Why This Thai Tea Milkshake Deserves a Spot in Your Regular Rotation
If you have ever sipped Thai iced tea at your favourite Thai restaurant and thought, “I wish this came in milkshake form,” this recipe is your answer. We are talking about that unmistakable amber-orange brew — bold, lightly spiced, and just sweet enough — blended with vanilla ice cream into something that is simultaneously nostalgic and completely new. It takes about ten minutes from kettle to straw, and every sip tastes like a trip to Bangkok by way of your own kitchen.
I first tested this on a sweltering August afternoon when I had leftover brewed Thai tea in the fridge and a half-used tub of vanilla ice cream begging to be finished. One blender session later, I had something better than either ingredient on its own. After a few more rounds of tinkering with the tea concentration and ice cream ratio, this is the version I keep coming back to.
What Makes a Great Thai Tea Milkshake
Before you blend, it helps to understand what gives this milkshake its character. Thai tea mix is usually a blend of strongly oxidised black tea (often Ceylon or Assam), vanilla, tamarind, and food-grade spices like star anise and cardamom — which is why the dry mix has that distinctive red-orange colour. Sweetened condensed milk is the traditional dairy pairing, adding both creaminess and that specific caramel-like sweetness. When you freeze the brewed tea into the blender alongside ice cream, you lock in all of that complexity. The result is richer and more layered than a standard milkshake.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons Thai tea loose-leaf mix (such as Pantai or Number One brand)
- 1 cup (240 ml) boiling water
- 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (adjust to taste)
- 2 cups (280 g) vanilla ice cream
- ½ cup (120 ml) whole milk
- ½ cup (about 75 g) ice cubes
- Whipped cream, for topping (optional)
- A pinch of ground cardamom or star anise, for garnish (optional)
How to Make a Thai Tea Milkshake
Step 1: Brew a Strong Concentrate
Add the Thai tea loose-leaf mix to a heat-proof cup or small pot. Pour 1 cup of boiling water over it and let it steep for a full 5 minutes. You want this to be noticeably stronger than you would normally drink, because ice cream and milk will dilute it. Strain the tea through a fine-mesh sieve or a coffee filter to remove all the leaves and any sediment.
Step 2: Sweeten While Hot
While the tea is still warm, stir in the sweetened condensed milk and granulated sugar until fully dissolved. Taste it — it should be quite sweet at this stage, almost more than you would enjoy on its own, because the unflavoured ice cream will balance it out. Set the sweetened concentrate aside to cool for a few minutes, or speed things up by placing it in the fridge or freezer for 5 minutes.
Step 3: Blend Everything Together
Add the vanilla ice cream, cooled Thai tea concentrate, whole milk, and ice cubes to your blender. Blend on high speed for about 30 to 45 seconds until completely smooth. Pause and scrape down the sides if needed. The milkshake should be thick enough to coat the inside of the blender but pourable — if it is too thick, add a splash more milk; if too thin, add another scoop of ice cream.
Step 4: Pour and Serve Immediately
Divide the milkshake between two tall glasses. Top with whipped cream if you like, and dust with a tiny pinch of ground cardamom for a subtle nod to the spice profile in the tea. Serve with a wide straw right away, before it begins to melt.
Practical Tips for the Best Results
- Cool your tea concentrate fully. Adding hot liquid to ice cream is the fastest way to end up with a thin, icy milkshake. Even 5 minutes in the freezer makes a real difference.
- Use full-fat dairy throughout. Whole milk and full-fat ice cream give the milkshake that luxurious body. Low-fat alternatives will work in a pinch, but the texture will be noticeably lighter.
- Adjust sweetness at the concentrate stage. It is much easier to balance sweetness before blending than after. Taste the sweetened tea and be honest with yourself — lean slightly sweeter than feels comfortable.
- Source your Thai tea mix from an Asian grocery store or online. The branded Thai tea mixes have a proprietary spice blend that genuinely matters here. Regular black tea will give you a milkshake, but not a Thai tea milkshake.
- Serve in a chilled glass. Pop your glasses in the freezer for 10 minutes before serving if you want the milkshake to stay thick longer.
Variations Worth Trying
Vegan Thai Tea Milkshake
Swap the vanilla ice cream for a coconut milk-based vegan ice cream (coconut flavour works especially well here), replace whole milk with full-fat canned coconut milk, and use sweetened condensed coconut milk in place of the regular condensed milk. The result is arguably even more fragrant than the original.
Thai Tea Milkshake with Boba
Cook tapioca pearls according to package directions, toss them briefly in a little brown sugar syrup, and spoon a generous layer into the bottom of each glass before pouring the milkshake over the top. Use an extra-wide boba straw so you get pearls in every sip.
Salted Caramel Thai Tea Milkshake
Replace the vanilla ice cream with salted caramel ice cream and reduce the added sugar to just 1 teaspoon. The salty-sweet caramel note plays beautifully against the spiced tea base.
Thai Tea Milkshake Float
Rather than blending, brew a double-strength Thai tea concentrate, let it cool completely, pour it over a tall glass of ice, and gently add two scoops of vanilla ice cream on top. Drizzle condensed milk over the ice cream. The ice cream melts gradually into the tea, and the texture shifts with every sip.
Iced Coffee + Thai Tea Hybrid
Replace half the Thai tea concentrate with strongly brewed espresso or cold brew for a caffeinated, slightly bitter counterpoint to the sweet spiced tea. This version skews more grown-up and pairs well with an afternoon snack.
FAQ
Can I make the Thai tea concentrate ahead of time?
Yes, and it is actually a good idea. You can brew and sweeten the concentrate up to 3 days in advance and keep it in a sealed jar in the refrigerator. This makes assembling the milkshake genuinely quick — just grab the cold concentrate, ice cream, and milk, and blend.
Where can I buy Thai tea loose-leaf mix?
Most well-stocked Asian supermarkets carry it, typically in the tea or beverage aisle. Online retailers also stock popular brands like Pantai, Number One Brand, and Cha Tra Mue. If you truly cannot find it, you can approximate the flavour by blending strong Assam or Ceylon black tea with a tiny amount of vanilla extract and a single star anise steeped alongside the tea leaves — though the colour and full spice profile will differ.
My milkshake came out too thin. What went wrong?
A few things can cause this: the tea concentrate was still warm when it went into the blender, you used too much milk, or the ice cream was already softened before blending. Next time, chill everything well beforehand and start with less milk, adding more only if the blender struggles to combine the ingredients.
Is this milkshake very high in caffeine?
Thai tea is made from black tea, which does contain caffeine — the exact amount varies by brand, steep time, and how much concentrate ends up in each serving. If you are caffeine-sensitive or making this for young children, you can steep the tea for only 2 minutes rather than 5 to extract less caffeine, or look for a caffeine-free herbal version of the mix.
Can I use Thai tea bags instead of loose-leaf mix?
You can, though the loose-leaf branded blends typically have a more pronounced colour and spice depth. If using tea bags, use 3 to 4 bags per cup of water and steep for the full 5 minutes. The flavour will be solid; just do not expect quite the same vivid orange colour.
