Popping Boba Tea Recipe (The Simple Spherification Way)
Popping boba is a great topping for bubble tea drinks. Juicy balls that pop with flavor. Fun activity with kids using simple direct spherification method.
Equipment
- Dropper, syringe, baster, caviar maker, or 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon
- Slotted spoon
- Heat resistant bowl
- Blender or immersion blender (optional, but ideal)
Ingredients
- 2 grams sodium alginate
- 10 grams calcium salt (either calcium chloride, calcium lactate, or calcium lactate gluconate)
- 300 milliliter choice of liquid or juice to encapsulate
- 800 milliliter distilled water
Instructions
To Make the Solution
- Pour the juice or flavored liquid of your choice into a blender and blend on low.
- While blending, add sodium alginate and continue blending on low for 3-5 minutes.
- Pour into a bowl, cover, and place into the refrigerator for a few hours to allow the air bubbles created from blending to fully dissipate.
- In a large bowl, whisk calcium lactate to distilled water until fully dissolved.
- Fill another bowl with distilled water and set aside for rinsing the popping bobas.
- Remove the chilled sodium alginate + juice mixture from the refrigerator.
To Make the Balls
- Stir the calcium lactate solution so the water is moving when you drop in the popping boba spheres.
- Using a dropper or syringe, dispense the sodium alginate + juice mixture drop by drop into the calcium lactate solution.
- Allow the popping bobas to sit in the calcium lactate solution for 30 seconds before scooping them out with a slotted spoon and rinsing them in the distilled water bowl. If you made larger popping bobas using the 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon, allow them to sit for 2 minutes before rinsing.
- Remove from the distilled water and your popping bobas are ready for some popping! Add them to your favorite boba milk tea, ice cream, or shaved ice.
Nutrition
Serving: 4 servings | Calories: 36kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.02g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 79mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.1mg