We have two versions: the Thai Tea Mix version that tastes exactly like what you get at a Thai restaurant, and an all-natural version (that doesn’t include the food coloring common in Thai tea mixes).
A Must-Order at Thai Restaurants
Anytime Justin and I go to a Thai restaurant, he HAS to order a Thai iced tea. It’s just like whenever we go to a Vietnamese restaurant, he has to get a Vietnamese coffee. The man loves his sweetened-condensed-milk-based beverages! Not only is Thai Iced Tea just delicious, with its strong (yet not bitter) tea taste, flavor notes of warm honey & vanilla, creamy consistency, and almost milkshake-like sweetness, it’s incredibly refreshing when you’re eating a slew of spicy, sweet, sour, Thai dishes. I don’t blame Justin for his obsession with it. This past week, the air conditioning was broken at my parents’ house during a week of blogging. It was so hot, I spent several days sleeping on an air mattress in our basement! (Where it was 10 degrees cooler.) Imagine the four of us in the kitchen, cooking, washing dishes, moving lighting set-ups around, photographing, and filming—all in 80-85°F (27-29°C) heat. Even I had a hankering for a cold, sweet beverage, and Thai Iced Tea immediately came to mind. This one has been on my list for a while, so I knew it was time to do it!
Two Versions of Thai Iced Tea
There are two ways of going about making Thai Iced Tea: I prefer the restaurant way, which basically involves buying an imported Thai Tea Mix. This is going to get you the most “authentic” taste, i.e. the taste you recognize and really want if you’re used to ordering Thai tea at restaurants. Said Thai tea mixes can be pretty opaque when it comes to actual ingredients, mentioning just two: Tea. And food coloring. It does say that the mix contains 99.9% tea, though. That said, the Thai tea blend has that unique aroma that—if you’re still here reading this recipe— you probably know very well. The food coloring also immediately elicits that neon orange color when you pour hot water over the tea leaves. When it’s swirled together with milk and sugar, you get a bright creamsicle effect that makes the beverage that much more enticing. Thai tea mixes imported from Thailand are widely available online. We used a brand called Pantai. Now for the All Natural way. If you’re averse to food coloring, you can opt for this alternate route. I use black tea bags, along with 1 chai tea bag for extra flavor. You can also find all natural Thai tea blends online, like this one, this one, and this one. In addition to the tea itself, you add whole spices like star anise, cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon for extra complexity, as well as vanilla for creaminess and optionally, turmeric for a little added color. The resulting tea’s appearance is much lighter—more like a yellow-tinged milk tea (if using turmeric), and the flavor has more of a chai vibe to it. That said, it’s also very delicious! Whichever version you opt into, you’ll end up with a refreshing beverage that goes great with our Thai Basil Chicken, Pad Thai, Thai Red Curry, or Thai Fried Rice. Which version are you going to try? Let us know in the comments!
Thai Iced Tea Recipe Instructions
OPTION #1 – USING TEA MIX
Add the boiling water to the Thai tea mix in a pitcher, and stir. Allow to steep for 2 hours and cool. Strain the tea into a measuring cup or another pitcher.
Divide the sweetened condensed milk across the bottom of 2 tall glasses, and fill the glasses halfway with ice. Pour the tea over the top, and finish with a splash (2 tablespoons) of half and half in each glass. Stir before enjoying!
OPTION #2 – USING TEA BAGS:
Add the water, tea bags (remove any tags/staples), star anise, cloves, cardamom pod, cinnamon stick, and turmeric to a medium pot. (If using loose leaf tea, measure out about 3 tablespoons of tea and add it directly to the water.) Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and gently boil the tea for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the vanilla, and allow the tea to steep and cool for 2 hours. Strain this mixture through a fine mesh strainer with several layers of folded cheesecloth placed on top (to strain out the fine turmeric granules). Divide the sweetened condensed milk across 2 tall glasses, and fill halfway with ice. Pour the tea over the top, and finish with a splash (2 tablespoons) of half and half in each glass. Stir before enjoying. As you can see, the color of this natural version is quite different from the regular Thai tea mix. The flavor is also a bit different. That said, it’s also very tasty! Regardless of which version you choose, it’s a refreshing beverage perfect for summer. Enjoy!
Check out our video to see how we make it!
