How To Sweeten Boba Pearls

Are your boba pearls tasteless? This will thoroughly cover how you sweeten boba pearls. There are two ways to do it, and both are fairly easy to do. This will go over step-by-step on how it is done both ways, for all types of cookable boba pearls (tapioca pearls, sago pearls, white tapioca, tiny boba etc). You might prefer one way over the other, since one way can be done without having to set up anything to do it.

Most individuals run into this same problem whenever they are cooking boba of any type for the first time. They knead their dough, or buy dried boba in a bag to cook it; they finally cook some great tapioca pearls, but when they sweeten them, they taste bland.

This common problem is solved by simply using more sugar or sweetener than you normally would when trying to make your boba pearls taste better. The fear of most individuals is subconsciously thinking that adding too much of a certain ingredient (in this case, sugar), will ruin the whole thing. This is correct, but in this case, that is what you want to do to your boba pearls.

So how much sugar or sweetener do you add to boba pearls to make them sweet?

For the amount of boba pearls that you have, you want to use a fourth of the amount of sugar or sweetener to sweeten them to perfection. In other words, a 1:4 ratio of sugar/sweetener to the amount of boba pearls.

How do you add flavor to boba pearls?

To add flavor to boba pearls, start by using the correct sugars or sweeteners to sweeten the pearls. The most commonly used sugars are brown sugar, granulated sugar (white sugar), and simple syrup. However, powdered sugar is the best for sweetening boba pearls. I found this out while air frying boba in an air fryer.

Boba pearls do not have good absorption. This is why they can take a long time to cook in water. The middle of the boba can possibly be hard, with a soft outer layer. Powdered sugar is granulated sugar that has be grinded even further into powder. Powdered sugar may be a little harder to taste than granulated sugar when sampled on the finger, but it is excellent for sweetening boba pearls.

Powdered sugar soaks easier into the boba pearls whenever it is time to sweeten them outside of water, then granulated sugar or brown sugar would.

After the boba is cooked, it is shocked by cool water to stop them from cooking. This means that the boba is no longer hot. This makes granulated sugar and brown sugar less effective, since the sugar needs to absorb into the boba in order to sweeten them. Sugar is a soluble, but it will not dissolve easily into the boba after this. Powdered sugar will dissolve and soak into the boba faster.

Once you have the sugar or sweetener that you will use, here are the two ways to add flavor to your boba:

First Option:

1. Place the cooked boba pearls into a bowl or container.
   • The boba should be rinsed first with cool water after it is cooked in a strainer, then it can be placed into a bowl or container to sweeten.
   • If the boba has already been cooked, rinsed, and sitting for awhile, no worries. The sweetener can still be added to the boba using this method. It can also be reheated to get them a little warm, as long as they don’t start cooking again.
2. Take the sugar, syrup, or sweetener and pour it directly unto the finished and fully cooked boba pearls. Use one of the ratios to sweeten the boba:
   • Use a 1:8 ratio of sweetener to the amount of boba to lightly sweeten the boba pearls.
   • Use a 1:4 ratio of sweetener to the amount of boba to considerably and noticeably sweeten the boba pearls.
   • Use a 1:1 ratio of sweetener to the amount of boba to make your boba sweet like candy.
3. Gently mix the sweetener into the boba until it is fully dissolved or mixed, and let it soak for 10 to 30 minutes before serving them.

This is the first and only option you will be able to use if you are reading this article and you have already cooked your boba pearls. The next option can be used the next time you are getting ready to cook your boba pearls.

Second Option

1. Pour the sugar or sweetener directly into the pot of boiling water initially before putting the uncooked boba into the pot to cook.
2. Stir the water before the boba is placed in to cook.

Doing it this way will sweeten the boba easier, since the sugars, syrups, and sweeteners will cook and absorb directly into the cooking pearls. This option isn’t mandatory if you want to use the first option, just don’t do both options for the same cooked boba pearls. It may make them too sweet.

The same sweetener ratios are used for either option, except that it applies to how much water that you are using for cooking the boba, not the amount of boba you are cooking for the second option. It would be 1 cup of sugar for 4 cups of water for a 1:4 ratio for example for the second option.

Using the powdered sugar in the pot of boiling water for this method, will have the same effect as using brown sugar or granulated sugar in the pot. It will not absorb better, since all the sugars will dissolve faster in the water and heat.

Is boba supposed to be flavorless?

The boba pearls should only be flavorless before they are cooked, or right after they have been cooked. Boba shouldn’t be flavorless after they have been served in a bubble tea to drink, or in a dessert to eat.

The boba will absorb the flavor of whatever the bubble tea flavor of the drink is, but it will not be enough to noticeably sweeten the pearls. They have to be placed into sugar, syrup, or sweetener mixture in order to obtain an individual flavor.

Even after the boba has been sweetened really well, the boba’s flavor can still be difficult to taste until they are actually chewed. If they have been flavored correctly, then the flavor will be found inside of the boba. If there isn’t any flavor after chewing the boba, then they have either not been sweetened at all, or haven’t been sweetened enough. Refer back to this guide to fix the bland pearls.