Strawberry Matcha Panna Cotta with Brown Sugar Boba

Beautiful layered Strawberry Matcha Panna Cotta inspired by the famous San Francisco’s Boba Guys. This panna cotta is sweet, creamy, fruity, and topped with brown sugar boba.

I grew up drinking bubble tea. There is a boba shop in every corner of the street in Taiwan. In fact, my parents used to own a boba shop when I was little. Something about the fusion of gelatinous chewy bouncy balls and sweet milk tea is extremely addicting.

When I was living in New York, I would see people posting drinks from Boba Guys, a popular boba shop from the Bay area. Now I am living in California, I finally got to try their famous Iced Strawberry Matcha Latte. Intrigued by the colorful and distinctive layers, I decided to create a dessert based on same flavors.

WHAT IS BOBA?

Bubble tea, is a drink originated from Taiwan in the 1980s. The drink is made with tea, milk, sugar, and tapioca pearls. Tapioca pearls or boba, are made of tapioca starch that comes from the cassava root. The nature of tapioca starch is what makes boba texture chewy and fun. There’s even a word to describe the bouncy and rubbery consistency – “QQ” which means chewy in Chinese.

Starting in the 1990s, boba became popular in the U.S., following the widespread immigration of Taiwanese people in California. Cafe culture also became extremely popular around that time. Bubble tea shops became the cool hangout spots for Asian American teenagers.

HOW TO MAKE BROWN SUGAR BOBA?

You can certainly make tapioca pearls from scratch, but it is very time consuming. To make things easier, this recipe used store-bought frozen tapioca pearls.

First, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Then add frozen tapioca pearls and simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside for 10 minutes.

To make brown sugar syrup, add 1/4 cup water and 1/2 cup brown sugar into a small pot. Once it starts boiling, add the cooked tapioca pearls and simmer for 10 minutes, stir constantly until the syrup is thickened.

Due to the nature of tapioca starch, boba is very sensitive to temperature. It is best consumed within the first 3 hours.

WHAT IS PANNA COTTA?

Panna Cotta is a creamy and classic Italian dessert. It is a basic pudding/jello made with dairy and thickened with gelatin. It has a smooth, silky, and melt-in-your-mouth texture. The cream may be aromatized with vanilla, coffee, chocolate, or other flavorings. You can often find it served with fruit puree. Here in this recipe, I am serving it with brown sugar boba.

Panna Cotta is easy to make and requires only a few simple ingredients. However, it takes time to set. For this recipe, each layer needs at least 1-2 hours to set before adding another layer. If time is limited, you can make the first and/or second layer first, chill overnight, then add the rest the next day. I promise you the end result is totally worth it!

TIPS FOR PANNA COTTA:

• I used 8 (6-oz) glass ramekins for this recipe. You can also use other sizes of ramekin or wine glasses. Remember to adjust amount and thickness of layers based on the size of your ramekins.
• To make perfect even layers, use a scale for the exact measurements.
• Use whole milk if possible for sweetness and richness.
• If you don’t like or don’t have strawberries, you can substitute with other berries or even mangoes.
• Each layer will take at least 1-2 hours to set. Always make sure the first layer is set before adding the next layer on top.

MORE MATCHA RECIPES:

• Matcha White Chocolate Swiss Roll
• Mini Chocolate and Matcha Camouflage Chiffon cake
• Matcha Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
• Dalgona Matcha Latte

If you make this recipe, please leave a comment below and let me know what you think. Make sure you also tag me @onehappybite on Instagram and hashtag it #onehappybite so I can see your creations!

Strawberry Matcha Panna Cotta with Brown Sugar Boba

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★★★★★

5 from 8 reviews

• Prep Time: 1 hr
• Chilling Time: 6 hrs
• Cook Time: 45 mins
• Total Time: 7 hrs 45 mins
• Yield: 8 cups 1x

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Description

Beautiful layered Strawberry Matcha Panna Cotta inspired by the famous San Francisco’s Boba Guys. This panna cotta is sweet, creamy, fruity, and topped with brown sugar boba.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Strawberry Panna Cotta

• ¾ cup water
• 1 packet powder gelatin
• ½ cup honey or agave
• 16 oz fresh strawberries
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Vanilla Cream Panna Cotta

• 1 cup heavy cream
• ½ cup milk
• 1/2 packet powder gelatin (save the other half for matcha layer)
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract

Matcha Panna Cotta

• 1 cup heavy cream
• ½ cup milk
• 1/2 packet powder gelatin
• 3 tbsp granulate sugar
• 2 tsp matcha powder, sifted
• 1 tbsp hot water

Brown Sugar Boba

• 1 cup store-bought frozen boba pearls
• 4 cups water
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup water

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Instructions

Strawberry Layer

1. In a small pot, add water and sprinkle 1 packet of gelatin powder. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Then place pot over low/medium heat until gelatin is completely dissolved. Remove from heat.
2. In a food processor, puree strawberries, honey, and lemon juice until smooth. Strain puree through a fine mesh to remove seeds and lumps. Then add gelatin mixture into strawberry puree and stir until combined.
3. Divide the strawberry mixture into 8 (6-oz) ramekins. Refrigerate until fully set, about 1-2 hrs.

Vanilla Cream Layer

1. In a small pot, add milk and heavy cream, and sprinkle 1/2 packet of gelatin powder (Save the other 1/2 packet for matcha layer). Let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Add sugar and vanilla paste/extract to the cream mixture. Place pot over low/medium heat and stir until sugar and gelatin dissolved. Remove from heat.
3. Take the ramekins out of the fridge with the strawberry layers already set. Then divide and pour the vanilla cream mixture into each cup. Return to the refrigerator to chill for another 1-2 hours, or until fully set.

Matcha Layer

1. In a small pot, add milk and heavy cream, and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 packet of gelatin powder. Let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Mix matcha powder and hot water, until matcha completely dissolved.
3. Add sugar and matcha into the cream mixture. Place pot over low/medium heat and stir until sugar and gelatin dissolved. Remove from heat.
4. Take the ramekins out of the fridge with the vanilla cream layer already set. Then divide and pour the matcha mixture into each cup. Return to the refrigerator to chill for another 1-2 hours, or until fully set.

Brown Sugar Boba

1. Bring 4 cups of water into a boil. Then add frozen boba pearls. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring constantly. After 15 minutes, remove from heat, cover with lid and set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Wash and drain boba pearls in a colander or strainer.
3. In a small pot or pan, add water and brown sugar. Once it starts to boil, add cooked boba and simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir constantly until the brown sugar syrup is thick and gooey.
4. Take the ramekins out of the fridge and top each cup with brown sugar boba. Enjoy!

Notes

Boba is best consumed within 3 hours. I recommend making boba right before you serve.

Panna Cotta can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

For perfect even layers, use a scale for exact measurements.

• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: Italian, Taiwanese

Keywords: boba, brown sugar, matcha, panna cotta, strawberry

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