Curious about the sugar content of your boba tea? That's very prudent! While the liquid deliciosity is definitely worth indulging in here and there, keeping yourself keenly aware of its macronutrient composition and not overdoing it is important to your health. So, how much sugar is in boba? The boba pearls themselves have around 15 grams of sugar per ounce, but when it comes to the sugar content of boba tea, there's too many variables depending on your order to give a singular number. Nevertheless, we discuss how much sugar boba has in the rest of the article!

Starting with the Basics: Boba Pearl Sugar Content

Let's first take a look at the basic but oh-so-wonderful ingredient: the boba pearl. The chewy tapioca balls contribute quite significantly to the total calorie count of boba tea, as well as its sugar content. On average, tapioca pearls have around 15 grams of sugar per ounce, with a typical serving of boba including 1 to 2 ounces. This means that a basic drink, like a classic boba milk tea, already clocks in at 15 to 30 grams of sugar just owing to the pearls alone.

However, the count doesn't stop there. The tea base, sweeteners, and toppings all contribute to the final tally.

Into the Drink: How Much Sugar Is in Boba Tea?

Here's where things start to get a little complicated. Given the sheer number of options available on Sharetea's menu, it's not difficult to see why giving you the exact sugar content for every possible combination feels rather impossible. However, you can get a rough estimate based on the data available for some common sweeteners.

In addition, if you want to look at some of our menu staples, check out the Nutrition Facts page on our website!

Anyway, let's tackle the three most common sources of added sugar in boba tea:

Tea Base

The tea base can range from unsweetened to highly sweetened, depending on the drink you order. For instance:

Unsweetened teas (like plain green tea or oolong) contain little to no sugar.
Fruit teas often come pre-sweetened with sugar or fruit syrups, adding 10–20 grams of sugar or more per serving.
Milk teas may include sweetened condensed milk, flavored powders, or syrups, contributing anywhere from 15–40 grams of sugar per serving.

Sweeteners

Most often, you'll find that boba tea is sweetened with one of these ingredients:

Sweetened condensed milk, which adds 20–30 grams of sugar to the drink.
Simple syrup, which is sugar dissolved in water, adding around 16 grams of sugar.
Honey, a common ingredient in honey fruit teas, for example, which contains around 17 grams of sugar per serving
Brown sugar syrup, which can also add around 20 to 30 grams of sugar.

Additional Toppings

If you opt for extra toppings besides just the boba pearls, these will also add extra sugar, though the ranges vary wildly. Again, refer to our nutrition facts page for a full breakdown!

The Takeaway

How much sugar is in boba, then? Depends on how you like it! A classic boba milk tea can run you just around 50 grams all told, but with extras like decadent toppings or sweetening syrups, you could be looking at upwards of 100 grams per cup. The carbs add up quickly, so be careful!

How Much Sugar Is in Boba?