Is Bubble Tea Halal In The UK?

From gluten-free to halal to vegan lifestyles, if you follow a strict diet, it’s natural to have concerns about whether bubble tea adheres to your dietary requirements.

If you’ve never had bubble tea before, you might be wondering whether bubble tea is halal in the UK. The principal reason why one might assume that bubble tea is not halal, is the tapioca pearls, popping bubbles, and wide range of optional toppings that resemble gelatin derivatives like jelly. 

In short, most bubble teas in the UK are halal. This primarily comes down to the fact that despite their jelly-like appearance and texture, most bubble tea products don’t contain gelatin, the cattle and pork-derived product that is forbidden (haram) in Islam. 

In fact, tapioca pearls are made from tapioca starch, which comes from the cassava root (a starchy tuber vegetable). Popping bubbles, on the other hand, are typically made from ‘nothing more than water, sugar, fruit juice and Alginic acid (found in algae)’.

As such, most bubble teas in the UK are halal and perfectly safe to consume, even if the bubble tea shop in question is not halal-certified. 

Halal Food: What Does It Mean?

Halal food is food that adheres to Islamic law, and the word halal is ‘Arabic for permissible’.

Well-known haram foods, also known as forbidden foods, include alcohol and pork products, including gelatin. 

As bubble tea is packed with tapioca pearls and popping bubbles, this is where the concern for bubble tea not being halal arises from. 

That said, it’s important to note that bubble tea originated in Taiwan, and was also adopted in South-East Asian countries with large Muslim populations, such as Indonesia and Malaysia thereafter. As such, it makes sense that bubble tea is more often than not halal.

In Malaysia, for instance, while there are only a handful of certified halal bubble tea shops, the Prime Minister’s Office claimed that bubble teas ‘which lack halal certification could still be halal as bubble tea is not a brand, but a product’. This emphasises how bubble tea can be safe even if a shop doesn’t have this certification. 

That said, whilst the majority of bubble tea in the UK is halal, it’s important to take a few things into consideration when ordering halal bubble tea. 

These considerations include, but are not limited to:

1. Jellies 
2. Syrups
3. Checking with the bubble tea shop 

1. Jellies 

The first consideration you will need to bear in mind when ordering halal bubble tea is the toppings, particularly when it comes to jellies.

Many bubble tea shops offer jelly as an additional topping to their bubble tea drinks. For instance, at Bubblebase we offer fruit jelly, green jelly, and even custard jelly on our menu.

That said, although delicious, not all jellies are halal. While some jellies are made with agar-agar, some of them are made with gelatin. 

As such, this is why adding jellies as a topping to your bubble tea can pose a risk. If you’re not sure of the ingredients within the jellies in question, they are therefore best avoided. 

2. Syrups

Another consideration to bear in mind when ordering halal bubble tea is syrups.

This comes down to the fact that some syrups, such as vanilla syrups as well as vanilla extract, can contain alcohol.

As alcohol is haram within Islam, adding any syrup that contained alcohol would render the bubble tea unsuitable.  

This isn’t to say that all syrups contain alcohol, but it is always important to be mindful of this risk when ordering halal bubble tea and choosing your sweetener. 

3. Checking With The Bubble Tea Shop 

Lastly, you should always check with the bubble tea shop, particularly if you’ve never had bubble tea before or if the shop isn’t halal certified.

While the majority of bubble tea products in the UK are halal, checking with the shop in question is the safest way to ensure your drink is halal.

This is true even if you’re used to ordering bubble tea, and already know your favourite combinations that are normally safe. This is because each bubble tea shop will likely have different suppliers and use different ingredients, so should be considered unique.

After all, it’s better to ask the store for confirmation on the exact ingredients in your bubble tea beverage than to risk consuming something that is not halal. 

We hope that reading this article has provided you with a better understanding of how the majority of bubble teas are halal in the UK.

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.

Order online with our exclusive Bubblebase app and earn 9 stamps free when you register! 

Or place your order through our delivery partners and get Bubblebase delivered right to your doorstep.

Find us on our social media pages or leave a review here.

‍