Thai Iced Tea Popsicles
Yum.
I have a sweet tooth and I love Thai iced tea. In fact, I think it’s tragic when I find myself at a Thai restaurant around eight or nine o’clock in the evening, and I know that I won’t be able to sleep if I consume all of that caffeine and sugar (the sugar probably being the worse of the two). So instead I have to settle for having just one little sip of everyone else’s Thai iced teas at the table. Tragic.
If you share my 6pm-caffeine-cut-off woes, then maybe the best solution of all is to brew your own Thai iced tea at home, and drink it any time of day. The nice part is that you can make it a little healthier, by using just a bit of milk and maybe no sugar at all instead of the sweetened condensed milk. You can also simmer up your own boba (tapioca bubbles/pearls) at home. And the absolute best part of this plan? You can make Thai iced tea POPSICLES.
I discovered homemade plastic popsicle makers a long time ago, but the most creative thing I’d ever done with them before was probably mix two kinds of juice together. Mango and orange juice are nice together for example, and strawberry lemonade is another beverage with excellent popsicle potential. But none could compare to Thai iced tea popsicles. Creamy and sweet, with a subtle tea flavor, these popsicles take Thai iced tea to an icier natural conclusion.
They are the perfect treat for a summer afternoon. And afternoons are probably when you should be indulging in all of that caffeine and sugar anyway. Come to think of it, the smallish popsicle molds could help me with a little sugar- and caffeine-portion control. Assuming I eat only one.
Seriously. These popsicles are the greatest things since… Thai iced tea.
p.s. In case you’re curious, yes, I made one experimental popsicle with boba! The verdict? It looked better than it tasted.
RECIPES:
Thai Iced Tea with Boba
(Serves 4)
Ingredients:
~ 4 Tbsp. Thai tea, loose leaf, available at most Asian markets
~ 4-8 Tbsp. sweetened condensed milk
~ 1 cup boba (tapioca “bubbles” or “pearls”), available at most Asian markets
OPTIONAL:
~ instead of sweetened condensed milk, add regular milk and maybe sugar
How to make it:
1. If you’re making boba, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, pour in a cup of dried boba pearls, then cover with a lid and lower the heat to medium. Simmer, covered, for 5 minutes, then scoop out or strain the boba through a colander and let cool just a bit.
2. Brew the tea: Use about 1 Tbsp. of tea leaves for each cup of tea you will brew. Pour hot water over the tea leaves, and let steep for 6-8 minutes before removing them. You can also brew Thai iced tea in a coffee maker using a filter, as you would with coffee. (And you can enjoy Thai tea either hot or cold!)
3. Ideally, you should let the tea cool down and/or stick it in the fridge. Then drizzle 1-2 Tbsp. of condensed milk into the bottom of each glass, and pour the tea over it. If you’re too impatient to let the tea cool down first, then you can add ice cubes after the condensed milk and pour the tea directly over the ice. (If using ice cubes, try to brew the tea on the strong side so that it doesn’t get too watered down.)
4. Stir well to mix the condensed milk into the tea. Add the boba last, several spoonfuls per glass of tea, and serve chilled with a straw. (There are thick straws designed specifically for slurping up tapioca pearls, but with a little suction, you can still use regular straws to spear each tapioca bubble.)
Print this recipe! (Thai Tea with Boba)
Thai tea leaves: a little orangey-reddish even before brewing.
Thai Iced Tea Popsicles
(Serves 4)
Ingredients:
~ 4 Tbsp. Thai tea, loose leaf, available at most Asian markets
~ 1½-2 cups water (or 4-popsicle volume-of-liquid equivalent)
~ 8 Tbsp. sweetened condensed milk
Special equipment:
~ Plastic popsicle mold
How to make it:
1. Brew the tea: Pour hot water over the tea leaves, and let steep for 6-8 minutes before removing them. You can also brew Thai iced tea in a coffee maker using a filter, as you would with coffee.
2. Drizzle condensed milk into a small pitcher or glass measuring cup with a good pouring spout. I use a higher condensed milk-to-tea ratio for the popsicles than for the drink, to make them sweeter and creamier.
3. Pour the tea over the condensed milk and stir to mix well. Then carefully pour the mixture into the popsicle molds.
4. Freeze overnight or until frozen solid. To remove popsicles, warm the outside of the mold with your hands or some running water. Enjoy on a sunny afternoon.
Print this recipe! (Thai Iced Tea Popsicles)
Related recipe posts:
> Pad See-Ew and Green Papaya Salad
> Tom Kha Gai Soup and Ginger Coconut Rice
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spontaneous tomato 
looking so yummy….
i’m from Thailand and thai iced tea is SO my favorite drink!
Looks so refreshing! Love the bubbles!!
Passion fruits are the best ones!
If I did this with coconut or rice milk do you think it would turn out? It sounds so good, but I’m not doing dairy and so I’m just wondering! Great idea. My son is allergic to soy, corn, oranges, gluten, beans, etc so we can never buy popsicles in the store even WHOLE foods organic ones have beans in them or soy in them for emulsifiers. I am purchasing some popsicle molds for us this summer so we can make our own.
Hm, I’ve never tried it, but I bet it would be yummy with coconut milk! And making your own popsicles is definitely the way to go : )
*drooool* your pics look awesome!
P.S. I share your caffeine cut-off woes! Tragic indeed :(
So tragic! Glad you understand : )
Looks DELICIOUS! :D
http://journeythroughhtml.wordpress.com/
these are perfect for a hot summer night!
These look great! What a fun tropical treat for the approaching scorching days of summer!
I lived in Thailand for three years and absolutely loved their tea! Cha manao which is iced tea with lime is my absolute favourite. I make it at home here in Sweden and the next time I make some, I’ll make popsicles too. Congratulations on being freshly pressed.
Oo yes, I’ve been meaning to try Thai tea with lime instead of milk. I love lime and that sounds so incredibly refreshing. Maybe next time I make a batch, I’ll split it in half and make the sweet popsicles plus iced tea with lime to sip while my popsicles are freezing!
I used to eat in a little restaurant run by lovely old Thai ladies and they made cha manao by filling a glass with ice then adding brewed tea, sweet syrup and a squeeze of lime. I don’t know how they made their syrup but I make mine by mixing a few tablespoons of sugar with a little bit of water then bringing it to boil. You’re iced tea popsicles look so yummy, I’m gonna have to try making them really soon!
Oo, that sounds great! I didn’t think about how/if I would sweeten the tea if I just made it with lime. A syrup like that would definitely be the way to go, since otherwise the sugar wouldn’t dissolve. I’ll try out your method!
Thanks for the idea. This looks amazing.
what a great idea! I am a total spaz ANYtime I have caffeine, so warding it off after 6pm (and probably more safely, 4pm) is a pretty good idea.
These popsicles look amazing!!
Thanks! And yeah, I know what you mean… for coffee, I have to stop drinking it by even earlier in the day, like 2 or 3pm. Usually I stick with green tea if I need more caffeine in the afternoons. But this is way better when the weather’s hot.
Oooh- love this idea. I just made a summer list. One item is: “Make Crazy Popsicles”. This will definitely be one I’ll try. Thanks for the recipe!
Nice! I’d like to hear about the other crazy popsicles you come up with! : )
I first had bubble tea in Singapore. Fun to eat….but a little weird to drink something solid through a straw. I definitely think I would like them better in this frozen treat.
Yep, I know what you mean– the chewy texture of tapioca bubbles takes some getting used to… They didn’t keep that nice texture when frozen though, so I still think the bubbles are better in the drink, and the popsicles are still awesome without.
Wow! What an idea to freeze thai iced tea…….thanks for sharing.:)
ooh lala..
OMG! Now.. I’m craving for this. Looks yummy! :)
They look amazing.
NIce blog! Congrats on FP and please visit my blog/world.
Thank you! I just stopped by your blog too : )
Reblogged this on jenchansblog and commented:
Since i love Thai Tea this seems like a grate way for me to spend my time over the summer.
Great twist on enjoying Thai iced tea, which I love! . . . Thank you for sharing!
http://arabianmusings.wordpress.com/
yummmy
Being a huge fan of Thai Iced Tea (with or without Tapioca), I clicked on this almost instantly. And it’s so simple that it would be just inhumane to not try this. I’m running to K-town today for the leaves and can’t wait to surprise everyone at home with these. Thank you SO MUCH! :D
Awesome! Your comment made me smile : ) I hope you like the popsicles!
This looks delicious! Thank you for sharing,
Artphalt (http://artphalt.wordpress.com)
Love this idea! I think I have some boba in my kitchen! Will have to try since it’s going to be in the 90s today. :D
Nice! Hope it helps you cool down.
Tried this and it is very good but smells like feet!
Really?! Are you sure you used only the ingredients I listed? : )
I am pretty sure something went wrong, I am thinking the can milk needed To be shaken up.
Hm, yes the sweetened condensed milk might have needed to be shaken or stirred in the can a bit first… But also you have to mix the tea and the condensed milk together well before making the popsicles. Maybe the tea was brewed too weak or too strong, or the popsicle maker needed to be rinsed/washed out first?
What are the chances you could post me one of them?? Pretty slim I’m guessing :(
Haha yeah, I’m not sure how they would hold up in the mail… even with the little melty drip-catching straws attached : )
I love popsicles!
I love Thai Iced tea and I love this idea even more!
yepp, I’m sold. headed to grocery to get the fixin’ for these ;)
Hope you like them!
I always find the best recipes on WordPress. Thank you for your contribution this is a wonderful idea. I’d love to see you around my blog. http://annlivingston.wordpress.com/
Reblogged this on newemergent.
I cannot wait to make this! Thanks for the post.
I cannot wait to make this! Thanks for the post.
Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed!
Thank you! It’s been a fun (& busy) week.
Nice photos for a nice recipe thanks
Chantal
I LOVE this recipe. Mind taking a look at my blog?
I really love making popsicles. It makes my day cooler during hot days. I’m making other colors too.
When I was in Chaing Mai we had heaps of Thai iced tea. It was so good. Can u check out my blog? It’s http://year6eaps201239.wordpress.com/. Cheers :)
wow, thanks for sharing ! i am going to try these !
Yum! I have to try this!
Aren’t homemade popsicles fun? This inspires me to get out of my orange juice rut.
Where did you find those popsicle stick molds? I’ve never seen one with a straw attached; perfect for sipping up the melted part. I must have it.
Yes! I love the straws for catching melty drips! I forget where I got the sets-of-three molds, since I got them so long ago… but the set of four was from Bed, Bath, and Beyond.
Hey, thanks.
My husband will be so excited about this idea!
I will have to try these, ASAP!
Love popsicles. Love bubble tea. Never thought to mix them!
i’m ashamed to say i’ve never tried thai iced tea, not even when i was in Thailand. how is Thai tea different from other teas?
It’s basically black tea, but it may have orange blossom water or tamarind (or food coloring) to give it its distinctive bright orange color, and it’s usually served with super sweet condensed and/or evaporated milk, and sometimes with boba (tapioca bubbles).
I saw your pops on pinterest – and they’re on my list to try! Thanks for visiting my site!
Ms. Frau.
It’s funny you should mention that you found these popsicles on pinterest, since I just pinned your Lemon Thyme Buttermilk popsicles yesterday! :)
Thanks, Allison!
YUM!
Delicious recipe!
These sound delicious…I want to make a batch!
Thanks! I’m actually planning to make a batch *today* with my little brothers! (I’m home visiting family in Wisconsin right now.)