The boba in bubble tea is often vegan, as tapioca pearls are completely plant-based, and popping pearls are usually made of nothing more than water, sugar, fruit juice and Alginic acid (found in algae), again, making it plant-based. Once again though, you should always ask to make sure.
Popping boba is made from fruit juice that has been captured inside a thin seaweed membrane. However, if the surrounding tea contains dairy milk—a common ingredient in boba tea—the drink is no longer vegan.
Some bubble tea offers different boba ingredients than tapioca balls – luckily, most of them are vegan. Lychee jelly, grass jelly, rainbow jelly, and almost all other jellies are fine, as they're made from sugar and other plant-based ingredients. Double-check that the jellies contain sugar, not honey.
Bubble tea is typically prepared in two ways—as a creamy drink mixed with common tea flavors such as Thai, black, Earl Grey, etc., or as a fruit juice that's mixed with green or black tea. Unfortunately, the milk added to bubble tea is usually cow's milk by default.
In short, no, traditional bubble tea does not contain gelatin. This comes down to the fact that despite its jelly-like consistency, tapioca bubbles are actually made from tapioca starch, making them safe for you to consume.
The short answer is yes. The majority of bubble tea products are halal. The main concern with bubble tea is generally the Tapioca balls or pearls or the popping bobas which resemble other Gelatin products, such as sweets and jelly.
Tapioca in and of itself is vegan. It's derived from a plant, and the processing methods are animal free. But if you buy pre-packaged tapioca pudding, for example, it could be made with dairy milk or eggs and is therefore not vegan.
What is Boba Made From? Boba is made from tapioca starch, also known as cassava starch, which is why they're often also labeled as "tapioca pearls." They're small spheres that are often simmered in a brown sugar syrup to give them a sweet taste and dark black color.
The pearls in bubble tea, also known as tapioca pearls, are made from tapioca starch, an extract of the South American cassava plant. To make the pearls, boiling water is added to the starch and kneaded to form a dough-like texture.
It depends—although traditional bubble tea is made with cow's milk, and is therefore not dairy-free, bubble tea can be customised to be made with non-dairy milk and other vegan alternatives. You can also get flavoured fruit bubble tea, which doesn't contain milk at all.
The boba in bubble tea is often vegan, as tapioca pearls are completely plant-based, and popping pearls are usually made of nothing more than water, sugar, fruit juice and Alginic acid (found in algae), again, making it plant-based.
Because refined sugars made from sugarcane require bone char to achieve a clear white colour, most refined cane sugars are unsuitable for vegans. Some types of brown sugar also involve using bone char, such as those that are created by adding molasses to refined cane sugar to achieve the brown colour.
Gelatin is not vegan. However, there is a product called “agar agar” that is sometimes marketed as “gelatin,” but it is vegan. It is derived from a type of seaweed.
Honey is an animal product and therefore by definition, not vegan.
Pudding at boba shops are custard-like in flavor—made from egg yolks, cream, and sugar—but firmer due to the addition of gelatin.
Is caramel vegan? Because caramel is essentially just sugar, in its purest form, it is vegan. However, it is often mixed with dairy cream, butter, or milk, which is why it's important to always check the back of store-bought caramel candy.
Boba tea is simply another name for bubble tea. The term is derived from the Chinese word "bōbà," which denotes chewy tapioca balls. So, to be clear, bubble tea and boba tea are completely synonymous terms that refer to the same type of drink.
The short answer to this question is yes. The pearls in bubble tea are entirely edible and safe to eat, and are what make drinking bubble tea a totally unique experience. In fact, it's important to remember that you should always chew the pearls in bubble tea before swallowing them.
What are tapioca pearls? Tapioca pearls are balls that are made of tapioca starch, which comes from cassava root starch, mixed with hot water, and then rolled into balls.
Unfortunately, boba itself provides very few health benefits, though its calories and carbohydrates can provide you with a boost in energy. In most cases, boba tea contains high levels of sugar, which is linked to long-term health conditions like diabetes and obesity.
The calorie counts for boba teas depend on how much you're served, but in general, these are high-calorie, high-fat drinks. A 16-ounce serving may have as many as 440 calories, with more than 200 of those from fat.
Is boba a plant? While tapioca pearls aren't found naturally in nature, they are derived from the tapioca root plant (sometimes known as cassava, or yuca.) To make the bubbles, tapioca pearls are mixed with boiling water and kneaded until they reach the right consistency.
All of our toppings are vegan friendly, except for the egg custard, aloe vera and mousse. Our pearls do not contain gelatin either (even though they look like it), they are made from tapioca instead.
Small tapioca pearls are sometimes called “fish eggs” or “frog eggs” due to their tiny, round appearance but don't worry — they are not eggs of any animal. They are vegan and made from the root of a plant!
Tapioca has no gelatine in it.