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:

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

• To give it an extra twist, try dulce de leche instead of sweetened condensed milk.
• If you want to recreate the swirls, you must use half & half. Milk won’t work as well.
• You can use any black tea for this recipe from Earl Grey to English breakfast tea.

Questions You May Have

Variations on Milk Tea

• Bubble tea
  Milk tea with tapioca balls.
• Hong Kong-style milk tea
  Black tea with evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk.
• Chai
  Spiced milk tea that originated in India.
• Thai iced tea
  A sweetened black tea with spices and milk from Thailand.
• Matcha latte
  Milk and matcha green tea.
• Iced matcha latte
  Matcha and milk, iced.
• London Fog (Earl Grey Tea Latte)
  Earl Grey tea with milk.