The 9 Best Dressings for Boba

Boba, also known as bubble tea, is an Asian drink that has become very popular all over the world.

With so many boba joints, you may come across numerous boba tea combinations, with new flavors and garnishes appearing quite frequently.

You may be overwhelmed by the number of ingredients you can choose from at boba joints. Which ones are worth trying?

What are the best ingredients for boba? The best toppings for boba are pearls, including tapioca pearls and agar-agar pearls, puddings, jelly chunks, boba pop, milk or cheese foam, beans, basil, and basil seeds. chia, as well as whipped cream and ice cream. 

Read on to learn more about each of these boba dips and which one to choose the next time you drink bubble tea.

What is the fool?

Boba is the name used for a popular Taiwanese drink called bubble tea. Although bubble tea originated in Taiwan in the 1980s, it began to gain popularity in the US beginning in the early 2000s.

The word goofy itself is very confusing.  For one, it’s another name for bubble tea. On the other hand, the word boba can also refer to the tapioca balls that are used in the drink.

They are the dark pearls found in boba tea.  They have a chewy texture and are quite sweet. Although keep in mind that these pearls also come in a variety of other colors and flavors.

A classic boba drink contains the following ingredients: tapioca balls (or pearls made from other ingredients), black tea, milk, and a sweetener.

The drink is chilled with ice and always comes with a fat straw. This is important, as the straw needs to be wide enough for the pearls to go through.

Although boba is often used to refer to bubble tea, boba, considered to be sweet pearls, can be added to other beverages as well.

The 9 Best Dressings for Boba

With the growing popularity of bubble tea, there are numerous boba combinations you can try.

The classic bubble tea topping is chewy pearls, of course. But now any bubble tea joint serves boba with several more interesting toppings.

So what are the best dressings for boba? Here are the 9 options you can try!

1. Pearls

Pearls, that is, the chewy bubbles of bubble tea, are the most common garnish used for this drink. In fact, there is no bubble tea without pearls.

Most commonly, these pearls are made of tapioca. Plain Tapioca Pearls are made from just 2 ingredients: tapioca starch and water.

Due to the chewy consistency of the pearls, you might think that there is gelatin in the tapioca balls as well. It’s all thanks to tapioca starch.

Plain two-ingredient tapioca balls have no flavor at all. Sometimes they can be soaked in honey or other syrups to make the pearls taste sweet.

Another common type of tapioca pearls are the dark brown boba pearls . These dark pearls are sweeter thanks to the brown sugar used to make them.

Tapioca pearls have other flavors and colors. Golden tapioca pearls, green tea, and fruity boba pearls are just a few of the options you can find in boba cafes.

In addition to tapioca pearls, boba locals may use pearl coatings made from other ingredients. Sweet potato boba pearls are one of the options.

Agar-agar pearls are a boba coating made from agar powder. It is the main ingredient used in the production of these pearls, which is also responsible for their crystalline appearance.

This is why boba beads made from agar powder are also known as crystal boba.

The texture of the crystal boba is more delicate and gelatinous than that of chewy tapioca balls. But it is sweet and slightly floral. 

If you have never tried bubble tea before, you should definitely add boba pearls to your drink as it is the best way to experience the true texture of bubble tea. No matter what pearls they put in your drink, they should be soft and bouncy.

2. Pudding

Puddings are another great topping for boba.

Egg pudding may seem like a strange addition to bubble tea.

However, if you’re on the hunt for an interesting new topping for your boba, trying it with egg pudding is something you shouldn’t miss. Egg pudding has become one of the most popular toppings for bubble tea.

Egg pudding is not made entirely of eggs, as one might think. It is made with whole and lactose-free milk, dairy-free cream and sugar.

When talking about the texture of the pudding that is added to bubble tea or other specialty drinks, it should be noted that it does not have the gelatinous texture of the puddings that we are used to.

These puddings that are used to crown drinks have a very delicate texture, since they have to go through the straw.

Boba puddings can come in a range of different flavors including matcha pudding, coffee flavored pudding, and many more!

However, the most popular flavor is still egg pudding. Some boba locals also call it custard pudding. So don’t be confused when placing an order.

Keep in mind that if you do not like the egg flavor of these puddings, we recommend that you have the bubble tea with matcha pudding or any other flavor.

The added flavors take away the eggy flavor of the pudding, which can be quite off-putting if too strong.

3. Jelly

Jell-O is a good topping for boba if you want to add something chewy to your drink.

There are many varieties of gelatin that you can choose from. Some of the most popular jelly ingredients are rainbow jelly, aiyu jelly, coconut jelly, and grass jelly. 

Grass jelly doesn’t have a very appetizing name. But the truth is that it has a grassy flavor and people like it.

Grass jelly is made from the Chinese mesona herb. The consistency of this jelly is more like pudding, so it is collected in large pieces and not cut. 

If you’re anywhere in Asia, there’s a good chance you’ll see coconut jelly on the list of jelly flavors. Coconut jelly is a popular ingredient in Asian desserts.

Also known as nata de coco, this jelly is made by fermenting coconut water. The result is a chewy, translucent jelly. Coconut jelly can also be colored with the help of food coloring.

Coconut jelly, like other types of jelly, is cut into pieces and used to top bubble milk tea.

Lychee jelly is a type of Chinese gelatin dessert made from coconut water. It also includes lychee fruits and agar powder for the gelatinous texture.

The lychee jelly bits add a nice chewy texture to the drink, although the fruity flavor that clashes with the milk may be overkill for some people.

Rainbow Jell-O also has a coconut water base. But the texture of this jelly is thicker than coconut jelly.

There are other flavors of jelly topping for the boba as well, including mango, green apple strawberry, pineapple, passion fruit, and even coffee jelly. 

4. Bursting Boba

As if the regular boba texture wasn’t enough, people have come up with the exploding boba. They are even more interesting than normal boba.

The shape of the popping boba is the same as that of the normal boba.

But the difference is that there is a soft gelatinous liquid inside each popping boba pearl . When chewed lightly, they burst and fill your mouth with so much flavor.

Boba popping comes in various flavors. Watermelon, passion fruit, strawberry, mango: popping boba pearls are filled with colored syrups. Coffee and tea flavored popping boba pearls are also popular.

You can buy a jar of boba popping and flavor your everyday drinks. You can try making popping boba pearls at home.

But the DIY process of popping boba is quite complicated in terms of finding the ingredients you need and the time it takes to make the pearls.

To achieve the poppable texture of these boba pearls, manufacturers use 2 food additives: sodium alginate and calcium salt. 

We recommend that you choose popping boba as a topping for your boba if regular tapioca pearls seem too heavy and rubbery for your taste.

Also, boba popping has fewer calories than tapioca pearls. Unlike its starchy counterparts, popping boba only contains 30 calories per serving.

5. Foam

If you’re not sure about adding any ingredients to your boba drink because you don’t want it to affect its texture, and you just want an extra layer of flavor, you can opt for a foam ingredient.

The most popular foam topping for boba is milk foam. Milk foam is simply an airy, fluffy foam like you add to coffee.

The milk foam is so light that, unlike other boba toppings, it floats on top of the drink. You can mix it into your drink to add a light milk flavor to your drink and also creaminess.

A peculiar option is to add cheese foam to your boba drink. You may think cheese foam and boba tea don’t go together well. But you will never know what you think of this combination if you don’t try it.

As for the taste, the cheese foam is a combination of all the flavors. It’s sweet, salty, creamy, and of course, cheesy!

Cheese foam usually accompanies all kinds of boba drinks, and is one of the best pairings with the lightest teas.

A great tip to know when ordering boba with foam topping is to drink it without a straw first. In this way, you can savor both the drink and the foam.

6. Beans

Yes, you read it right.  The beans can also be a topping for the boba. Although people have different feelings about bean toppings for bubble tea, some people like it.

I’m sure you’re wondering what the beans in the boba taste like. Let’s start with the fact that the beans used to top boba are not the kind of beans you eat for dinner.

Red or mung beans, which are small green beans, are sweetened to make a deliciously sweet garnish for drinks and desserts. 

In addition to the sweetness that beans add to boba drinks, they also add earthy notes. The texture of sweetened red and green beans is what makes them a questionable boba topping.

People often complain that sugar beans are dusty and grainy.

But one thing that may make you choose kidney beans as a topping for your boba is the fact that they are healthier than some of the toppings on this list.

Kidney beans are a great source of protein and fiber, something we can’t say about jellies, pearls, and air bubbles.

7. Basil or chia seeds

Basil and chia seeds are very similar in some ways. Both have great nutritional value and look quite similar. But basil seeds are all black, while chia seeds come in various shades, including black, brown, gray, and white.

When these seeds are soaked in liquid, they produce a slimy, translucent covering. The seeds, however, remain hard in the center.

This blend of basil or chia seeds added to your boba drink adds another layer of texture, contrasting with the chewiness of starchy tapioca pearls.

Due to their unique texture, basil and chia seed dips are not as popular with boba drinkers. But some people like the crunchy, gelatinous texture that these seeds add to their drink, in addition to the many health benefits they have.

Basil or chia seeds are most often used for fruity boba teas.

8. Whipped cream

The whipped cream never hurts. It is a great dressing for different types of hot and cold drinks. And the boba is no exception.

The whipped cream is airy and thick. It has the perfect amount of sweetness so as not to interfere with the taste of your drink. 

Whipped cream is an excellent garnish for coffee-based drinks that contain boba pearls. But it also goes well with various bubble teas.

Some of the ingredients on this list may be harder to find, like Asian jellies and boba pearls. Whipped cream, however, is very easy. Give it a try the next time you make bubble tea at home. You can also add some sprinkles to make it more fun.

9. Ice cream

Last but not least, ice cream is another great topping for boba tea. It is one of the safest dressings you can choose. But the good thing is that you know you are going to love it, since topping any dessert with ice cream is never a bad idea.

There are many flavors to choose from when it comes to ice cream as a boba topping. If it’s a cafe that sells both boba drinks and ice cream, ask that your boba drink be topped with a scoop of your favorite ice cream.

You can melt the ice cream into the drink or eat it for dessert and then have your drink.

In fact, you might love the combination of ice cream and boba pearls so much that you start topping your ice cream with boba pearls.