This butterfly pea milk is refreshing, healthy, and as good as it looks. With only 3 ingredients needed, it's super easy to make and can be made vegan too!
Why We Love This Recipe
Edible flowers. You know, I just have a thing for them, especially butterfly pea (make sure you give my butterfly pea tea, butterfly pea lemonade, crispy fried butterfly pea flowers, beautiful blue Thai sticky rice pudding with corn recipes a look!).
Well, this time it's butterfly pea milk or butterfly pea latte. We call this drink nom sod anchan (นมสดอัญชัน) in Thai, with nom sod meaning fresh milk, and anchan meaning butterfly pea flowers.
As the name suggests, this is a milk-based drink so yes, it's pretty milky. Just like Thai milk tea and Thai pink milk, we drink this butterfly pea milk as a refresher here in Thailand. Though, it does work as a breakfast/brunch drink or something to wash your meal down.
As pretty as it looks, this unicorn drink is REALLY easy to make. While it's usually sweetened with sugar and/or condensed milk in cafes, I'm giving you the secrets you need to know to make this blue latte the easiest drink to make, requiring only 3 ingredients and less than 15 minutes. Not only is it easier, but it's actually also healthier!
Video Tutorial
Ingredients
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
Ingredient Notes
Butterfly Pea Flowers: You can use either fresh or dried butterfly pea flowers. I use both kinds for my drinks interchangeably but I used the fresh ones when I shot this recipe just because we grow a butterfly pea vine in our garden and there happened to be some flowers.
Whenever I have enough of the fresh ones, I'll use them (don't they just look pretty!). When I don't, I just use the dried ones. If you're a fan of butterfly pea tea and you already have dried butterfly pea flowers in your pantry, this will be very convenient for you.
For those who would like to get these flowers, your best bet is an Asian grocery store or you could visit the link above.
Milk: Like mentioned above, this drink is usually sweetened with syrup and/or condensed milk in cafes and it's usually overly sweet and unhealthy too. Because of this, I recommend using sweetened milk because it's quick, easy, and just one simple ingredient.
Also, with this option, you can tell the calories and nutrients by the milk label as the butterfly pea tea is just a flower tea. I like this drink mildly sweet so I just pick the milk with a low sugar content.
Healthier and Vegan Options
For those of you who are health enthusiasts, I'm pleased to let you know that butterfly pea flowers are considered an herb here in Thailand. Their health benefits include being full of antioxidants and good for your eyes.
In order to make this drink the healthiest it can be, you can use any unsweetened milk you prefer. If you think whole milk is healthy, go for it. If you like low-fat or non-fat milk, that's also fine.
For vegans or those following a plant-based diet, use any unsweetened vegan milk you like. I highly recommend oat milk though because it makes the drink smell amazing.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Boil ⅔ cup of water and transfer to transfer to a cup.
Step 2: Soak butterfly pea flowers in the hot water for 2-3 minutes.
Step 3: Stir and use the back of a spoon to press the flowers against the cup to extract the color.
Step 4: Once the color of the blue tea is vivid enough, set it aside and put a strainer over a glass carafe or pitcher.
Step 5: Strain the blue tea and discard the flowers.
Step 6: Fill 2 glasses with ice.
Step 7: Split ¾ cup of milk between the 2 glasses equally.
Step 8: Pour the butterfly pea tea over the milk until it reaches the top of each glass and stir to enjoy.
Tips
- Be careful when extracting the color of the butterfly pea flowers. You don't want to overdo it as it might make your blue tea smell grassy. If you press the flowers and the color isn't strong enough, simply add more of the flowers.
- If you want to have this drink for breakfast or serve it when you're hosting a brunch party or something along those lines, make the butterfly pea tea in advance and store it in the refrigerator. Once you're ready to serve, you'll be able to impress your guests in no time!
Related Recipes
📖 Recipe
Butterfly Pea Milk | Butterfly Pea Latte | นมสดอัญชัน
Equipment
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup water
- 1 handful butterfly pea flowers fresh or dried
- ¾ cup sweetened milk or any kind you like
To Serve
- 2 glasses ice
Instructions
- Boil ⅔ cup of water and transfer to transfer to a cup.
- Soak butterfly pea flowers in the hot water for 2-3 minutes.
- Stir and use the back of a spoon to press the flowers against the cup to extract the color.
- Once the color of the blue tea is vivid enough, set it aside and put a strainer over a glass carafe or pitcher.
- Strain the blue tea and discard the flowers.
- Fill 2 glasses with ice.
- Split ¾ cup of milk between the 2 glasses equally.
- Pour the butterfly pea tea over the milk until it reaches the top of each glass and stir to enjoy.
Video
Notes
- Be careful when extracting the color of the butterfly pea flowers. You don't want to overdo it as it might make your blue tea smell grassy. If you press the flowers and the color isn't strong enough, simply add more of the flowers.
- If you want to have this drink for breakfast or serve it when you're hosting a brunch party or something along those lines, make the butterfly pea tea in advance and store it in the refrigerator. Once you're ready to serve, you'll be able to impress your guests in no time!