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Recipes by Category » Beverages & Smoothies » Thai Iced Tea (Cha Yen)

Published: Oct 30, 2019 · Modified: May 19, 2021 by Nart · This post may contain affiliate links.

Thai Iced Tea (Cha Yen)

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Thai iced tea or Thai Milk Tea is a delicious and refreshing Thai drink made from Thai tea, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and sugar. It’s perfect for any day and ready in less than 10 minutes!

a few glasses of Thai iced tea

Thai Iced Tea or Thai Milk Tea

Thai iced tea, also known as Thai milk tea and cha yen (ชาเย็น), is a tasty and refreshing drink sold on many streets of Thailand. If you’ve been here, chances are you’ve had this Thai drink or seen people walking around carrying a plastic bag with an orange-colored liquid inside and a straw poking out (I know, I know…drinks in plastic bags 😂 We don’t get any more Thai than that). Even if you haven’t been to Thailand, you may have come across Thai iced tea already, as it’s so popular that many Thai restaurants abroad do serve it. 

a few glasses of Thai milk tea (cha yen)

This drink is creamy, refreshing, and has a really nice smell to it. If you’ve just had, say, tom yum goong, Thai chicken panang curry, Thai basil chicken, Thai garlic pork, or Thai beef green curry for a meal, cha yen is such an amazing drink to wash that all down. Oh and if you really love the taste of Thai tea, don’t forget to check out my Thai Tea Cheesecake recipe!

Fun Fact: You can also have this drink hot. But without ice, we tend to call this very same drink cha nom ron which translates to hot milk tea (‘nom’ means milk, ‘ron’ means hot, while ‘yen’ means cold or iced in Thai).

a bag of Cha Tra Mue

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of boiling water
  • 3 teaspoons of Thai tea mix:
    A Thai tea mix is basically Thai tea leaves. It’s called a mix because it’s often mixed with vanilla flavoring and food coloring. Hence, the unique flavor and distinctive orange color! There are many brands available, but one of the most common ones is ChaTraMue (pictured above). You can find this Thai tea mix at Asian grocery stores. **Without the flavoring and coloring, Thai tea is essentially black tea. So if you can’t find ChaTraMue, you can just use black tea

a close up of Thai tea leaves

  • 1 ½ teaspoons of sugar
  • 3 teaspoons of sweetened condensed milk:
    This type of milk is thick, gooey, and sweet. We use it to sweeten and whiten many Thai ‘creamy’ drinks.
  • 3 teaspoons of evaporated milk (+ as much as you want to drizzle on top):
    Evaporated milk is a little thicker and creamier than normal milk. Carnation is a very popular brand here but you can use any brand you can find.

Thai tea leaves in a traditional Thai tea filterl

The Special Tool You Need: A Traditional Thai Tea Filter

A traditional Thai tea filter is a muslin bag or sock with a stainless steel handle. It’s very old school, yet still used by most street vendors. This little tool cheap, reusable and does the job well. There are many sizes available but a small one will be enough for your homemade Thai iced tea. Again, you can get this on Amazon or use a fine mesh strainer you might already have.

water being poured into a cup

tea being steeped

Instructions

  1. Put the Thai tea mix in the filter and place the filter over a cup.
  2. Pour the boiling water into the cup through the filter. Move the filter up and down a bit to extract the flavor of the tea. Let the tea steep for 2-3 minutes before discarding. If you’re using a fine-mesh strainer for this step, simply pour boiling water into your tea and let steep for 2-3 minutes before straining. **Do not steep the tea for too long or it will taste off (best not to go over 5 minutes).
  3. Add sugar, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk and mix with a spoon. 
  4. Taste-test the tea and see if you need to add more of anything. You want the tea to be sweeter than you like because the ice will dilute it later.
  5. Fill a glass with ice, pour the tea in, and drizzle some more evaporated milk on top.

milk being poured over the top of a glass of Thai tea

How To Make Healthier Thai Milk Tea

If you don’t care about authenticity and whatnot, you can use less sugar to sweeten it and mix the tea with whole milk. I do this ALL the time and I think it still tastes good. Of course not as good as condensed milk + evaporated milk but it’s perfect for those of you who are health-conscious or want to watch your sugar intake. 

In case you’re a vegan or vegetarian, replace the milk with a plant-based one, and you’re good to go!

Storing

If you make this drink in a large amount, you can store it in the fridge (ideally in a bottle or anything with a lid) for up to about 2-3 days. Alternatively, you can pour it into popsicle molds and freeze to enjoy later. The frozen version will keep for at least a month, but trust me it won’t last that long. 🙂

Other Recipes You Might Enjoy:

  • Thai Pink Milk (Nom Yen)
  • Thapthim Krop | Thai Red Rubies in Coconut Cream
  • Thai Shaved Ice Dessert | Nam Kang Sai
  • Butterfly Pea Milk
  • Traditional Thai Jasmine Infused Water
  • Butterfly Pea Tea (Blue Tea)
  • Bael Fruit Drink
milk being poured over the top of a glass of Thai tea

Thai Iced Tea (Cha Yen) Recipe

Thai iced tea is a delicious and refreshing Thai drink made from Thai tea, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and sugar. It's perfect for any day and ready in less than 10 minutes!
4.98 from 36 votes
Print Rate
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Thai
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 minute
Total Time: 6 minutes
Servings: 1 glass
Author: Nart

Equipment

  • Thai tea filter

Ingredients

  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 3 teaspoons Thai tea mix
  • 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
  • 3 teaspoons sweetened condensed milk
  • 3 teaspoons evaporated milk + as much more as you want to drizzle on top
  • 1 cup ice

Instructions

  • Put the Thai tea mix in the filter and place the filter over a cup.
  • Pour the boiling water into the cup through the filter. Move the filter up and down a bit to extract the flavor of the tea. Let the tea steep for 2-3 minutes before discarding. If you're using a fine-mesh strainer for this step, simply pour boiling water into your tea and let steep for 2-3 minutes before straining. **Do not steep the tea for too long or it will taste off (best not to go over 5 minutes).
  • Add sugar, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk and mix with a spoon. 
  • Taste-test the tea and see if you need to add more of anything. You want the tea to be sweeter than you like because the ice will dilute it later.
  • Fill a glass with ice, pour the tea in, and drizzle some more evaporated milk on top.

Notes

If you make this drink in a large amount, it will keep in the fridge (ideally in a bottle or anything with a lid) for about 2-3 days.
Tried this recipe?Mention @cookingwithnart or tag #cookingwithnart!

 

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Comments

  1. Béatrice says

    September 14, 2021 at 5:06 pm

    4 stars
    Bonjour,
    Quelle est la différence entre lait concentré sucré et lait évaporé ?
    En France, nous avons du lait concentré sucré ou non sucré , du lait en poudre/ granulés.
    Merci beaucoup
    Béatrice

    Reply
    • Nart says

      October 13, 2021 at 10:45 am

      Had to use Google translate for this one 🙂 Evaporated milk is known in some countries as unsweetened condensed milk so I reckon you can use the one you can easily find in France 🙂

      Reply
  2. Haley D Williams says

    October 11, 2020 at 12:59 am

    5 stars
    This is incredibly refreshing and easy to drink. I can’t wait to make it again for friends!

    Reply
    • Nart says

      October 11, 2020 at 2:54 pm

      Awesome!

      Reply
  3. Cathleen says

    October 11, 2020 at 12:30 am

    5 stars
    I have been loving thai iced tea, but have never made it myself at home. Thank you so much for this recipe, I am definitely making it tonight!!

    Reply
    • Nart says

      October 11, 2020 at 2:54 pm

      Enjoy girl!

      Reply
  4. Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says

    October 10, 2020 at 11:56 pm

    5 stars
    Totally giving this a try – sounds so delicious and refreshing!

    Reply
    • Nart says

      October 11, 2020 at 2:54 pm

      Thank you so much 🙂

      Reply
  5. Traci says

    October 10, 2020 at 11:02 pm

    5 stars
    I can’t believe how easy and delicious this is! No more overpriced beverages at my local Thai restaurant. I’ll be doing this instead!

    Reply
    • Nart says

      October 11, 2020 at 2:55 pm

      Yes! No more overpriced beverages!

      Reply
  6. Adriana says

    October 10, 2020 at 10:35 pm

    5 stars
    Thai tea is my favorite tea, I have never made it at home but now I am going to try to make it. It looks fantastic!

    Reply
    • Nart says

      October 11, 2020 at 2:53 pm

      Thank you! Enjoy my friend!

      Reply
  7. Kate says

    October 10, 2020 at 10:25 pm

    5 stars
    This looks totally delicious, how refreshing on a hot day. I’ve never tried Thai iced tea but you have made me want to give it a go!

    Reply
    • Nart says

      October 11, 2020 at 2:55 pm

      You need to give it try, hehe.

      Reply
  8. Ramona says

    October 02, 2020 at 12:32 am

    I have never had Thai tea before but I love the idea of mixing these ingredients, I am sure it is delicious. I really need to try it.

    Reply
    • Nart says

      October 02, 2020 at 4:09 pm

      Thank you! Do give it a try and enjoy! 🙂

      Reply
  9. Beth says

    September 30, 2020 at 8:21 pm

    5 stars
    This looks very interesting! My daughter is going to love this! Can’t wait to give this a try!

    Reply
    • Nart says

      October 01, 2020 at 1:09 pm

      Hope you get to make this for her and that she likes it 🙂

      Reply
  10. Beth Sachs says

    September 30, 2020 at 8:08 pm

    5 stars
    Oooo this looks interesting and something I will try soon!

    Reply
    • Nart says

      October 01, 2020 at 1:09 pm

      Thanks, enjoy!

      Reply
  11. Jess says

    September 30, 2020 at 7:49 pm

    5 stars
    I love the color here. It looks like Fall in a glass! So lovely.

    Reply
    • Nart says

      October 01, 2020 at 1:10 pm

      Wow, I never thought about it that way but it’s so true. Thanks!

      Reply
  12. Kylie Archer says

    September 30, 2020 at 7:25 pm

    5 stars
    This is so delicious, perfect for our hot one day, freezing the next weather we have in Sydney at the moment!

    Reply
    • Nart says

      October 01, 2020 at 1:11 pm

      Thank you so much 🙂

      Reply
  13. Lizet Bowen says

    September 30, 2020 at 7:24 pm

    5 stars
    Oh! we are making this tea today! Sadly, we haven’t had this is Thailand (we dream of going there someday), but every time we go to a Thai restaurant, we order this tea. I can’t wait to make it at home!

    Reply
    • Nart says

      October 01, 2020 at 1:11 pm

      So glad you’re trying this. Please enjoy!

      Reply
  14. Erika says

    September 30, 2020 at 7:29 am

    5 stars
    I’ve never made my own Thai iced tea before, I’ve only had it in restaurants. I can’t wait to try your recipe out because it looks so good!

    Reply
    • Nart says

      October 01, 2020 at 1:12 pm

      Hope you like it Erika!

      Reply
  15. Amanda says

    September 29, 2020 at 10:56 pm

    5 stars
    This Thai iced tea is so refreshing! I just love the sweet flavor the sweetened condensed milk adds. It really makes this something special.

    Reply
    • Nart says

      October 01, 2020 at 1:13 pm

      Thank you so much!

      Reply
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