Ultimate Cooking Guide: How to Cook Tapioca Pearls (Boba) Like A Pro

The insider tips to teach you how to cook chewy and delicious Tapioca Pearls (Boba Pearls).
One 6.6lb bag of Fanale Tapioca Pearls (Boba) makes about 80 x 2oz servings.

Five General Steps:

1. Cook in boiling water
2. Simmer with low/no heat
3. Wash/rinse excess starch
4. Marinate in simple syrup
5. Serve with any beverage as an inclusion or as a topping/garnish for desserts

1. Cooking

• Boil water in a large pot. The water to Tapioca Pearls (Boba) ratio should be at least 8 parts water to 1 part Tapioca Pearls (Boba).
• More water is ok, too little water will cause Boba to stick easily to the pot.
• Never fill more than 2/3 of a pot with water as Boba expands when cooking.
• Add Tapioca Pearls (Boba) to boiling water
• Stir slowly as Boba is being added to prevent sticking and clumping.
• Place a lid on the pot and set time for 30-35 minutes once the water begins to boil again.
• If the pot boils over, you can partially cover the pot.
• Cooking time can be adjusted to suit your preferred texture.
• Check periodically to ensure that the Boba is cooking evenly, stir if an excess amount of Boba remains at the top of the pot.

2. Simmering

• Turn off or lower the heat source and let the Tapioca Pearls (Boba) simmer for an additional 20-25 minutes.
• Stir every 5 minutes to prevent Tapioca Pearls (Boba) from sticking to the pot or clumping.

3. Washing/Rinsing

• Strain the Tapioca Pearls (Boba) in a large strainer/colander and rinse with water until the desired texture is achieved.
• Stir Boba as you are rinsing to ensure product uniformity.
• Rinse with hot/warm water for a softer texture.
• Rinse with cold water for a chewier texture.
• Do not rinse with cold water for more than 5 minutes as Boba can become hard and rubbery.

4. Marinating

• Tapioca Pearls (Boba) needs to be marinated in a simple syrup for 10-15 minutes prior to serving.
• Basic simple syrup marinate for Tapioca Pearls (Boba) is a 1:1 ratio of dark brown sugar and water.
• You may substitute different sugars or use your own blend of flavored sweeteners.
• Add enough simple syrup to cover Tapioca Pearls (Boba).
• Popular marinating alternatives:
• Add a splash (1:10 ratio) of Logan Honey syrup (SRP190) to your simple syrup.
• o Simplify operations by using a Brown Sugar Syrup (SRP240).
• o Substitute or add a blend of Handcrafted Brown Sugar Syrup (SRP370) or Tiger-Style Brown Sugar Syrup (SRP241).

5. Serving/Holding

• Cooked Tapioca Pearls (Boba) will remain consistent for up to 5 hours once cooked at room temperature.
• Keeping Tapioca Pearls (Boba) at a cold temperature will make the Boba chewier and eventually hard.
• Keeping Tapioca Pearls (Boba) at warm temperatures will make Boba softer and break down sooner.
• Check periodically to ensure that simple syrup is covering the Tapioca Pearls (Boba). Add simple syrup as needed.
• Check periodically to ensure that Tapioca Pearls (Boba) is not clumping. Stir/mix to separate clumps.

Things To Keep In Mind 

• Cooking and Simmering times can be adjusted to suit your preferred texture.
• Increasing time = softer Boba, shorter shelf life
• Decreasing time = chewier Boba, longer shelf life
• Check to make sure that Tapioca Pearls (Boba) is thoroughly cooked after it has marinated in sugar/syrup.
• Overcooking Tapioca Pearls (Boba) may reduce the size of the finished product.
• Label what time the Tapioca Pearls (Boba) was made and what time the Boba will need to be discarded.
• Tapioca Pearls (Boba) will get softer in hot drinks, and harder/chewier in cold drinks.
• Plan ahead, it takes over 1 hour to cook a new batch!
• If you are not sure how much water to add, use more water.