Creamy and sweet, this Thai Iced Tea recipe is the perfect cold drink to boost your energy while you sip on something delicious!
As we start looking towards warmer weather (thank goodness – this dreary winter was driving me nuts!), I love to pull out some of my favorite drink recipes. This Thai Iced Tea is HIGH up there on my list of new favorites.
It’s refreshing, creamy, super simple to make, and it pairs perfectly with my easy Pad Thai recipe. Why do take-out when you can re-create the entire meal at home?!
THAI ICED TEA
Like this recipe? Pin it to your DRINKS pinboard!
Follow Real Housemoms on Pinterest
My go-to takeout food has always been Thai. It has such a great variety – spicy noodle dishes, basil fried rices, all different types of curry. There’s something for everyone!
Thai food has incredible, unique flavors. If you haven’t tried it, I absolutely suggest doing so (…like tonight). I highly recommend Thai coconut cocktail meatballs or one pot Thai chicken to get your feet wet.
When I go out to eat (or when I grab take-out), I never really order drinks to go with my meals. I’ve always been a big water drinker, so it hasn’t seemed worth the extra money to order another drink too.
That all changed when my best friend was visiting us recently and we ordered Thai to enjoy together. We were discussing what we wanted before putting the call in and she just casually added a Thai Iced Tea to her order. “Thai Iced Tea?” I asked, “What’s that??” She shot me a look of such disbelief you would’ve thought I told her that I’d just had a conversation with Brad Pitt.
She let me know that Thai Iced Tea is only the greatest drink ever made (in her humble opinion) and that she was adding an additional one to our order for me to try. My friend was convinced I would become addicted, I was cautiously optimistic that I might like it alright.
She was right – I’m totally addicted. Thai Iced Tea (also known as Thai milk tea) is deliciously sweet, creamy, and the perfect boost of caffeine to get me through the day. I found myself making any excuse to stop by my local Thai restaurant to pick one up.
So… that got expensive (and inconvenient) real fast. That’s when I decided to create my very own Thai Iced Tea recipe! I love this Thai tea recipe so much that I now keep a pitcher made in the fridge so I can have it as my after-lunch treat!
Ingredients for Thai Iced Tea
- Boiling water
- Sugar
- Black tea bags – or loose tea leaves for the equivalent amount
- Coconut milk
- Ground cinnamon
Many versions of Thai Iced Tea call for mixing the tea with sweetened condensed milk. While this does taste amazing, I’ve found that I prefer using coconut milk! Coconut milk has so many health benefits – it’s a healthy fat, it contains antioxidants, and some even claim it helps to keep your hair and skin looking great. Aside from all those great things, I just think it tastes GREAT, especially when mixed into some yummy Thai milk tea!
How to Make Thai Iced Tea
- Start by bringing the water to a boil. (This recipe calls for 6 cups of water – if I’m making a BIG batch, I’ll double or even triple that.)
- Once boiling, pour the water into your pitcher. Add the sugar and gently stir to dissolve. You want to make sure you do this step when the tea is still hot, sugar dissolves much easier in warm beverages than cold – nobody wants a grainy iced tea!
- Next, add the tea bags to the hot water. (Again, if you’re making a bigger batch, up your tea bag count. I do 1 tea bag for every cup of water. You want the tea to be STRONG.)
- Steep the tea for about 20 minutes. Once the tea is ready, you can discard the tea bags or strain the tea leaves.
- Next, fill your glasses with ice – crushed ice – all the way to the top.
- Add tea to the glass leaving enough room for the coconut milk (I use about 2 tablespoons of coconut milk per glass, you can always add more or less depending on your taste).
- Pour in the coconut milk and top with cinnamon. Then enjoy!
I love to have a pitcher of this on hand in my fridge at any given moment. So, when I’m making a big batch I’ll double or triple the recipe. The only alteration you’ll need to make is that you won’t need quite as much crushed ice. Your tea will already be chilled from the fridge, so the ice won’t melt as fast.
I find that I like to add in the coconut milk and cinnamon RIGHT when I’m ready to drink it. So, I keep those two ingredients out when I’m making a big batch.
There’s something very satisfying about watching the coconut milk fall down into the black tea – it’s almost as if I’m doing my own fancy latte art. Not to mention the gorgeous orange color this tea turns once milk is added it to the tea mixture. So, I save that step for each time I’m drinking it.
What is Thai Iced Tea?
Like most ethnic cuisines, Thai food (when bought here in the US), has become VERY Americanized. So no, this Thai Iced Tea recipe may not be the most authentic thing around. But, that doesn’t stop it from being delicious!
Thai Iced Tea is a simple drink that mixes strongly brewed black tea with a creamy milk of some sort. We love coconut milk, others used condensed milk or cream, and then a variety of spices.
I love the simple flavor combination of cinnamon and coconut milk, but you can also use cardamom, star anise, among others. If you’re making Thai Iced tea at home, experiment with different flavor combinations to find one that you love!
Want some more summer-inspired drinks to quench your thirst? Try these other Real Housemoms favorites!
- Classic Homemade Lemonade
- Long Island Iced Tea (alcoholic)
- Virgin Mango Orange Mojito
- Champagne Lemonade (alcoholic)
- Pineapple Limeaide
- more DRINK recipes…
Tools used to make this Thai Iced Tea recipe
Glass pitcher: beautiful AND functional? This pitcher is a must-have!
Mason Jars with handles: these jars are the perfect way to serve Thai Iced Tea (and so many more yummy drinks)!
Ingredients
- 6 cups water
- 3 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 6 organic black tea bags
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- Ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil and pout into a pitcher. Add sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved.
- Add tea bags and let them steep for 20 minutes. Remove the tea bags and discard them.
- Fill two glasses with crushed ice, all the way to the top. Pour tea into each glass, leaving room for milk.
- Pour 2 tablespoons of coconut milk (or more to your liking) into each glass and then top with a little cinnamon. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Ty says
This is not Thai Ice Tea you need a specific Thai Tea that is reddish Orange in color. Do not use regular teabags. Go to an Asian market or order Thai Tea online.