Winter Melon Milk Bubble Tea, also known as winter melon boba tea, is enjoyable any season. Winter melon's slightly caramelized sweetness is delightful on scorching summers and incredibly comforting on cold winter nights. This recipe will show you how to quickly make a winter melon milk bubble tea. It is effortlessly delicious and easy. Customize your winter melon milk bubble tea the way you want it. This fast recipe makes a large amount so get your pitchers out!
What is Winter Melon?
Winter melon is also known as ash gourd or wax gourd, and is popular in Southeast Asian cuisine. In Vietnamese, winter melon is called bí đao. This slightly fuzzy fruit is commonly used in Vietnamese cooking; eaten like a vegetable. Winter melon has a mild, almost neutral flavor, and can absorb surrounding flavors, making it a natural fit for many dishes. We use it in our Vietnamese soup, canh bí, and it can be enjoyed in bubble tea as well!
Bubble tea shops use winter melon syrup to mix their drinks. Winter melon boba tea can also be mixed with tea and/or milk. Some popular toppings include basil or chia seeds, grass jelly, and boba topica pearls. In this recipe, I will show you how to make a winter melon bubble tea from packaged winter melon preserves and how you can customize it to your own preferences. Let’s go!
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❤️Why You'll love this recipe
- It's full of winter melon flavor from winter melon preserves.
- This boba tea recipe makes a large amount! Perfect for parties!
- This recipe is a money saver compared to buying drinks from the boba shops.
- This recipe is really simple to customize to your preferences.
- It shows simple step-by-step instructions on how to make winter melon bubble tea.
🛒Recipe Ingredients
You'll need the following to make a yummy winter melon treat:
Ingredient Notes:
- Chia seeds: This is optional to add. If you've never had chia seeds before, I must warn you that when it's added to water, the seeds swell up and become gelled. They are healthy and a popular topping to add to winter melon drink.
- Tea: Commonly used teas are black tea, green tea, oolong tea, and jasmine. I am using mint tea for a unique twist - try it!
- Preserved winter melon: This is a block of winter melon and sugar and it is SWEET. I recommend buying this at a local Asian specialty store. Call and check to see if they have it. Sometimes it's in the sugar section and sometimes it's in the candy section. Ask someone to help if you can't find it! I got it for $3.50 a block.
- Water
- Grass jelly: Grass jelly is an optional topping. You can get the canned grass jelly or make it from a package. If you live near an Asian grocery check them out they may have these ingredients for a lesser price. Grass jelly goes well with winter melon boba tea. If you do use it, be sure to cut it into small cubes so you can suck it up with a straw, or you'll need a spoon.
- Milk: I used oat milk but any milk will do. Dairy milk, non-dairy varieties (soy, almond, coconut, etc.)
- Cooked boba pearls: You can get instant ready-made bobas or you can make it yourself. Here are instructions on how to do it.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
↔Substitutions & Variations
- Tea you can use black tea, green tea, jasmine tea, or try other teas of your choice.
- For a milk tea version, add milk or creamer of your choice. Non-diary options are oat milk or coconut milk.
- For additional toppings, you can add grass jelly, chia seeds, or basil seeds, or add cheese foam on top.
👩🏫 How to make winter melon bubble tea
Step 1: Steep your tea in a hot cup of water. (Omit this step if you don't want any tea in your drink)
Step 2: Put a pot of water on the stove and turn it on to medium-high.
Step 3: Open the preserve pack and add the whole block to the pot.
Step 4: Watch the pot and stir the block around to dissolve it. If you still see chunks of preserve, keep on going.
Step 5: Let the water continue to boil until the preserves are dissolved.
Step 6: Turn off the heat when the chunks are dissolved.
Step 7: Let winter melon drink cool. Serve hot or over ice.
Step 8: Assemble your bubble tea cup. Add the boba pearls first to the bottom of the glass.
Step 9: Add in grass jelly. (optional)
Step 10: Add in chia seeds. (optional)
Step 11: Add in tea of choice (optional)
Step 12: Pour in winter melon preserves drink into the glass.
Step 13: Top with ice if desired. (optional)
Step 14: Pour milk on top of the drink. And enjoy!
Expert Tips
- If you plan on using boba pearls, make it ahead of time or buy the pre-packaged boba pearls.
- Use boba straws to get the full bubble tea experience. Normal straws can not catch the boba pearls and milk tea together. The fun of drinking boba is sipping them through the wider straw.
- Store extra preserved winter melon in a pitcher and refrigerate.
- Only mix the winter melon drink and toppings together when you're ready to serve it.
🙋♀️Recipes FAQ
It's a sweet drink with hints of caramel and light honey.
At the boba shops, a common way to make winter melon boba is by using winter melon syrup, tea (black, green, or oolong) milk, and boba pearls. Winter melon boba tea can also be made using winter melon preserves like in my recipe.
Yes, it is a sweet drink.
Winter melon milk tea is sweet, creamy, and has caramel/honey notes.
❄️Storage and reheating instructions
- Store winter melon preserve drink in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- It is best to consume Winter Melon Bubble Milk Tea on the same day as boba pearls will harden and lose their chewy texture over time.
Did you try this recipe?
Leave a ⭐️ review below and tag @teerangathome on Instagram!
📖Recipe
Equipment
- 1 deep pot
Ingredients
- 1 block winter melon preserves
- 12 cups water (3000 ml)
- 1 packet tea of choice (optional)
- 1 cup grass jelly (optional)
- 1 cup cooked boba pearls (optional)
- 1 teaspoonful chia seeds (optional)
- ¼ cup milk (optional)
- 1 cup ice (optional)
Instructions
- Steep tea (optional) If you aren't adding tea, move on to the next step.
- Set pot of water on stove with 12 cups of water (3000ml)
- Add the whole cube of winter melon preserve.
- As the pot boils, the preserve will dissolve into the water. Stir to dissolve the preserve into the water.
- When its all dissovled, take off the heat.
- Start assmebling bubble tea. Add boba pearls, grass jelly and chia seeds to the glass cup. (All toppings are optional)
- Pour in 1 and ½ cups winter melon drink into a cup.
- Add ½ cup of tea (optional) or water into the cup.
- Add ice if desired, or skip to next step.
- Add in ⅓ cup of preferred milk. (optional)
- Use a spoon to mix it up and enjoy!
Adriana
OMG this one is good. I get it all the time at shops but never knew what it looked it.
Trang Vo
:D! It's super easy to make at home and easily customizable!