I cannot talk about Asian-inspired flavors without mentioning boba tea! It is a classic drink I always had growing up. I could never get enough of the boba pearls. These cute boba tea tartlets are made with a classic Earl Grey custard filling and topped with boba pearls. It is a combination of silky filling and chewy topping. This is an exclusive recipe from my new book, Cozy Vegan Pies and Tarts.
Vegan Boba Tea Tartlets
Here’s how to make this delicious recipe.
What You’ll Need
For the Crust
- vegan pie crust, unbaked
- Vegan butter, for greasing pans
- All-purpose flour, for dusting
For the Glaze
- maple syrup
- unsalted vegan butter, melted
For the Earl Grey Custard Filling
- coconut cream
- unsweetened plant-based milk of choice
- cane sugar
- unsalted vegan butter
- pure vanilla extract
- fine sea salt
- Earl Grey tea bags
- arrowroot powder
- cold water
For the Topping
- cooked tapioca pearls (boba pearls)
How to make these vegan classic boba tea tartlets
Step one: Preheat the oven and prepare the pans
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease six (3-inch [8-cm]) pans with vegan butter or coconut oil. Lightly flour a sheet of parchment paper.
Step two: Make the pie crust
Make the vegan pie crust but don’t bake it. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and divide it into six pieces. Place one of the pieces of dough on the center of the parchment paper. Lightly flour the dough and cover it with a second sheet of parchment paper. Roll the dough into a round shape that’s 5 inches (13 cm) in diameter. Carefully transfer the dough to a greased pan. There should be some dough hanging over. Trim off the excess dough, leaving a 1/4-inch (6-mm) overhang, and shape the edges with your hands, pressing on all the sides. Repeat this step with the remaining dough. Transfer the pans to the freezer for 5 minutes.
Step three: Make the glaze
To make the glaze, add the maple syrup and vegan butter to a small bowl and mix well. Brush the crusts with the glaze.
Step four: Bake the crusts
Add a sheet of parchment paper to the middle of the crusts and add pie weights or dried beans. Bake the crusts for 13 to 15 minutes, or until lightly golden. Allow the crusts to cool completely before adding the filling.
Step five: Make the filling
To make the filling, add the coconut cream, plant-based milk, sugar, vegan butter, vanilla extract and salt to a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Immediately reduce the heat to low and add the Earl Grey tea bags. Allow the tea to steep for 10 minutes, then remove the tea bags from the saucepan. Bring the mixture back to a simmer. Pour in the arrowroot mixture, stirring quickly. Once the mixture starts to thicken, remove it from the heat and divide the filling among the tart pans. Allow the tarts to cool for 5 minutes before transferring them to the refrigerator to cool for 2 hours. Top with some of the tapioca pearls before serving.
Vegan Boba Tea Tartlets
Ingredients
- For the Crust
- 1 vegan pie crust - unbaked
- Vegan butter - for greasing pans
- All-purpose flour - for dusting
- For the Glaze
- 10 ml 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
- 28 g 2 tbsp unsalted vegan butter, melted
- For the Earl Grey Custard Filling
- 240 ml 1 cup coconut cream
- 207 ml ~3/4 cup + 1 tbsp unsweetened plant-based milk of choice
- 50 g 1/4 cup cane sugar
- 7 g 1/2 tbsp unsalted vegan butter
- 15 ml 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp fine sea salt
- 4 Earl Grey tea bags
- 20 g 2 tbsp arrowroot powder + 30 ml (2 tbsp) cold water, combined
- For the Topping
- 120 g 1 cup cooked tapioca pearls (boba pearls)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease six (3-inch [8-cm]) pans with vegan butter or coconut oil. Lightly flour a sheet of parchment paper.
- Make the vegan pie crust but don’t bake it. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and divide it into six pieces. Place one of the pieces of dough on the center of the parchment paper. Lightly flour the dough and cover it with a second sheet of parchment paper. Roll the dough into a round shape that’s 5 inches (13 cm) in diameter. Carefully transfer the dough to a greased pan. There should be some dough hanging over. Trim off the excess dough, leaving a 1/4-inch (6-mm) overhang, and shape the edges with your hands, pressing on all the sides. Repeat this step with the remaining dough. Transfer the pans to the freezer for 5 minutes.
- To make the glaze, add the maple syrup and vegan butter to a small bowl and mix well. Brush the crusts with the glaze.
- Add a sheet of parchment paper to the middle of the crusts and add pie weights or dried beans. Bake the crusts for 13 to 15 minutes, or until lightly golden. Allow the crusts to cool completely before adding the filling.
- To make the filling, add the coconut cream, plant-based milk, sugar, vegan butter, vanilla extract and salt to a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Immediately reduce the heat to low and add the Earl Grey tea bags. Allow the tea to steep for 10 minutes, then remove the tea bags from the saucepan. Bring the mixture back to a simmer. Pour in the arrowroot mixture, stirring quickly. Once the mixture starts to thicken, remove it from the heat and divide the filling among the tart pans. Allow the tarts to cool for 5 minutes before transferring them to the refrigerator to cool for 2 hours. Top with some of the tapioca pearls before serving.
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Master the Art of the Perfect Vegan Pie
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Helen Au is the creator of the popular vegan blog With Helen, formerly A StepFull of You. She is originally from Boston, Massachusetts. Be sure to follow her on Instagram to see more of her creations.
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