Thai Iced Tea
A refreshing Thai iced tea made with strong black tea, warm spices, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and plenty of ice.
Equipment
- Medium saucepan
- Fine-mesh strainer
- Pitcher
- Tall glasses
Ingredients
Tea Base
- 4 cups water
- 1/2 cup Thai tea mix or strong loose black tea
- 3 whole star anise optional
- 3 pods green cardamom lightly crushed, optional
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar adjust to taste
To Serve
- 2 cups ice plus more as needed
- 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk or half-and-half
- 1 pinch fine salt optional, to round the sweetness
Instructions
Brew the tea:
- Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from the heat, then stir in the Thai tea mix, star anise, and cardamom.
- Steep for 5 minutes, then strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a pitcher.
- Stir in the sugar while the tea is still hot, until fully dissolved.
Chill:
- Let the tea cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until very cold, at least 2 hours.
- Taste the chilled tea. It should be strong and slightly sweeter than plain iced tea because it will be served over ice with milk.
Serve:
- Fill four tall glasses with ice.
- Pour the chilled tea over the ice, leaving room at the top of each glass.
- Stir the condensed milk with the evaporated milk and a pinch of salt if using. Pour over each glass and serve immediately, stirring before drinking.
Notes
- For a dairy-free version, use sweetened condensed coconut milk and coconut evaporated milk or oat milk.
- If using plain black tea instead of Thai tea mix, add a small splash of vanilla for a rounder flavor.
- Adjust the condensed milk to taste. Thai iced tea is usually sweet, but it does not need to be cloying.
Nutrition
Calories: 260kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 6gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 95mgSugar: 43g