Kitchen Recipe Collection
Hong Kong Milk Tea Pudding
A modern dessert transforming the iconic, intensely strong Hong Kong-style milk tea into a silky, jiggly, chilled panna cotta-like pudding, often topped with boba pearls.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- easy
- Cuisine
- Chinese
Ingredients
Scaled for 4 servings
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 3 tbsp strong loose leaf black tea (Ceylon or a HK Milk Tea blend)
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tsp unflavored gelatin powder
- 2 tbsp cold water (to bloom gelatin)
- Optional topping: Cooked boba pearls
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Fine mesh strainer
- Ramekins or glass jars
Instructions
- 1
Bloom Gelatin
Sprinkle the gelatin powder over the 2 tbsp of cold water in a small bowl. Let it bloom for 5 minutes.
- 2
Brew Strong Tea
In a saucepan, bring the 1.5 cups of water to a boil. Add the black tea leaves. Boil aggressively for 3-5 minutes to extract a very dark, bitter, strong tea.
- 3
Strain Tea
Strain the tea through a fine mesh strainer to remove the leaves. You should have about 1 cup of strong liquid left. Return it to the saucepan off the heat.
- 4
Add Milks
Stir the evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk into the hot tea. The color should turn into a beautiful light tan.
- 5
Taste
Taste the liquid. It should be slightly sweeter than you want, because chilling dulls the sweetness. Add more condensed milk if needed.
- 6
Dissolve Gelatin
Ensure the milk tea is still hot (but not boiling). Add the bloomed gelatin clump. Stir continuously until it has completely melted into the liquid.
- 7
Mold
Pour the mixture into 4 ramekins, glass jars, or small bowls.
- 8
Skim Bubbles
Use a spoon or a blowtorch to remove any small bubbles on the surface so it sets perfectly smooth.
- 9
Chill
Place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours until completely set.
- 10
Garnish
Before serving, spoon some cooked, sweetened boba pearls directly on top of the firm pudding.
- 11
Serve
Serve cold.
Cooking Tips
- The tea must be brewed much stronger than you would normally drink it, because the fat in the milk and the cold temperature will mute the flavor significantly.
- Evaporated milk is the non-negotiable secret to authentic Hong Kong milk tea flavor; regular milk will taste watery.
Variations
- Coffee-Tea (Yuenyeung) Pudding: Replace half the water used to brew the tea with strong brewed coffee for a classic HK flavor combination.
Nutrition Estimate
150 calories · 4g protein · 20g carbs · 6g fat · 0g fiber per serving
