Can boba tea be high-protein and tasty? I tested 14 flavors to find out | Tea

People are obsessive about protein, however they’re not all gulping uncooked eggs out of a glass like Rocky. The final decade has given us protein bars, shakes, cereal, pancakes, chips, crackers, jerkies. Extra lately, Asian American entrepreneurs have made their very own contribution to this protein bonanza: protein boba tea.The Guardian’s journalism is unbiased. We’ll earn a fee in the event you purchase one thing by an affiliate hyperlink. Study extra.Boba tea (or bubble tea, because it’s additionally referred to as) originated in Taiwan within the Nineteen Eighties earlier than turning into a phenomenon in the USA within the final decade. It consists of a tea base blended into milk, with tapioca balls (or pearls) offering the signature texture. Scrumptious as it’s, the unique drink is loaded with sugar and energy, which makes it extra of a deal with than an on a regular basis drink like atypical tea.However a brand new wave of at-home boba teas modifications the well being equation with a great deal of protein and fewer sugar. They arrive in the identical fashionable flavors, together with matcha, taro and Vietnamese espresso, and naturally embody these addictive pearls that make boba so distinctive.However are they any good? I ordered each kind I might discover within the US to search out my favourite.At a look$49.99 at Boba Tea Protein $49.99 at Boba Vitamin$44.99 at Momo$33.14 at AmazonWhy it is best to belief meAs an Asian American, I’ve downed loads of conventional boba tea drinks and nonetheless do. However I’m additionally an avid gym-goer, which led me to search for more healthy alternate options. In consequence, I’ve been making an attempt out totally different boba tea manufacturers and flavors for the previous 5 years. {Photograph}: Courtesy of Lunar Lifts NutritionHow I testedI ordered protein boba tea samples from each firm I might discover, which encompassed 4 manufacturers within the US. I attempted as many flavors as I might, for a complete of 14. Not all manufacturers had all flavors in inventory, and a few manufacturers had too many to attempt all of them.Each day, usually after each exercise, I ready a typical serving based on the producer’s instructions, which often concerned stirring the powder into both water or milk in a shaker cup; I attempted them with each to get a greater sense of their thickness. Since there aren’t that many rivals, I had ample time to pattern each taste over the course of the previous two months. I additionally gained 5lbs (2kg) of muscle mass within the course of!Since I’m not a nutritionist or a private coach, I handled this as a style take a look at quite than making an attempt to find out which is healthiest. Nearly all of them supply about 25g of protein per serving and use whey protein isolate, however they do use totally different non-sugar sweeteners that have an effect on the style. I additionally took into consideration worth, taste choice and whether or not manufacturers supplied bundles or pattern packs.All costs present on the time of publication.One of the best boba-inspired protein drinks of 2025Best general boba protein drink: Boba Tea Protein {Photograph}: Courtesy of Boba Tea Protein$49.99 at Boba Tea Protein $54.99 at AmazonBoba Tea Protein is the market chief within the boba protein house and gives the biggest array of flavors. They make their powders in the USA with protein from whey isolate and monk fruit as a zero-calorie sweetener.Why we love itBoba Tea Protein is available in 15 flavors, together with frequent ones equivalent to Jasmine Milk Tea, Oolong Milk Tea and Taro Milk Tea, but in addition seasonal variants together with Pumpkin Spice. This yr, Boba Tea Protein celebrated the yr of the snake by releasing the Mung Bean Milk taste, which I cherished. It’s much like soymilk with a wealthy taste and clean texture.The Matcha Latte and Pumpkin Spice flavors are my favorites and those that I proceed to come back again to. The previous strikes an incredible steadiness between a candy and savory vegetable-like style, whereas the latter has a wealthy cinnamon style that made me really feel nostalgic for autumn. Each $49.99 bag comprises 25 servings, popping out to about $2 a serving. The caloric quantity can range barely by taste: Matcha Latte has 160 energy per serving, for example, whereas the Mung Bean has 140 energy. So far as texture goes, the shake feels creamy, even when made with water, and doesn’t go away behind any undesirable leftover powder.Courtesy of Boba Tea ProteinThe Oolong Milk Tea and Jasmine Milk Tea flavors style genuine to those you’ll discover in typical boba retailers. The Oolong Milk Tea taste has a candy but delicate floral style that’s virtually like placing flowers into your drink. The Jasmine Milk Tea taste tastes much like the Oolong Milk Tea however barely extra bitter, which provides an additional kick.skip previous publication promotionA information to purchasing fewer, higher merchandise.Privateness Discover: Newsletters could include details about charities, on-line adverts, and content material funded by exterior events. In the event you don’t have an account, we’ll create a visitor account for you on theguardian.com to ship you this text. You may full full registration at any time. For extra details about how we use your information see our Privateness Coverage. We use Google reCaptcha to guard our web site and the Google Privateness Coverage and Phrases of Service apply.after publication promotionBoba Tea Protein even has vegan choices within the type of Matcha Latte and Taro flavors. They’re made with pea, chickpea and brown rice protein, which exchange the whey element of the common protein.With quadruple the variety of taste choices in contrast with its rivals, Boba Tea Protein was my favourite boba-inspired protein model, making certain that there’s something for everybody. Whereas it’s not the most affordable, it does supply a satisfying quantity of protein for the worth.It’s a disgrace that … seasonal flavors aren’t out there year-round. The Pumpkin Spice taste is genuinely spectacular and I might decide it up any time I might. With the massive choice of flavors out there, additionally they want to supply sampler packs. At $50 a bag, making an attempt out new flavors is a serious dedication.Finest boba protein drink texture: Boba Vitamin {Photograph}: Hivi Studio/Courtesy of Boba Vitamin$49.99 at Boba NutritionBoba Vitamin has an extra-creamy texture that makes it distinct from different merchandise on this record. Like Boba Tea Protein, it’s made with whey protein isolate and monk fruit sweetener.Why we love itBoba Vitamin retains it easy by sticking to 5 major core flavors, which embody Taro, Brown Sugar, Honeydew, Lychee and Mango. Vietnamese Espresso can also be out there in a smaller decaf model. Every container prices about $50 for 25 servings, making it $2 a serving, the identical as Boba Tea Protein.Whether or not combined with water or milk, Boba Vitamin has a a lot thicker texture than its rivals. In addition to being extra gratifying to drink, it additionally made me really feel fuller in comparison with different boba protein drink mixes. {Photograph}: Hivi Studio/Courtesy of Boba NutritionOf the flavors, Brown Sugar was positively my favourite. It has such a powerful sweetness to it that tastes like caramel, however the dense texture prevents the sweetness from turning into overpowering. And as somebody who’s allergic to honeydew, I loved with the ability to drink the honeydew taste with out experiencing an adversarial response. It tastes refreshing and much like the precise melon I grew up (sparingly) consuming.Boba Vitamin gives a number of bundles consisting of two flavors, and a single mega bundle with all of its flavors. The bundles additionally embody konjac pearl toppings, that are alternate options for tapioca balls with fewer energy from carbs. On their very own, these pearls are flavorless, however they take in the flavour of what you’re consuming. Moreover, they’re smaller than conventional grass jelly, one other fashionable tapioca ball various and substitute. The extra compact dimension of the pearls make them a lot simpler to drink by a shaker, serving to to simulate an precise boba drink.It’s a disgrace that … Boba Vitamin’s bundles don’t embody each mixture of taste. Relying on which two you need, it’s possible you’ll be out of luck.Finest boba protein drink worth: Momo {Photograph}: Courtesy of Momo Match$44.99 at Momo Momo is the smallest model on our record and gives solely two flavors, however considered one of them is a transparent favourite. In contrast to its rivals, it’s sweetened with sucralose, bought underneath the identify Splenda.Why we love itMomo gives two flavors: Matcha Comfortable Serve and Asian Yogurt. I wasn’t in a position to pattern Matcha Comfortable Serve, however Asian Yogurt was my favourite taste out of all manufacturers I attempted. It jogged my memory of the yummy Yakult yogurt drink that I grew up with and cherished. In the event you had an analogous cultural upbringing, it’ll conjure up emotions of nostalgia.Momo gives each full-size and mini containers, priced at $44.99 and $27.99, respectively. With 25 servings within the large tub, that makes it the least costly of all of the boba protein choices at simply $1.80 a serving.It’s a disgrace that … They will’t appear to maintain this in inventory. Each the Matcha Comfortable Serve and Asian Yogurt flavors are at present bought out.Take into account for much less aftertaste:Lunar Lifts {Photograph}: Courtesy of Lunar Lifts Vitamin$33.14 at Lunar Lifts$36.99 at Lunar Lifts With 26g of protein per serving, Lunar Lifts gives extra protein than its rivals – however solely marginally. At $36.99 per bag and 15 servings, it additionally finally ends up being the costliest per serving, at $2.45. It’s made with grass-fed whey protein isolate and Stevia sweetener.Why we love itOf the merchandise I attempted, Lunar Lifts leaves the least aftertaste, which can be as a result of it makes use of Stevia as a substitute of monk fruit as a sweetener. Amongst its 4 flavors, the basic milk tea and coconut mango cream had been my favorites, as they tasted most much like actual boba drinks in contrast with rivals.Lunar Lifts additionally has essentially the most consistency in energy between flavors, ranging between 125 and 131 energy per serving. {Photograph}: Courtesy of Lunar Lifts NutritionFor $14.99, Lunar Lifts gives a pattern pack containing one serving of all 4 flavors, which is a pleasant technique to check out every one earlier than committing to purchasing a full bag of a taste.Lunar Lifts gives 4 topping choices: Brown Sugar Boba, Konjac Crystal Boba, Lychee Popping Boba and Honey Popping Boba. I attempted the lychee and honey flavors and got here away impressed with each. Whenever you chunk them, the pearls pop open and launch an intense taste. Lychee provides a fruity tang to your drink, whereas the honey taste has a a lot richer sweetness to it – I most popular the latter.It’s a disgrace that … the associated fee per serving is increased than its rivals. I’d wish to see Lunar Lifts supply a 25-serving bag priced comparably with its friends.George Yang is a contract journalist specialising in tech, gaming, music and client merchandise. Based mostly in Los Angeles, he began writing in 2019 and has contributed to numerous shops and magazines. An avid gamer, music listener and gym-goer, he attracts on his private experiences to advocate one of the best video games to play, albums to take heed to and train dietary supplements