Make yourself a refreshing glass of Thai Iced Tea, just like the kind you get at restaurants. This recipe is lower in sugar while with maximal flavour! Vegan modification included.
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What is Thai Iced Tea?
Thai Iced Tea (ชาเย็น) is a famous refreshing, iced drink from Thailand. It's commonly sold by outdoor vendors as part of the vibrant street-food culture of Thailand. It's made from strong black tea leaves and spices (star anise, cardamom, cinnamon stick).
Iconically, Thai Iced Tea has a bright orange colour that you've definitely seen before if you eat out at any South-East Asian restaurant. Vietnamese iced Coffee is another common drink served at Asian restaurants.
The Secret of Restaraunt Thai Iced Tea
Believe it or not, Thai iced tea at restaraunts (in North America) are made with a powder mix instead of from scratch from actual tea leaves. The mix almost always contains yellow food dye to create that delicious, neon orange colour.
Also, restaraunt Thai Iced Tea also has an average of 6 tablespoons of pure sugar. While great as a treat, this can't be too healthy if you're planning to have one every day (like me ;)).
Why Making Thai Iced Tea at Home is Worth It
I'm sharing my easy Thai Iced Tea recipe so you can control the amount of sugar in it, PLUS make it straight from tea leaves for the purest flavour. If you're not into consuming too many food dyes, making it at home is a no-brainer. An hey, I'm no tea snob, but I certainly do appreciate when a food or drink is made from the "Real stuff" 🙂 .
This easy Thai Iced Recipe creates a creamy, orange chilled drink that tastes just as good as the stuff in restaraunts. And since you're making it at home, I'm sure you'll find your efforts make it tastes even better.
Ingredients
The ingredients to make Thai Iced Tea are:
- Good quality orange pekoe tea (loose leaf or tea bag)
- Cinnamon sticks
- Star anise
- Cardamom pods
- Vanilla extract
- Sweetened condensed milk (vegan option: sweetened condensed coconut milk)
- Tons of crunchy ice cubes
How to Make Thai Iced Tea
TLDR: you basically toast the spices, then boil the tea and spices then let it steep for 30 minutes. Strain the tea and spices, then mix in your vanilla and sweetened condensed milk. Pour over a glass filled with crunchy iced cubes, stir, and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- TOAST the cinnamon, star anise, and cardamon in a dry pan before boiling. This step helped release the flavourful oils in the spice. Oils are the source of flavour and fragrance.
- Make the tea stock sweet. Once you pour it over ice, the flavour/sweetness gets diluted.
- Use Orange Pekoe Tea. This gives the classic orange look which will make you happy! You can sub with any other black tea though.
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Recipe for Homemade Thai Iced Tea
Restaurant Style Thai Iced Tea (ชาเย็น)
Ingredients
- 6 Orange Pekoe tea bags
- 4 cups water
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 4 star anise pods
- 1 teaspoon cardamom pods
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup sweetened condensed milk sweetened condensed coconut milk (vegan option)
- 2 cups ice to serve
Instructions
Tea Stock
- Star boiling water in a pot. While waiting, Place cinnamon, star anise, and cardamon on a dry pan on medium heat. Gently shake spices to toast. Let char a little but not burn.
- When water is boiling, turn to medium heat. Add toasted spices and tea bags. Let simmer for 3 minutes. Then, turn off heat and let all ingredients steep for 30 minutes.
- When ready, pour tea stock through a seive to remove tea/spices, catching tea in a large bowl. Mix vanilla and sweetened condensed milk into the tea. Add more sweetened condensed milk to taste. Store in fridge until ready to use.
Serve
- Over tall glasses, pour tea stock over crushed ice. Serve cold.
One response to “Restaurant Style Thai Iced Tea (ชาเย็น)”
My kids LOVED this! I'm trying to avoid buying take out to save money and now I don't need to leave home to get a glass of thai iced tea. Thanks for sharing