Cool down from the blazing summer (or spicy Thai food!) with this refreshing Thai Iced Milk Tea recipe your taste buds will thank you for! It's unapologetically bold and made of only 6 ingredients for restaurant-quality Thai tea right at home. Cheers to this heaven sent caffeine boost you've been looking for!
What's more satisfying than sipping on beautifully bold & creamy Thai tea on a hot summer day or after feasting on delicious Thai food?? Yeahhh, it's a tough one to beat. Luckily, Thai tea is super easy and inexpensive to make at home. AND most of the ingredients have a long shelf life, so easy to throw together whenever you have a craving!
Josh and I love going out to boba date night, but sometimes it's fun making Drinks & Desserts at home. Like a thick and frosty Vietnamese Avocado Smoothie, refreshing Strawberry Matcha Latte, or strongly-brewed Vietnamese Coffee with store-bought or Homemade Tapioca Boba!
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❤️ Recipe Highlights
- Budget-Friendly with Long Shelf Life: This Thai Milk Tea is really inexpensive to make at home & the ingredients have a long shelf life, so you can easily satisfy your craving right at home!
- Customize to Your Taste Buds: Make your Thai tea as sweet & creamy as you'd like to perfectly satisfy your sweet tooth.
- Dairy-Free Version: Our lactose intolerant friends need love too! This recipe is adaptable so you can still enjoy Thai tea while living that dairy-free life 🙂
- Make in Big Batches or Single Servings: Easily make a large batch for friends & family or even to save for later! Craving a ice cold drink just for yourself? Whip it up without dirtying a bunch of dishes!
🥘Ingredients
- Thai Tea Mix: For super easy restaurant-quality Thai tea at home, I use Pantai's Thai Tea Mix. It's a blend of flavorful tea and spices with its distinct bright orange color just like at the restaurants! I prefer this brand over the popular "Cha Tra Mue" brand, which had a more acidic aftertaste when taste testing.
- Condensed Milk: This adds sweetness and creaminess at the same time.
- Half & Half: For extra creamy milk tea, I like using half & half, but you can swap it out for evaporated or coconut milk too!
See recipe card for quantities.
📖 Variations & Substitutions
- Single Serving: If you want to make a singer serving instead of a big batch, I HIGHLY recommend using a French press! You don't have worry about dirtying up a bunch of dishes for a single serving - steep & strain in one container!
- Vegan / Dairy-Free: Thai Milk Tea is usually made with condensed milk and half & half or evaporated milk, however, if you'd like to make it vegan or dairy-free, you can swap out half & half or evaporated milk for coconut milk. Instead of condensed milk, you can add more sugar while brewing if you prefer your Thai Milk Tea sweeter.
- Adding Boba at Home: For boba at home, you can add store-bought or homemade boba to the bottom of the glass before adding the ice. And don't forget to use a wide-mouth straw!
🔪 Instructions
Step 1: Heat water until it's just off the boil. It's super easy if you're using an electric teapot, otherwise, if you're using a pot, look for small bubbles starting to form, then remove from heat.
In a heat-proof container or French press, combine the Thai tea mix & hot water. Stir until well combined, then steep for 5 minutes.
Step 2: Strain the tea leaves. If you're not using a French press, you can use a cheese cloth or coffee filter to strain the Thai tea leaves. Stir sugar & pinch of salt into the tea until dissolved, then set aside to cool for at least 30 minutes.
Step 3: To serve, stir together Thai tea & condensed milk. It's easiest to do in a spouted measuring cup for easy pouring for Thai iced tea version!
Divide Thai tea into tall glasses filled with ice & leave extra room at the top for evaporated milk. Finish with evaporated milk for extra creaminess, stir with a straw, & enjoy!
👩🏽🍳 Key Tips
- Flavorful Tea Without Bitterness: There’s debate on how long to steep your tea leaves before they turn bitter. For this Thai tea recipe, I recommend steeping for no longer than 5 minutes. Any longer than that, I noticed the tea turns pretty bitter.
- Easy Straining & Pouring: You can use a french press to steep & strain the tea leaves, which makes for less dishes & easier straining. The spout also makes pouring much easier, but a heat-proof measuring cup works well too!
- Make in Batches to Save for Later: You can make a large batch of Thai tea to keep in the fridge without the dairy so it’ll last much longer. Then, when you’re ready for a drink, stir in the condensed & evaporated milks.
- Perfecting Sweetness & Creaminess: The best part of making Thai tea at home is that you can easily customize it to your tastebuds! If you want your drink sweeter, add more sugar or condensed milk. If you prefer a creamier Thai tea (without the additional sweetness) add more half & half or evaporated milk.
💭 Recipe FAQs
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Thai Iced Milk Tea Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup Thai tea mix
- ¼ cup sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1-3 tablespoons condensed milk
- ¼ cup evaporated milk
- ice cubes
Instructions
- In a medium-sized pot, add the water, cover with a lid, & heat on medium-high. As soon as it comes to a rolling boil, turn off the heat, add Thai tea mix and sugar. Stir so leaves are fully submerged and sugar is dissolved. Allow the tea to steep for 5 minutes.
- Strain the tea leaves using a sieve and/or cheese cloth, then stir in the sugar & salt until it’s dissolved. Allow the tea to cool for at least 30 minutes.
- To serve, stir together condensed milk and Thai tea. It’s easiest to use a spouted measuring cup if you want to make an iced tea version. Make it a little sweeter than you’d like because the ice will dilute the Thai tea as it melts.
- In a tall cup, add boba (if using), then ice, & the Thai tea. Leave enough room at the top of the cup for the milk.
- Pour in evaporated milk, then stir before enjoying immediately!
Notes
- Condensed Milk: I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but sweetener is needed in the recipe to be flavorful. I tend to add just enough condensed milk to be lightly sweet, however, if you enjoy an extra sweet version, add more!
- Key Tips:
- Flavorful Tea Without Becoming Bitter: Steep the tea leaves as recommended and no longer, otherwise, you may end up with a bitter drink. Then, allow the tea to cool.
- Dairy-Free: Authentic Thai tea recipes call for evaporated milk or condensed milk, however, you can swap it out for coconut condensed milk & coconut milk for a creamy dairy-free version.
Nutrition
Exact calculations may vary. For the most accurate nutritional information, use your preferred nutrition calculator, actual ingredients, and quantities used for the recipe. Please consult with your physician or registered dietitian if more precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
HEY, I'M MIKHA!
...A fellow food lover who believes anyone can whip up a delicious meal - no matter your skill level! These quick & easy Asian recipes will help you transform simple ingredients into a drool-worthy meal for you & the people you love most - without spending all day in the kitchen.
Now come on - Grab a seat & let's eat!
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