Can Bubble Tea Be Made Vegetarian?

Dipping your toes into new foods and drinks can be a nerve-wracking process when you have specific dietary requirements, especially if you’re vegan, vegetarian, or follow a halal diet.

While the vegetarian diet is not as limited as a vegan diet, if you’ve never had bubble tea as a veggie, you might be wondering whether it’s suitable for you to consume.

The answer to this question is yes, bubble tea can easily be made vegetarian. This is down to the fact that while the bubbles in bubble tea have a jelly-like texture, tapioca pearls are actually made from tapioca starch, whilst popping bubbles are made with fruit juice, water, sugar, and seaweed extract amongst other plant-based ingredients.

As such, both types of bubbles are suitable for vegetarians, and you can even make your drink vegan if you opt for a fruit tea or are mindful of the milk and toppings that you choose for your bubble tea beverage.

That said, it cannot be claimed that all bubble teas are suitable for vegetarians, because some bubble tea products, such as jellies, can contain gelatin.

Gelatin is a meat derivative, made by boiling ‘boiling skin, tendons, ligaments, and/or bones with water’, and usually comes from animals such as cows or pigs, making it unsuitable for vegetarians.

However, while most bubble tea is vegetarian, you will still need to be mindful of a few things when ordering bubble tea whilst following a vegetarian diet. 

When ordering bubble tea as a vegetarian, you’ll need to be mindful of the following:

1. Jellies
2. Checking the menu closely
3. Recommendations made by staff or friends

1. Jellies 

When it comes to choosing your toppings for your bubble tea as a vegetarian, you’ll need to be wary of jellies.

Many bubble tea shops offer an array of different and exotic jellies that add to both the taste and texture of your drink.

From grass jelly to custard jelly to fruit jelly, the choice can be overwhelming. That said, it’s no secret that some of these jellies contain gelatin, rendering them unsuitable for a vegetarian’s diet.

That said, many jellies are also made with agar agar, a plant-based alternative that is suitable for both vegetarians and vegans.

However, if the store cannot confirm the exact ingredients of the jelly toppings, adding them to your bubble tea is not worth the risk as a vegetarian. 

2. Checking The Menu Closely 

As a vegetarian, you’re likely already used to this step, but whenever you’ve got any doubts about bubble tea being vegetarian, it’s important to check the menu closely.

Additionally, not all menus will advertise the specific ingredients, which is why you will need to ask somebody working in the store to give you more information.

If you’re still worried after speaking to a member of staff about a specific topping like jelly, then it’s not worth the risk and you should avoid adding it to your bubble tea beverage.

3. Recommendations Made By Staff Or Friends 

Last, but not least, as a vegetarian you will need to be wary of recommendations when ordering your bubble tea.

While trying out recommendations can be great to learn about which toppings and flavours go together when you first begin drinking bubble tea, not every recommendation is going to take your vegetarianism into account.

Some bubble tea shops even have speciality flavours on the menu with recommended toppings which can compromise your vegetarian diet if you fail to double check that all of the ingredients are vegetarian. 

As such, you’ll need to be wary whenever you’re given advice from a store assistant or even friends on what they recommend.

We hope that this article has helped you and has shown you that bubble tea can be made vegetarian. If you’re ever unsure of whether bubble tea is vegetarian, always make sure to ask the staff in the store. 

We are Bubblebase: Wales’ first Bubble Tea Bar. We believe in using the best quality ingredients to consistently serve our customers with a delicious range of drinks that have not only been created with the utmost care, but also with the sharpest appearance.

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