Many people in India first meet tapioca as sabudana, in khichdi, vada or kheer. Bubble tea uses tapioca too, as the chewy black “boba balls” at the bottom of the cup. This guide explains how the two are related, how they differ, and which one to buy for bubble tea.
Sabudana and boba pearls are cousins, not twins. Both are made from tapioca starch, which comes from the cassava root. Sabudana is a small, dry, white pearl that you soak and use in Indian dishes. Boba pearls (also called tapioca pearls or boba balls) are larger pearls made for bubble tea: you boil them, rest them and serve them chewy in a drink. You can put sabudana in a sweet drink, but it will not give the bouncy chew people expect from bubble tea.
Same root. Both are tapioca starch. Different job. Sabudana is for khichdi, vada, kheer and fasting food; boba pearls are for bubble tea, milk tea and desserts. For bubble tea, buy boba pearls: Classic Black 500 g (₹249) or instant pearls that microwave in 2–3 minutes.
Sabudana (also called sago or tapioca sago in India) is tapioca starch shaped into small, hard, white beads and dried. At home it is soaked in water until soft, then cooked into sabudana khichdi, sabudana vada or sabudana kheer. It is widely eaten during fasts. The beads are small and turn soft and slightly translucent when cooked.
Tapioca pearls are the chewy balls in bubble tea. Ours are made of tapioca starch, caramel (for colour) and water, which gives the classic dark brown-black pearl. They are bigger than sabudana and are made to hold their shape and chew in a cold or warm drink. In a café they are cooked in a batch, rested in sugar syrup and spooned into each cup. To learn the method, read how to cook tapioca pearls.
| Sabudana | Boba (tapioca) pearls | |
|---|---|---|
| Made from | Tapioca starch | Tapioca starch, with caramel for colour (ours) |
| Look | Small, white, dry beads | Larger brown-black pearls |
| How you prepare it | Soak, then cook in a dish | Boil about 30 min at 1:10 pearls to water, rest 35 min; or instant pearls, 2–3 min in the microwave |
| Texture | Soft, light | Chewy and bouncy |
| Used in | Khichdi, vada, kheer, fasting food | Bubble tea, milk tea, iced coffee, desserts |
For a quick home drink, you can. Cooked sabudana in a sweet milk drink is close to a falooda-style treat. But it stays small and soft, so the drink will not feel like bubble tea, and the small beads do not pull well through a wide boba straw. If you want the bubble tea experience at home, use boba pearls; if you are short on time, the instant pearls skip the boiling altogether. Our instant vs regular pearls guide helps you choose.
All our pearls are made at our FSSC 22000 plant in Hyderabad and ship across India. See every format on the tapioca pearls page.
Where to buy boba pearls in India · Tapioca pearls कैसे बनाएँ (Hindi) · What is bubble tea?
They are related but not the same. Both are made from tapioca starch. Sabudana is a small, dry white pearl for Indian dishes; boba pearls are larger pearls made for bubble tea, boiled and served chewy in a drink.
Our boba balls (tapioca pearls) are made of tapioca starch, caramel for colour and water.
For a quick home drink you can, but sabudana stays small and soft, so it will not give the chewy, bouncy bite of bubble tea. Boba pearls or instant pearls give the real texture.
Boil-pack pearls cook for about 30 minutes at 1:10 pearls to water and then rest for 35 minutes. Instant pearls microwave in 2–3 minutes.
Our Classic Black pearls are gluten-free by recipe. They are made in a facility that also handles milk solids, nuts and soy.
You can buy them on our tapioca pearls page. We make boil-pack and instant pearls in Hyderabad and ship across India.
We make boil-pack and instant tapioca pearls at our FSSC 22000 plant in Hyderabad and ship across India.
Outside India? See export & international. Or email sales@theteaplanet.com.