Boba Milk Tea Cheesecake

Get ready for possibly the best boba dessert you’ll ever eat – boba milk tea-infused cheesecake! This recipe came about when I had the wonderful opportunity to partner with Boba Cult, an up-and-coming startup catering to boba-lovers. Boba Cult offers an at-home DIY boba tea kit to enjoy no matter where you are and to make access to guilty pleasures way too easy. They sent me one of their box kits to get creative with and I could not have been happier!

The kit was super cute and had clear instructions for making the boba pearls, as well as the actual drink of course. You can also use any shop-bought tapioca boba pearls for this recipe, but I highly recommend buying Boba Cult’s kit. Use discount code JENNYSBB15 for 15% off your order!

The boba went so well with the creamy cheesecake. I used the brown sugar provided in the kit in my cheesecake filling and also infused some black tea into the cheesecake as well (this is optional). This recipe is super simple to make and is also ideal if you want to bring a showstopper bake to a party or gathering.

I used an extra large 6-cup muffin pan, which has larger cup sizes. If you were to use a regular muffin pan, this recipe would make around 8 cheesecakes.

• Taste: ★★★★★
• Difficulty: ★★★
• Ingredients: ★★★
• Time: ~2 hours

Ingredients (makes ~4 medium cheesecakes)

Boba

• follow the suggested instructions on your brand of boba
• 6 cups water
• 2/3 cup boba

Base

• 2/3 cup crushed graham crackers (about 4–5 full sheet graham crackers)
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake

• 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened to room temp
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup greek yogurt or sour cream or 1/4 cup of cream infused with 2 tsp of black tea

Prepare the Boba

1. Follow the instructions suggested for your brand of boba. I made about 2/3 cups of boba total for the bottom and top of the cheesecakes, but you can make more of less depending on how much boba you desire.
2. For 2/3 cup of plain boba, add 2 tbsp of brown sugar and let sit for 10 minutes to let the boba sweeten.
3. While the boba is sitting, preheat oven to 350°F.

Making the Base

1. In a blender or food processor, blend graham crackers until a coarse sandy texture forms. This can also be done by adding the crackers to a ziploc bag and beating them with a rolling pin until you get the same texture.
2. Melt butter in a bowl. Add the sugar to the butter and mix until combined.
3. Add the graham crackers and stir until fully combined.
4. Firmly press a heaping tablespoon of crust mixture into each tin. (I use about 1 1/2 tbsp of crust per mini cheesecake.)
5. Pre-bake for 4 minutes.

Making the Cheesecake layer

1. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese either with a mixer or by hand until smooth.
2. Add sugar, vanilla, and yogurt/sour cream/tea*. Mix until smooth. Add egg and mix until smooth.
3. Scoop a spoonful of boba into each tin and evenly spread them out on the bottom.
4. Distribute cheesecake mixture evenly into each muffin tin (over the boba and graham cracker bases).
5. Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes if using normal muffin tins, or 20-22 minutes with larger muffin tins. A knife inserted into the centers should come out clean.
6. Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Store in air-tight container. Do NOT freeze.
7. Enjoy!!

“May your boba be chewy, and your milk tea cold and frosty.”

– Boba Cult Team

*Optional: Heat 1/4 cup of heavy cream and 2 tsp black tea in a saucepan until scalded. Remove pan from heat and let steep for 5 minutes. Strain out and discard black tea remnants.