replace part of the half and half for strawberry milk
- 2 tablespoons of freeze dried strawberry powder
- 1/3 cup frozen strawberries
Metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
I am absolutely obsessed with this homemade strawberry milk tea! The combination of sweet strawberries and creamy milk with a hint of tea makes for a refreshing and delicious drink that I can’t get enough of.
This was so sweet and creamy, I loved it! Nice little afternoon treat. Will make again!
I LOVE milk tea! I had to make this immediately when I saw it. I’m so happy I did! The strawberry flavor is great and I love that it’s not too sweet. Thanks!
This was so fun to make for my kids! They loved the boba balls and the strawberry was such a refreshing flavor.
We all are in love with your strawberry milk tea. So refreshing and so easy to make. I am happy to have a new drink to enjoy this summer.
Thank you!