• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Oh My Food Recipes
  • Homepage
  • About me
  • Recipes
    • Recipes by category
  • Subscribe Now
  • Contact Me
  • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
  • Blog
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Homepage
  • About me
  • Recipes
    • Recipes by category
  • Subscribe Now
  • Contact Me
  • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
  • Blog
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Instant pot pressure cooker » How to cook boba pearls

    How to cook boba pearls

    Published: Sep 20, 2018 Modified: Apr 23, 2021 by Tracy O.This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    A popular Taiwanese Asian boba drink combines milk tea or flavor powder with cooked tapioca pearls, boba. Wanna know how to cook the best and fastest boba? Try out this instant pot boba recipe. It only takes a few minutes!

    Love Asian dessert? Check out these almond jello, red bean ice drink, white rabbit candy ice cream, taro tapioca dessert and black sesame filling tang yuan recipes.

    cooked boba on a silver spoon how to cook boba

    What is boba?

    Boba pearls are made from tapioca starch. Also, they are chewy and black or brownish.

    How to cook boba pearls?

    If you buy boba, each brand of boba has an instruction to teach you how to cook them. Since I have tried different brands and followed their instructions. However, it always takes longer to cook them than it said on the packages. And, the middle of the boba was still not done when I used the top stove method.

    After many attempts to cook good boba using a top stove. Finally, I tried to use an instant pot pressure cooker to cook them. Amazingly, it turns out very nice and chewy boba pearls in only 2 minutes! Therefore, from now on I only use a pressure cooker to cook boba. Not only it's simple and easy, but also the inside of boba is cooked through. When you know how to cook good boba pearls now, you will make boba drink all the time.

    What are the ingredients for boba instant pot?

    The ingredients are boba, water and  brown sugar.

    instant pot boba pearls ingredients

    Cooking tips for how to cook boba in instant pot:

    • Put boba into instant put and add water.
    • Make sure every boba pearl is covered with water.
    • Close lid and vent and manual for 2 minutes at high pressure. Then, quick release.
    • Remember to let the pressure release before opening the lid.
    • Drain water and rinse with warm water

    FAQs:

    How to store cooked boba?

    If you have any left over boba, put them in a container with a lid on and refrigerate them. When you want to use it, just warm them up in a microwave for 20-30 seconds.

    How long can I keep cooked boba?

    Often, it can store up to 4-5 days in a refrigerator.

    What brand of boba did you use?

    I used E-Fa brand boba in this recipe.

    Instructions for how to cook instant pot boba:

    black tapioca balls in instant pot

    1. Put 1 cup of boba into an instant pot pressure cooker.

    water and black tapioca balls in pressure cooker

    2. Then, add 2 cups of water. Next, cover the lid and close the vent.

    cooked black tapioca balls in pressure cooker

    3. Next, push the manual button for 2 minutes at high pressure. After that, quick release pressure. Remember to wait until all the pressure releases before opening the lid.

    Boba and brown sugar in a white bowl

    4. After that, drain water and rinse boba pearls with warm water then add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and mix it well.

    boba on a silver spoon in the bowl

    Enjoy this simple and easy instant pot boba recipe! Also, check out some healthy strawberry banana smoothie, mango popsicles and grass jelly recipes!

    a scoop of boba on the silver spoon

    More Dessert Recipes You May Also Like:

    • BLACK SESAME PASTE OR SOUP
    • TOFU PUDDING
    • CARAMEL POPCORN
    • FRESH STRAWBERRIES MUFFINS

    Subscribe Oh My Food Recipes to get our new recipes delivered straight to your inbox! Follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all the latest updates.

    cooked boba scoop on the silver spoon

    How to cook boba pearls

    Boba pearls are made from tapioca starch. They are chewy and black or brownish. This recipe use instant pot pressure cooker to cook them quick and perfect. 
    5 from 64 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert, Drinks
    Cuisine: Asian, Chinese, Taiwanese
    Prep Time: 2 minutes
    Cook Time: 2 minutes
    Total Time: 4 minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 79kcal
    Author: Tracy O.

    Video

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup  Boba
    • 2 cups Water
    • 2 tablespoons Brown sugar

    Instructions

    •  Put 1 cup of boba into instant pot pressure cooker.
    • Then, add 2 cups of water. Next, cover the lid and close the vent.
    • Push the manual button for 2 minuets at high pressure. After that, quick release pressure. Remember to wait until all the pressure release before opening the lid.
    • Drain water and rinse boba pearls with warm water then add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and mix it well.

    Notes

    Cooking tips for how to cook instant pot boba: 

    • Put boba into instant put and add water. 
    • Make sure every boba pearls is covered with water. 
    • Close lid and vent and manual for 2 minutes at high pressure. Then, quick release.
    • Remember to let the pressure release before opening the lid. 
    • Drain water and rinse with warm water.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 79kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 4mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @OhMyFoodRecipes or tag #OhMyFoodRecipes!

    « Sweet Corn Carrot Pork Bone Soup
    How to Make Taro Boba »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. WRLi

      September 23, 2021 at 10:05 pm

      I followed the instructions and my boba came out in one big clump. Did not work at all. I used cold tap water, so maybe I should try hot water next time.

      Reply
      • WRLi

        September 23, 2021 at 10:42 pm

        UPDATE: Tried with hot water but it also resulted in one big clump. I think this method only works with certain brands? My friend made these over the stove and they came out perfect, but it took a long time. I'm not patient enough to do this again. lol

        Reply
        • Tracy O.

          September 24, 2021 at 6:44 pm

          Thank you for your comment. I think different brand of boba is slightly different. I only used one brand for the instant pot version. I haven't tested out the other brands.

    2. Sarah L

      June 22, 2021 at 11:39 pm

      5 stars
      Works great - thanks!

      Reply
    3. P

      June 22, 2021 at 1:35 am

      Put HOT water in the pot THEN put boba in. I started with cold water and the boba crumbled.

      Reply
      • Tracy O.

        June 23, 2021 at 6:09 pm

        What brand of boba do you use? I used tap water and it was fine. I think the brand of boba pearls makes a difference.

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Tracy O.
    About Me

    Welcome to Oh My Food Recipes, where you can find inspiration for meals or dinner ideas specialty Asian cuisines. Oh My Food Recipes is tried and tested recipes with step by step photo tutorials.... Read more!

    Seasonal

    • Strawberry Pie Glaze with Jello
    • Chinese Sticky Rice Dumpling
    • Garlic Yu Choy Sum
    • Char Siu Chinese BBQ Pork
    • Chicken Yi Mein Noodles
    • Pan Fried Dumplings

    MY FAVORITES

    • Korean Glass Noodles Japchae
    • Chinese Pineapple Bun
    • Japanese Tonkatsu
    • Asian Teriyaki Sauce
    • How to Make Chinese Orange Chicken
    • How to Make Vietnamese Spring Rolls
    • Steamed Spareribs with Black Bean Sauce
    • Tomato Egg Stir Fry

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Disclosure & Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    Copyright © 2022 Oh My Food Recipes

    AMAZON ASSOCIATES DISCLOSURE

    Oh My Food Recipes is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.