Easy Thai Tea Recipes

Thai tea is also known as “Cha Yen” in Thai – with “Cha” meaning tea, and “Yen” meaning cold/cool – essentially meaning cold or iced tea.

This popular Thai street food staple can be found at many Thai restaurants and bubble tea shops in North America.

Deliciously sweet, creamy and heavily spiced, this orange-coloured beverage makes the perfect pairing with Thailands spicy cuisine.

Whenever we go out to dine at one of our favourite Thai restaurants in Toronto, one of our must-order items would always be Thai tea. Not only does it taste amazing, but it also helps counterbalance the spiciness.

In this post, we will show you 3 methods on how to make this amazing beverage at home, so you can enjoy it anytime you want whenever you get hit with the cravings for this addictively sweet beverage, without having to go out and spend 6 to 7 bucks for a cup of Thai tea.

What is Thai tea made of?

The concept of tea is believed to be rather new to Thailand. It was only during the 1980s, when tea was brought in from China as a cash crop, as part of a Thai government initiative, to replace opium poppy production.

The question of when people started to add milk and ice to their tea is unknown; however, it is speculated that the invention of this beverage is heavily influenced by the former Thai prime minister– Field Marshal Pibul Songkram – who is known to have a fondness for western culture, which explains the addition of milk and ice.

Traditionally made with strong black tea like Ceylon or Assam, sweetened with condensed milk and served in crushed ice, additional ingredients like orange blossom water, star anise and other spices were starting to be added to the original version, garnering popularity and becoming a staple in Thailand’s street food scene.

Why is Thai tea orange?

You may wonder why Thai tea is orange in colour. Well, that’s because food colouring (FD&C Yellow No. 6) is added into the tea mix to it to give Thai tea that orange hue.

As Thai cuisine started to make its way to North America and gained popularity, so did Thai tea. To cater to western preferences, American Thai restaurants started adding food colouring to the tea with an increased amount of sugar and spices, resulting in this deliciously sweet beverage of what we know now as Thai tea.

Thai Tea Ingredients

Today, the type of Thai tea that you would find in Thai restaurants in North America would most likely be made from store-bought Thai tea mixes from brands like Pentai Thai Tea Mix and Number One Brand Thai Tea Mix, which is sweetened with sugar, topped with evaporated milk and served in a full cup of ice.

The ingredients in these packaged Thai tea mixes are essentially loose black tea leaves mixed in with food colouring and artificial flavouring.

Is Thai Tea Bad For You

Thai tea contains black tea that is high in antioxidants, similar to green tea and other herbal teas, which is great for keeping your immune system in shape.

Antioxidants work by preventing cell damage from harmful molecules called free radicals, which can cause serious chronic diseases.

It may also aid and improve heart health, gut health, and can help with inflammation as well.

It also contains caffeine, which can give you a good energy boost to keep you awake and going throughout the day.

However, with that being said, Thai tea is also jam-packed with sugar and cream, so it is not something you would want to drink every day. This is definitely a drink that you treat yourself once in a while on your cheat days.

How to Make Thai Tea at Home

Making this refreshingly sweet drink is very simple and it can be easily done at home. All you need is to get your hands on some packaged Thai tea mixes – our favourites are the Pentai Thai Tea Mix and the Number One Thai Tea Mix – along with sugar, sweetened condensed milk and creamer of your choice. We used Carnation Evaporated Milk and Carnation Condensed Milk in these recipes.

You would also need a good strainer, as the tea leaves are really fine. Your regular strainers will not be able to catch all the fine tea leaf dust. Traditionally, a tea sock is used, but if you can’t find a tea sock, then try to use a strainer with the finest weave or a cloth coffee filter.

Easy Thai Tea Recipe (Pour-over method)

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Cuisine Thai

Servings 1 Serving

Ingredients

  

• 3 Tbsp of Thai Tea Mix
• 1 cup of Water
• 1 ½ Tbsp of Condensed Milk
• 3 Tsp of Sugar
• Pinch of Salt Optional
• 3 Tbsp of Evaporated Milk
• 3 Tbsp of Coconut Milk or Vegan Creamer Vegan/Lactose Intolerant Option

Instructions

 

• Have one cup of off the boil water ready.
• Add Thai tea mix into the tea sock (or reusable cloth coffee filter) and have it ready in another cup.
• Pour the cup of hot water into the tea sock/filter and let the tea steep for 5 minutes.
  
• In a separate cup, add the condensed milk, sugar and a pinch of salt (optional).
  
• After the tea is finished steeping, remove the tea sock and pour the tea into the condensed milk and sugar and mix thoroughly. Give it a little taste test and adjust the sugar level if needed. Ideally, you would want the tea to be a little too sweet at this point, as it will be diluted once it is poured into the cup of ice.
  
• This part is optional, but if you want to have a little fun, then you should definitely try this. Pour the tea back and forth between the 2 large cups or jugs briskly for 5 times. This process is called “pulling”, which allows air to mix with the liquid, creating froth and making the drink richer.
• Fill a separate cup with ice and pour the tea into it.
  
• Top it off with some evaporated milk and enjoy!
  

Notes

If you are vegan or lactose intolerant, simply omit the condensed milk in step 6 and increase the sugar amount to 6 Tsp – taste test the sweetness level and adjust to your preference.

Also, omit the evaporated milk in step 9 and replace it with coconut milk or a vegan creamer of your choice.

You can also add toppings like chewy tapioca or some refreshing grass jelly to make it into a Thai Tea Boba; just like the ones you would find at your favourite local bubble tea shops. Our favourite topping to pair with this drink is the grass jelly. It just pairs so well with this sweet Thai tea.

Easy Thai Tea Recipe (Boiling Method)

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Cuisine Thai

Servings 1 Serving

Ingredients

  

• 3 Tbsp Thai tea mix
• 1 ¼ cup of water
• 1 ½ Tbsp of Condensed milk
• 3 Tsp of Sugar
• Pinch of Salt Optional
• 3 Tbsp of Evaporated Milk
• 3 Tbsp of Coconut Milk or Vegan Creamer Vegan/Lactose Intolerant Option
• 2 ½ inch Cinnamon Stick Optional
• 1 Star Anise Optional

Instructions

 

• Pour the water into a small pot and bring it to a boil over the stove.
  
• Add the Thai tea mix and spices (cinnamon and star anise) into the pot and let it simmer for 3 minutes on medium-low heat. Stir occasionally. The cinnamon and star anise are optional, but we recommend it as we find it accentuates the spice aspect of Thai tea even further.
• After 3 minutes, turn off the stove and set the pot aside to let it cool down for 20 minutes.
• Once it’s cooled down, pour the tea into a cup through the tea sock or filter to strain the tea.
• Then add the condensed milk, sugar and salt (optional) into the tea and give it a good stir.
• Once you are finished mixing, fill a cup with ice and pour the sweetened tea into it.
• Finally, top it off with evaporated milk.

Notes

If you are vegan or lactose intolerant, omit the condensed milk and increase the sugar amount to 6 Tsp – taste test the sweetness level and adjust to your preference.

Also, omit the evaporated milk and replace it with coconut milk or a vegan creamer of your choice.

You can also add toppings like chewy tapioca or some refreshing grass jelly to make it into a Thai Tea Boba!

Easy Thai Tea Recipe (French Press Method)

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Cuisine Thai

Servings 4 Servings

Ingredients

  

• 4 cups of Water
• 1 cup of Thai Tea Mix
• 1/4 cup of Sugar
• 1 ½ Tbsp of Condensed Milk Per Cup
• 3 Tbsp of Evaporated Milk
• 3 Tbsp of Coconut Milk or Vegan Creamer Vegan/Lactose Intolerant Option

Instructions

 

• Prepare 4 cups of boiled hot water.
• Remove the plunge from the French press and add the Thai tea mix into it.
  
• Pour the hot water into the French press and give the tea a good stir. Then put the plunger back onto the French press, but do not fully depress, and let the tea steep for 20 minutes.
• After the tea is done steeping, fully depress the plunger and pour the tea into a jar or a pitcher.
• Add sugar into the tea and stir well until it's fully melted.
• Mix 1 ½ Tbsp of condensed milk with 1 cup (1 serving) of tea in a separate glass and stir well.
• Fill a cup with ice and pour the sweetened tea into it. Then top it off with the evaporated milk.
• If there are tea remaining, it can be kept in a jar and stored in the refrigerator for a week.

Notes

For the vegan or lactose intolerant option, omit the condensed milk and increase the sugar amount to 1/2 cup – taste test the sweetness level and adjust to your preference.

Also, omit the evaporated milk and replace it with coconut milk or a vegan creamer of your choice.

You can also add toppings like chewy tapioca or some refreshing grass jelly to make it into a Thai Tea Boba!

We’ve also rounded up the top places in Toronto for the best macarons, gelato, donuts, bubble tea, desserts, cheesecakes and birthday cakes that would truly satisfy your sweet tooth. So, don’t forget the check them out.