Have you seen those stunning, tri-colored drinks at your favorite trendy café with beautiful, distinct layers of pink, white, and green and wondered how you could possibly make one at home? Good news: you absolutely can, and it’s surprisingly easy! Get ready to become your own master barista with this ultimate guide to creating the perfect, refreshing, and delicious Strawberry Matcha Boba.
This isn’t just a drink; it’s a work of art in a glass. This viral sensation is a perfect harmony of flavors and textures. We start with a sweet and fruity fresh strawberry base, add a layer of creamy, cooling milk, and then top it all with a shot of earthy, sophisticated matcha. With the fun, chewy surprise of brown sugar boba at the bottom, this is a drink that is as delightful to look at as it is to drink.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Recipe Overview: Your Favorite Café Drink, Made at Home
What makes this Strawberry Matcha Boba a viral sensation is its stunning visual appeal and its unique, delicious, and perfectly balanced flavor combination. The sweet, jammy strawberry is a fantastic partner for the complex, slightly bitter, and grassy notes of the matcha, with the creamy milk tying everything together. This recipe will guide you through the simple secrets to achieving those beautiful, distinct layers, making this a fun and rewarding gourmet drink to create in your own kitchen.
| Metric | Time / Level |
| Total Time | 40 minutes |
| Active Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Servings | 1 large drink |
The Essential Ingredients for the Perfect Boba
This recipe uses a handful of fresh, high-quality ingredients to create a truly café-worthy beverage.
- The Strawberry Base:
- Fresh Strawberries: The key to the vibrant pink layer and the fresh, fruity flavor. You want ripe, sweet, and red strawberries for the best taste. We will “muddle” them directly in the glass to create a rustic, fresh purée.
- The Matcha Shot:
- Matcha Powder: The recipe calls for ceremonial grade matcha, and for good reason! Since the matcha is a prominent top layer, using a high-quality ceremonial grade will give you the smoothest, least bitter, and most vibrant green flavor. A high-quality culinary grade will also work well.
- The Boba (Tapioca Pearls):
- Tapioca Pearls: You will need uncooked, black, quick-cooking tapioca pearls for that signature boba shop experience. Cooking them fresh at home is the only way to achieve that perfect, soft on the outside, chewy on the inside “QQ” texture.
- Brown Sugar: We toss the freshly cooked, warm boba in brown sugar to create a delicious, simple syrup that sweetens the pearls and prevents them from sticking.
- Milk of Your Choice: This is where you can customize! Whole dairy milk will provide a classic, creamy result. For a fantastic dairy-free option, a creamy oat milk or soy milk works wonderfully and allows the other flavors to shine.
Step-by-Step to a Beautiful Strawberry Matcha Boba
This recipe is a fun project with three main components. Let’s break down the simple process.
Part 1: Cook the Perfect Chewy Boba Pearls
Step 1: In a small pot, bring about 4 cups of water to a full, rolling boil.
Step 2: Once the water is boiling, add the 50g of tapioca pearls all at once. Stir them immediately with a spoon or a whisk to break up any clumps and prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Step 3: Let the pearls boil, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring them occasionally.
Step 4: After 15 minutes, cover the pot, remove it from the heat, and let the pearls sit, undisturbed, for another 15 minutes. This gentle, off-heat resting period is the secret to cooking the centers through perfectly.
Step 5: Drain all the hot water from the cooked pearls using a sieve. Transfer the hot, cooked pearls to a small bowl. Add the 25g of brown sugar and stir them together. The heat from the pearls will melt the sugar, creating a thick, delicious brown sugar syrup that coats every pearl. Set this aside.
Part 2: Whisk the Perfect Matcha Shot
Step 1: First, sift the 1 teaspoon of matcha powder through a small, fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl or a Japanese tea bowl (chawan). This is a crucial step to prevent any bitter clumps in your drink.
Step 2: Add the 55g of hot water. The ideal water temperature for matcha is around 175°F (80°C)—hot, but not boiling, as boiling water can make the matcha taste bitter.
Step 3: Whisk the matcha and hot water together vigorously for about 15-20 seconds. If you have a traditional bamboo whisk (chasen), use a quick “M” or “W” motion. If you don’t, a small wire whisk or a handheld electric milk frother works perfectly. You are looking for a smooth, vibrant green liquid with a layer of fine foam on top.
Part 3: Assemble Your Layered Masterpiece
Step 1: In a tall, clear serving glass, add the 3 large, roughly diced strawberries. Use a muddler, the back of a wooden spoon, or the flat end of a rolling pin to gently muddle the strawberries until they break down and become a rough, juicy purée at the bottom of the glass.
Step 2: Add the cooked tapioca pearls along with all of their delicious brown sugar syrup to the glass on top of the muddled strawberries.
Step 3: Fill the glass about halfway with ice cubes. Pour in your milk of choice until the glass is about 3/4 full. You can stir the milk and strawberry layers together at this point to create a beautiful pink strawberry milk, or leave them separate for a more distinct layered look.
Step 4: To get that perfect final layer, slowly and carefully pour the prepared matcha shot over the top of the ice and milk.
Serve immediately with a wide boba straw. Be sure to give it a good stir before you drink to combine all the delicious flavors!
The Perfect Viral Strawberry Matcha Boba (Easy Recipe!)
A refreshing and beautifully layered iced beverage, this Strawberry Matcha Boba combines three distinct flavor profiles. The drink starts with fresh strawberries muddled into a rough puree at the bottom of the glass. This is topped with sweet, chewy brown sugar-coated tapioca pearls (boba). The glass is then filled with ice and milk, and finished with a freshly whisked, frothy shot of ceremonial grade matcha, creating a drink that is fruity, creamy, and earthy all at once.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
- Category: Beverage
- Method: Boiling, Muddling, Whisking
- Cuisine: Asian-Fusion
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 50 g (about 1/3 cup) tapioca pearls
- 25 g (about 2 tbsp) brown sugar
- 3 large strawberries, roughly diced
- 300g (about 1 ¼ cups) milk, dairy or non-dairy
- 1 teaspoon ceremonial grade matcha powder
- 55 g (about ¼ cup) hot water
- Ice
Instructions
- Cook the Tapioca Pearls: Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the tapioca pearls and stir immediately to prevent them from clumping. Boil uncovered for 15 minutes.
- Cover the pot, remove it from the heat, and let the pearls sit for another 15 minutes until translucent.
- Drain the cooked pearls and transfer them to a small bowl. Stir in the brown sugar while they are still warm until a syrup forms. Set aside.
- Prepare the Drink: In a serving glass, add the diced strawberries. Use a muddler or the back of a spoon to muddle the strawberries into a rough puree.
- Add the cooked tapioca pearls along with their brown sugar syrup to the glass on top of the strawberries.
- Fill the glass about halfway with ice. Pour in the milk until the glass is about ¾ full.
- Prepare the Matcha: In a small bowl (a chawan is traditional), sift the matcha powder to remove clumps. Add the hot water and use a bamboo whisk (chasen) or a milk frother to whisk vigorously in an ‘M’ motion for about 15 seconds until it is frothy.
- Assemble: Gently pour the prepared matcha shot over the top of the milk to create a final layer.
- Stir the drink well before enjoying with a large boba straw.
Notes
- The two-stage cooking process for the boba (boiling then resting off the heat) is key to ensuring the pearls are cooked through with a chewy texture.
- Sifting the matcha powder before whisking is an important step to prevent clumps and achieve a smooth consistency.
- The drink is layered for presentation; it should be stirred thoroughly before drinking to combine all the flavors.
- This drink requires a wide boba straw to be able to drink the tapioca pearls.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 drink
- Calories: 450-550
- Sugar: 50-60 g
- Sodium: 120-180 mg
- Fat: 10-15 g
- Saturated Fat: 6-9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 80-95 g
- Fiber: 3-5 g
- Protein: 8-12 g
- Cholesterol: 30-50 mg
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
This stunning Strawberry Matcha Boba is at its absolute best when it is assembled and enjoyed fresh.
- Make-Ahead: The only component that is great for making ahead is the matcha shot. You can prepare the whisked matcha and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Just give it a good shake before using.
- The Boba Rule: Tapioca pearls are always best when served fresh, ideally within 4-6 hours of being cooked. They will harden and become dense as they sit in the refrigerator.
- Assembly: The drink should always be assembled right before you plan to drink it to ensure the best flavor, texture, and appearance.
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Creative Recipe Variations
This delicious layered drink is a fantastic template for all sorts of creative and beautiful beverages.
- Make it a Blended Frappe: For a frosty, smoothie-like version, combine the muddled strawberries, the prepared matcha shot, the milk, and a large handful of ice in a blender. Blend on high speed until smooth and slushy. Pour this over a scoop of fresh boba in your glass.
- Use a Different Fruit Base: This recipe is incredible with other muddled fresh fruits. Try it with a raspberry purée for a tarter flavor, or a mango purée for a more tropical version.
- Make it a “Dirty” Strawberry Matcha Boba: For a trendy, coffee-infused twist that is popular in many cafés, add a shot of chilled, strong-brewed espresso to the milk before pouring it into the glass. The combination of strawberry, matcha, and coffee is surprisingly delicious!
Enjoy Your Personal Café Creation!
You’ve just created a vibrant, delicious, and trendy beverage that is a perfect harmony of sweet, fruity, earthy, and creamy. This homemade Strawberry Matcha Boba is a fun and rewarding recipe that proves you can be your own expert barista and create stunning, gourmet-quality drinks right in your own kitchen. It’s the perfect, refreshing pick-me-up for any time of day.
We hope you love this beautiful and delicious drink!
If you enjoyed making this recipe, please leave a comment below or share it with a friend who loves matcha and boba!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: What does a Strawberry Matcha Boba taste like?
It’s a wonderful and unique flavor combination! When you stir it all together, the first taste is often the sweet, fresh, and fruity strawberry. This is immediately followed by the creamy milk, and then it finishes with the complex, earthy, grassy, and slightly savory notes of the matcha. The chewy, sweet boba pearls add a fun texture to every sip.
Q2: How do I get those pretty, distinct layers in my latte?
The secret to sharp layers is all about density and a gentle pour. The strawberry purée and boba are the heaviest, so they stay at the bottom. The ice acts as a great barrier. The key to the final matcha layer is to pour the matcha shot very slowly and carefully, either over the back of a spoon or directly onto a piece of ice. This disperses the matcha gently on top of the milk layer instead of letting it plunge through.
Q3: Do I really need to use ceremonial grade matcha for this?
While you can use a high-quality culinary grade, ceremonial grade matcha is highly recommended for this recipe. Because the matcha is served as a distinct, unmixed layer and is a prominent flavor, the smoother, less bitter, and more delicate flavor of ceremonial grade matcha will create the most delicious and authentic-tasting result.
Q4: Why are my boba pearls hard in the center?
Hard centers are a sign that the boba was undercooked. The two-step cooking process in this recipe—a 15-minute boil followed by a 15-minute covered rest off the heat—is designed to cook the pearls all the way through gently. If your pearls are still hard, they may need a longer resting time in the hot water. Always check the specific instructions on your package of tapioca pearls, as cooking times can vary.
Q5: Can I make this drink hot instead of iced?
While this drink is traditionally and best served iced, you could make a hot version. You would gently warm your milk on the stovetop (do not boil it). You would still muddle the strawberries and add the boba to the bottom of a heatproof mug, then pour the warm milk on top, and finish with the freshly whisked hot matcha shot.