How to Cook Tapioca Pearls

Traditional tapioca pearls, step by step

1. Bring a large pan of water to a rolling boil.
2. Add the pearls and stir so they do not stick to the bottom.
3. Boil for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring now and then.
4. Take the pan off the heat, cover it and leave the pearls to rest for 15 minutes.
5. Drain and rinse the pearls in cold water.
6. Soak them in sugar syrup until you build the drink.

Allow about 40g of dry pearls per drink. A 200g bag makes about 5 drinks, a 1kg bag about 25 and a 3kg bag about 75.

Instant tapioca pearls

• Instant 50g sachets: add boiling water and they are ready in under 5 minutes.
• Instant 250g black sugar, matcha and taro pearls: ready to eat from the pouch, or 2 minutes in boiling water. About 5 servings a pouch.

The 250g instant flavoured pearls contain gluten from malt syrup. The traditional pearls and the instant 50g sachets are vegan and gluten free.

How long do cooked tapioca pearls last?

Cooked pearls are best eaten within 4 hours. Do not put cooked pearls in the fridge, so cook only what you will use.

Which tapioca pearls to buy

For the classic chewy texture, cook traditional pearls: see the tapioca pearl range. If 30 minutes on the hob is too long, the instant pearls do the job in minutes. For a topping with no cooking at all, try popping boba.

Questions