Brown sugar syrup for boba, is as its name suggests, a brown sugar based simple syrup that is typically used as a liquid sweetener for boba in bubble teas.
Made with just two simple ingredients, this delicious brown sugar syrup is easy to prepare at the comfort of your own home and can be used whenever you crave a delicious bubble tea. This quick and simple recipe makes it a must-try for anyone who enjoys bubble tea drinks and want to learn how to make their own bubble tea at home.
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❤️Why you will love this recipe
- You only need 2 simple ingredients to make this syrup i.e. water and brown sugar.
- It takes less than 5 minutes to make a batch of this delicious syrup and lasts well, which you can store and use whenever you like.
- It has a lovely thick consistency that perfectly coats the sides of your glass for that lovely brown sugar streaks
- You can use this syrup not only in milk teas but also other drinks and treats like pancakes, waffles, crepes and many more.
📋Ingredients
- Brown sugar - can use either dark or light brown sugar, both will be fine.
- Water - best to use drinking water or filtered water.
- Boba pearls - you can either make these on your own or purchase them in dry form.
- Vanilla extract (optional) - provides a lovely fragrance to your brown sugar syrup, but this is optional so you can omit it if you like.
*Refer to the recipe card below for full list of ingredients and exact quantities. For best results, use a digital kitchen scale where applicable*
🧾Substitution and variations
- Vanilla brown sugar syrup - add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the syrup after the sugar has dissolved.
- Dark brown sugar syrup - use dark brown sugar to make the syrup for a stronger caramel taste
- Light brown sugar syrup - use light brown sugar to make the syrup for a lesser caramel taste
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you do try, please let me know in the comments section below!
👩🏻🍳How to make
Step 1: Making the brown sugar syrup
Unlike regular simple syrup, the brown sugar syrup for boba requires a higher ratio of sugar to water. Bubbles teas are best when served with syrup at this consistency.
- Start by measuring water into a small saucepan or pot.
- Add the brown sugar to it.
- Turn on the flame to a medium heat. Stir to expedite the sugar dissolving process.
- Once the sugar dissolves, let the syrup cook a little longer until the sides start to bubble. Do not let the syrup cook beyond this point. Remove the syrup from heat. Add the vanilla extract if using.
- You can start using the syrup immediately for making bubble teas. Otherwise, let the syrup cool down to room temperature before pouring into a clean airtight bottle or jar and store in the refrigerator for later use.
Step 2: Cooking the boba pearls
Boba pearls are typically sold in dry form. You will have to cook them before adding them to your milk teas. The best way to cook these pearls is to follow the instructions that come along with the packaging. This is because some brands require a longer cooking time and some others a shorter time.
In any case, you can also adjust the cooking time by testing the pearls. If at the end of the cooking time you find them to be not as chewy as you wish them to be, you can continue cooking for a longer time.
- To cook the boba pearls, fill up water in a medium saucepan. As a general guide, you can use 1 liter of water (4 cups of water) for every cup of dry boba pearls.
- Bring the water to a boil.
- Add the boba pearls and stir to avoid them from sticking.
- Within few minutes of cooking, the boba pearls will float to the top. Let them cook this way for about 15 minutes (adjust the timing accordingly based on the instructions on your boba packaging).
- Once the 15 minutes time is up, test the pearls. If they are still hard, continue for another 5 or 10 minutes. Ideally, the texture should be chewy and should not be hard in the center.
- Turn off the heat and let the boba pearls continue to soak in the hot water for another 15 minutes.
- And then strain the boba pearls.
- Add them to a bowl or saucepan and add the earlier prepared brown sugar syrup. Mix them well. Serve while they are warm.
Step 3: Assembling bubble tea drinks with the brown sugar boba
- To use the boba pearls, add them to a drinking glass.
- Top with ice cubes and pour your drink into the glass.
- Serve.
🍽️Serving & storage
- The brown sugar syrup is ready for use immediately after making, or it can be stored for later use. If you wish to keep it for later use, do not mix with the boba pearls.
- Boba pearls, on the other hand, have a rather long shelf life (refer to the packaging) in their dry, uncooked form. But once, cooked, it is best to serve while still warm. They tend to harden slightly when cold and are therefore best to consume within the same day.
- To store the syrup (without the pearls), fill it into a clean and dry glass jar or airtight container. Keep the syrup refrigerated. The syrup can last for a good one month.
💡Expert tips
- Cooking the syrup to a boiling point can cause the sugar to thicken too much. You only need to cook it to the point the sugar dissolves and then remove from heat.
- There is also a possibility for the brown sugar to start to caramelize and form lumps, leaving your syrup gritty and with an uneven texture.
⭐What else can you use the brown sugar syrup for?
- You can use the boba in brown sugar syrup in a variety of ways. It's most common use is to make brown sugar boba milk tea (also sometimes called brown sugar boba tea or brown sugar bubble tea where you add these sweetened delicious chewy pearls to a glass of cold milk tea or chocolate milk tea). You can also add these boba pearls into plain cold milk, your favorite milk teas like this vanilla milk tea or butterfly pea milk tea, coffee drinks, soy milk or any other beverage you wish to enjoy it with.
- To create the delicious looking brown sugar streaks on the walls of your glass that you typically see in bubble tea shops (also sometimes referred to as tiger stripes in tiger milk tea), you add the boba pearls in syrup into the glass, and then use a spoon to move them on the sides of the glass to leave brown sugar streaks. And when you pour your milk tea into the glass, you will see the pretty brown sugar streaks on the sides of the glass.
- Other than the typical milk teas and beverages, you can enjoy these boba pearls in brown sugar as follows:
- As a topping for ice cream or other desserts
- As an add-in for smoothies or milkshakes
- As a snack on its own, enjoyed as a chewy and sweet treat for those with a sweet tooth
- As a garnish for cocktails, where the pearls add a unique texture and flavor to the drink.
💭FAQs
Boba, also known as bubble tea, is a Taiwanese tea-based drink that originated in the 1980s. It is typically made by mixing brewed black tea with milk or fruit flavors, and then adding chewy tapioca pearls, also called boba pearls that are soaked in thick brown sugar syrup to the bottom of the cup. The drink is then served with a wide straw so that the chewy boba pearls can be sucked up and chewed along with the tea.
Boba pearls are made from tapioca starch (tapioca flour), which is extracted from the roots of the cassava plant. The tapioca starch is cooked and formed into small, round balls that are cooked again in boiling water until they become chewy and translucent. They are then soaked in a sweet syrup to add flavor and keep them from sticking together.
Boba drinks can come in a variety of flavors, including traditional black or green tea, as well as fruit flavors like mango, strawberry, or lychee. They can also be made with different types of milk, such as dairy, almond, or soy milk, depending on personal preference. Boba has become a popular drink worldwide, with many specialty bubble tea shops and chains offering their own unique takes on the classic drink.
Brown sugar syrup is a sweet liquid made by dissolving brown sugar in water over low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. This simple syrup is a versatile sweetener that can be used in a variety of recipes, including cocktails, baked goods, and savory dishes.
Brown sugar syrup has a rich, caramel-like flavor that is different from regular white sugar syrup. You can also use it as a topping for pancakes, waffles, and ice cream. Typically made with a ratio of 1:1 of water and sugar, the ratio of brown sugar to water can vary depending on the desired consistency and sweetness level.
Brown sugar syrup is also a popular sweetener used in many bubble tea shops. It is made by first creating a thick syrup with brown sugar and water, and sometimes additional flavorings like vanilla or cinnamon and then mixed with cooked boba pearls. Unlike the regular simple syrup, brown sugar syrup for boba has a thicker consistency and is typically made with sugar to water ratio of 2:1.
The brown sugar syrup for boba adds a rich, caramel-like flavor to milk teas like this vanilla milk tea and butterfly pea milk tea and pairs very well with the chewy texture of the boba pearls. The syrup is usually quite thick, which gives the drink a more viscous texture and a satisfying mouthfeel. You can make this syrup in advance, making it super convenient to make bubble teas whenever you feel like having one.
The syrup has a similar level of sweetness as regular sugar syrup but has a more nuanced flavor profile due to the presence of molasses in brown sugar.
It has a distinct caramel-like flavor with subtle notes of butterscotch, which can vary depending on the type of brown sugar used (i.e. light brown sugar or dark brown sugar).
The consistency of this brown sugar syrup for boba will depend on the length of cooking time as well as the ratio of sugar to water.
If you follow the recipe instructions as provided in the recipe card below precisely and not cook the syrup beyond what is provided, the syrup will have a thick but pourable consistency, almost similar to honey.
Given the higher sugar to water ratio in this simple syrup recipe as compared to a one to one ratio in regular white sugar simple syrup, this brown sugar syrup is generally thicker than the regular simple syrup.
Black sugar syrup is term that describes a Japanese sugar syrup (known as Kuromitsu) made using a very dark brown sugar called Kurozato. The term 'black' originates from the direct translation of Kuromitsu in Japanese to English.
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📖Recipe
Brown Sugar Syrup for Boba
For best results, use the metrics measurements. US customary measurements have not been tested and are only meant for guide.
Ingredients
- 100 ml water
- 200 g brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
Making the syrup
- Measure water into a small saucepan or pot.
- Add in the brown sugar.
- Turn on the flame to a medium heat and cook the syrup. Stir to expedite the sugar dissolving process.
- Once the sugar dissolves, let the syrup cook until the sides start to bubble. Do not let the syrup cook beyond this point.
- Remove the syrup from heat. Add the vanilla extract if using.
- The syrup can be used immediately. Otherwise, let the syrup cool down to room temperature before pouring into a clean airtight bottle or jar and store in the refrigerator for later use.
- This quantity of syrup can be used for 2 cups of boba pearls (uncooked).
Notes
- Fill up 2 liters of water in a medium saucepan. As a general guide, you can use 1 liter of water (4 cups of water) for every cup of dry boba pearls.
- Bring the water to a boil.
- Add 2 cups of dry boba pearls and stir to avoid them from sticking.
- Within few minutes of cooking, the boba pearls will float to the top. Let them cook this way for about 15 minutes (adjust the timing accordingly based on the instructions on your boba packaging).
- Once the 15 minutes time is up, test the pearls. If they are still hard, continue for another 5 or 10 minutes. Ideally, the texture should be chewy and should not be hard in the center.
- Turn off the heat and let the boba pearls continue to soak in the hot water for another 15 minutes before straining.
- Add them to a bowl or saucepan and mix with the brown sugar syrup. Mix them well. The boba pearls are best used when they are warm.
- To use the boba pearls, add them to drinking glasses.
- Top with ice cubes and pour your drink into the glass.
- Serve.
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