So, you need a unique milk tea drink to show off to your friends? Without a doubt, this butterfly pea milk tea is the perfect recipe for that! This easy-to-make milk tea tastes delicious, and its lovely blue hue comes from butterfly pea flowers - that's right, no artificial coloring here!
So why did I randomly create this recipe? Honestly, I created the recipe solely to celebrate Star Wars day. If you've watched Star Wars, you know about the famous blue milk, aka Bantha milk. And I had this idea to create a boba milk tea version of that recipe, without using any sort of artificial coloring. Butterfly pea flower was the perfect ingredient for this themed recipe. But even if you're not planning to celebrate Star Wars day, it's still a beautiful and delicious drink to make whenever you want!
What is butterfly pea flower?
Butterfly pea flower tea is a herbal infusion that comes from butterfly pea flowers. Its flowers are a beautiful blue color, and the petals have flecks of white and yellow. You can find this plant commonly cultivated throughout Southeast Asia. The flavor is a bit earthy and woody flavor, but in my opinion, butterfly pea flower tea doesn’t have much of a taste. I would compare it to a light green tea taste but a bit more vegetal.
However, butterfly pea flowers are usually added to different tea blends and citrus drinks. Typically, they’re not brewed on their own, and they’re almost unnoticeable. Even the most delicate flavored teas can overpower that flavor. But if you’re worried about that taste, in this recipe, trust me you won’t even notice.
Benefits of butterfly pea flower tea:
Not only is this tea beautiful to look at, but did you know it also contains some health benefits? Butterfly pea flowers contain antioxidants, which protect against free radicals, help with insomnia, and even anti-aging!
Another fun fact about this tea is that it also can change colors! I'm sure you've seen it all over social media, where they add a squeeze of lemon and the colors change from blue to a beautiful magenta or purple. But why does this happen? The flowers are a natural deep blue but can change to a magenta or even purple color, by simply adjust the pH level by adding something acidic, like lemon juice. So, if you want to have some fun, add a squeeze of lemon and you'll instantly have a cool new drink!
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might want to check these out:
If you’d tried this recipe out let me know in the comments! Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @flouredframe and don’t forget to tag me when you create my recipes! Happy cooking!
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📖 Recipe
Butterfly Pea Milk Tea
Equipment
- Small saucepan
- Large saucepan
- Medium-sized mixing bowl
- Measuring cups
- 2 Drinking glasses
- Boba straws
Ingredients
Butterfly Pea Milk Tea
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup hot water
- ½ cup tapioca pearls
- 1 teaspoon butterfly pea powder (or 1 tablespoon - loose butterfly pea flower)
- 1 cup cold water (use hot water if using loose butterfly pea flower)
- 1 cup non-dairy milk
- Ice
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar and hot water, and bring to a simmer. Stir to make sure sugar dissolves completely. Take off heat, pour into a medium-sized bowl, and allow to cool.
- While you wait for the sugar syrup to cool, cook the boba as the package instructs. Drain the cooked boba and soak them in the brown sugar syrup for 30 minutes.
- In a measuring cup, combine the and butterfly pea powder.
- Whisk to dissolve. Evenly distribute the boba along with the syrup into two glass cups. Add more syrup if you want it to be a little sweeter.
- Add some ice, and fill the glasses with ½ cup of non-dairy milk. Add a half cup of butterfly pea tea to each glass. Stir with your favorite boba straw, and enjoy!
Notes
- You can easily buy tapioca pearls at your local Asian supermarket!
- If you’re worried about the taste of the tea, it’s actually very light. The flavor from the brown sugar syrup and the tapioca pearls will overpower that tea flavor. Trust me, you won’t even notice!
Jas says
can i use dairy milk or does it have to be non dairy
Floured Frame says
This is a vegan blog, so I am using non-dairy milk. But you most certainly use any milk you want!