What are Tapioca Pearls made of?

What are the ingredients of tapioca pearls

What are tapioca pearls?

Tapioca pearls (also known as boba or bubble tea pearls) are small, round, edible balls made from tapioca starch, extracted from the root of the cassava plant. (source) They are best known as the key ingredient in bubble tea, a drink that originated in Taiwan.

Tapioca starch changes when cooked with water and heat. The tiny starch granules swell, absorb liquid, and form a gel-like structure. This process—called gelatinisation—is what gives tapioca pearls their signature chewy, bouncy texture. (sourc)

Unlike popping boba or jelly toppings, tapioca pearls are starch-based, meaning they are dense, chewy, and slightly filling rather than juicy.

You can enjoy boba pearls in any bubble tea, but they’re most popular in milk teas.

Brown sugar bubble tea with tapioca pearls in tall cups

What are tapioca pearls made from?

At their core, all tapioca pearls are made from just two main ingredients:

  • Tapioca starch (from cassava root)
  • Water

Additional ingredients like sugar, flavourings, or colourings are sometimes added depending on the type of pearl.

There are different types of tapioca pearls: black, brown sugar and white.

How are tapioca pearls made?

The production process for tapioca pearls typically involves:

  • Extracting starch from cassava root
  • Mixing the starch with water (and sometimes sugar) to form a dough
  • Shaping the dough into small balls
  • Drying the pearls for storage and transport
  • Boiling before consumption to achieve the chewy texture

This simple process is what transforms cassava root into the iconic boba used in bubble tea worldwide.

Black tapioca pearls

Regular black tapioca pearls are made starting with tapioca starch, which is extracted from cassava roots. The Cassava roots are peeled, grated, and washed until only the pure starch remains. That starch is then mixed with water to form a sticky dough, which gets rolled, cut, and shaped into little spheres. Once boiled, these pearls become chewy.

As the pearls are very sticky, they need some sugar syrup. The most common sugars to soak tapioca pearls are brown sugar, honey flavoured or hazelnut flavoured syrup. The dough itself is mostly plain, letting the chewy texture steal the show.

Brown sugar tapioca pearls

Brown sugar pearls take things up a notch. Instead of waiting until after cooking, the brown sugar is added straight into the dough from the start. The sugar is heated with water until it caramelises, then mixed with the starch to form a rich, dark dough. Shaped and boiled just like regular pearls, they end up with a deeper colour and a caramel flavour. Even if it has brown sugar added inside the pearls, sugar syrup is still added afterwards to prevent them from sticking together.

These are especially popular in brown sugar bubble tea, one of the biggest modern bubble tea trends.

White tapioca pearls

White tapioca pearls are also made from tapioca starch. The process starts by cleaning, peeling, and grinding the cassava into a pulp to release the starch. The starch is then separated from the fibrous parts using water, filters, and sedimentation, producing a purified starch.

Then, the starch is mixed with water to form a dough, which is shaped into small, uniform spheres. The pearls are then dried to remove moisture and polished to make them smooth and glossy. Unlike black tapioca pearls, white ones usually don’t contain brown sugar or colouring, so they remain pale in colour. Like all others, sugar syrup is added afterwards.

Brown sugar tapioca pearls in a wooden bowl with spoon

How to prepare tapioca pearls for bubble tea

To cook regular tapioca pearls properly:

  • Step 1: Boil water
  • Step 2: Add pearls to boiling water until they float on the surface
  • Step 3: Turn down the heat to medium and cook for +/- 20 minutes
  • Step 4: Turn off the heat and cook for another +/- 20 minutes
  • Step 5: Drain and rinse lightly to get all the excess starch off
  • Step 6: Soak in sugar syrup for flavour and to prevent sticking

To cook quick-cook tapioca pearls properly:

  • Step 1: Boil water
  • Step 2: Add pearls to boiling water until they float on the surface
  • Step 3: Turn down the heat to medium and cook for +/- 5 minutes
  • Step 4: Turn off the heat and cook for another +/- 5 minutes
  • Step 5: Drain and rinse lightly to get all the excess starch off
  • Step 6: Soak in sugar syrup for flavour and to prevent sticking

For best results, use the pearls within 2–4 hours, as they harden over time.

Are tapioca pearls vegan and gluten-free?

Yes. Tapioca pearls are vegan because they are made from cassava root, a plant-based ingredient. They are naturally gluten-free, as tapioca starch contains no wheat or gluten proteins. This makes them suitable for a wide range of dietary preferences.

All Taipec's tapioca pearls are vegetarian, vegan, Halal-friendly and our TO brown sugar pearls (83TO06 and 83TO01) are Kosher-certified.

Tapioca pearls vs popping boba

Tapioca pearls and popping boba are often confused, but they are very different:

  • Tapioca pearls: chewy, made from starch
  • Popping boba: filled with fruit juice, burst when bitten

Popping boba use a technique called spherification, which creates a thin gel membrane around liquid. They are completely different from the dough-based process of tapioca pearls.

Where to buy tapioca pearls

Now that you know how tapioca pearls are made, you may be wondering where to get them.

We stock:

  • three different brands of regular black tapioca pearls
  • three different brands of brown sugar pearls
  • white tapioca pearls
  • quick-cook  brown sugar tapioca pearls
  • instant tapioca pearls

All Taipec's tapioca pearls are Halal-friendly and our TO brown sugar pearls are Kosher-certified.

Whether you run a bubble tea shop or simply enjoy making drinks at home, choosing high-quality tapioca pearls makes a noticeable difference in taste and texture.

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