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    Home » Recipes » All Recipes » Popular Classics

    Thai Iced Tea Recipe - Thai vs American Style

    Published: Sep 8, 2023 by Pailin Chongchitnant · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe

    Thailand has one famous (non-alcoholic) drink, and this is it: Thai iced tea. The orange coloured sweet concoction is so good it feels like it should be dessert. A lot of times I find restaurants make it too sweet, so I actually prefer making my own so I can make it exactly how I want it. If you love Thai tea and you're a coffee drinker, you're also going to love this easy Thai iced coffee!

    What is Thai Iced Tea?

    Let's start with the tea leaves, what is Thai tea leaves? Thai tea leaves are black tea leaves, commonly assam tea, that has had artificial flavour added to it, most commonly vanilla.

    The iconic orange colour is nothing but orange food colouring. I know...it's not the exotic tea made from secret Thai ingredients that you might have thought. But this is not a gourmet tea, it's supposed to be the cheap and cheerful tea for the average Thai!

    ChaTraMue is the most popular brand of Thai tea in Thailand.

    So the popular Thai iced tea is brewed from Thai tea leaves, and has sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk added for creaminess and sweetness. There are other kinds of iced teas made from Thai tea leaves, such as this Thai lime iced tea that is super refreshing and is actually my personal favourite!

    Thai Style vs American Style Thai Iced Tea

    As I shared in the video tutorial, most Thai restaurants in N. America make their Thai tea differently from the way it's done in Thailand.

    In Thailand, the tea is made milky and sweet by the addition of sugar, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk. Sometimes, non-dairy creamer (like Coffeemate) is also added.

    Two glasses of Thai tea, one with half and half being poured into it.
    Right: Thai style Thai tea uses condensed milk in the tea with evaporated milk on top. Left: American style Thai tea uses half and half poured over black tea.

    In most Thai restaurants in N. America, they use only sugar for the sweetness, and then top the tea with half and half. Not all restaurants do this; I have seen places that make a hybrid of the two styles, but this seems to be the most common way in my experience.

    If you're wondering which style your local restaurant use, have a look at the video tutorial because they also look different before you stir the tea. If the tea in the cup starts out black with creamy dairy poured on top, it's American style!

    The two styles DO taste different, and while both are good I prefer the Thai style because it tastes richer and milkier. But the American style is simpler and you may want to try it out anyway just to see which you prefer.

    Ingredients

    Here are ingredients you'll need to make yourself some Thai iced tea at home. For amounts, see the full recipe card below.

    ingredients for thai iced tea
    • Thai tea leaves. The most popular brand in Thailand is ChaTraMue. This company specializes in teas so I try to choose this brand if I can. But other brands such as Pantai and Sunlee are also fine.
    • Sweetened condensed milk. Choose a brand with only a few ingredients, mostly milk and sugar, such as Longevity brand. Be aware of cheap non-dairy imitation condensed milk that I would not choose.
    • Evaporated milk. Evaporated milk is used to add creaminess without adding extra sweetness. I always use full-fat evaporated milk for best flavour.
    • Sugar. This can be added to taste, and any of your preferred artificial sweetener can also be used instead.
    • Salt. A little salt helps brighten up the sweetness of the tea and prevents it from becoming cloying. It's a little trick that makes all the difference!
    • A lot of ice. You should pack the cup with ice before adding the tea.

    How to Make Thai Iced Tea

    Here's a bird's eye view of how to make Thai style and American style Thai iced tea. I recommend you check out the full video tutorial so you can see how it's done and you can see my taste test between the two styles!

    This recipe shows you how to make a Thai tea base without any dairy product as this will last you a long time in the fridge. Then you can add your dairy of choice when you're ready to drink, which also allows different members of the household to adjust creaminess and sweetness to their liking.

    For maximum simplicity you can also make a big batch of the finished tea so it's ready to drink, but keep in mind that it will not last as long since the dairy products have been added.

    1. Steep the tea in hot water for 3-5 minutes. You can do this inside a French press for easy straining.
    2. Strain the tea through a fine mesh strainer.
    3. If there's a lot of tea dust left you and strain it again through a finer mesh or paper coffee filter.
    4. Add sugar and salt. Allow to cool to room temp.
    1. For Thai style Thai tea, combine the tea base with sweetened condensed milk.
    2. Pour over a glass of ice.
    3. Top with evaporated milk.
    4. For American style, add more sugar to the tea base to taste, then pour the tea over ice and top with half and half!

    Hack: Making Thai iced tea without Thai tea leaves

    If you can't find the Thai tea leaves in your local store, good news: there is a very good hack that produces a delicious tea that tastes very close to the original!

    For 1 glass of Thai iced tea:

    1. Steep 3 tea bags of orange pekoe tea or another black tea with 1 cup (240 ml) of hot off the boil water for 5 minutes.
    2. Remove the tea bags and add ½ teaspoon artificial vanilla extract, and if you wish you can add a few drops of orange food colouring to mimic the colour.
    3. Add 1 ½ tablespoon sweetened condensed milk, 2 teaspoons sugar (or to taste) and stir to dissolve.
    4. Pour it over a pint glass packed full of ice and drizzle 2-3 tablespoon evaporated milk over top. Enjoy!

    How to Make Vegan Thai Iced Tea

    If you're not concerned about making a healthy drink, you can make a simple substitution with non-dairy evaporated milk and condensed milk which get their richness from vegetable oil of some kind. You can also use non-dairy creamer such as Coffeemate to help with creaminess.

    I tried using Let's Do Organic brand coconut condensed milk, but the coconut fat congealed into little bits in the iced tea and it was not pleasant, and it didn't have nearly the richness of regular condensed milk. This may not be the case with different brands that contain more binders that would prevent this separation, but just FYI that it could happen.

    If you want a healthier version, what I do is I add more sugar to the tea base to achieve the desired sweetness, then add about ⅓-½ cup of oat milk per serving of Thai tea. My favourite for this is Oatly which I find to be the creamiest. Oat milk I find is the best tasting non-dairy milk substitute in Thai tea and teas in general. It doesn't taste as rich and you won't get the cream-topped effect but it still tastes great.

    Nowadays there are lots of new non-dairy products available so always worth trying out different ones and see what you prefer!

    Two glasses of Thai tea, one with half and half being poured into it.

    Thai Iced Tea ชาเย็น (cha yen)

    By: Pailin Chongchitnant
    Two easy ways to make the iconic Thai drink at home. You can make it Thai style to try it the way it's done in Thailand, or make the American style to replicate the tea from your local Thai restaurant.
    4.88 from 8 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Share
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Cooling time 30 minutes mins
    Course Drinks
    Cuisine Thai
    Servings 4 servings

    Ingredients
      

    Thai Tea Base

    • ¾ cup Thai tea leaves (buy Thai tea leaves online), see note 1
    • 4 cups hot off-the-boil water
    • ¼ cup sugar
    • â…› teaspoon salt

    Thai Iced Tea - Thai Style (for 1 glass)

    • ¾ cup Thai tea base, from above
    • 1½ Tablespoons sweetened condensed milk, or to taste
    • A pint glass packed full of ice
    • 2-3 Tablespoons evaporated milk

    Thai Iced Tea - American Style (for 1 glass)

    • ¾ cup Thai tea base
    • 1 Tablespoon sugar, see note 2
    • a pint glass packed full of ice
    • 3-4 Tablespoons half and half, (~12% cream)
    Check Out Ingredients and Kitchen Tools I Use

    Notes

    1. If you can't find Thai tea leaves, see my hacked trick in the blog post. 
    2. I don't add all the sugar to the tea base to allow room for people to adjust sweetness to their own taste. But if you are making it just for yourself, increase the amount of sugar in the Thai tea base to ½ cup (or however sweet you like it) and skip the sugar when making individual glasses.

    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 to ensure success. If you enjoy them, consider subscribing to the YouTube Channel to not miss an episode. Thank you!

    Subscribe to my YouTube Channel

    Instructions
     

    For the Thai Tea Base (4 glass)

    • Steep the tea leaves in hot off-the-boil water for 5 minutes and then strain through a fine mesh strainer. If you have a french press, steep it in the french press and make the straining process easier!
      ¾ cup Thai tea leaves (buy Thai tea leaves online), 4 cups hot off-the-boil water
    • Add the sugar and salt and stir to dissolve. Allow to cool to room temp before making tea so it won't dissolve the ice too much. You can now store this base in the fridge it will last at least a couple of weeks.
      ¼ cup sugar, ⅛ teaspoon salt

    For the Thai Style Thai Tea (1 glass)

    • Pour the Thai tea base into a mixing glass and stir in the condensed milk until dissolved. If the tea base is chilled, it will help to microwave it briefly and bring it to room temp so the condensed milk will dissolve more easily.
      ¾ cup Thai tea base, 1½ Tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
    • Pack a serving glass full of ice and then pour the tea on top. Drizzle with the evaporated milk on top and enjoy!
      A pint glass packed full of ice, 2-3 Tablespoons evaporated milk

    For the American Style Thai Tea (1 glass)

    • Pour the Thai tea base into a mixing glass and stir in more sugar to your taste, if needed. If the tea base is chilled, it will help to microwave it briefly and bring it to room temp so the condensed milk will dissolve more easily.
      ¾ cup Thai tea base, 1 Tablespoon sugar
    • Pack a serving glass full of ice and then pour the tea on top. Drizzle with the half and half on top and enjoy!
      a pint glass packed full of ice, 3-4 Tablespoons half and half
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      Recipe Rating




    1. Seph

      September 16, 2023 at 7:46 pm

      5 stars
      You mentioned in the video that both the condensed and evaporated milk can last a long time. How long can they last and what is the Thai secret to keeping it alive and safe to drink for so long? (e.g., do you transfer it to an airtight jar, or keep it in the can?) As a person living solo, I always hesitate buying and cracking open either product because it's just so much for one person to use.

      Reply
      • Pailin Chongchitnant

        September 18, 2023 at 2:14 am

        Condensed milk, once open will last at least a few months in the fridge in an airtight container. Evaporated milk lasts a shorter time but it should be 3-4 weeks in the fridge in an airtight container. Push it to the back of the fridge where it's colder and it'll last longer.

        Reply
        • Laurinda Conyers

          October 01, 2023 at 9:52 am

          5 stars
          Hi Pailin,
          Thank you for the amazing recipe and sharing your knowledge with us. I have tried several different recipes for Thai Tea like you get from restaurants. I had to buy many different spices and none came close. I found the Tea you recommended (on Amazon of course), and followed your directions exactly. It was perfect. Just what I was looking for. I am so happy to have found you. I love your Char Sui recipe and your tutorial on rice noodles has given me the confidence to try them again. Keep up the the great cooking.
          You rock it,
          Laurinda

          Reply
          • Pailin Chongchitnant

            October 02, 2023 at 12:12 pm

            Aw, so glad to hear! Thank you so much!

            Reply
    2. Jay

      September 15, 2023 at 4:55 pm

      4 stars
      I make extra tea to freeze (tea only) and use as the ice cubes in my next batch.

      Reply
      • Pailin Chongchitnant

        September 18, 2023 at 2:14 am

        Brilliant.

        Reply
    3. Jack Yuen

      September 14, 2023 at 3:39 pm

      5 stars
      How to be more find it ?

      Reply
    4. Chloe

      June 15, 2023 at 11:30 pm

      5 stars
      Reporting this comment to admin

      Reply
    5. Chloe

      June 15, 2023 at 11:28 pm

      5 stars
      Reporting the above comment to admin

      Reply
    6. Chloe

      May 30, 2023 at 8:24 am

      5 stars
      Hello! Sorry, it may be because I'm new to cooking but - what does "off the boil" mean? I couldn't find a consistent answer by googling it.

      Reply
      • Adam from HTK

        June 07, 2023 at 9:42 am

        Hi Chloe, Adam here, and "off the boil" means that a liquid has cooled down from boiling and is no longer actively bubbling. It is often used in recipes to indicate a step where ingredients are added or the liquid is simmered after reaching its boiling point. Cheers!

        Reply
      • Pailin Chongchitnant

        September 18, 2023 at 2:16 am

        I mean that the water should have just finished boiling. So temp as close to boiling as possible. This is to prevent ambiguity because "hot water" can mean any temperature that's hot, but it may not be hot enough to properly brew tea.

        Reply
    7. Valerie

      May 19, 2023 at 1:13 pm

      Hi Pai!
      How long do you think it can last in the fridge? Do you think there is a point in the recipe where we could freeze in order to have some rapidly on hand?
      Thank you so much

      Reply
      • Dianne

        September 11, 2023 at 3:07 am

        The base should be fine to freeze. I wouldn't freeze it with any dairy products added to it though. The freezing and thawing can cause the milk to separate and you might end up with lumpy tea.

        Reply
      • Pailin Chongchitnant

        September 18, 2023 at 2:21 am

        What Diane said is correct 🙂

        Reply
    8. Laura

      June 27, 2022 at 6:03 am

      If i want to make many servings at once is it better to do the same recipe many times or can i steep it all at once in a pitcher? If so is there a ratio to follow or do i simply increase quantity of tea and water based on number of guests? Thanks

      Reply
      • Pailin Chongchitnant

        July 03, 2022 at 3:49 pm

        Hi Laura, simply multiply all ingredients proportionally and make a big batch all at once.

        Reply
    9. Sejal

      January 17, 2022 at 10:05 am

      5 stars
      So simple! Being lazy about washing dishes, I did all the steps in my Yeti travel mug and it turned out great. I love being able to customize the level of sweetness - restaurant versions tend to be overly sweet. Any suggestions for the leftover evaporated milk? I have read that it does not freeze well.

      Reply
      • Sandra Rosenblum

        November 22, 2022 at 8:44 am

        You could use sweetened condensed milk to make fudge.
        You could use evaporated milk to make pumpkin pie.

        Reply
      • Pailin Chongchitnant

        September 18, 2023 at 2:23 am

        Here are a couple of recipes that use evaporated milk on my site: https://hot-thai-kitchen.com/creamy-tom-yum/
        https://hot-thai-kitchen.com/curry-crab/

        Or you can use it to make soups, add it to smoothies, or use it instead of milk in baking for extra richness.

        Reply

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