Thai Tea Milkshake

Name: Thai Tea Milkshake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 3 min
Total time: 13 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons (15 g) Thai tea mix (loose leaf), loose, not in bags; ¾ cup (180 ml) water, freshly boiled; ¼ cup (80 g) sweetened condensed milk, divided: 3 tablespoons for the shake, 1 tablespoon for drizzling; 4 cups (540 g) vanilla ice cream, slightly softened, about 5 minutes out of the freezer (about 8 scoops); ½ cup (120 ml) whole milk, cold; ¼ cup (60 ml) whipped cream, freshly whipped or from a can (optional)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A thick, creamy milkshake that tastes like Thai iced tea: strongly brewed spiced tea, sweet condensed milk and vanilla ice cream blended until frosty and orange-gold.

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 3 min
Wait: 35 min
Total: 48 min
Makes: 2 milkshakes (about 14 oz / 415 ml each)

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Steps

Before you start

Use Thai tea mix (the loose, orange-tinted blend, such as Cha Tra Mue); regular black tea will taste good but won't give the classic color or spiced flavor.
The tea must be fully cold before blending, or it will melt the ice cream and give a thin shake. Plan on about 30 minutes of chilling.
Put two tall glasses in the freezer when you start so the shake stays thick while you drink it.
Measure all ingredients before you start so blending takes only a minute.

1
Brew strong tea
- Add 3 tablespoons (15 g) Thai tea mix to a heatproof 2-cup (500 ml) measuring cup.
- Bring ¾ cup (180 ml) water to a full rolling boil in a kettle or small saucepan over high heat, then pour it over the tea.
- Stir once and let steep for 5 minutes.
- The brew should be very dark, deep reddish-orange and look much stronger than drinking tea.
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Ready when: Liquid is opaque, deep reddish-orange
Tip: Do not steep longer than 5 minutes or the tea turns bitter and astringent.
2
Strain and sweeten
- Pour the tea through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl or cup, pressing gently on the leaves to extract the liquid.
- You should have about ½ cup (120 ml) tea.
- While it is still hot, stir in 3 tablespoons of the condensed milk until no streaks remain on the bottom.
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Ready when: Condensed milk is fully dissolved and the tea is a uniform caramel color
Tip: Sweetening while hot dissolves the condensed milk easily; it clumps if stirred into cold tea.
3
Chill tea and glasses
- Set the cup of sweetened tea in the refrigerator (or in a bowl of ice water, stirring now and then) for 30 minutes.
- Put two tall glasses in the freezer.
- About 5 minutes before the tea is done, take the ice cream out of the freezer so it softens slightly and is easy to scoop.
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Ready when: Tea is cold to the touch, with no warmth at the bottom of the cup
Tip: Don't skip the chill; warm tea makes a thin, runny shake.
4
Scoop the ice cream
- Scoop 4 cups (540 g, about 8 scoops) vanilla ice cream into the blender jar.
- Pack the scoops in rather than dropping them in a loose pile so the blades catch them evenly.
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Ready when: Ice cream is scoopable but still firm, not melted
5
Blend until smooth
- Pour the cold tea and ½ cup (120 ml) cold milk over the ice cream.
- Blend on low for 10 seconds to break up the scoops, then on high for 20–30 seconds.
- Stop as soon as the shake is thick, pale golden-orange and no ice cream chunks remain.
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Ready when: Thick, smooth and pourable, with a swirl that holds briefly on the surface
Tip: Over-blending warms and thins the shake. If it is too thick to blend, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time.
6
Taste and adjust
- Taste the shake.
- If it is too thick for your blender or your taste, add 1 tablespoon cold milk and pulse twice.
- For a thicker shake, add one more scoop of ice cream and pulse for 5 seconds.
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Ready when: Shake is sweet, tea-forward and thick enough to hold a straw upright
7
Garnish and serve
- Remove the chilled glasses from the freezer.
- Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon condensed milk in a swirl on the inside of each glass, then pour in the shake, dividing evenly.
- Top with whipped cream, if using, and serve immediately with wide straws.
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Ready when: Shake is cold and thick with a visible condensed milk ribbon
Tip: Serve right away; the shake loosens within about 10 minutes.

Good to know

Tips

Brew the tea stronger than you think you need; the ice cream dilutes and mutes the flavor.
Chilled glasses keep the shake thick longer.
For a thicker shake, freeze the cooled tea in an ice cube tray and blend the cubes with the milk and ice cream.
Strain the tea well; leftover leaf fragments make the shake gritty.

Make ahead

Brew, sweeten and chill the tea up to 2 days ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator. Blend the shake just before serving.

Storage & reheating

Best served immediately. Leftover shake can be poured into a lidded container and frozen for up to 1 week; thaw 10 minutes at room temperature and re-blend with a splash of milk. Do not leave at room temperature more than 20 minutes. The sweetened tea base keeps 2 days in the refrigerator.

Substitutions

Thai tea mix (loose leaf) → Strong black tea (such as Assam or Ceylon) plus ¼ teaspoon ground star anise or a pinch of ground cardamom. Flavor is close but the color will be less orange.
vanilla ice cream → Coconut or oat-based vanilla frozen dessert. Part of a dairy-free version if you also swap the milk and condensed milk.
sweetened condensed milk → Sweetened condensed coconut milk. Gives a dairy-free, slightly tropical version.
whole milk → Evaporated milk. Gives a richer, more traditional Thai tea flavor; the shake will be a little thicker.