Thai Iced Tea Recipe

By
Darlene Schmidt
Darlene Schmidt
Darlene Schmidt is a cookbook author and culinary teacher who specializes in Thai cuisine.
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Updated on 02/1/23
Close-up of Thai Tea Served On Table
Cameron Gardner / EyeEm / Getty Images
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Refrigerate: 2 hrs
Total: 2 hrs 15 mins
Servings: 2 servings
Yield: 2 glasses
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
55 Calories
0g Fat
16g Carbs
0g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories 55
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 312mg 14%
Total Carbohydrate 16g 6%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Total Sugars 10g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 19mg 97%
Calcium 38mg 3%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 71mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

An easy, delicious iced tea recipe, so wonderfully delicious refreshing on a warm day. Various types of black tea can be used in this recipe for iced tea, from Ceylon to orange pekoe or even English Breakfast. Thai iced tea can be served with or without some kind of milk added—usually evaporated milk is used in Thailand, while in North America half-and-half is popular. For vegans, coconut milk works well. While packaged iced tea mixes appear attractively easy to make, once you try making iced tea from scratch, you'll wonder why you never did it before—it's nearly as easy, and tastes far better. Very beautiful to serve and it's ultra thirst quenching.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups boiling water

  • 2 tea bags, black such as Assam, Orange Pekoe, Ceylon, or 2 teaspoons loose black tea

  • 1 fresh lime, or lemon, squeezed for juice

  • 1 to 2 whole cloves, or 1 green cardamom pod, smashed, or 1 star anise, or 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon or allspice

  • 1/4 to 1/3 cup white sugar, to taste

  • A good shake of salt, to taste, for garnish

  • Half and half, to taste, optional

  • 1 cup Carnation condensed milk, optional

  • Coconut milk, to taste, optional

  • Ice cubes, to taste

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Boil 4 cups water in a pot. Add the loose tea or tea bags. Stir and boil at least 5 to 6 minutes while adding the other ingredients.

  3. Squeeze in the lime or lemon juice and add the salt, plus the spice of your choice. Continue boiling 5 minutes.

  4. Add sugar, starting with 1/4 cup. Stir to dissolve. Taste test for sweetness, adding more sugar (1 to 2 tablespoons at a time) until your desired sweetness level is reached.

  5. If you have been using tea bags, use a spoon to press them to the side of the bowl before removing to extract as much of the tea as possible. If using loose tea, strain as you transfer tea into a jug. Refrigerate until cold.

  6. Pour out into glasses. If adding milk, fill between 2/3 and 3/4 of the glass with tea and top up with milk, cream, or coconut milk.

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