← Back to Recipes
Popping Boba Recipe recipe photo - Popping Boba Recipe by Jan

Popping Boba Recipe

Published: April 28, 2025 Prep Time: About 30 minutes Cook Time: About 10 minutes Total Time: About 2 hours 40 minutes Serves: 1 cup Difficulty: Medium Category: Dessert Cuisine: Asian

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup sodium alginate
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/4 cup calcium lactate
  • 1 cup fruit juice
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon citric acid
  • 1/2 teaspoon food coloring

Instructions

  1. In a bowl, mix sodium alginate with water
  2. Let sit for 30 minutes to dissolve
  3. In a separate bowl, mix calcium lactate with fruit juice
  4. Add sugar, citric acid, and food coloring
  5. Mix well until sugar dissolves
  6. Using a syringe or dropper, drop alginate mixture into calcium mixture
  7. Let sit for 2 minutes to form spheres
  8. Remove boba and rinse with water
  9. Store in simple syrup
  10. Use in drinks or desserts

Special Notes

This popping boba recipe creates the fun, burstable spheres popular in bubble tea. The combination of sodium alginate and calcium lactate creates the gel-like texture. The key is not to over-mix the solutions to prevent them from becoming too thick. You can customize this recipe by using different fruit juices or adding different flavors. This boba is perfect for drinks, desserts, or as a fun addition to any treat.

← Back to Recipes