Tea Bombs Recipe
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Making gorgeous tea bombs are easier to make than you realize! All the TikTok Trend rage, these awesome sugar based balls are stuffed with tea bags, flowers, and even edible confetti for an out of this world fragrant and stunning way to drink your next glass of tea.
Fresh off the heels of cocoa bombs, the internet is itching for something fun again when it comes to beverages and tea bombs have answered.
TikTok Hot Tea Bombs
What are tea bombs exactly?
The tea version of hot chocolate bombs, this is a great way to use the same silicone mold and get creative. I originally saw this idea a few weeks back on TikTok, but there was very little information on how exactly to make a tea bomb. Since then, a few simple tutorials have popped up using Isomalt, a sugar substitute. The thing about Isomalt is its not readily available in most stores and its expensive.
So I sat down today to create and share a tutorial on how to make tea bombs WITHOUT Isomalt!
While you likely have all of these ingredients in the pantry, make sure to be totally prepped before starting this tiktok recipe. Working with sugar can be challenging and dangerous. Sugar gets super hot when its under hard crack point and burns happen easily and often accidentally.
Take care to read the entire post prior to making to help prevent burns as well as make your tea bombs right the first time.
Lets get started!
Tea Bombs Grocery List
Gorgeous tea bombs with beautiful colors of your choosing stuffed with your favorite tea – this is a viral drink idea worth the time of learning how to make!
Here is a quick look grocery list to see if you have the items on hand to proceed. Entire recipe, instructions and measurements are below in recipe card.
- Light Corn Syrup
- white sugar
- semi-circle silicone mold
- tea bags
- gel food coloring
- candy thermometer
- additives like luster dust or food grade dried flowers
Safety with Hot Sugar
- Before starting with this tea bombs recipe, you will definitely need a candy thermometer. Candy thermometers not only give you the temperature so you know when to pull the sugar for the next step but also make it super easy to tell what stage the sugar is in. My candy thermometer stats soft ball stage (like you need for fudge), soft crack, hard crack, etc. It makes it super easy to know. I purchased my candy thermometer for $5 at Walmart but this is close to the one I have – Get Candy Thermometer here on Amazon
- Second, its always recommended that you use heat gloves when working with sugar. Additionally, as an added benefit, sugar gloves help prevent fingerprints on the products. Pick up sugar gloves here.
Tea Bombs without Isomalt
✔ TikTok Viral ✔ Visibly Stunning ✔ Full of Flavors
As with making most recipes, preparation is key.
STEP 1: MAKING THE SUGAR CIRCLES
- Measure sugar, 2 tablespoons water and 1/3rd light corn syrup out. Pour all items into a stove pot.
- Add a candy thermometer to the rim of the pot facing forward.
- Bring sugar mixture to a boil on about medium high to high heat.
- Add in gel food coloring and stir with a silicon spatula.
- Sugar is ready when thermometer reaches HARD CRACK stage or 300 degrees.
- Turn off stove heat.
- Carefully spoon out sugar mixture into silicone molds and use the back of spoon to spread the sugar around the mold.
- Work quickly as sugar will begin to harden within about 15 seconds. Once molds are all filled, go back and make sure there are no holes in the circle and try to patch if possible. I have made tea bombs quite a few times and it gets easier with practice. Be careful not to let too much sugar get above the circle mold as when it breaks off, it can break the hardened shell as well.
- If you add too much sugar mixture, it will harden in the mold and be part of the tea bomb.
- This isn’t really an issue other than it will take longer to melt in your mug.
- DO NOT TOUCH SUGAR WITH HANDS OR FINGERS ITS HOT.
- Sugar will begin to set immediately and take about 15-20 minutes to fully set.
- Once sugar is set, carefully remove HALF of the sugared circles by pushing up from the bottom and leave leave half the sugar circles IN the mold.
STEP 2: FILLING THE MOLDS WITH TEA & GOODIES
- Place small skillet on stove, but do not turn on heat.
- Fill the semi-circles that you left in the mold with tea bags, flowers, luster dust or any other items you would like to see in with the tea.
- The tea bag might need to be folded a few times depending on the size of the mold. Leave the tea bag string outside of the mold.
STEP 3: SEALING THE MOLDS
- Turn stove under skillet on low and let heat up a few seconds.
- Add half circle mold to the skillet and let smooth and heat the rim for a few seconds.
- Quickly place back onto the sugar circle that is setting in the mold and carefully secure both sides together. They should stick pretty quickly and harden almost immediately.
- Once all bombs are complete, let sit and secure for another 5 minutes.
- Carefully pop out the tea bombs from the mold by pressing gently on the bottom, hold the bomb on top, and remove.
Common Tea Bombs Questions
What is the best mold for Tea Bombs?
Any silicone semi-circle mold will work fine. I know that bigger is better when it came to all the “bomb” recipes this season, but I always am partial to the smaller circles. They might be a little more challenging to get the tea bag and flowers into, however a super large tea bomb is going to really overwhelm most tea mugs and put in a LOT of sugar.
I always recommend getting the Silicone 3 Piece set here because it allows you to experiment and choose a variety of sizes.
What kind of flowers to use for Tea Bombs?
Adding dried (and food grade) flowers is the best in a tea bomb. The flowers make a beautiful presentation in the mug when the sugar melts, they sell amazing so all your senses are alive and they are just plain pretty!
I recommend this Dried Flowers set here, which with a lot of product contents and variety, and is perfect for tea!
Can I use regular food coloring over gel food coloring?
There are 3 main kinds of food coloring: Liquid, Gel and Powder. Liquid is a lighter coloring, gel is a stronger coloring and powder is ultra dark. For these tea bombs, I would stick to GEL food coloring to prevent any additional liquid going into the pot.
What is the best Candy Thermometer to use for Candy?
Trust me, you do not want to go into candy making without a thermometer! You do not need an expensive one and can pick one up at a local store like Target or Walmart, or if you are purchasing online, add this thermometer to your basket. Candy thermometers are great for tea bombs, working with chocolate, fudge and so much more! Its a great item to have on hand.
What is the best Tea to use?
I use a variety of brands of tea – some of my favorite are Pukka, Teavana, Tazo and Kusmi Tea.
How to use a Hot Tea Bomb
- Now that your sugar tea bomb is done, its time for the FUN to start.
- Fill up a mug with very hot water.
- Using the tea string outside of the bomb, place gently onto the water.
- Depending on the thickness of the sugar walls, the tea bomb could burst immediately in flowers and a tea bag or sink to the bottom and then open.
- For bombs that don’t open immediately, using the string you can dunk the bomb up and down into the hot water or use a tea spoon to stir.
How to get Hard Candy out of a Pot
Once you have moved onto letting the candy bombs set, chances are you are going to start cleaning up the kitchen. This is where you will find hardened sugar in the pot! The best way to remove hardened sugar from the pot is simple to reheat and boil it! Fill the entire pot with water and set to a boil. Once the pot or pan is on a strong rolling boil, the left over sugar should boil off easily and then simply dump the water into the sink and wash pan as usual.
I hope you enjoy this tutorial DIY and start on your own tea bomb adventure! If you have questions or even a great idea that blossomed from these, please feel free to share in the comments! Also, please check out our other viral recipe trends like mini pancakes, Dalgona coffee, and Disney’s Ultimate Grilled Cheese.
Our readers are the best!
~Trisha and Charlotte
Tea Bombs
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup Light Corn Syrup
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 cup white sugar
- semi-circle silicone mold
- tea bags
- gel food coloring
- candy thermometer
- additives like luster dust or food grade dried flowers
Instructions
- Measure sugar, 2 tablespoons water and 1/3rd light corn syrup out.
- Pour all items into a stove pot. Add a candy thermometer to the rim of the pot facing forward.
- Bring sugar mixture to a boil on about medium high to high heat.
- Add in gel food coloring and stir with a silicon spatula.
- Sugar is ready when thermometer reaches HARD CRACK stage or 300 degrees.
- Turn off stove heat.
- Carefully spoon out sugar mixture into silicone molds and use the back of spoon to spread the sugar around the mold.
- Work quickly as sugar will begin to harden within about 15 seconds. Once molds are all filled, go back and make sure there are no holes in the circle and try to patch if possible. I have made tea bombs quite a few times and it gets easier with practice. Be careful not to let too much sugar get above the circle mold as when it breaks off, it can break the hardened shell as well.
- If you add too much sugar mixture, it will harden in the mold and be part of the tea bomb. This isn't really an issue other than it will take longer to melt in your mug.
- DO NOT TOUCH SUGAR WITH HANDS OR FINGERS ITS HOT.
- Sugar will begin to set immediately and take about 15-20 minutes to fully set. Do not attempt to remove from molds early or the sugar will stretch.
- Once sugar is set, carefully push the bottom of the mold to pop up the circle and carefully set HALF the pieces to the side and leave half the sugar circles IN the mold.
- Place small skillet on stove, but do not turn on heat.
- Fill the semi-circles that you left in the mold with tea bags, flowers, luster dust or any other items you would like to see in with the tea.
- The tea bag might need to be folded a few times depending on the size of the mold. Leave the tea bag string outside of the mold.
- Turn stove under skillet on low and let heat up a few seconds.
- Add half the circle mold to the skillet and let smooth and heat the rim.
- Quickly place back on to the sugar circle and carefully secure both sides together.
- Once all bombs are complete, let sit and secure for another 5-10 minutes.
- Carefully pop out the tea bombs from the mold by pressing gently on the bottom, hold the bomb on top, and remove.
How to use a Tea Bomb- Now that your sugar tea bomb is done, its time for the FUN to start.
- Fill up a mug with very hot water.
- Using the tea string outside of the bomb, place gently onto the water.
- Depending on the thickness of the sugar walls, the tea bomb could burst immediately in flowers and a tea bag or sink to the bottom and then open.
- For bombs that don't open immediately, using the string you can dunk the bomb up and down into the hot water or use a tea spoon to stir.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer: The nutritional data provided here is auto-calculated and intended for your convenience only. As it’s generated via automation, its accuracy may be compromised. For precise nutritional insight, please compute the values utilizing the actual ingredients in your recipe through your chosen nutrition calculator or application.
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Please check the flowers you suggest as amazon says they are not food grade/edible
You are correct, they completely changed the entire listing. Unfortunately its almost impossible to keep up with that, but I did update with a new link. Thank you!
Wow, these are amazing. Glad to see another use for the silicone molds too! Thanks for sharing!
I made mine they are hard an aslo stick a little what can I do
regarding sticking whiel storing – try storing with a bit of powdered sugar on them to prevent sticking. As far as sticking in the GLASS, it may be that they are too thick. Try using less sugar in the molds and thin it out a bit.
Hello! I’m looking forward to making these but was wondering how well they store/how to store them/how long they last before using. Not sure how many cups of tea I can drink in a few days hahah. Thanks in advance!
I havent had any issues with storage. Ill be honest that I just left them sitting on the counter in the little silicone holders and used them over a few days. I don’t know if it was the *right* way but as its just a solidified sugar product, as long as there was no moisture, there wasn’t an issue for me.
They are SO pretty! I make hot chocolate bombs with my friend. So we tried making these ones and had a hard time getting the liquid to the edges of the spheres and they wouldn’t seal properly 🙁 any suggestions?
Do you mean in the silicone trays themselves? Try a few additional coats to the edges or simply even out the edges before sealing so there isn’t a hole. Its kinda hard to know exactly what is going on without being there of course, but unlike chocolate bombs, cracks or even tiny holes wont cause the tea or flowers to leak out (in chocolate bombs they typically have powder so you wouldn’t want that if the edges didn’t seal).
I didn’t have a ton of issues personally but working with sugar in general can be very difficult so it may take some practice to get it exactly how you want to achieve it.
I love making tea bombs, they are fun and pretty so if this is just for fun, you may find a technique that works great with your mold and I hope you come back to share!
trisha
Was just wondering if its possible to re-melt damaged spheres once they have set.
I was not fast enough and a lot of sugar had sunk to the bottom of the mold so i would like to redo those. Can i just re-melt them instead of starting from scratch?
In theory, you can but sugar is really temperamental so its more of an experiment. I haven’t done it so I don’t know the exact timing. I can tell you that sugar can just go wrong pretty quickly so if it were me, I would start fresh.