A Family Friendly Hokkaido Milk Tea Recipe That Creates Restaurant-Quality Drinks

Hokkaido milk tea is a creamy black tea-based drink popular in Japan. If you’re interested in trying it out, the best Hokkaido milk tea recipe is fairly easy to make. It uses brewed black tea, Hokkaido milk, and tapioca pearls to create an easy Hokkaido milk tea for beginners you’ll love.

When done, you’ll end up with a drink that is sweet and rich, that works perfectly as an afternoon treat or simple Hokkaido milk tea meal.

Even better, the addition of boba makes this fun, quick Hokkaido milk tea recipe filling enough to be enjoyed as a light snack or tasty dessert. You can even easily make a healthy Hokkaido milk tea version by tweaking these ingredients a little to produce a better result. 

Furthermore, this family friendly hokkaido milk tea works well for kids, as the boba drink craze is still popular around the world. If you’ve never tried it yourself, it’s a good time to jump in and see why exactly everyone is drinking little tapioca balls with their tea. 

With our help, you can make a delicious drink and try out various homemade Hokkaido milk tea ideas that make sense for your preferences. Don’t forget to check out our other drink ideas, including an adult-friendly Boozy M&M Milkshake!

Scroll to bottom for printable recipe card.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Creamy and refreshing, this easy Hokkaido milk tea for beginners is simple to make and fun to share
• The addition of boba adds a great texture to this best Hokkaido milk tea recipe – they pop right in your mouth
• This quick Hokkaido milk tea recipe is super simple to prepare in just 5 minutes or less
• You can enjoy this simple Hokkaido milk tea meal on a warm on a cool day or cold as a refreshing summer family friendly Hokkaido milk tea
• It’s easy to tweak with various homemade Hokkaido milk tea ideas that can even make a healthy Hokkaido milk tea version

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

• Black Tea: The best Hokkaido milk tea recipe uses black tea to produce a caffeine-rich, family friendly Hokkaido milk tea. Use green tea if you want a caffeine-free version.
• Tapioca Balls: An easy Hokkaido milk tea for beginners uses tapioca balls to give it its trademark “pop.” If you can’t find them, Jello balls or fruit-flavored pearls can work in a simple Hokkaido milk tea meal. 
• Hokkaido Milk: Your quick Hokkaido milk tea recipe needs this special milk to give it its nice taste. You can also try it with almond or dairy milk for a healthy Hokkaido milk tea version that kids will love. 
• Brown Sugar: Tasty brown sugar helps give your drink a lot of sweetness. For healthier homemade Hokkaido milk tea ideas, replace this ingredient with Stevia or even cut it out entirely for a sugar-free experience.

How to Make It

Your best Hokkaido milk tea recipe starts by prepping your brown sugar. Heat it and your water in a small saucepan over medium heat until it’s fully dissolved. This easy Hokkaido milk tea for beginners uses medium heat to avoid burning the sugar. You don’t want to fully caramelize it here. Melting it is quite enough.

After you find tapioca balls (easy enough online or at an Asian grocery store), you need to soften them up. This shouldn’t take more than a minute or two for your simple Hokkaido milk tea meal. Drop them in the brown sugar and let them soak up the texture. Just a couple of minutes is fine.

While they soak, start brewing your black tea to make your quick Hokkaido milk tea recipe. You can either cook it on the stove or in a tea machine. An iced tea machine works well for this family friendly Hokkaido milk tea because you can start drinking it almost immediately. 

You’re just about ready! Pour the brown sugar and tapioca into the tea, mix, and enjoy! Popular homemade Hokkaido milk tea ideas include making a healthy Hokkaido milk tea version by cutting out the sugar or even adding a bit of honey for more taste.

Tips for Success

• This recipe is easily customizable with different homemade Hokkaido milk tea ideas – try different types of milk and sweeteners, such as sweetening it with honey, maple syrup, sugar, or alternative sweeteners
• Create a healthy Hokkaido milk tea version by using dairy-free milk alternative such as nut milk or other plant-based milk, for a family friendly Hokkaido milk tea that works great for those with lactose intolerance
• Some love boba, some hate it, and the choice is yours – feel free to make this milk tea without any tapioca, though this simple Hokkaido milk tea meal loses some of its special texture that way
• Make the brown sugar syrup in a larger batch so that you can save it for later if you want to make more of this quick Hokkaido milk tea recipe
• Allow the tapioca to soften fully before adding it to the milk tea to make the best Hokkaido milk tea recipe 
• Teach your kids this easy Hokkaido milk tea for beginners – they’re going to ask you to make it a lot

Storage & Reheating

The best Hokkaido milk tea recipe is so quick and easy, it’s best made fresh. That said, you can prepare a larger batch of brown sugar syrup for your easy Hokkaido milk tea for beginners and store it in the fridge until ready to use. Allow the syrup to warm and soften before using it for your simple Hokkaido milk tea meal. 

Remember that a cold brew quick Hokkaido milk tea recipe can be made two days in advance and stored in the fridge, ready to enjoy. Don’t freeze your family friendly Hokkaido milk tea! It doesn’t really sit well in the freezer. A healthy Hokkaido milk tea version should only be chilled slightly, at the most.

Serving Suggestions

Try serving this with a tasty Asian dish, such as chicken fried rice, for an authentic meal

• Let it cool fully before serving to retain its texture and appeal 
• Use temperature-controlled glasses to avoid warming the drink with your hand 
• Don’t forget the big straws – half the fun is sucking up the tapioca pearls
• Add a little protein powder to make this closer to a full meal

Notes

The first time my kids asked for this drink, I was honestly dubious. I’d heard about boa tea, but the whole idea didn’t appeal to me. But I love my little ones, and I made it for them. It took me about three or four tries, though, to try one myself.

What was I thinking! I’d been missing out on a truly unique and tasty drink. Now, I’d say we make these once every couple of weeks, especially in the summer. If you’ve been avoiding this weird trend, I encourage you to try it out!