Why use plain boba pearls when you can use mango boba in your next mango boba tea. All you need is 3 ingredients, including fresh mango, to create fruity mango tapioca pearls at home for mango bubble tea!

Having shared my homemade boba pearl method a couple of years ago, I decided the post needed an update to help those who had struggled to get the dough just right. Well, it turns out just the thought of boba sent me down a rabbit hole of boba-inspired recipes and DIYs, the first of which is for homemade mango boba pearls.

If you think of mango bubble tea, the drink is usually made up of the classic brown/black tapioca pearls with a mango drink surrounding them. The other mango boba pearls we often see are the ‘popping boba’ style ones that contain no tapioca and pop in your mouth to release juice/syrup (DIY coming soon!).

However, this recipe is for something that’s a bit in the middle – these mango tapioca pearls are chewy like traditional tapioca but have fresh mango for flavoring.

The truth is traditional tapioca pearls don’t have much flavor to them at all, and that can actually put people off. Personally, I know some friends who will only ever choose popping boba because of the flavorful juice/syrup within but find the plain tapioca balls completely lackluster. Well, no more with these mango tapioca pearls!

The Ingredients

• Tapioca flour: also called tapioca starch. This is the key ingredient and what creates the unique, gelatinous tapioca pearl texture.
• Mango: choose a sweet, ripe mango for the best flavor.
• Water: use warm water.
• Powdered sugar: we need a little to sweeten the mango and enhance the flavor. Don’t use a liquid sweetener! Feel free to use the powdered sugar of your choice.

For the mango bubble tea

• Milk: I used homemade mango coconut milk, which is exactly what it sounds like: coconut milk blended with fresh mango and optionally sweetened with a little maple syrup.
• Date syrup: instead of the simple syrup usually used with boba, I thought I’d use something a little healthier – date syrup! Feel free to use simple syrup if that’s all you have.
• (Optional) Mango powder/extract: If you want an even stronger flavor, you could use a little powder or mango extract.
• (Optional) Tea: Feel free to use steeped black tea as the base for a traditional mango bubble ‘tea’.

Plus, the mango boba and optionally some ice cubes!

How to Make Mango Boba Pearls

Step 1: Prepare the mango

First, you’ll need to extract the flesh from your ripe mango.

Then, blend the mango into a smooth consistency. It must be as lump-free as possible for smooth tapioca pearls.

Give the mango a taste and if you think it needs it, add the powdered sugar, along with one tablespoon of tapioca starch and the warm water. Stir well to incorporate the powdered elements.

Step 2: Heat the mixture

Tapioca starch needs heat to ‘activate’ and work the way we need it to create mango boba pearls. In fact, most ‘mistakes’ made when making homemade tapioca pearls have to do with temperature.

You can heat the mango tapioca mixture in one of two ways, microwave or stovetop.

Stovetop: Transfer the mixture to a medium pan and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly.

Microwave: Heat the mixture in 20-second bursts, stirring in between. You’ll need to do this for around 1:30 minutes or so.

Step 3: Add the remaining tapioca

Allow the mixture to cool for just a couple of minutes before adding the remainder of the tapioca starch. Add it a little bit at a time, mixing vigorously in-between.

Keep adding tapioca until a shiny, non-sticky dough forms. It may be easier towards the end to knead it with your hands on a kitchen surface dusted with extra starch, but be careful as it is hot.

As soon as it’s ready, wrap the dough with plastic wrap – I’ve tried with beeswax wrap, but it just doesn’t work, so don’t waste your boba pearls!

Step 4: Shape the mango boba pearls

Pull off a little of the dough at a time, keeping the rest wrapped tightly to stop it from drying out.

Dust your countertop with tapioca starch and roll the dough out into a long rope/snake that’s around 3/8 inch/1 cm in thickness.

Then cut the rope into pieces every 3/8 inch/1 cm apart or slightly more if you want bigger pearls. Though, keep in mind the pearls will expand when you cook them.

Roll each piece into a ball, then dust them with tapioca starch to stop them from sticking together. Repeat this with the remaining dough. 

At this point, you could freeze any pearls you don’t plan to use immediately or go ahead with cooking them.

Step 5: Cook the mango boba

Place the pearls in a pot with boiling water and simmer for 20 minutes with a lid on. Then remove the pan from the heat, keep the lid, and allow them to steam for a further 20 minutes.

At this point, the mango tapioca balls should be slightly translucent with a slightly ‘bouncy’ texture.

Drain the pearls through a sieve and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process and rinse off excess starch.

Alternatively, you could place the pearls into an ice bath – depending on which is easiest for you.

Step 6: Prepare the mango boba drink

Add the date syrup to the bottom of your glass – feel free to swirl it around the inside of the glass, too, to coat the walls.

Then add the pearls, ice cubes (if using), and the mango coconut milk.

Enjoy immediately!

FAQs

Other Recipe Tips

• Boba syrup: you can optionally create a simple sugar syrup for the mango boba using the same technique I did for these homemade boba.
• How to use: this mango boba will work within mango bubble milk tea, with just milk, with smoothies, mango juice, or even make smaller tapioca balls for a mango tapioca pudding dish.
• The dough must be very hot when the tapioca starch is added; otherwise, it won’t form a dough correctly.
• You may be able to ‘dehydrate’ the pearls for longer-term storage, but this is something I need to experiment with; then, I will report back!
• For mango bubble tea: feel free to use a black tea base mixed with milk or cream.

Other Mango Recipes

• Homemade Boba ‘Tapioca Pearls’ Bubble Milk Tea
• Tropical Mango Salad
• Thai Coconut Sweet Sticky Rice with mango
• Citrus and Mango Smoothie Bowl
• Mango Smoothie Bowl
• Easy Mango Salsa (Mango Pico De Gallo)
• Mango Chia Pudding Bowl (with Crispy Oats and Yogurt)
• Mango Sago Dessert
• How To Make Mango Lassi
• How to Cut a Mango (4+ Simple Methods)

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