Honeydew Milk Tea is made with cozy green jasmine tea, delightful boba pearls, and sweet honeydew melon. It's ready in 10 minutes and can be enjoyed hot or cold!
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It’s summer, which means it’s melon season! One of my favorites is honeydew. It's delicate, almost floral-like, sweet flavor is what I crave on a hot day.
I have heard of honeydew milk teas but have always been a little leery of making them because of how complicated a fresh fruit tea can be. Turns out though, there is a super simple way to make it with easy ingredients and a blender!
Boba recipes typically use the same 5 base ingredients - freshly brewed tea, boba pearls, a sweetener, milk, and boba. And while this recipe uses all those classic ingredients, I wanted to keep this on the lighter side by using natural sugar, green tea instead of traditional black tea, and oat milk to keep it dairy-free.
Are you a bubble tea lover looking for more boba drinks? Try our Lavender Milk Tea, Strawberry Boba Tea, Winter Melon Milk Tea, or Tropical Boba Smoothie!
Jump to:
What is Milk Tea?
Milk tea is a broad category of tea lattes that has also become known as boba tea or bubble tea because it is often served with tapioca pearls (boba) that resemble bubbles. Some common examples of milk tea are chai tea, golden tea, and thai tea. Milk teas are very common in Asian cultures and have become increasingly popular in the states in the last couple of years. They typically include some type of green or black tea, milk, a sweetener, and any additional flavorings.
Ingredients and Substitutions
All substitutions are a 1:1 substitute unless otherwise noted
Honeydew: Honeydew is a mildly sweet melon that is green in color.
Substitutions: Other fresh melon such as cantaloupe or watermelon could be used in place of honeydew, really any fresh melons. But, I really hope you use honeydew for this Honeydew Milk Tea. Honeydew powder or honeydew syrup are also an option for a substitution and will result in a much more concentrated flavor. We have not tried making it with this, but if you do please let us know how it goes!
Oat Milk: Oat milk is mild in flavor which helps to not overpower the flavor of honeydew. We use unsweetened oat milk, regular (not low fat or barista).
Substitutions: You can use any unsweetened milk with a milk flavor. Almond milk, rice milk, soy milk, cow’s milk, hemp milk, or non-dairy creamer would all work. Coconut milk can be used but due to its strong coconut flavor, it has a tendency to overpower the honeydew.
Green Tea: Green tea is great for getting that afternoon caffeine fix because while it has some caffeine, it is a lower dosage that releases in the body much more evenly than coffee or other caffeine drinks. This is why green tea is less likely to cause a crash.
Substitutions: We used Jasmine green tea bags but you could use any green or white tea you have. You could use black tea, but reduce the quantity to one teabag so as to not overpower the fresh honeydew melon flavor.
Honey: Honey provides a little extra sweetness and goes super well with honeydew.
Substitutions: Agave, white sugar, or simple syrup can be used if you do not have honey. You can really use any sweetener of your choice. I love to use floral-infused honey to compliment the honeydew flavor!
Boba: These are just plain fun! Boba is tapioca gels that are sold dried. To make them, you just boil them and wait for them to float. Just like cooking gnocchi!
Substitutions: We used clear or white tapioca pearls, but you can use black tapioca pearls, flavored gels, or any other fun add-in you like. These can also be left out.
How to Make this - Step by Step
This bubble tea recipe is seriously so easy to make. It only takes 10 minutes and 6 ingredients to have your very own honeydew bubble tea at home! Read on for how to make easy honeydew milk tea with real ripe honeydew!
Step one: Bring water to a boil in a pot of water. Once it comes to a boil, add the bags of green tea to the hot water and remove from heat. Steep green tea for 5 minutes.
Step two: While the tea steeps, make the boba by bringing water to a boil in another small saucepan. Add the two tablespoons of tapioca pearls and cook until they float to the surface. Strain out the cooked tapioca balls and put them into the bottom of the serving glass. Add a few drops of honey to the boba and stir. This helps to keep them from sticking to each other.
Step three: Remove the tea bags from the tea. Add tea liquid, honey, and honeydew to a blender and blend honeydew until smooth. This could be done in a small blender or food processor.
Step four: Pour honeydew mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a cup with boba. Use the back of a spoon to push the liquid through the sieve.
Step five: Add ice cubes and your ½ cup milk and stir. Enjoy with a wide straw (for the boba, of course!)! This can also be enjoyed hot - to do that, heat the milk, skip the ice, and combine the hot milk and honeydew mixture in a mug with boba and enjoy!
Watch How to Make This - Step by Step
Joy Tip!
After cooking boba, add a splash of honey, agave, brown sugar, simple syrup, or other sweetener liquid. This keeps the boba from sticking to each other (which happens very quickly!).
Facts and Common Questions
What does honeydew melon milk tea taste like?
Honeydew melon milk tea is incredibly refreshing and slightly sweet. It has the flavor of green tea with a hint of honeydew. If using boba, they will add another depth of flavor. While we used plain tapioca pearls to avoid overshadowing the honeydew, you can find them in brown sugar, strawberry, and many other flavors!
Does honeydew bubble tea have caffeine?
Yes, honeydew bubble tea has caffeine. The green tea that is the base of this drink has about 30 mg of caffeine compared to 50 in black tea and 100 in coffee. So, this is a low caffeine drink but it does still have caffeine.
What kitchen tools do I need to make this?
This recipe is super easy thanks to two useful kitchen tools - a mesh strainer and a blender. Both of these are by far my most used kitchen tools, I used the blender four times yesterday and the strainer twice. But, if you do not have a mesh strainer, you can use a thin kitchen dish towel or cheesecloth to strain the honeydew mixture. Unfortunately, you will need a blender or food processor of some kind to make this milk tea.
Are tapioca pearls sweet?
Yes, tapioca pearls can be sweet. It depends on what kind but generally, they are made with tapioca and brown sugar making them sweet.
Want to Save it for Later? Here’s how!
Fridge: This can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to two days. I recommend removing the ice and boba before saving. The mixture will begin to separate due to the dew. Ha, see what I did there? But seriously, because some of the honeydew pulp is still in the drink, that will float to the top as the drink sits. To enjoy later, mix well to combine, add ice (or heat up) and boba, and enjoy!
More Joyful Recipes!
Check out these other tea inspired recipes!
Recipe
Honeydew Milk Tea With Boba
Ingredients
- 1 cup honeydew melon (rind removed)
- 2 green tea bags
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ cup oat milk
- 2 tablespoon boba pearls
- ½ cup ice
Before you start!
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Instructions
- Bring water to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, add the green tea bags to the hot water and remove from heat. Let these steep for 5 minutes.
- While the tea steeps, make the boba by bringing water to a boil in another small saucepan. Add the boba and cook until it floats to the surface. Strain out the cooked tapioca pearls and put them into the bottom of a serving glass. Add a few drops of honey to the boba and stir. This helps to keep them from sticking to each other.
- Remove the tea bags from the tea. Add tea liquid, honey, and honeydew to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Strain the honeydew mixture through a fine mesh sieve into your serving glass with the boba. Use the back of a spoon to push the liquid through the sieve.
- Add ice cubes and milk and stir. Enjoy with a wide straw (for the boba, of course!)! This can also be enjoyed hot - to do that, heat the milk, skip the ice, and combine the hot milk and honeydew mixture in a mug with boba and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Looking for more information?
Additional substitution information can be found above in the substitution section of this post.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate and for informational purposes only.
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