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Thai Iced Tea is a creamy and refreshing mildly spiced sweet tea made from Thai tea mix (or black tea), milk, and sugar. Popular in Southeast Asia and served in many Thai restaurants, learn how to make Thai tea at home with this easy-to-follow guide and recipe.
About this Recipe
Before ever traveling to Thailand, I remember my husband (then college boyfriend) ordering Thai iced tea any time we ate at our favorite Thai food restaurant. Sweet, creamy, and bright orange, it is impossible not to love this refreshing drink.
Several years later, we traveled throughout southeast Asia, including Thailand. In Thailand, we did little more than scuba dive and eat for a month and a half. Ironically, I never once saw the favorite bright-orange Thai iced tea. Distracted by all the other delicious foods that Thailand has to offer (really, the food makes a visit to Thailand worth it alone), I didn’t notice its absence until we got home.
Naturally, I was confused. So I did some research…
What is Thai Tea?
The Thai Style Iced Tea we know and love here in the United States is not traditional Thai iced tea.
In fact, tea, overall, is a relatively new concept believed to have been brought over to Thailand sometime in the 1980s from China. Created some 30 years ago, traditional versions consisted of black tea, condensed milk, and crushed ice.
It was at this time that Thai Tea, ชาเย็น (known as Cha Yen) became a staple of Thai street food.
But if traditional Thai tea is made with black tea, sweetened condensed milk, and crushed ice, then why is it orange? And what about all those spices?
Thai Iced Tea in Thailand vs. Western Cultures
Interestingly, the orange color and spices were added when Thai tea became more and more popular in Westernized cultures in order to set it apart from regular, plain black tea. In fact, during the early years of westernized Thai iced tea, chefs would add orange food coloring to really give it a bright orange hue.
Nowadays, you’ll find both versions in Thailand- the “traditional” and the westernized version.
The following recipe is a less traditional (more westernized) version of the original.
How is Thai Tea Different From Plain Black Tea?
Unlike regular black tea, Thai tea is infused with star anise and cloves and sweetened with sugar or sweetened condensed milk.
Thai tea can be made in two ways:
- From a pre-made tea mixture which includes the coloring and the spices mixed in with the black tea. I used Pantai tea mix, but I’ve also heard great things about Number One Brand tea mix.
- Or from simple, plain, strong black tea. Either loose leaf tea leaves (that are strained after steeping) or tea bags. Both work.
The recipe I am sharing here today is using a pre-made tea mix.
Does Thai Tea Have Caffeine?
Yes, it contains approximately 20-60 mg of caffeine as it is prepared using black tea. The total amount of caffeine, however, varies greatly given several dilution factors – water, milk, and ice.
Thai Tea Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup Thai Tea Mix
- 2 ½ cups water
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- Ice
- 1 cup half and half, or milk of choice (full-fat coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, whole milk, etc.)
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil in a small saucepot over medium-high heat. Add the Pantai Thai Tea Mix and the sugar. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to low and boil gently for two minutes or so before removing from heat.
- Allow the tea to steep for approximately 15 minutes before straining through a fine-mesh strainer or a tea filter to separate solids. Set tea aside to cool (for best results, allow the tea to cool in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour).
- Fill glasses with ice. Pour in the steeped Thai tea approximately two-thirds full, leaving enough room to add milk or cream. Fill the glass with half and half (or desired milk of choice) and stir to combine.
- For best results, enjoy your creamy, mildly spiced, slightly caffeinated, and delightfully sweet Thai tea immediately.
Notes
- This recipe uses a premade Thai tea mixture. I chose to use Pantai Thai tea mix, but Number One Brand is also highly recommended. Both options taste exactly like the Thai tea you get from Thai restaurants. If you prefer to make this recipe without added spices and food coloring, plain black tea will also work.
- Most restaurants will make Thai tea with sweetened condensed milk. If you prefer something a little less sweet, consider swapping for full-fat coconut milk, evaporated milk, whole milk, or half-and-half.)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Thai Food Recipes
This Thai Chicken Curry Noodle Soup Recipe is a cozy, flavorful bowl of noodles swimming in a creamy coconut curry broth with tender chicken, fresh veggies, and warming spices. So good!
This Thai Mango Sticky Rice Recipe is a beloved Thai dessert featuring sweet sticky rice paired with ripe mango and rich coconut cream. Simple, satisfying, and perfect for summer.
Pad See Ew is a popular Thai street food made with wide rice noodles stir-fried in savory soy sauce with Chinese broccoli and your choice of protein. Chewy, smoky, and packed with umami flavor.
Quick, spicy, and incredibly flavorful, this Thai Basil Chicken Recipe (Pad Kra Pao Gai) is made with garlic, chilies, and fresh Thai basil. Best served over rice with a crispy fried egg on top.
A fast and tasty one-pan meal made with leftover rice, this Thai Fried Rice Recipe (Khao Phat Kaphrao) stir-fried veggies, aromatics, and a flavorful sauce.
Have you tried making this Thai Iced Tea Recipe?
Tell me about it in the comments below! I always love to hear your thoughts. And tag me #theforkedspoon on Instagram if you’ve made any of my recipes, I always love to see what you’re cooking in the kitchen.
I was craving some Thai Tea, and after getting all the ingredients this sure hit the spot!
Amazing and just like the restaurants!! This brewing method really works. I just added a splash of 2% milk and it is still wonderful, but it is probably even better with the half and half
Thank you for the amazing feedback and rating, Brittany 😀
How about making thai ice tea per gallon? How much dry tea and steeping time for that?
Click on the “Serving Size” in the recipe card, and move it to 14 servings, which is a total of 10.83 cups water plus 4.33 cup half and half – 16 cups is a gallon 🙂
This recipe write up is really strange to me because you obviously like the drink. You say you had a great time in Thailand. And then you’re full of disdain when you get to the part about how you plan to serve the beverage: “I guess I’m just ~different~ because I’m serving the tea in a shiny, clean glass instead of those icky portable, disposable containers that street vendors use!!!” It’s really smarmy. Also, Viola is a woman’s name. The term you’re looking for is “voilà”.
Hi Lissie, No where in this post did I refer to the disposable plastic pouches as “icky” – those are your words, not mine. This is what I wrote,
– “Rather than serving it in a plastic bag with a straw poking out, I’m drinking it out of a shiny clean glass.”
This is completely accurate. And I included this comparison to explain how this recipe is more westernized rather than authentic. I apologise if this offended you.
As for my grammatical/spelling error – these things happen, I’m not perfect, and as a personal blog, I lack the benefit of major publications or authors who have an editor available to proofread everything before it gets published. But, thanks for the heads up! Hope you have a lovely day.
Hi Jessica, thank you for sharing this recipe! Unfortunately, the Panthai blend has a warning label on the back that says it contains chemicals known to cause cancer and birth defects – just thought you all should know!
Hi! Thanks for sharing this recipe. But unfortunately I can’t make my tea to turn orange. It stays beige… the taste is ok but the look not… any idea? Thanks!
Hi Benjamin,
Perhaps it is the type of milk used? The half and half I used in the photos for this recipe really makes that orange color pop 🙂
Someone told me I bought the wrong tea… can you confirm?
https://shop.seingthai.com/thai-tea-mix-400g.html
Thanks for your help 😉
Hi Benjamin,
I dont believe I have tried that Seinthai brand before. I use the Panthai brand and the color turns out like the photos.
to differentiate from other teas, thai teas have been added with a yellow/orange dye. so the flavor you have may be the same, it just might now have the dye! i know for the pan thai mix, they do add a dye in it for that reason
That would be correct Rowen 🙂