Fresh and floral Jasmine Milk Tea made with Jasmine green tea and boba pearls. This bubble tea has a very light sweet flavour and it's easy to make at home!
Table of contents
In summer I always tend to go for lighter and more floral types of bubble teas. Jasmine Milk Tea is one of my top choices because it's very refreshing and light - perfect for summer!
Jasmine Milk Tea is a type of Bubble Tea that has a very subtle, sweet, and floral flavour. Made with Jasmine green tea, this delicious drink is one of the most refreshing out of all bubble teas. So, if you’re looking for a floral and delicate milk tea flavour, look no further than this recipe!
It’s no wonder that most bubble tea shops have Jasmine Bubble Tea as their most popular choice. It's not overly sweet, it’s delicate and has a perfumed scent from the Jasmine flowers.
Looking for more amazing Bubble Tea recipes? Check out the roasted Oolong Milk Tea, caramelized Tiger Milk Tea or the decadent Okinawa Milk Tea!
What does it taste like?
Jasmine Boba Tea is usually described as tasting very light, fresh, and floral. The final flavour, however, depends greatly on what type of Jasmine Tea is used in making the milk tea.
The most common blend used in Jasmine Bubble Tea is Jasmine green tea. The combination of Jasmine flowers and green tea yields the most fresh and floral tea taste. The flavour profile can be described as delicate, sweet, floral with hints of perfumed fragrance.
The Jasmine tea base is then topped with milk, which makes the bubble tea silky smooth and creamier.
Types of Jasmine Tea
Jasmine flowers have long been celebrated for their purity and calming fragrance. Jasmine tea draws its origins in 2nd century Han Dynasty in China.
This wonderful scented tea is made with dried Jasmine flowers and tea leaves. This blend can be made with white, green, or black tea. The most common tea used with Jasmine is green tea, as it perfectly complements the subtle flavour and adds freshness.
Here are some of the most popular types of Jasmine Teas:
- Loose Leaf Jasmine Green Tea: a mixture of green tea leaves and dried Jasmine flowers. This tea is perfect for a floral flavour, as it contains actual flower buds.
- Jasmine Dragon Pearl Tea: green tea leaves are infused with Jasmine blossoms, then rolled into small balls. This type of tea has a floral flavor and looks beautiful when brewing.
- Jasmine Silver Needle Tea: made with white tea and jasmine blossoms. White tea is the least processed type of tea, noted for its extremely fresh flavour.
Ingredient round-up
- Jasmine tea: Choose a high-quality Jasmine tea, preferably loose leaf tea, but you can also use Jasmine tea bags. See the section on how to choose the perfect Jasmine tea.
- Milk: whole milk is recommended for this recipe. You can also use plant-based milk like oat milk, almond milk or coconut milk.
- Tapioca pearls: I recommend using 5-minute Wu Fu Yuan tapioca pearls because they are very quick to cook.
- Brown sugar: regular light brown sugar works best for this recipe. You can also use Japanese brown sugar for a lighter caramel flavour.
- Cream: completely optional. Add a little cream as a topping for extra creaminess.
How to make Jasmine Milk Tea from scratch
Cooking the tapioca balls
- Prepare Brown Sugar Syrup or use simple syrup.
- Separately, cook the tapioca pearls in hot water. Drain, then
- Add the cooked boba into the hot sugar syrup and cook on low heat.
- Brew the Jasmine green tea base.
Brewing the tea
Jasmine tea is extremely delicate, and it needs a little extra care when preparing. Here’s how to achieve the perfect flavour:
- Boil filtered water to 175°F (80°C). Use a kitchen thermometer if needed.
- Place the tea into a teapot fitted with an infuser. Pour the hot water over the tea leaves, then cover.
- Steep for 3 minutes, then remove the tea leaves.
- Use immediately for a hot drink or let the tea cool down for cold boba.
Pro tip: never brew Jasmine green tea for longer than 3 minutes, as it can make the tea taste bitter.
Assembling the bubble tea
Assembling the Jasmine Bubble Tea should be done right before serving the drink:
- Place the chewy tapioca pearls and syrup into a serving glass.
- Pour Jasmine tea over the tapioca, about ¾ of the glass.
- Add milk on top, filling the glass.
- Optional: top with a little cream for extra creaminess and add a few ice cubes.
Success Tips & Tricks
- High quality tea: Jasmine tea is the main ingredient in this recipe, so it’s important to use a good quality tea. See the section on Types of Jasmine Tea for more details on how to choose the best type of tea.
- Perfectly brewed tea: Never brew Jasmine tea for longer than 3 minutes, as this can make it taste bitter.
- Adjust sweetness: You can adjust the sweetness to personal preference by adding more or less syrup.
- Serve immediately: Jasmine Bubble Tea will taste best as soon as it’s made, so make sure you assemble it right before serving.
- Bubble tea straws: Tapioca pearls are too large for regular straws, so I recommend using reusable bubble tea straws.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, the tea can be made in advance, but not the milk tea. You can keep brewed Jasmine tea in the fridge for up to 4 days. Only add the milk and cooked tapioca pearls immediately before serving. Cooked tapioca pearls need to be consumed within a maximum of 2 hours.
Jasmine Bubble Tea contains caffeine, as it’s made with green tea. It contains about 25 mg of caffeine per cup. However, it has a much lower caffeine content than coffee.
Jasmine bubble tea is typically between 280-360 Kcal. The exact number can vary greatly on how much sugar syrup is used in the recipe. This recipe contains 280 Kcal.
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If you’ve tried this recipe out, please don’t forget to rate and comment on this post. I love hearing from you, so feel free to reach out to me on social media as well and tag me in your posts!
Recipe
Jasmine Milk Tea Recipe
Ingredients
Jasmine Tea Base
- 3 teaspoons Jasmine green tea, loose leaf
- 2 cups water, filtered (450 grams)
- 1 cup whole milk (240 grams)
- 2 tablespoons cream, optional
Sugar Syrup
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed (100 grams)
- 3 ½ tablespoons water (50 grams)
Tapioca pearls
- ¾ cup tapioca pearls (100 grams)
- 3 cups water (700 grams)
Instructions
Jasmine Tea Base
- Boil a kettle of filtered water to 175°F (80°C). If needed, use a kitchen thermometer to check the temperature.
- Place the jasmine green tea leaves into a teapot fitted with infuser. Pour the hot water over the leaves, then cover.
- Let the tea steep for 3 minutes, afterwards remove the tea leaves and discard. Do not steep for longer than this, as this will make the tea taste bitter.
- Cool down the tea completely to room temperature.
Sugar Syrup
- In a saucepan, place the brown sugar and water. Cook over medium-high heat until it starts bubbling.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer until the syrup becomes thicker, for about 4-5 minutes.
Tapioca Pearls
- Cook the pearls as indicated on the package. Drain and discard the water.
- Add the cooked pearls into the hot sugar syrup, then cook on low heat for 2-3 minutes. Toss the pearls around to coat them in syrup.
Assembling the Jasmine Milk Tea
- In each serving glass, place 1-2 tablespoons of cooked tapioca pearls. Add sugar syrup to taste for desired sweetness.
- Pour the cooled tea over the tapioca, about ¾ to the top of the glass.
- Add cold milk over the tea and leave room for ice cubes if desired. Serve fresh.
- Optional: top with cream for extra creaminess.
Notes
- Sugar syrup can be replaced with runny honey.
- Sweetness can be adjusted according to personal preference.
- Nutritional value is estimative and is calculated per serving (this recipe makes 2 large servings) with tapioca pearls and 1 tablespoon of sugar syrup.
- Use boba pearls immediately after cooking them.
Nutrition
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Fiona says
The first time I made this I made the milk tea without reading your recipe carefully so it tasted bitter. Then I read your tips on how to brew jasmine tea at 175F for 3 minutes and it came out much better!! It makes such a big difference in flavour, thanks for all the cool tips and tricks!
Trang W says
Someone needs to take this recipe away from me because I have been making it constantly. It's just so addictive.
Chrissy says
Seriously addictive flavor, I've had 4 in the past week alone!
Hanelore Dumitrache says
Happy to hear that Chrissy, Jasmine milk tea is one of my favourites too!
Sammie says
Really nice flavor!