Can Bubble Tea be Refrigerated?

There are many different opinions surrounding this question: Can you refrigerate bubble tea? If you’ve just bought or made a cup only to realize you’d rather save it for another time or even the next day, you may be wondering if it’ll still be safe to consume. 

The maximum amount of time you can leave a cup of boba in the fridge is 24 hours. This is because the ingredients in your typical cup of bubble tea are milk, sugar, tea, and tapioca. If you ordered a fruit tea that doesn’t have any milk in it, you should be safe for a little longer than 24 hours, but there are still other things to consider. 

Steeped tea should be fine on their own but with the addition of sugar, the growth rate of bacteria can increase significantly. If you let your boba sit for too long, it may not be safe to drink anymore because of this.

Tapioca hardens after spending a few hours in the fridge and if your drink was made especially cold (e.g. a slush), they’ll probably be too hard to enjoy later on. This is why the recommended consumption time for bubble tea is 2 hours at most. 

This is also because of the milk you may have in your order. Assuming you don’t know the lactose and fat content in the milk used, your bubble tea’s longevity may vary since less lactose and fat give milk a little more time before it starts to change. If you do leave your bubble tea in the fridge for 24 hours, make sure you check to see if your milk has curdled or if there are any telltale signs that your bubble tea is no longer safe to drink. 

We don’t recommend leaving anything with tapioca in the fridge because it does get pretty gross in texture. If you want to save anything else for a couple of hours though, it should be safe to do so. But trust your gut! If you see any discolouration, curdling, or any other visual indicators that your bubble tea is just not what it’s supposed to be, then perhaps you shouldn’t drink it and be more mindful next time! Buy or make bubble tea when you really do have a craving for it so you don’t have to waste your money or the product.