How to Make Thai Iced Tea

Dec 17, 2023

Thai iced tea fans, rejoice! This recipe yields restaurant-quality Thai iced tea that's lower in added sugar. You can either make a big batch to serve to friends and family or mix up individual glasses as you desire (see Note). If you're managing your blood sugar, we also have a sugar-free version made with zero-calorie sweetener. Cheers!

Su-Jit Lin is a freelance journalist who has written about food, travel and culture since 2007 for publications that include EatingWell, Well + Good, HuffPost, Serious Eats, Simply Recipes, The Spruce Eats, Yummly, AllRecipes, Al Jazeera, The Kitchn, Epicurious and others.

Emily Lachtrupp is a registered dietitian experienced in nutritional counseling, recipe analysis and meal plans. She's worked with clients who struggle with diabetes, weight loss, digestive issues and more. In her spare time, you can find her enjoying all that Vermont has to offer with her family and her dog, Winston.

Thai iced tea is a delicious, refreshing beverage made with Thai iced tea mix (which can be loose leaf or powdered, and often contains spices, sweetener and sometimes food coloring to give it its signature orange hue) and dairy, then topped with half-and-half.

You can also make Thai iced tea without added sugar, here's how:

1. Follow Steps 1 and 2 (below) using 3 Tbsp. Purecane sugar cane-based zero-calorie sweetener (or granulated stevia) in place of the granulated sugar.

2. When ready to drink, combine 1¼ cups each whole (or reduced-fat) milk and unsweetened plain (or vanilla) almond milk and ¾ cup no-added-sugar vanilla-flavored whey protein powder in a blender or shaker cup; process or shake until combined.

3. Fill a tall glass ¾ full with ice and pour the tea over it. If you'd like to add sweetness, add a squirt (approximately ⅛ teaspoon) of Sweetleaf Caramel Sweet Drops to the tea, then stir in about ⅓ cup of the milk-blend mixture. Top each glass with 1 Tbsp. half-and-half.

Makes 8 10-ounce servings

Nutriton information: 90 calories, 4g fat (2g sat. fat), 22mg cholesterol, 8g carbohydrates, 3g total sugars, 0g added sugar, 8g protein, 0g fiber, 73mg sodium, 128mg potassium

8 cups water

⅓ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup loose-leaf Thai tea mix, such as Pantai or Number One

1 cup whole or reduced-fat milk

½ cup unsweetened plain or vanilla almond milk

Ice for serving

6 tablespoons half-and-half

Bring water to a boil.

Meanwhile, place sugar into a glass measuring cup, a heat-resistant pitcher or a cold-brew maker with a capacity of at least 8 cups or 2 quarts. Place tea leaves in a fine-mesh strainer. Set the strainer over the vessel with the sugar; pour the hot water over the tea, submerging the leaves. Let the tea leaves steep until the tea is room temperature, 45 minutes or up to 2 hours. (If your container doesn't permit the strainer to sit above it with the tea leaves submerged in the water, add the loose tea leaves directly to the water, then pour the tea through a strainer into a storage container after the tea is done steeping.) Discard the tea leaves. Refrigerate the tea until cold, 2 hours or up to 5 days. (Note: If using a cold-brew pitcher, do not secure it so that it's airtight—you want to let some steam escape for safety.)

When ready to drink (for how to make individual drinks, see Note), mix milk and almond milk into the tea. Fill 6 tall glasses ¾ full with ice and pour the tea over the ice. Add 1 tablespoon half-and-half to each glass. Stir and enjoy—it's even better through a reusable metal straw, which helps keep it cooler!

To make individual drinks, combine milk and almond milk in a sealable container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. To make each drink, fill a glass ¾ full with ice. Add 1 cup tea and ¼ cup milk mixture; stir. Top with 1 tablespoon half-and-half, stir again.

Refrigerate tea for up to 5 days.

Nutrition information is calculated by a registered dietitian using an ingredient database but should be considered an estimate.

* Daily Values (DVs) are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume each day. Percent Daily Value (%DV) found on nutrition labels tells you how much a serving of a particular food or recipe contributes to each of those total recommended amounts. Per the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the daily value is based on a standard 2,000 calorie diet. Depending on your calorie needs or if you have a health condition, you may need more or less of particular nutrients. (For example, it's recommended that people following a heart-healthy diet eat less sodium on a daily basis compared to those following a standard diet.)

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a special diet for medical reasons, be sure to consult with your primary care provider or a registered dietitian to better understand your personal nutrition needs.

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