7 Leaves who? Your next favorite homemade milk tea is Mung Bean Milk Tea!
Mung Bean Milk Tea is a boba drink made with fresh cooked mung beans, green tea, pandan leaves, and creamy milk. It was popularized in America by 7 Leaves Cafe and is also a delicious milk tea beverage to make at home.
We absolutely adore going on boba runs and are equally enthusiastic about making it ourselves!
As boba enthusiasts who prefer less sweet orders, this recipe focuses on a Mung Bean Milk Tea that is “not too sweet” and offers abundant texture and flavor to savor.
This blog post will share with you our go-to recipe for Mung Bean Milk Tea, as well as ingredient guides and storage tips, allowing you to easily make this tasty beverage at home with just a handful of ingredients. Keep reading for more!
Do you love easy and aesthetic boba drinks? Explore our list of boba recipes like Banana Milk Boba or Rose Milk Tea!
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If you’re new to the world of boba and Asian desserts, you might be wondering if the idea of beans in your drink sounds appetizing. After all, beans are more commonly found in savory dishes like chili dogs or nachos.
However, we’re here to tell you that mung beans make an excellent addition to sweet treats like milk tea!
Mung Bean Milk Tea boasts a delicious blend of sweet, earthy, and grassy flavors, harmonized by a creamy, milky base.
The mung beans lend an earthy note, which is complemented by their subtle sweetness that emerges through cooking and the addition of a touch of sugar.
The cooked beans are blended into a paste, thickening the drink. Leaving some beans slightly chunky results in a satisfying, chewy, and tender texture.
The pandan-infused green tea lends a taste reminiscent of sweet grass, floral notes, and a hint of vanilla.
The milk and condensed milk work together to create a creamy element that helps to harmonize all the flavors in this concoction.
Our homemade Mung Bean Milk Tea recipe shares the same core ingredients as the version from 7 Leaves Cafe, including green tea, mung beans, and pandan leaves.
However, while 7 Leaves uses a more elaborate 5-step brewing process, our recipe offers a simpler, homestyle approach suitable for making at home.
Another key difference between our recipe and 7 Leaves’ version is the texture. 7 Leaves cooks, blends, and strains the mung beans, resulting in a smooth texture slightly thicker than regular milk.
In contrast, our recipe leaves some of the mung beans intact, intentionally retaining some chunky pieces. This provides a satisfying, chewy, and tender mouthfeel, similar to the experience of having red beans or purple rice in boba drinks.
Lastly, our homemade Mung Bean Milk Tea recipe differs from boba shop versions in its emphasis on texture and overall flavor rather than excessive sweetness.
Most boba shops tend to use copious amounts of sugar and powdered creamer, as very sweet drinks are often preferred by consumers in America and globally.
In contrast, our homestyle recipe is “not too sweet,” allowing you to adjust the sweetness to your personal taste.
After all, sweetness is a subjective preference, so when making this at home, you can tailor it to suit your specific taste buds.
Split mung beans – For this recipe, we recommend using split, unpeeled mung beans, because they cook more quickly. If you can only find whole mung beans, be sure to soak them in water overnight before starting the recipe.
Avoid using peeled mung beans, as the skin not only offers nutritional benefits, but also contributes color and flavor to the final drink.
Green tea – For the green tea, you can use any variety you have on hand. We used a loose-leaf blend of matcha-infused sencha, which produced a smooth taste.
However, for a beverage more reminiscent of 7 Leaves, we suggest opting for jasmine green tea, which is infused with the fragrant jasmine flower. Alternatively, a caffeine-free option would be to use plain jasmine tea.
Pandan leaves – Fresh pandan leaves can often be found in the frozen aisle of Asian markets such as 99 Ranch, Seafood City, etc., or on the Weee! Asian Grocery App (Get $20 for signing up here!).
Alternatively, you can purchase pandan extract online, which serves as a convenient substitute if the fresh leaves are unavailable in your local area.
Milk of choice – The milk you choose will affect the overall texture and creaminess of the drink. Use any milk you prefer, from almond milk to 2% dairy to creamy oat milk. For the richest and creamiest option, try using half & half or non-dairy creamer.
Our personal favorites to use for this recipe are oat milk or soy milk creamer!
Want to make this a dairy-free recipe? It’s simple! Use non-dairy milk as your milk of choice and omit the condensed milk. To adjust sweetness without the use of condensed milk, add more or less sugar when making the mung bean paste.
Note 1. As an additional step, you can blend and then strain the brewed pandan green tea with an extra pandan leaf or two. This will further enhance color and provide a stronger pandan flavor. We have tested this technique ourselves and found that this extra step works well, but is not strictly necessary for crafting a delicious Mung Bean Milk Tea. Consider doing this optional step if you like a more vibrant green color and a slightly more pronounced pandan flavor.
This Mung Bean Milk Tea recipe is well-suited for making in large batches and can be prepared in advance. The mung bean paste can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or frozen for up to 3 months.
For optimal taste, Mung Bean Milk Tea should be consumed within 48 hours of brewing the green tea. Therefore, you can prepare the mung bean green tea base up to 48 hours in advance. When ready to serve, simply add the milk.
Indulge in this naturally-flavorful green milk tea, infused with the earthy goodness of mung beans and fragrant notes of pandan. This signature drink was popularized by 7 Leaves Cafe, and our recipe is the perfect choice for a homemade beverage that is not too sweet!
We have many more delicious drinks for you to make at home – check out our boba recipes or coffee & tea recipes!
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this recipe, please give a star rating and review on the recipe card below + share your creations on Instagram and tag us @itsforkandspoon!
https://7leavescafe.com/drinks/mung-bean-milk-tea/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/mung-beans#TOC_TITLE_HDR_8
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