Thai Tea Recipe {Make this Now}
Easy Thai tea recipe tips are below. Also, we’ve updated this Thai iced tea recipe with an organic tea bag option and with coconut milk!
Thai Tea in Restaurants
During one of the conference days in Chicago, we escaped out to lunch at a local Thai restaurant to explore more of the city’s culinary offerings. As always, we’ll try to order something new and different. When we’re at a Thai restaurant, it normally involves ordering our favorites. This includes a curry dish, one noodle dish and an appetizer. On top of that, we must always have Thai iced tea. Because how can we NOT have Thai iced tea when we eat Thai food? It’s one of those decant “dessert” drinks that helps soothe the burn when we overload on too much of Thai spice.
Authentic Thai Tea Recipe
Years ago, my Auntie Chung was telling me how easy it was to make Thai iced tea. She had worked in an Asian restaurant and one of the most popular items on the entire menu was Thai iced tea. She proceeded to tell me exactly how to make it and how profitable it was for restaurants to make. I didn’t care too much about the profitability of Thai iced tea. But rather, I’m more interested on how easily it was made and why we didn’t make it more often. The version we have is as authentic as what most Thai restaurants in America are making. Our version really does taste like what we have ordered at most Thai restaurants.
Watch the video for making Thai Iced Tea:
Fast forward about 7 years later as I’m sitting in Chicago eating Thai food and sipping my Thai iced tea. My brain light bulb pops on: “We need to make Thai tea! Auntie told me how easy it was to make and why haven’t we made it before?” Here you have it. All I can say is that if you’re a fan of Thai iced tea at $3.25 a pop, then you must make this now.
Save Money by Making Thai Tea at Home
Not only will you be saving a big wad of cash on a yearly basis, but you’ll also have a bottomless pitcher of Thai tea. This huge party pitcher will allow you to savor, sip and share with friends. This Thai iced tea recipe is so easy. Pretty much every YouTube video you see uses the same brand and shows the same steps. As far as the creamy layer goes, many people use different ingredients such as half and half or whole milk. Other options include coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk and even low-fat milk. Choose your creamy poison.
How to Make Easy Thai Iced Tea. Photos in Recipe Box Below:
How to make Restaurant Thai Iced Tea at Home
The only difference in our Thai tea recipe when compared to most restaurant versions is that we’re using a little less sugar. But really, once you get the basics down on making Thai iced tea you can customize the flavors and concentration the way you like. It’s one of those recipes that is great no matter how you make it because it’s just so decadent and satisfying.
One of the key factors in making it like the restaurants is using authentic Thai tea mixes. These Thai tea mixes are normally dyed with yellow food coloring (look on the package) and that’s what gives it it’s bright orange color. Also, Thai tea has a vanilla aroma to it. So if you want to have the brilliant orange color and flavors like most of the Thai restaurants, then this is one of the brands of Thai tea to buy: Cha Thai Tea Mix.
There’s other brands of Thai tea mixes to buy, some we’ve loved, and others seemed a bit flat. Because they are imported, and it seems like everyone is having supply issues, sometimes we have to switch between what’s available. We’ve tried as many as we can get our hands on to find you the best Thai tea mixes to buy, Here’s another great one we love: Cha Tra Mue Brand (Number One) Thai Tea Mix.
Best Cloth Tea Filter
Here’s a re-usable cloth tea filter that can also be helpful as well. We usually make large batches, so we just simmer the tea leaves in the hot water.
How to Make All-Natural or Organic Thai Iced Tea
Using organic black tea bags instead of the Thai tea mix: We also tested another version with pekong black tea bags and the flavor was still great. Only thing missing was the brilliant orange color and the subtle hint of sweet vanilla. If you want an all Natural Thai tea blend, here’s one we’ve found.
Either way, find your way into the kitchen to make yourself a batch of this restaurant style thai iced tea that’s homemade. Make yourself a big batch asap. We’re not joking. Make this now and let us know what you think. And remember, make it your own and play with the different levels of sweetness and creaminess.
Thanks Auntie Chung for the homemade Thai iced tea inspiration.
-diane
What if Thai Tea is too Bitter?
Sometimes the thai tea mixture can be too bitter for some peoples taste. Everyone has a different level of taste sensitivity and thus, the astringency of the tea can be overwhelming. So how to make thai tea less bitter? It’s easy. Here’s a few suggestions:
- Perhaps you over-steeped it. This means that the leaves were soaking in the hot water for too long. We suggest steeping the leaves for about 30 minutes but not longer than 1 hour. Most of our readers have had lots of success with this recipe and timing!
- If you’ve already made the mix, then add a little more water to the mix until it tastes more balanced.
- Or if you’re going to brew the mixture, use about 30% of the tea leaves.
- You can add a little more of the half/half or cream to soften the astringency. You’ll have a creamier thai tea drink, but that’s still quite delicious.
- Add more ice to water down the drink.
Best Mixes & Tools
Number One Tea Mix. This is the mix we commonly find in Asian store around us. It is another delicious option.
Cha Thai Tea Mix. This is our current go-to Thai iced tea mix. Make you Thai tea just like the restaurants!
Reuse-able Cloth Filter. Go traditional with this Thai Tea Filter. Get a second one for coffee too!
Other Tea Favorites
We love a good chai. Steep a bag of this goodness, add some steam or warmed milk and you’ll be in Chai heaven.
Our absolute house favorite black tea. We found this French tea years ago at Dean & Deluca and have been hooked since.
Another Thai tea mix. These are individual bags. Quick & Simple.
Thai Iced Tea Recipe
Ingredients
option #1 – thai tea mix ingredients:
- 1 cup (80 g) Thai Tea Mix
- 4 cups (960 ml) water
- 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) half and half (approximately), (some folks also use coconut milk, whole milk, sweetened condensed milk)
- ice
option #2 – using organic tea bags ingredients:
- 4 cups (960 ml) water
- 4 organic black tea bags
- 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 2 anise stars
- 1 green cardamom pod , smashed
- 2 whole cloves
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) half and half (approximately), (some folks also use coconut milk, whole milk, sweetened condensed milk)
- ice
Equipment
Instructions
option #1 – thai tea mix directions:
- Bring water to boil and add the thai tea mix. Add sugar and gently stir to completely dissolve sugar. Gently boil tea for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Allow tea to steep for at least 30 minutes and allow it to cool. The more concentrated the tea flavor, the better the Thai tea tastes.
- If you are using the Thai tea mix, strain the tea leaves (we love using these reusable cloth filters). Set finished Thai tea aside to cool. You can make this ahead of time and have the Thai tea chilling in the fridge. We usually like to make this tea mix one day ahead.
- Fill glasses with ice and pour in Thai tea leaving enough room to fill in your half and half (or other creamer). For an 8 oz. glass we like to add about 2-3 tablespoons of half and half for a creamier flavor.
option #2 – using organic tea bags directions:
- Bring water to boil and add the tea bags, sugar, star anise, cardamom pod and cloves. Stir until all the sugar dissolves. Gently boil tea for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Allow tea to steep for at least 30 minutes and allow it to cool. The more concentrated the tea flavor, the better the Thai tea tastes. We prefer to allow the tea bags to seep for about 2 hours for maximum flavor. During this time, the thai tea can cool.
- Remove the tea bags and spoon out the star anise, cardamom pod and cloves (or strain to remove). If tea is still warm, we will refrigerate it so it can be chilled. You can make this ahead of time and have the organic Thai tea chilling in the fridge.
- Fill glasses with ice and pour in organic Thai tea leaving enough room to fill in your half and half (or other creamer). For an 8 oz. glass we like to add about 2-3 tablespoons of half and half for a creamier flavor.
Video
Nutrition Information per Serving
Update! Here’s a Vietnamese Iced Coffee Recipe for all you iced coffee fans!
How to Make Sugar Free Thai Iced Tea Keto?
If you’re on a sugar free or keto friendly diet, you can still enjoy thai tea without all the sugar. By using sugar substitutes you can still have a delicious batch of this drink without sacrificing flavor. Here’s a recipe that we have for sugar free thai tea at best recipe box.
More Easy Recipes:
- Love Boba Milk Tea? Here’s our popular homemade boba milk tea recipe here.
- Pistachio Olive Oil Mini Tea Cakes
- Low Carb Zucchini Noodle Pad Thai
- Sour Cream Dried Onion Dip
Really loved your easy-to-follow steps. The Thai tea came out just as I expected.
Hi, I made half of this recipe today. But I only ended getting about 3/4 cup of tea. Half of the recipe is supposed to make 3 servings. Thanks!
This is a delicious drink! Definitely like the restaurant!
this was so refreshing and easy to make. the taste came out perfect.
I made it at home with almond milk, and the result was an amazing and delicious drink. Thank you for your great recipe.
Thanks for letting us know about adding almond milk Kenny. Glad it turned out delicious!
Can’t wait to try this! Can I use ground cardamom instead of the pod? And if so what would you recommend?
Hi Amanda,
You could use ground cardamon instead. Use just a little bit as it will have a much stronger flavor than using the pod. Maybe a 1/16 of a teaspoon, but feel free to adjust to your personal taste.
Enjoy!
Todd & Diane
Hi! I tried option 2 and it was really good. But it didn’t really taste like Thai tea, instead it was much more like Chai. How do I fix this?
Hi Virginia,
It sounds like you had extra flavorful spices (maybe you are able to get them fresher than we can). Reduce the spices or increase the water, tea, and sugar to taste.
Enjoy!
Thank you for this recipe, I’m having trouble with option 1. My tea is always coming out bitter? Any solutions?
Hi William,
Try boiling &/or steeping the tea less in steps 1 &/or 2. Bitter tea is usually from over heating or too long of a steep, but is always a personal preference. Some people taste bitter things much more than others. You can also try adding a little more sugar &/or creamer if you’ve found the steeped batch is a bit more bitter than you prefer. Sugar & fats help balance bitter flavors.
Hope that helps.
Todd & Diane
Ive been told a tiny pinch of baking soda removes bitterness
How long can this be kept in the fridge till it’s no longer good and fresh?
Hi Angel, we usually keep it in the fridge for about 4-5 days. After that the tea becomes bitter and old.
I made this recipe. I used 1 cup of Thai Ice Tea mix and 4 cups of boiling water. I put the tea into one of those Thai Strainer bags and followed the timing of the recipe. When the tea was finished, I removed the bag with the tea in it, squeezed it out and still only ended up with about 2 1/2 cups of tea. Any ideas? Thanks.
That is about right amount of tea after straining. The boiling reduced the water some and the tea will absorb quite a bit of water that won’t extract without extensive means.
Loved this recipe – I followed option #2! The light hint of spice is a nice change from a basic iced tea latte. My only adjustment was this was way to sweet for my taste. I originally cut the sugar to a 1/2 cup but even that was still too much and next time I will try a 1/3 cup. Otherwise this was wonderful and I plan on making this often!
I really enjoy making my own Thai iced tea from home. Really awesome recipe. Thanks so much!
I have enjoyed Thai food for many years and see people ordering the Thai Iced tea with their meals. I finally ordered it last month and now I’m hooked!
I do find it a little too sweet and add some ice water. Finding your recipe was just the answer I was looking for! It turned out perfectly! The coloring and the flavor was just as good as the restaurants. I use an Organic whole milk
which is so creamy you would think it was half & half! I will keep a pitcher of it in fridge always!
This is absolutely THE thai tea recipe. Tastes EXACTLY like what I’d get from a restaurant, to the point where I may never order it again because I can make it so well at home now! I cut the sugar to 1/2 cup and used half and half with the Pantai mix. Might cut the sugar a little bit more next time to make me feel less guilty about drinking it by the gallon. Thanks for the recipe!!
It’s supposed to be really sweet, right? It’s REALLY sweet… I followed the exact recipe and instructions, though. I put it in a plastic medium sized to-go cup
It is supposed to be very sweet, and strong flavored because it is intended to be poured over ice with cream added. If you are serving cold tea, add a bit more water because the ice will not melt as quickly.
Loved this!! So glad I tried it and tasted just like what we ordered at our local Thai restaurant. I used regular whole milk and it still tasted great.