Thai iced tea – a refreshing milk tea served over ice. With hints of vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, and star anise, this bright orange coloured beverage is the perfect drink to pair with your Thai food.
My husband and I first tried Thai iced tea on my honeymoon in Phuket. We loved it so much that we would order a Thai iced tea at every meal. And by every meal, I mean anytime we sat down at an eatery, even for a snack. We could drink 3-5 Thai iced teas a day! When we came back from our honeymoon, I looked up recipes on how to make Thai iced teas. And oh boy, was I surprised to see how much sugar there was in this drink! I couldn’t bring myself to put so much sugar and condensed milk into a drink, so I came up with this recipe. I’ve taken out the sugar, and only use condensed milk as the sweetener. It still isn’t healthy, but I think it is close enough to the real thing but without the addition of extra sugar.
Why I love this recipe
Perfect for entertaining This recipe allows you to make a large jug of Thai iced tea and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days. This makes it perfect for entertaining. When I plan to serve this to my friends on the weekends, I would make this Thai iced tea the day before. Doing this definitely helps me feel more organised before entertaining, as it is one less last-minute thing I need to do before guests arrive. Making a large batch of this beverage makes it so much more convenient than making individual drinks for everyone, allowing me to be present and catch up with all my guests too.
Extra cold Thai iced tea After making this recipe, I would always pop the jug into the fridge to chill. I prefer pouring the chilled tea instead of hot tea over some ice. I don’t know about you, but I just hate it when my ice melts so quickly! Chilling the tea beforehand not only slows the melting of the ice, but makes my drink extra cold.
No added sugar In your typical Thai iced teas, you would find that sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and sugar are added to the tea. Although this Thai iced tea still has a fair amount of sweetened condensed milk, at least it does not have any added white sugar. So, I guess you can say it is slightly healthier.
What you will need
Thai black tea After trying a few different Thai teas, my favourite brand of Thai black tea is ChaTraMue (Number One Hand Brand). This is the most popular tea brand in Thailand. We saw this everywhere when my husband and I were on our honeymoon in Phuket. However, if you do find another brand that you love, let me know in the comments! I’d love to try it 🙂
Boiling water The best temperature to steep your tea in is 100°C.
Sweetened condensed milk This will act as the sweetener and also add to the creaminess of the Thai iced tea.
Evaporated milk This will make every sip of your Thai iced tea so velvety and creamy.
Ice It goes without saying that you will need ice in your Thai iced tea!
How to make Thai Milk Tea in bulk?
Add the tea leaves and boiling water into a jug. Steep the tea for 5 minutes.
If you are using a tea sock or have a strainer inside your jug, remove it from the tea. Alternatively, strain the tea into another jug.
Add in the condensed milk and evaporated milk. Mix well.
This coming step is optional, but I love to do it. Leave your jug of Thai tea on your kitchen counter, letting it cool down to about room temperature. Then, chill it in the fridge for about 2 hours or up to 2 days.
Fill a glass with ice and pour in the tea.
Add in a straw and enjoy immediately!
Can I make this tea in advance?
You absolutely can make this drink in advance. I’ve developed this particular Thai iced tea recipe so that I would be able to prepare a large batch of this drink ahead of time, chill it, and serve it over ice to my guests when I am entertaining. I like to chill the tea ahead of time, as it would not melt the ice in the glasses so quickly! Plus, we get extra cold tea, which is great for a hot summer’s day.
Why is Thai iced tea so orange?
I had always thought that Thai tea used a special kind of black tea that naturally produced its signature orange colour. However, after doing a little research on it, I’ve since learnt that yellow and red food colouring is added into the Thai tea mix. It was slightly disappointing to learn that the colour was not from the actual tea leaves, but Thai iced tea still tastes amazing regardless of where the colour comes from!
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Thai Iced Tea (Cha Yen)
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp Thai black tea
- 4 cups hot boiling water
- 140 g sweetened condensed milk
- 110 g evaporated milk
- 4 cup ice
Instructions
- Add the tea leaves and boiling water into a jug. Steep the tea for 5 minutes.
- If you are using a tea sock or have a strainer inside your jug, remove it from the tea. Alternatively, strain the tea into another jug.
- Add in the condensed milk and evaporated milk. Mix well.
- Optional: Leave your jug of Thai tea on your kitchen counter, letting it cool down to about room temperature. Then, chill it in the fridge for about 2 hours or up to 2 days.
- Fill a glass with ice and pour in the tea.
- Add in a straw and enjoy immediately!
