Sink Your Teeth on These Homemade Milk Tea Sinker Recipes

August 30 2022

Level up your sinker game with these homemade recipes!

1. Fruits
2. Egg Pudding
3. Coffee Jelly
4. Rock Salt and Cream Cheese

If you’re an avid reader of Chemag’s blogs, you’ve most probably figured out by now that milk tea is a well-loved drink. There are many reasons behind its popularity. Many would concur it’s because of its addicting saccharine flavors, accessibility (for having different variants like powdered milk tea and affordability. While all those rings true, one reason reigns supreme and that is the sinkers/toppings of milktea.

ICYDK, sinkers, are also known as QQ which means “chewy” in Taiwanese. These toppings make milktea more than just a combination of milk and tea, but a full-on snack that can make you feel full after.
Don’t get confused, too! They’re sometimes called “toppings” but it doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be placed on the top. Another term coined for these scrumptious additions is “sinkers,” because they’re often found at the bottom of your cup.

Sinkers don’t just add to your milktea experience because they are tasty. It’s also because they have the ability to transform your simple chai and milk combo into an entirely different drink with just a few additions. Mixing and matching the sinkers make a fun experience, too!

Sinkers have the power to make or break milk tea. Imagine Boba Tea without the boba; matching the wrong toppings; powdered milk tea but forego getting to slurp and chew on delicious nata (coconut jelly). It just wouldn’t work or be the same!

Luckily for you, you’re at the right time and right place with this article. You’ll never have to go without sinkers or get hassled with mismatched toppings because now, you’ll be able to recreate them yourself. Level up your next glass of Chemag powdered milk tea with these homemade sinker recipes!

Fruits

It’s best to start off with something easy in this journey of learning how to make your very own sinkers. Fruits are a good way to go in this case. You don’t have to add anything to them to make a final product and they make a healthy and naturally sweet topping.

Pick a fruit, peel it and cut it as you’d like—thick or thin slices or into blocks.

After this step, you can stop already and just toss the fruit into your cup of milktea. It would already be refreshing as it is!

Another idea would be to turn your fruit into a pulp. There are two ways to do such: by using a fork or a blender.

For the first option, start by putting your sliced fruit into a bowl, then simply mash it with a fork. If you’re not fond of leaving chunks or fiber to chew on later, an additional step would be to pass the mashed fruit through a fine-mesh strainer.

Whatever your desired method is, fruits always make a scrumptious and health-giving sinker. This is especially true since some milktea use fruit bases themselves like Chemag’s Wintermelon powdered milktea.

Egg Pudding

This topping is often compared to a flan. However, it’s firmer since gelatin powder is utilized. Gaining traction as one of the beloved sinkers besides the OG boba, egg pudding pairs extremely well with milktea despite being sweet itself. Remake it below and enjoy its custard-like flavor.

Ingredients:

• 5 large egg yolks
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup of hot water
• 10 gram-pack unflavored gelatin powder
• 1/4 cup of white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil

How to prepare:

1. Whisk the eggs in a bowl
2. In a small saucepan, simmer the evaporated milk over medium-low heat
3. When milk simmers, gradually pour egg mixture while whisking to temper the eggs
4. In a separate bowl, mix hot water and gelatin and briskly whisk until smooth
5. Once the mixture is fully combined, add sugar and whisk until smooth again
6. Add the egg mixture and vanilla extract and stir with a spoon
7. Into a mold of your choice, gently pour the gelatin mixture through a fine sieve to take out remaining clumps and reduce bubbles
8. Cool the gelatin at room temperature for 30 minutes before putting it in the freezer to harden for 3 hours and 30 minutes
9. Place a knife under hot water and use that to take out the gelatin by running the knife at the sides of the mold
10. Store in the refrigerator

Coffee Jelly

Tea, coffee plus milk—a delicious concoction to keep your eyes peeled! Chemag doesn’t recommend this drink to those who are lactose intolerant as the combination can make your tummy rumble shortly after drinking! If you don’t sound like the person being described, the recipe is all yours to recreate below!

Ingredients:

• 10-gram pack of unflavored gelatin powder
• 1/2 cup of hot water
• 2 cups of brewed strong coffee
• 2 tablespoons of condensed milk

How to prepare:

1. In a bowl, mix gelatin and hot water and briskly whisk until smooth
2. Set aside the mixture and leave for 5 minutes to allow the gelatin to absorb water
3. Brew coffee
4. Dissolve sugar in coffee
5. Simmer coffee in a small saucepan over medium-high heat
6. Once boiling, remove the mixture from heat and whisk in the gelatin mixture until thoroughly dissolved.
7. Leave the mixture for 15 minutes at room temperature to cool
8. In a baking pan or dish of your choice, pour the mixture
9. Place mixture in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours or until completely firm
10. Cut the coffee jelly into 1/2 inches or into the size of your preference

Rock Salt and Cream Cheese

Who doesn’t love cheese? Moreover, who wouldn’t find a contrast between sweet and salty to be delicious? Rock salt and cream cheese, like egg pudding, has been stealing the limelight from boba as a fan-favorite sinker. Find out for yourself why by following the recipe below!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of softened cream cheese
• 5/8 cup of whipped cream
• 1/4 cup of icing sugar
• 4 tablespoons of confectioners’ sugar
• 1/4 cup of whole milk
• rock salt (to taste)

How to prepare:

1. In a saucepan, melt the cream cheese and only 1/8 whipping cream over low heat
2. Take the pan off the heat after 5 minutes
3. Whip the remaining whipping cream and add 2 tablespoons of the confectioners’ sugar until frothy
4. Fold in the cream cheese mixture with whipping cream and add the rest of the confectioners’ sugar
5. Thin out the mixture with the milk and mix thoroughly
6. Coat cup with cream cheese or serve on top of your milktea
7. Sprinkle rock salt to your preference on cream cheese

Chewin’ and Slurpin’ Time!

The above are just samples of sinkers you can craft right in your kitchen. There are a lot more recipes available online. Feel free to explore and mix and match sinkers for your next powdered milk tea.