Is Bubble Tea Halal? Boba Pearls, Toppings and Gelatin

Bubble tea, or boba, is a tea drink with chewy toppings that started in Taiwan in the 1980s ^[1]. A typical milk tea uses brewed tea, sugar or syrup, and fresh or powdered milk. Some shops use condensed, almond, soy or coconut milk, or a non-dairy creamer ^[1].

The famous black pearls are made from tapioca starch, which comes from the cassava root ^[1]. They contain no gelatin ^[2]. Most pearls are dark because of brown sugar ^[1].

So a plain milk tea with tapioca pearls is made from halal ingredients. The questions start with the long list of add-ons.

Bubble tea shops offer many toppings ^[1]. Here is how they usually break down:

• Tapioca pearls: tapioca starch, no gelatin ^[2].
• Popping boba: fruit juice held inside a thin skin made with sodium alginate and calcium lactate. One retail product lists water, juice, sugar, calcium lactate, cellulose gum and sodium alginate ^[3]. Sodium alginate is refined mainly from brown seaweed ^[11].
• Crystal boba: made from konjac, a plant starch, with gums like carrageenan and gellan ^[4].
• Jellies: coconut jelly, grass jelly, lychee and other fruit jellies are common ^[1]. Most are plant-based, but recipes vary, so ask.
• Egg pudding: a custard topping. One copycat recipe for a popular chain's pudding sets it with gelatin, with agar as an option ^[5]. Ask the shop which one it uses.
• Milk or cheese foam: some shops top drinks with a foam made from milk or cheese ^[1]. Ask what goes in it.

If a topping contains gelatin, ask its source. See gelatin.

Many shops make drinks from flavored powders, non-dairy creamers and premade syrups. These can include emulsifiers such as mono- and diglycerides (E471). Islamic Services of America notes that E471 can come from soybean or sunflower oil, or from animal fat such as beef tallow, and that labels often don't say which ^[8]. Without certification or a plant-based label, it advises avoiding such products ^[8].

You won't see these labels at the counter. Ask whether the drink is made with fresh milk and real tea, or from a powder mix. If it's a mix, ask for the brand so you can look up the ingredients. See mono and diglycerides.

In Malaysia, some bubble tea chains hold halal certificates. Chatime Malaysia received certification from JAKIM, the government halal agency, in 2018 ^[10]. In 2019, Malaysia's Prime Minister's Office said only four bubble tea companies there were certified, but that an uncertified drink is not automatically haram. It simply hasn't been certified ^[9].

A certificate issued to a Malaysian company covers that company's outlets. It does not tell you about a US store with the same name. Ask your local shop directly.

1. Stick to simple toppings like tapioca pearls, popping boba or crystal boba if you want fewer questions.
2. Ask about pudding and jellies. Is anything set with gelatin? If so, from what source?
3. Ask about the milk base. Fresh milk, or a creamer or powder? Which brand?
4. Look for a certificate if the shop claims to be halal.

For other sweet drinks and treats, see coffee, Starbucks and mochi.

If you're unsure, ask a scholar you trust.