Sweet, creamy, and utterly refreshing, Thai iced tea is the perfect accompaniment to many Thai meals. It's also a delicious treat to enjoy on its own. Read on to learn how to make this popular Thai drink, both the way it's made in Thailand and the westernized version.
Many years ago, when I first met my husband and learned he was from Thailand, I was thrilled! Because even though I didn't know much about Thai food at that point, I knew that I loved Thai Iced Tea.
One day, early on in our relationship, I asked him if he knew how to make Thai Iced Tea. He replied, "Of course!" and started filling two glasses with ice. As he was preparing the drinks, I left the kitchen a minute. When I came back, I found him with his laptop on the counter, scouring the internet for "How to make Thai Iced Tea".
I never get tired of teasing him about this story, even now that we've been together for so long. But now I understand why he didn't know how to make Thai tea. Like so many other Thai foods and drinks, it's just not necessary to prepare it at home when delicious versions are readily available right outside your door.
Now that his home is here in the States, he and I both have learned how to make this iconic sweet, creamy drink for ourselves. It is the perfect complement to a spicy Thai meal, and is just as satisfying when sipped on its own as a midday treat.
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What is Thai Iced Tea?
Thai Iced Tea is known as "Cha Yen" in Thai. "Cha" translates to tea and "Yen" means cold. It is a blend of black tea leaves with various flavorings, most commonly vanilla. It has a characteristic color that comes from the addition of yellow dye. When brewed, the tea is a deep reddish brown and once milk is added it turns into a terracotta-like orange.
Thai Tea is emblematic of Thai food in the United States, and I have yet to find a Thai restaurant here that does not serve it. Thai Tea can be found all over Thailand as well, including in other forms such as black Thai tea (cha dam yen, ชาดำเย็น), hot Thai tea (cha ron, ชาร้อน) or Thai lime tea (cha manao, ชามะนาว).
Restaurant vs Street Vendor Style
There are two common ways of making Thai Iced Tea. One is more often used in westernized Thai restaurants - we'll call this version "Restaurant-style Thai Iced Tea". The other version is more commonly found on the streets of Thailand, aka "Street Vendor-style Thai Iced Tea".
Both versions of Thai Iced Tea start with the same base of boiling Thai tea mix with water and sugar and letting it steep until it reaches a deep, dark reddish-brown color. The tea mix is then strained out using a tea sock filter.
Restaurant-style Thai Iced Tea is then poured into a pitcher and chilled for several hours. When it's ready to be served, it's poured into a glass filled with ice. Then it's topped off with a generous amount of half and half cream.
Street vendor-style Thai Iced Tea is more commonly mixed with sweetened condensed milk while it's still hot. This mixture is then poured into a cup or plastic bag filled completely with crushed ice. It is topped off with evaporated milk before being given to you with a straw, ready to drink.
What Do You Need To Make Thai Iced Tea?
Thai Tea Mix
Thai Tea Mix is a combination of loose black tea leaves, yellow dye, and flavorings including vanilla. There are several brands available, with the most popular ones being Pantai Norasingh and the Number One Hand Brand. You can also find this mix available in convenient tea bags, although they generally don't produce as concentrated flavor as the loose tea mix. The Thai Tea Mix needs to be brewed strong because it will become more dilute when poured over ice.
Tea Sock Filter
Once your Tea Mix has been steeped with water, you will need a Tea Sock to filter out the loose tea leaves. A metal strainer will miss the small particles, leaving you with small black particulate matter at the bottom of your tea cup, so a tea sock is crucial. In Thailand, the tea is often poured back and forth through the tea sock several times as a way to increase its concentration.
Sugar
Thai tea is usually made to be quite sweet, with most versions containing about as much sugar per cup as soda. Plain white granulated sugar is most commonly used, and is dissolved into the tea while it is still hot. Street vendor-style Thai tea doesn't need as much granulated sugar as the restaurant version since sweetened condensed milk adds to its sweetness. If you are making this tea at home, you can adjust the sweetness according to your own preferences.
Milk, of some variety
Thai Iced Tea (Cha Yen) always contains some variety of milk, as opposed to Cha Dam Yen which is served without milk. In Thailand, street vendors will often mix sweetened condensed milk into the tea shortly after it is brewed. Then they top it with evaporated milk after its been poured over ice. These canned milks are more suitable to being outside without refrigeration than whole milk or cream. Thai restaurants in the U.S. generally use half and half cream.
Ice
Thai Iced Tea is always served over a generous amount of ice. Crushed ice is more common in Thailand, whereas crushed or cubed ice can be found in western Thai restaurants. This refreshingly sweet drink is best enjoyed right after it is made. You want to drink it before the ice has a chance to dilute the tea.
Instructions
To Make Restaurant-Style Thai Iced Tea:
Brew the Tea: Add the Thai tea mix, water, and sugar to a pot. Heat until the sugar is dissolved and then allow to steep until the tea is a dark reddish-orange in color.
Strain the Tea: Use your tea sock filter to strain the tea mix from the tea. Let the tea cool to room temperature and then chill in the fridge until cool.
Pour over Ice: Add cubed or crushed ice to fill a tall glass. Pour the chilled Thai tea into the glass.
Add Half and Half: Pour half and half cream into the glass of brewed and chilled Thai tea. Stir and enjoy!
To Make Street Vendor-Style Thai Iced Tea:
Brew the Tea: Add the Thai tea mix, water, and sugar to a pot. Heat until the sugar is dissolved and then allow to steep until the tea is a dark reddish-orange in color.
Strain the Tea: Use your tea sock filter to strain the tea mix from the tea.
Add Sweetened Condensed Milk: While the tea is still hot, add sweetened condensed milk and stir until it's incorporated. Then chill in the refrigerator until the tea mixture is cool and pour over ice.
Add Evaporated Milk: Pour evaporated milk into the glass of milky brewed Thai tea. Stir and enjoy!
Dairy-Free Thai Iced Tea
Nowadays there are dairy-free versions of sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and half and half cream. This makes it incredibly easy to make a dairy-free or vegan version of both the Restaurant-Style and the Street Vendor-Style of Thai Iced Tea. Simply substitute the dairy-free version of these milks into the recipes below. You could also experiment with adding other varieties of non-dairy milk such as almond milk, oat milk, or non-dairy creamer.
Conclusion
Regardless of which way you prefer to make your Thai Iced Tea, it's a divine treat. Enjoy it with a plate of pad Thai and bowl of tom kha soup for a popular western Thai meal. Or simply sip it on its own as a sweet midday treat. Either way, it can't be beat.
FAQs
Thai Iced Tea is a mixture of brewed Thai tea, sugar, milk of some variety, and ice. Thai tea is composed of black tea leaves, yellow food coloring, and flavorings, most commonly vanilla.
Thai Ice Tea gets its characteristic orange color from the addition of yellow food coloring. Most commercial Thai tea mixes contain yellow no. 6 food dye. When brewed together with the black tea, it produces a deep reddish brown colored beverage. Once milk is added, the tea turns into a terracotta-like orange color.
Thai iced tea is definitely a treat. It's meant to be sweet, rich, and creamy. Depending on exactly how it's made, one serving of Thai iced tea contains somewhere between 30-40 grams of sugar, 6-8 grams of fat, and 200-300 calories.
More Thai Tea...
Recipe
Thai Iced Tea | Cha Yen | ชาเย็น
Equipment
Ingredients
Restaurant-Style Thai Iced Tea
- 4 cups water
- ½ cup Thai tea mix
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 cup half and half cream
- cubed or crushed ice
Street Vendor-Style Thai Iced Tea
- 4 cups water
- ½ cup Thai tea mix
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- cubed or crushed ice
Instructions
Restaurant-Style Thai Iced Tea
- Add the Thai tea mix, water, and sugar to a large pot. Heat until the sugar is completely dissolved, approximately 3-5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the Thai tea steep until it's a dark reddish-orange in color.1
- Use your Thai tea sock filter to strain the tea mix from the tea. Let the tea cool to room temperature and then chill in the fridge for several hours.2
- Add ice to fill a tall glass. Pour approximately 1 cup of the chilled tea into the glass and then top with 4 tablespoons of half and half cream. Add a straw, stir, and enjoy!
Street Vendor-Style Thai Iced Tea
- Add the Thai tea mix, water, and sugar to a large pot. Heat until the sugar is completely dissolved, approximately 3-5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the Thai tea steep until it's a dark reddish-orange in color.1
- Use your Thai tea sock filter to strain the tea mix from the tea. Add the sweetened condensed milk and stir until it's fully mixed into the tea. Let the tea cool to room temperature and then chill in the fridge for several hours.2
- Add ice to fill a tall glass. Pour approximately 1 cup of the chilled tea into the glass and then top with 2 Tablespoons of the evaporated milk. Add a straw, stir, and enjoy!
Notes
- The longer you let the Thai tea steep, the stronger the tea flavor will be.
- If you are in a hurry to enjoy Thai tea, you can skip the chilling step and simply pour the hot tea over a glass full of ice. This will dilute the tea slightly, but it should still be strong enough.
Juan Casanova
Very nice! Only question, do we bring it to a boil too? or just five minutes to dissolve the sugar then cut the heat?
Rachel
Thanks, Juan! It's not necessary to bring it to a boil, but it certainly doesn't hurt if you do.
Anna
I purchased the tea you recommended- Pantai. It has a warning label that the product may cause cancer and/or birth defects. Two harmful dyes are listed in the ingredients Yellow 6 and E110. Just a suggestion, but maybe don’t recommend that brand to your readers.
admin
Hi Anna, thanks for your comment. All commercial Thai tea brands contain yellow dye, as I mentioned in the post. This is how the characteristic orange color is achieved. As mentioned in the post, there are several recipes for how to make your own Thai tea online if you'd like to avoid artificial colors.
Kelsey
Anna, you shouldn’t be giving a one star based on this fact alone. Hope that helps.
Tom
Hi Rachel,
I am Thai American and I am also looking for recipe from scratch for Thai Tea. I think yours is on target.
Thanks:)
admin
Thanks Tom! 🙂
jess
Hey, Love your blog. Where can I buy thai tea leaves?
Rachel
Hi Jess! I can find Thai tea mix at my local Asian markets like Ranch 99. If you don't have one nearby, you can also purchase it online (there's a link to one online retailer on my pantry page). Hope this helps!
haneys4@msn.com
Aha - the trick to the floating cream, perhaps! We make this tea but can never get the cream to float. Next time I'll let the ice cubes form a little iceberg on top before gently pouring in the cream.
Thanks so much!!