Guide to boba toppings & the best bubble tea combinations
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Perfectly chewy boba, cushiony pudding, and juicy fresh aloe vera! All these colorful boba toppings are what shape the bubble tea world into its own tasty industry.
And despite the name, most boba toppings actually sit at the very bottom of the drink. They add texture and sprinkle a bit of pizzazz into milky teas and fruity concoctions.
While you can technically walk into a boba shop and order a straight black tea without a single topping, that’s like eating cereal without the milk.
Why not choose these types of tantalizing boba toppings instead, popular in the best boba flavor combinations?
1. Boba
The squishy black balls coated in syrup are the face of the bubble tea industry and the topping of choice for most teas at boba shops. Boba, also known as pearls or tapioca balls, are made of tapioca starch from the cassava plant and sweetened with different sweeteners [1]. Often the sweetener gives each type of boba its own unique flavor and name like honey, black sugar, and brown sugar boba.
Health: Because of the sweeteners and calorie-dense ingredients, boba is typically a higher calorie boba topping ranging from 150 - 200 calories per serving [2][3].
Best combination: Milk tea, creamy dessert drinks
Boba is in its prime chewiness and texture in the first few minutes to an hour after serving, so it should be enjoyed immediately!
2. Grass jelly
Grass jelly is my go-to boba topping if I want a similar taste as boba but don’t plan on drinking it right away. Grass jelly, also called herbal jelly in some boba shops, stores well in the fridge overnight unlike boba balls, and tastes almost like an earthy Jell-O version of boba. It’s made of a leafy plant called mesona chinensis. Another perk is that it’s one of the lowest calorie options to add texture to a drink relative to other boba toppings.
Health: Boba tea chain Gong Cha states its herbal jelly has 16 calories per serving, while boba wholesaler Bossen sells an unsweetened grass jelly concentrate that comes in at 8 calories a serving [4].
Best combination: All drinks
3. Chia or basil seeds
Despite the well-known health benefits of tea, many boba lovers are surprised to learn that boba drinks are more of a dessert treat, especially when milk and sweeteners are added which can cancel out the positive antioxidant activities of tea.
In any case, there are still many ways to customize your order for a healthier option, such as opting for chia or basil seeds as a boba topping! The little seeds turn gelatinous in liquid, which can make for an interesting sight and texture, but they match up fantastically with more fruity, fresh drinks.
Health: Both chia and basil seeds are well known for their high concentrations of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals [5][6].
Best combination: Fruit, fresh drinks
4. Popping boba
Popping, or bursting, boba has become trendier recently and is reminiscent of Gushers or juicy fruit snacks. Sometimes you can even find it as a topping in frozen yogurt shops. This sweet option usually bathes in syrup and comes in a full colorful range of fruit flavors. It has a gel-like outside and bursts into a liquidy delight when bitten. Depending on the boba shop, popping boba may contain real juice, syrups, or a combination on the inside.
Health: This is a sweet option with artificial flavoring, so a suitable pick for those with sweet-tooths!
Best combination: Fresh, fruity drinks
5. Cheese foam
Cheesecake lover? This one’s for you. Originally from Taiwan, cheese foam isn’t as weird as it first sounds. It’s a fluffy foam layer made of sugar, cream cheese, whipped cream, and milk that sits atop tea–making perhaps the only true boba topping [7]. Some places forego the cream cheese altogether to serve a “milk cap” instead. Because cheese foam is quite dense and creamy, you can order it with just a plain tea (preferably black)–no milk necessary–and get a lovely taste of cheesecake tea magic with every sip.
Health: Because of all the deliciously cream-based ingredients, cheese foam is one of the highest calorie boba toppings.
Best combination: Plain black or oolong tea
6. Egg pudding
Egg pudding is one of my personal favorite boba toppings for jasmine milk tea, but it really pairs up deliciously with any milk tea. Unlike American-style pudding that has a Greek yogurt consistency, the egg pudding used in boba drinks has an almost flan or gelatin-like thicker texture. Homemade egg custard uses egg, milk, and sugar, although commercial grade egg pudding in boba shops is likely made of a powder mix.
Health: A 2016 study found that relative to boba and jelly, egg pudding has lower calories but higher sugar contents [8]. Gong Cha lists its egg pudding at 23 calories a serving, while Kungfu Tea’s comes in at 87.
Best combination: Milk tea
7. Aloe vera
Aloe jelly is a refreshing, hydrating option for fruity tea or even good, ol’ plain teas. It’s also a great light topping to pair together with other jellies or chia seeds, since it won’t dominate the flavor. Aloe isn’t normally widely available at boba shops, as it’s typically combined with more “natural” drinks with fresh fruits and flavors.
Health: Because aloe jelly comes straight from the plant with minimal processing and added ingredients, it’s one of the healthiest and lowest calorie boba topping options!
Best combination: Fresh, fruity drinks or plain tea
Coffee at a boba shop is a bit of a unicorn, but from Vietnamese coffee to coffee jelly–there are certainly menu items to please even the most stubborn of coffee lovers. If you’re craving a bit of a dirty chai, coffee-tea combo situation, then try some coffee jelly in a milk tea. Coffee jelly is made of cream, milk, gelatin, and–you guessed it–coffee!
Health: The recipe blog Woman Scribbles places a single serving of homemade coffee jelly at 72 calories [9].
Best combination: Coffee-based drinks, milk tea, and plain tea
9. Taro
Taro is a starchy root made popular given its lovely lavender color when used in drinks with a very distinct popcorny flavor. What’s unique about this type of boba topping is that you can also get a milk tea or smoothie of the same flavor. Each boba shop prepares taro in fun, new ways, ranging from a taro milk tea that combines black tea, fresh taro paste, and milk to a powder-based taro milk tea.
Health: Although fresh taro has beneficial health properties, it’s typically rare to find. Instead you might see artificial powder-based taro paste that’s high in sugar and lacking in nutritional value.
Best combination: Taro drinks and milk tea
10. Red bean
How about some beans with your tea? Sweet red bean–made of adzuki beans–has long been a traditional dessert treat in East Asia. With a sweet earthy taste, red bean is a fantastic add-on to almost any milk tea with other toppings. Although the beans are smashed into a near paste, the slight chewiness of the beans give a satisfying feeling of biting into something like tapioca pearls. If your nearby supermarket has adzuki beans, you can even make red bean paste easily at home.
Health: Red bean is a sweet, but also nutritious boba topping that naturally has protein, calcium, and other minerals [10]. Compared to different boba toppings, red bean calories fall somewhere in the middle with 100-125 calories per serving.
Best combination: Milk tea
11. Fruity jelly or boba
There’s an entire rainbow of delicious tropical and beloved fruity flavors to choose from in boba topping jellies like coconut, mango, lychee, and more. Some places will also have similar flavors in a boba form, but unlike popping boba, it’s solid all the way through. One local boba shop in Phoenix called Mochi Fresh makes their own strawberry and mango boba. Yuuum.
Health: Let’s be real–most fruity flavored toppings are way expensive and high-effort to hand make, so boba shops most likely use artificial flavoring and powder concentrates.
Best combination: Fresh fruit tea or plain tea
12. Aiyu jelly
Aiyu jelly is made of a tropical tasting fruit called creeping fig, which is only grown in Taiwan and parts of East Asia [11]. It’s very refreshing but not naturally sweet, so sweeteners like honey or sugar are added to make aiyu into a delicious Taiwanese dessert enjoyed in the summer. I enjoy aiyu in citrusy tea options like a lemon black tea or orange green tea.
Health: Gong Cha’s aiyu jelly comes in at just 11 calories per serving! If you can get the real thing, then that’s a huge bonus.
Best combination: Citrusy tea
Got a favorite boba topping not on this list? Let me know!
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[1] Nguyen-Okwu, Leslie. “Boba Explained: A Taxonomy of Taipei's Bubble Tea.” Eater, Eater, 16 Mar. 2019, www.eater.com/21551108/boba-milk-bubble-tea-explained-how-to-order.
[2] “Our Tea - Gong Cha.” Gong Cha - Premium Quality Bubble Tea, 6 Apr. 2022, https://gongchausa.com/our-tea/.
[3] “Nutrition Information - Kung Fu Tea: Fresh - Innovative - Fearless Leading Tea Brand.” Kung Fu Tea, https://www.kungfutea.com/nutrition.
[4] “Canned Grass Jelly Concentrate (Liquid Form).” BossenStore.com, https://www.bossenstore.com/collections/canned-toppings/products/grass-jelly-concentrate-liquid-form.
[5] Knez Hrnčič, Maša et al. “Chia Seeds (Salvia hispanica L.): An Overview-Phytochemical Profile, Isolation Methods, and Application.” Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) vol. 25,1 11. 18 Dec. 2019, doi:10.3390/molecules25010011
[6] Calderón Bravo, Héctor et al. “Basil Seeds as a Novel Food, Source of Nutrients and Functional Ingredients with Beneficial Properties: A Review.” Foods (Basel, Switzerland) vol. 10,7 1467. 24 Jun. 2021, doi:10.3390/foods10071467
[7] Eldredge, Sabrina. “Brace Yourself - Cheese Is Now a Popular Tea Topping.” POPSUGAR Food, 12 Mar. 2018, https://www.popsugar.com/food/What-Cheese-Tea-44450746.
[8] Min, Jae Eun, et al. “Calories and Sugars in Boba Milk Tea: Implications for Obesity Risk in Asian Pacific Islanders.” Food Science & Nutrition, vol. 5, no. 1, 2016, pp. 38–45., https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.362.
[9] Sanna. “Coffee Jelly.” Delicious and Easy Baking Recipes, 27 Aug. 2019, https://www.womanscribbles.net/coffee-jelly/.
[10] “Fooddata Central Search Results.” FoodData Central, https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/173729/nutrients.
[11] “Refresh Yourself with Natural Taiwanese Aiyu Jelly.” Food, 12 Jan. 2022, https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/2022/01/12/refresh-yourself-natural-taiwanese-aiyu-jelly.
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