Takeout Thai Tea at Home

Chill out with this easy Thai tea recipe that tastes exactly like it came from your favorite takeout restaurant.

Prep:
5
minutes
Cook:
15
minutes
TOtal:
20
minutes

Ingredients

  • Thai Tea Mix: 1/2 cup
  • Sugar: 1/3 cup
  • Water: 2 quarts
  • Sweetened Condensed Milk: 1/2 cup
  • Whole Milk: 1/2 cup

Instructions

  1. Brew the tea! Bring two quarts of water just up to boiling then remove from heat. Add the 1/2 cup of tea directly to the hot water. Let steep for 15 minutes. If you brew the loose tea directly in the water you’ll have to strain it out with a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth later. Or you can use large tea filters. I usually get about 1/4 cup of tea into a large tea filter and use two of those for this brew. If you use the tea filters, do not squeeze them when removing them from your tea. Just hold them and let them drain for a minute or two before disposing. Your tea will be strong enough, and you don’t need to stain your hands orange.
  2. Add 1/3 cup of sugar while your tea is still hot/warm and stir to dissolve. I use basic granulated sugar, but feel free to experiment with your own sugar choices.
  3. Chill your tea! I like my tea icy cold, so I let it get all-the-way cold before I drink it. But if you really need your tea as soon as possible, at least let it get to room temperature before continuing so it doesn’t melt all of the ice and get watered down.
  4. While your tea is cooling, mix your milks. I use one part sweetened condensed milk to one part whole milk by volume. I make it in a large enough batch to use for several drinks so I don’t have to mix it up every time. After you’ve tasted the tea, you’ll know how to adjust the ratio for your tastes. Maybe you’d like it less sweet? Use more milk in your mix. Maybe you’d like it a little creamier? Use half and half or heavy cream instead of milk. Maybe you don’t do dairy, and you want to use a dairy substitute like coconut milk or oat milk — go for it!