Thai iced coffee is a classic Thai drink beloved by Thai people everywhere. And with a country as hot as Thailand, you better believe we know how to make a good iced drink! Dark, creamy, and sweetened by that magic ingredient - sweetened condensed milk - it's totally delicious.

For an equally tasty treat with a little less caffeine, check out this Thai iced tea recipe that uses almost the same set of ingredients!

What is Thai Iced Coffee?

So how is Thai iced coffee different from any other iced coffee, and why would you love it so much? Here are a few reasons:

Thai iced coffee is rich. This isn't your sour hipster coffee. Thai coffee is roasted very dark, with a robust flavour that is rather chocolatey. So even after your ice has melted, your coffee will remain flavourful.
Thai iced coffee is creamy, but with no cream added! We use a combination of sweetened condensed milk (Asia's favourite dairy!) and evaporated milk to achieve a creamy, luxurious body. This is also important to prevent the coffee from diluting after the ice starts to melt.
Thai coffee is sweet...but only as much as you want. My biggest gripe with buying Thai iced coffee it that it's often too sweet for my taste. In Thailand where they make the coffee fresh to order, I can ask for less sweet. But in N. American Thai restaurants, the coffee is often pre-mixed. This is why making it at home is the best option if you're particular with how you like your coffee!

Ingredients

Here are all the ingredients you need to make an authentic Thai iced coffee at home:

Thai coffee. In theory you can use any dark roast coffee to make Thai coffee, but for the authentic taste you want to look for Thai coffee at your Asian store. It's roasted very dark, and sometimes has other roasted ingredients, such as soybeans and corn, for a more interesting flavour. See the video tutorial for what the packaging looks like.

NOTE: Some brands such as Pantai labels the coffee "OLIANG POWDER MIXED" (which makes no grammatical sense, I know 🤷🏻‍♀️). Oliang is the Thai word for black iced coffee, but this can be used for any kind of Thai coffee.
Sweetened condensed milk. Choose a brand with few ingredients, mostly milk and sugar, such as Longevity brand. If it has a lot of ingredients, especially non-dairy ones, it's a cheaper brand that you don't want!
Evaporated milk. Evaporated milk is basically condensed milk without the sugar. It's used to add creaminess without any extra sweetness, and also to drizzle on top for the classic cascade look.
Sugar. You may or may not need any more sugar, depending on your taste.
Salt. A little salt goes a long way in enhancing the sweetness and preventing it from becoming cloying. This is my secret weapon!
A lot of ice. Not a few cubes. A LOT. You should pack the cup with ice before adding the coffee.

Brewing Equipment for Thai Coffee

We can't talk about coffee without talking about brewing equipment. Traditionally, Thai coffee is made in a cloth bag, which is basically a reusable coffee filter, set inside a jug. You can watch the video tutorial for how I use it. But any of the following will work:

Traditional Thai coffee/tea bag + mixing jug.
Reusable cloth coffee filter cone + mixing jug, such as one I used in the video.
French press.
Dripper with cone paper filter + mixing jug.

How to Make Thai Iced Coffee

Combine the coffee with hot water and let it steep for 5 minutes. You can do this inside a cloth filter bag set in your mixing jug, in a French press, or directly in the mixing jug if you will filter it through a dripper later.
In a mixing glass, combine condensed milk, sugar, and salt.
Pour the brewed coffee into the mixing glass.
Stir to dissolve the condensed milk and sugar. Taste the coffee and adjust the taste with more sugar, condensed milk or salt as needed, but it should taste a little too dark and a little too sweet at this point as the ice will dilute the coffee quite a bit. You can hold the coffee at this stage until ready to serve.

Fill a serving glass completely with ice then pour the coffee over it.
Drizzle generously with evaporated milk and watch the beautiful cascade. Enjoy!

What's the difference between Thai and Vietnamese coffee?

Thai and Vietnamese coffees do have a similar vibe: they're both sweetened with condensed milk and are rich and creamy, but there are many differences.

The main difference is the coffee beans used are not the same and therefore have different flavours. Thai coffee, as mentioned above, often has non-coffee ingredients mixed in.

The brewing method is also different. Vietnamese coffee is brewed using a special Vietnamese dripper that is set directly over the serving cup, while Thai coffee is steeped and then strained through a cloth bag before being poured into a serving glass.

Thai coffee is topped with evaporated milk, while Vietnamese coffee usually only has sweetened condensed milk in it.

Watch The Full Video Tutorial!

All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success. If you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

Thai Iced Coffee กาแฟเย็น (gafae yen)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 5 reviews

Author: Pailin Chongchitnant
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 5 mins
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: Serves 1

Print Recipe

Description

Rich, dark, creamy, and perfectly sweet, Thai coffee is a beloved drink of Thai people everywhere. Make it at home so you can customize the sweetness and richness to your liking!

Ingredients

3 Tbsp (45 ml) Thai coffee powder
¾ cup (180 ml) of off-the-boil water
2 Tbsp (30 ml) sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp sugar, or to taste
Pinch of salt
A lot of ice
2-3 tablespoon (30-45 ml) evaporated milk, or to taste

Ingredients & Kitchen Tools I Use

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Instructions

Combine the coffee with hot water and let it steep for 5 minutes. You can do this inside a cloth filter bag set in your mixing jug, in a French press, or directly in the mixing jug if you will filter it through a dripper later.
In a mixing glass, combine condensed milk, sugar, and salt.
When the coffee is ready strain/filter it and pour the coffee into the mixing glass.
Stir to dissolve the condensed milk and sugar. Taste the coffee and adjust the sweetness as needed, but keep in mind it should taste a little too dark and a little too sweet at this point as the ice will dilute the coffee later. You can hold the coffee at this stage until ready to serve.
When ready to serve, fill a 16 oz serving glass completely with ice, then pour the coffee over the ice.
Drizzle the evaporated milk on top and watch the beautiful cascade! Mix the evaporated milk in before drinking. Feel free to add more evaporated milk to adjust the creaminess to your liking.

PS. If you find that the coffee needs more sweetness after it has been poured over ice, dissolve some sugar or condensed milk in a small amount of warm water before adding it to your coffee.

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