If you have been following me along on Instagram, you'll probably already know that I love me some THAI TEA! I first discovered my love for this yummy drink back home on Guam where I used to have it at my favorite local Thai restaurants - Ban Thai and Chaopraya Thai Cuisine. I am obsessed with Thai food, so I've learned to make many Thai dishes while away from home. I love to make Panang Curry, Tom Yum Kung (hot and sour shrimp soup), Tom Kha Gai (chicken coconut soup), and Pad Thai (stir-fried noodles). As you can tell, Thai food has my heart (and tummy).
Naturally, Thai tea is also on the menu because, who says I can only have Thai tea once in a blue moon! Once I learned just how easy it was to make this creamy and delicious slice of heaven at home, my life was made. Needless to say, I've been hooked ever since! Now, whenever the craving calls (which is quite often), I just whip some up in no time and have my fix without every having to set foot into a Thai restaurant. Let me teach you just how simple it is to make!
For the record, homemade Thai tea tastes nothing like the can or jar variety you see in stores. It tastes a zillion time better. Not even kidding about the zillion part! As they always say, fresh is best! My favorite part about making Thai tea is mixing it. I feel like an artist every time I stir the tea in with the cream. It's one of those satisfying moments where my eyes light up and I'm debating whether I'd rather stare at it or drink it. Of course, that doesn't last too long. Drinking it sounds waaaaaay better! Anyway - as if you needed any more convincing from me that you need to make this delicious concoction! Let's get into the recipe, shall we!
To make this deliciously legal drink, you'll need Thai tea mix, which I was able to find in my local Asian store in Oklahoma City, Super Cao Nguyen. It is also available online, which may be a much easier option for you. Here's the Thai tea mix that I use. You'll also need the basics: sugar, water, ice, and half and half. I prefer not to use sweetened condensed milk or evaporated milk for my Thai tea, but if you'd like to go the traditional route, that's totally up to you! I also love to use almond milk, but I've discovered that half and half tastes way better.
So, what you'll need to do first is add 2 cups of water to a small saucepan and bring it to a rolling boil. Since this is a loose leaf tea, you'll need to use a strainer. I poured the boiling water into my glass jar (that has a strainer lid) and then added in 2 tablespoons of the loose leaf tea. I let it steep for 3 minutes or until it develops a deep color. I take a separate jar and pour the strained Thai tea into it so that the tea doesn't continue to steep. Now I add 5 or 6 tablespoons of sugar, which quickly dissolves since the tea is still hot. After this, it is preferable to let the tea cool first before you use it, but since I am impatient, I always skip this step.
Now, for the fun part! Fill your cup full of ice, then pour in 1/2 a cup of the Thai tea. Next, pour in 1/4 cup of the half and half. The ice will water it down a bit, so that's why we added a lot of sugar to the tea so it balances out. Stir stir stir, and enjoy to your heart's content! Take the leftover Thai tea that you made earlier and store it in the refrigerator for when you're feeling like having a quick fix. It will be enough to serve you 2 more drinks!
Creamy Thai Tea Recipe
Author: Stina Abion | Hello Lovely Living
Published October 18, 2016
Servings: 3 servings
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 5 mins
Total time: 10 mins
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp Thai tea mix
- 2 cups water
- 5-6 Tbsp sugar
- 1-2 cups ice
- 1/4 cup half and half
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, bring water to a rolling boil. Pour water over thai tea mix and steep for 3 minutes.
- Strain and pour the tea into a separate jar, then add the sugar. Mix well until dissolved.
- Fill your serving cup with ice, then pour in 1/2 cup of thai tea, then 1/4 cup of half and half. Stir and enjoy! Save remaining tea for later. Makes 2 more servings.
Notes
- You can also substitute the half and half for your milk of choice, or for the traditional version, condesnsed milk and evaporated milk.
- I use organic half and half and organic raw sugar for the best quality and taste.
I hope you enjoyed this recipe! Be prepared to get addicted to it if and when you try it! It's one of those things that went from Thai Tea Tuesday to Thai Tea Every day for me.
Will you be trying out this recipe? If you do, I'd love to see your photos! Go on, tag me in your photos on Instagram using #hellolovelyliving and @hellolovelyliving so I can get all heart eyes on your photos + share them so others can do the same!
Disclusure: Affiliate links are used in this post.
