Thai Iced Tea

⏱ ~55 min (est.)EasySide ThaiVegetarian

A fuss-free Thai side built around strong black tea leaves, star anise and green cardamom pods — roughly 55 minutes start to finish, and rated easy to make. Below: the ingredients split into pantry staples and a quick shopping list, a built-in serving scaler, and the method in 6 steps.

You'll mainly reach for saucepan. At easy difficulty across 6 steps, it's a good one for a busy evening. As written, it's meat-free.

What you'll need

Servings4

Shopping list (4)

4 tbsp strong black tea leaves
2 star anise
3 green cardamom pods
4 cups ice

Pantry staples (you likely have these)

1 litre water
6 tbsp sugar
6 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
4 tbsp evaporated milk

🔁 Unit converter

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How to make it

Bring the water to a rolling boil with the lightly crushed cardamom pods and star anise to release their aroma.
Add the black tea leaves, lower the heat and steep for 4 to 5 minutes until the brew is very strong and deep amber, almost reddish.
Strain the tea through a fine sieve or muslin into a heatproof jug, then stir in the sugar and condensed milk while still hot until fully dissolved.
Let the sweetened tea cool to room temperature, then chill it so it does not melt the ice too quickly.
Fill four tall glasses with ice and pour the cold tea over to about three-quarters full.
Float the evaporated milk on top so it streaks down through the tea, and stir before drinking.

You'll use: Saucepan

Ingredient substitutions

Milk: any unsweetened plant milk · ½ cup evaporated milk + ½ cup water

What to serve with Thai Iced Tea

Tips & common questions

How long does Thai Iced Tea take to make?

About 55 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 6 steps and 8 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.

What can I use instead of milk?

Try any unsweetened plant milk. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.

Can I scale this recipe up or down?

Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.

Is Thai Iced Tea vegetarian?

Its ingredients contain no meat or fish, so it's suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheeses for animal rennet if that matters to you.

Thai Iced Tea is an original Thai recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Thai iced milk tea.jpg by Vee Satayamas, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.