How To Cook Tapioca Pearls (Original, Tiny, White, Chewy, Instant)

Tapioca needs to be cooked before it’s placed in the drink. This is what it looks like before it’s cooked.

These are all the types of boba pearls.

• Original tapioca pearls is the normal tapioca used throughout time for making bubble tea.
• Tiny Tapioca is smaller than the original boba which is ideal for drinking bubble tea easier with straws. 
• White Tapioca is tapioca pearls that contain tapioca starch and water.
• Chewy tapioca is more chewy than the original boba.
• Instant tapioca cooks faster than the original.

How to Cook Tapioca Pearls

This will cover cooking the tapioca pearls for the original, tiny/small tapioca, and the instant tapioca pearls. The original will be first.

Let’s see how to Cook Tapioca. The bag has instructions on the back..

• Important things to know before we begin.
• Do Not place tapioca pearls in water before it’s boiling.
• Do Not try to consume uncooked tapioca pearls or put them in your drink uncooked.
• Do Not wash or rinse the tapioca pearls until after they are finished cooking.
• Make sure that you are using enough water according to how much you are cooking.

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1. Place 15 to 20 quarts of water in a pot and boil water at high temperature.
2. Turn heat to medium and place Tea Zone Tapioca in boiling water, stir for 15 seconds.
   Wait for the water to heat back up to small boil or a simmer.
3. Continue to simmer in a slow boil at low heat for 30 minutes while stirring every 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Turn off heat and let cool for 35 minutes with cover on.
5. Carefully strain and rinse tapioca in a large colander.
6. Soak tapioca in a sugar mixture for 10 minutes.

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How to Cook Small Tapioca Pearls?

1. Place Small Tapioca Pearls into boiling water, stir it to keep the pearls from sticking together.
2. Simmer in a boil for 6 minutes.
3. After 6 minutes, stir one time for 15 seconds and continue to simmer in a slow boil.
4. Turn off the heat, take the pot off of the heat, and let the pot cool for 6 minutes while its covered.
5. Carefully strain the small pearls, rinse them, and soak them in sugar mixture for 10 minutes.
6. Done. Stir once every hour.

How to Cook Instant 10 Tapioca Pearls?

1. Place Instant 10 Tapioca in boiling water.
2. Let them boil for 10 minutes while they are covered, and remove covering after 5 minutes and stir for 15 seconds.
3. Turn the heat off and place on cool surface.
4. Let it sit for 15 minutes while covered.
5. Carefully strain and rinse tapioca in a colander.
6. Soak in a sugar mixture.
7. Done. Stir every hour.

About Tapioca Pearls

What is Tapioca made of?

Tapioca is a starch made from the cassava root that is squeezed from the cassava. The water is evaporated from the liquid leaving the powder known as tapioca.
Tapioca balls are made from this powder by mixing it again with water until it forms into a dough that is made into balls.

Is Tapioca good or bad for you?

Tapioca is made out of almost nothing but starch: extracted from the cassava root. It has no cholesterol or fats, but it contains calcium which is good for the bones (the calcium is).

Tapioca is gluten-free, which is good for individuals with allergies due to certain carbohydrates. It is also considered a carbohydrate with all the grams containing this before it is made into tapioca balls with sugar added.

What is Agar Boba?

Agar boba is crystal boba. It is used sometimes since the color of original boba is black in color after it is prepped and cooked.

Agar boba, when prepped and cooked, has a more clear color to it. This is favored because it can have its color altered for food aesthetics to create something other than black pearls.

The texture of white tapioca is also less chewy than the original tapioca pearls. The word originated from Malaysia which means ‘gelatin’ or ‘jelly’.

What is the difference between Boba and Tapioca Pearls?

There is no difference between Boba and tapioca pearls because they are the same thing. Boba is just another name for Tapioca Pearls just like Boba Tea is just another name for Bubble Tea.