Easy Iced Milk Tea

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A refreshing iced milk tea recipe made with black tea, sweetened condensed milk, and half & half. It’s sweet, creamy, and hits the spot on hot summer days. 

What’s Iced Milk Tea?

  • When you add milk to any type of tea, it’s a milk tea. Add ice and you’ve got iced milk tea.
  • This recipe is a Hong Kong-style milk tea in that it’s made with sweetened condensed milk. 
  • It’s full-bodied from the robust black tea.
  • Quick and easy — made in just 8 minutes!

What else is a milk tea? Bubble Tea, Iced Matcha Latte, London Fog, and Chai Lattes are all milk teas.

Ingredient Notes

  • Black tea
    Any black loose tea or black tea sachet will work.
  • Filtered water
    Better tasting water makes better tasting tea, so use filtered water instead of tap.
  • Half & half
    I’m using this instead of evaporated milk, which is what’s usually in a Hong Kong milk tea.
  • Sweetened condensed milk
    Aside from the half & half, this is what makes it a Hong Kong milk tea.
  • Ice
    If you want to see the swirls from the half & half, make sure to use smaller ice cubes.

My Black Tea Pick:

Ceylon & Indian Black Tea

Photo Credit: Harney.com

A great, bold black tea made up of two black teas.
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How to Make Iced Milk Tea

1. Make sweetened half & half

Stir together sweetened condensed milk and half & half.

2. Make iced tea

I use my electric kettle with temperature setting and set it to 190°F. If you don’t have an electric kettle, bring water to a simmer then turn off heat. 

I don’t like using boiling hot water (212°F) for making iced tea since I need to cool it down quickly and I find boiled water just too hot to work with.

Steep tea and discard tea sachets.

Tea Sommelier’s Tip: When adding milk and sweetener to tea, make a nice strong brew so that the tea flavor comes through.

In a cocktail shaker combine ice and tea.

RELATED: Iced Earl Grey with Cream Froth

Tightly close cocktail shaker and shake 10 times. Ice quickly cools down the tea and it’s ready to drink.

3. Assemble drink

Pour ice-chilled tea into 2 cups of ice. Leave a little room at the top for the sweetened half & half.

Pour in sweetened half & half. Make sure to stir before drinking.

RELATED: Iced Brown Sugar Tea Latte

Notes & Tips

Questions You May Have

Is there caffeine in this drink?

Yes, milk tea is made with black tea which contains caffeine.

Why is my iced tea cloudy?

Cloudy tea can be an issue when ice chilling tea but I counter that by using a lower water temperature. When using higher temperature for tea, it releases a lot of tannins and that’s what can make the iced tea cloudy. 

How long can I keep my iced tea in the refrigerator?

No more than 4 days.

Can I use tea sachets or tea bags?

I like to use loose tea but if you want the ease of tea bags, get tea sachets instead, which usually contain 1.5 teaspoons of tea and are of better quality tea than tea bags.

What is half & half?

It’s half whole milk and half heavy cream. It’s perfect when heavy cream is too much and milk isn’t rich enough.

Variations on Milk Tea

Easy Iced Milk Tea

Author: Jee Choe
A sweet, full-bodied iced tea made with black tea, sweetened condensed milk, and half & half.
4.7 from 29 votes
Prep Time 4 minutes
Steep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 9 minutes
Course Drinks
Yield2 servings

INGREDIENTS
 

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Mix sweetened condensed milk and half & half. Set aside.
  • Boil water.
    Bring water to a simmer (180°F if setting water in an electric kettle) and turn off heat. Filtered water is best for a better tasting cup of tea.
  • Put loose tea into a pitcher and add hot water.
  • Steep for 5 minutes.
  • Put 1/2 cup of ice in a cocktail shaker.
  • Add strained tea into the cocktail shaker.
  • Tightly close cocktail shaker lid and shake 10 times.
  • Pour tea into 2 cups of ice.
    Leave a little room at the top for the sweetened half & half.
  • Pour in sweetened half & half.
    Stir before drinking.

NUTRITION

Calories: 45 | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 41mg | Potassium: 37mg | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 62IU | Calcium: 53mg
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6 thoughts on “Easy Iced Milk Tea”

  1. 5 stars
    I wonder whether we can make tasty milk tea by cold brewing tea (like assam CTC black tea) with cold milk instead of cold water for several hours in refrigerator. If it can, how long should we steep it to get tasty milk tea?

    Thank you

    Reply
  2. Tried to make this for this first time, it looks so pretty when you pour down the mixed milk. And it is not as sweet as I thought it would be.

    Reply

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