This CoCo-Inspired Egg Custard Bubble Tea is based on the popular Taiwanese bubble tea's chain's "3 Guys" featuring milk tea, homemade egg custard pudding and grass jelly, along with boba pearls. It's a delicious drink filled with lots of textural elements.
If you've had CoCo Fresh Tea's bubble tea, you'll know that they have unique names for their drinks.
This drink is inspired by their "3 Guys" bubble tea.
What's in it?
It's a milk-tea bubble tea with 3 toppings:
- tapioca pearls
- grass jelly
- egg custard pudding
Tapioca pearls/boba:
Tapioca pearls/boba are chewy, lightly sweetened starch balls that are found commonly in bubble tea. I've got a homemade boba pearls recipe which is straightforward to make.
Grass jelly:
Grass jelly is a fragrant, cooling jelly made from the plant leaves of Chinese mesona. It is set with a little starch and is lightly sweetened.
Grass jelly is dark brown in colour and has a slight bitter grassy taste. You'll find grass jelly in many Asian desserts, such as Cendol.
You can find canned grass jelly in Asian supermarkets. I have also seen powdered grass jelly, which you set yourself with water and sugar.
Egg custard pudding:
Egg custard pudding is a soft and sweet egg-based custard that is set with a little gelatin/agar.
It gives a little creaminess and body to the drink.
Ingredients for the egg custard pudding
It's quite simple to make the egg custard pudding. You'll need:
- 2 egg yolks
- a little sugar
- whole milk
- gelatin powder (or you can use agar)
How to make the egg custard pudding
Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar, heat up the milk, and then pour the milk slowly into the egg yolk mixture.
This process is known as tempering.
Next, whisk in the gelatin (bloomed in milk), gently heat to dissolve, and then let it set in a container.
Chill in the fridge for a few hours until it firms up.
Tips & tricks
You can use either gelatin or agar to make the custard pudding.
If using agar, you'll need to heat the agar and milk first before letting it cool.
If you prefer a firmer texture for the egg custard pudding, you can increase the amount of gelatin.
An additional element
I didn't know what to call this since "4 Guys" sounds a little ridiculous.
But, I added an additional element to my bubble tea. I guess you could call it a "loaded bubble tea." 😉
Since I had leftover small tapioca pearls from my Mango Sago Pudding, I added them in.
The white small tapioca pearls juxtaposed with the black boba pearls looks pretty cool.
Assembling the drink
Once you've made all the components, it's as simple as putting it all together.
Play around with combinations. And of course, you can add or leave out as many of the components as you like.
Bubble tea is to be enjoyed however you like!
I personally love the various textures and sizes of smooth, creamy, and chewy in this bubble tea.
The addition of egg custard pudding will elevate your bubble tea to the next level.
If you try out my Coco-Inspired Egg Custard Bubble Tea, let me know! Tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer or leave me a comment/rating below.
CoCo-Inspired Egg Custard Bubble Tea
For accuracy and precision in baking recipes, use weight (metric) measurements when available.
Ingredients
Bubble Tea:
- 1 batch HK Milk Tea
- 1 batch Homemade Bubble Tea Tapioca Pearls
- cooked small white tapioca pearls
- grass jelly cut up
- egg custard pudding recipe below
- ice cubes
Egg Custard Pudding:
- 1 C whole milk divided
- 1 teaspoon gelatin powder
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the egg custard pudding:
- Pour ¼ C milk into a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin on top and give it a stir. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla.
- Heat ¾ C milk in a small saucepan. Bring the milk to a simmer over low heat.
- Gradually pour the warmed milk into the egg yolk mixture while whisking the mixture. When all the milk has been poured into the egg mixture, pour it back into the saucepan and whisk over low heat for about 2 minutes.
- Pour the milk with the gelatin into the saucepan, whisking over heat to dissolve the gelatin.
- Transfer to a clean container to chill and set, which will take 2-4 hours.
- Cut into cubes.
Assemble the bubble tea:
- Place 2 tablespoon of regular homemade tapioca pearls at the bottom of a drinking glass.
- Add 2 tablespoon of the small tapioca pearls.
- Add in a few ice cubes.
- Pour the milk tea over top of the ice cubes.
- Layer the cut-up grass jelly and egg custard pudding.
- Add a wide straw and enjoy.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided should be considered as approximate and is not guaranteed. Please use your best judgment to ensure food is safely prepared and/or a good fit for your diet.
Katherine | Love In My Oven
I've only had a few bubble teas in my life, and they're always so tasty! Your photos now make me want one!! These look so good Michelle, and such a fun idea!
Michelle
Thanks Katherine! They're so good especially when it's hot out! 😛
Rahul @samosastreet.com
I am not a tea person. Bu this looks so yummy Michelle. My wife will definitely love it. Next dalgona sensation...
Michelle
Thanks for stopping by Rahul 🙂
David @ Spiced
First off, you nailed it with the contrast in colors here - this bubble tea looks fantastic! Second, the flavors totally intrigue me. I've never had CoCo's version, but then again I've only had bubble tea a handful of times. (Laura loves it, though!) The custard in this sounds excellent...perfect for a hot summer day!
Michelle
Thanks David! The textures and flavours definitely hit the spot on a hot day!
Dana Lin
Great recipe using gelatin, much better than the pudding you get outside. However, when I tried to make this with agar, it didn't set. Unlike gelatin, agar doesn't bloom in cold liquid; it needs to be dissolved in hot liquid in order for it to set. I made it again after dissolving the agar in hot milk and then it set.
Michelle
Sorry to hear that it didn't work with agar. In my experience, agar shouldn't be bloomed first in hot water or it will clump together. However, agar it does need to be heated (brought to a boil) for it to set.
Healthy World Cuisine
Love this recipe Michelle! We are huge boba tea lovers and your recipes remind me of the delicious and cooling treats in the dessert shops in Hong Kong. All the delicious and fun textures with the tapioca pearls, grass jelly and egg custard with the HK milk tea is a fabulous summertime treat!
Michelle
Thank you so much! The textures are definitely really fun in this drink! 🙂
Kitri
Hi, is there a recipe for the grass jelly? TIA!
Michelle
Hi there, sorry, I don't have a recipe for grass jelly at the moment. For this, I used canned grass jelly.
Christie
I am really missing milk tea right now! This looks so good and I love that it contains egg custard too!!! Totally genius!
Michelle
Chalk it up to the people at CoCo's for dreaming up this delicious combo! 🙂 Thanks Christie!
Letscurry
Michelle
I'm a total tea person and you got me with this luxury. Those clicks are lovely.
Michelle
Thank you! This bubble tea is definitely a luxurious drink 🙂
Ella
Wow! Cant wait to try this! i'm so in love with coco's egg pudding!
Vicky
Thanks so much for the recipe! I made the egg custard and it was amazing - such a simple recipe and so custardy. I tried putting it in warm-ish milk tea because I was too lazy to chill it and the pudding melted. Nothing a little more gelatin can't fix, I think. But in cold drinks and with ice cream, it was perfect. Thanks again!
Michelle
Thanks for trying the recipe Vicky! You're right, the pudding would melt in warm milk tea. Ice cream sounds like an amazing addition! 🙂
Michelle
I LOVE bubble tea! I'm so excited to make it at home all the time
Toni
My kids really loved making and drinking this!! Delish!
Dannii
I have never had a bubble tea before, but this looks amazing. I will definitely be giving it a try.
Kyndra Holley
This looks so refreshing. I can't wait to try it. Thanks for describing what all the ingredients are and how they taste. I am new to drinking bubble tea, so I don't always know what to expect with the ingredients.
Wanda
I love buying different (to me) kinds of bubble teas but never thought about making my own. I'm so trying this with my daughter!