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
spontaneous tomato 
Thank you so much for sharing this. Wonderful !
Glad you liked it; thanks for reblogging!
Yes…those look awesome!
Reblogged this on Bilafond's Blog and commented:
Yummy, looks delicious and so colourful and healthy
This is a lovely refreshing Popsicle treat – love it :D
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Thanks!
I adore Thai iced tea. Like you I’m bummed when it’s too late in the day to order it and there it is calling out to me from the menu. Making Thai iced tea into a popsicle…world rocked!
I’m glad I’m not the only one who can’t handle the pm caffeine/sugar-rush… And I know, these popsicles are pretty awesome… It might be weeks or months or never before I go back to making fruit juice ones.
I am such a sucker for Thai iced tea so these popsicles would be irresistible if they were in my freezer! Oh to heck with the sugar and caffeine – I could eat these anytime of the day or night!
They are irresistible! Lucky for me, Santa Barbara gets chilly in the evenings so I don’t crave midnight snack popsicles as much as in some other cities I’ve lived in… Otherwise I’d probably just go for it! Hope you can put some of these in your freezer soon.
I too must cut off all caffine consumption before 6pm… even earlier actually. Love the bubbles in the popsicles!
Thanks! If only the boba still tasted good when frozen, but it’s all about the texture, which it loses when popsicle-ized. It was still fun to try!
these look yum <3
They were! : )
Oh, very summery! I might have to give that a try.
Hope you get a chance to try it this summer!
Ok, I love Thai iced (and hot!) tea, so these Popsicles are definitely happening at my house this summer. But can we talk about this? Do those Popsicle sticks have a staw so you can suck up the melty part? THAT IS SO GENIUS! I need them. Can you tell me where you found yours or what they’re called?
YES! They do! And as a slow eater (who sometimes even needs a bowl to eat an entire popsicle) I agree that it’s pure genius to add a straw. I honestly can’t even remember where I bought my beloved little sets of 3 popsicle molds (pink, green, yellow), but I bought the slightly bigger set of 4 (primary colors) more recently at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, I think.
Looks good. The boba freak me out a little.
Yeah, boba definitely has a unique (/chewy) texture… you can always leave them out– it’s even easier that way!
Mmh! Delicious and fresh for this summer.
Yes, so delicious! : )
They look delish! I like to make mine with low-fat vanilla yogurt, tossing in whatever fruit is available (strawberries, peaches, blueberries, etc.) I like Thai tea, too, so I’m definitely going to try that. Congrats on being Freshly Pressed.
Thanks! And that’s a great idea to mix vanilla yogurt with fruit in popsicles; I’ll have to give that a try!
Enjoy! Made with vanilla yogurt, they are both delicious AND healthy. It’s even better if you combine two kinds of fruit in them, such as strawberry/banana or peach/mandarin orange.
Mmm, how lovely! Congrats on being Freshly Pressed. :)
Thank you! : ) Still haven’t figured out quite how that happened (with this post, today), since this is one from two weeks ago, but if more people can discover Thai iced tea popsicles this way, then I’ll take it! ; )
I’ve never had Thai iced tea, but it’s so pretty–does the tea give it that orange color? I always assumed it had mango juice in it or something.
Yes, it’s just the tea itself that has the bright orange color (even before brewing, the tea leaves look a bit reddish)… no added fruit juice or anything!
Actually, it looks like I was wrong about that! I just got curious and looked on Wikipedia, and it says: “Other ingredients [of Thai tea] may include added orange blossom water, star anise, crushed tamarind seed or red and yellow food coloring.” So I guess you weren’t far off with the mango hypothesis after all!
(But it’s definitely not a matter of adding juice or food coloring to the already-brewed liquid drink; if there are any natural food dyes in the tea, they are already mixed in with the dry loose tea leaves.)
These look incredible!
Thanks! : )
Oh what a pretty chai! I’m not really a popsicle person but these looks adorable. Maybe I’ll try with more black pearls!
Thanks! I love being able to make Thai iced tea at home, black pearls and all : )
Looks delicious! Can you just deliver one to me and we can sit on my deck and eat them?
Sounds like a plan! : )
This looks delicious! What a wonderful idea! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you!
I would never have thought to freeze Thai tea. A great idea. Thank you! :)
Thanks! I already love popsicles and make my own regularly, so it was bound to occur to me at some point!
Well, you have inspired me and I will be purchasing some popcicle holders this week. ;) Peace,
Reblogged this on Sağlıklı Ye Mutlu Yaşa and commented:
Great idea!
Thanks for reblogging!
Cool and refreshing. Thanks for sharing this great idea. connie
http://7thandvine.wordpress.com/
I LOVE thai tea. You know, you can make ice cream with it, too. Filter out the tea through a strainer so you can get a couple tablespoons of the powderiest stuff — and watch it, because it will turn your entire kitchen counter orange if you aren’t careful. Heat up the cream/milk with the tea in it, and put it in the fridge to cool down. Sugar, flaked coconut, and raisins in the mix, and wham — thai tea flavored ice cream. It’s heaven.
oh my god… Allison! We have to try this!!
Don’t blame me when it takes over your life. It’s insanely delicious …
We do have to try this! And I promise I won’t blame you when it takes over my life : )
Dug through my recipes — here you go, do this in one of those 1.5qt ice cream makers:
a cup of milk
two cups of heavy cream
3/4 cup of sugar
2 tsp vanilla
a tablespoon of very powdery thai tea
a half cup of raisins
a cup of flaked coconut
Heat the milk and put the tea in it, then let it cool completely in the fridge before you start to make it. Don’t strain the tea out; you don’t need to. Add the raisins and coconut in the last five minutes or so or processing.
Yay, thanks for finding your recipe! I’ve actually never made ice cream before, but this seems like a pretty awesome idea for my first try. New goal for the summer!
Wow, now THAT sounds awesome! I’d love to try making Thai iced tea ice cream at some point soon!
This looks interesting and delicious – the bubble tea is quite new where I am from (Austria) and I just tried it recently and was really pleased. The popsicles seem to be even more refreshing…
http://www.theflamboyante.com
Yes, the popsicles are even better on a hot day! It’s just too bad the bubble part works better in the drink than frozen…
I love making Popsicle! I will definitely try this.
In a word, genius. And a few more, congratulations on being Freshly Pressed.
Thank you! It definitely made my day. : )
I think I just died a little.
Please, open a shop.
: ) Wish I could; that sounds like more fun than grad school…
Reblogged this on Autumnus Et Matutinus and commented:
I LOVE Thai Iced Tea!
Thank you for reblogging!
Unfortunately, I can’t drink Thai tea–the spices give me digestive problems. But I have tried it before, and it was delicious–so those look wonderful! I’d like to see the same thing done with Lapsang souchong tea (my favorite of all)–that I could eat!
That’s a good idea! I hadn’t heard of Lapsang souchong tea, but will have to give it a try one of these days…
Dear lord how did this never occur to me. You are genius, praise you! Hopefully I can get a chance to try them soon. <3 So excited.
: ) You are too sweet! Hope you can try them soon, too!
I love that you didn’t use extra sugar- will definitely try this in the summer (mind you, summer in Europe, which may be a while). Thank you!
Yes, well the sweetened condensed milk is pretty sweet as it is! Sugar would definitely be overkill on top of that… but the nice thing is that you can use as much or as little condensed milk as you want, and adjust your popsicles for the right sweetness.
Looks amazing!
I love Thai iced tea! Thank you for the great idea.
I can’t wait to try this! I haven’t been able to find Thai tea that isn’t already prepared but maybe I need to do a double take.
Yes, definitely check around at local Asian markets (I found a big bag of Thai tea leaves for $4.99), or else I bet you could find it online somewhere!
Vancouverite hère. I love bubble tea, but making the pearls is labour intensive, and bubble tea is on every corner. But a bubble tea *popsicle* is a fantastic idea!
True! The pearls are definitely an extra when I’m making Thai tea at home– When I’m not making popsicles, I usually just make it without pearls, and often just with regular milk and sugar instead of sweetened condensed milk. You’re lucky to live somewhere where there’s bubble tea on every corner though! (I love Vancouver…)
I’ve never had Thai iced tea before… I don’t think I’ve ever seen it in Scotland! Now I really, reeeaaaaally want some!!! And wouldn’t say no to these delicious looking things either..!
We have bubble tea stands down here in Manchester if you’re ever down this way :-)
Nice! Hope you can find some! (Or try looking for Thai tea leaves online?)
And now all I want is a Thai Iced Tea!
Reblogged this on I write my own story. and commented:
Saw this at Lim Chhour the other day. Milk tea popsicles with bubbles! :)
Brilliant!
Clever! I’m mad about thai iced tea. I was freshly pressed recently too, it made my blog happy. Congratulations.
Thanks! And yeah, it was very unexpected (especially because this was a post from two weeks ago…) and it totally made my day : )
Reblogged this on Wünderbloggen and commented:
I Freaking LOVE Thai Iced Tea and have never thought of it in Popsicle form but now that I have, I can’t think of anything else. I WANT TO HAVE NOW!
Brilliant. I’ve never thought about Thai iced tea in Popsicle for but now it’s all I CAN think about.
: ) Yep, they’re that good!
looks delish!!
Gosh this looks good. Cheers for the post and congratulations on freshly pressed.
Thank you! It’s been a fun (but busy) day…
Reblogged this on and commented:
omg… I definitely want to make these!!!
Totally dreamy — great idea!
I just need a hot day to try these out….and believe me in Texas we have plenty on their way
Reblogged this on seekingshanghai and commented:
Excited for summer treats
Best idea ever.
Aw thanks : )
Sounds delicious, I’ve been in a popsicle mood lately, and summer is here early! I would love to try this one!
My sister loves tea and I never thought about making Popsicles out of them. I have to make this one day and see what my family thinks.
Hope you and your sister enjoy the popsicles!
I usually stick to beauty / skin care blogs, but damn I had to comment on this! Looks so tasty and refreshing!! :)
So glad you stopped by and commented! : )
Is there a way to identify Thai tea in Asian markets? I LOVE Thai tea.
The bag I bought actually has the words “Thai Tea” clearly printed on it. (The brand is “Taste Nirvana,” but I’m sure there are plenty of other brands, too.)
A way fun blog post!
Really cool idea! I love thai iced tea too. It would also make great ice cream i bet.
Yes, someone commented above explaining how to turn it into ice cream– such a good idea too; I’d love to try it!
This is so creative. I love it! I was thinking of adding some lemongrass to bring out the Thai flavors.
That could be good… I actually love plain old lemongrass tea. One of my friends in Japan has a lemongrass plant on her balcony, and she chops up a stalk of it occasionally to steep as hot tea. Very soothing and delicious.
I need this, like, right now! I really should stop looking at recipes after the stores close…
Uh oh… I have that problem too! (Also, looking at food blogs once I’m already practically too hungry to cook a real dinner…)
The worst (but I really mean best) is tastespotting.com
Looks so yummy!
Bubble tea has been my obsession for the past few days, will be blogging about it soon!
I use matcha green tea to get away from the caffeine. It’s so yummy! Will deffo be making ice lollies(British for popsicles).
What I do is use hot tea and mix it up with ice and milk/cream in a cocktail shaker.
My 2yr old loves green tea too.
That sounds tasty! I love matcha, and other Japanese green teas. (I think matcha green tea still has caffeine too, but maybe just a different type/amount… Green tea usually has less caffeine than black tea at any rate.)
Great post!
Summer is coming, and I believe that the Tea Popsicles will be very popular…
These sound like a dream for me!
This looks yummy. The AC is not working in my room, it’s so damn hot here in india and looking at the photos makes my mouth water. I will definitely try this.
so delicious! I really want to try !
Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed!
Thank you, hope you get to try making these!
Omg my favorite tea in my favorite dessert form! Edible bliss!
Edible bliss indeed! That’s a nice way to describe it. : )
I love cha yen too!
Super refreshing thought, especially now that summer is here :) at last!
I’m lusting for these for two reasons: my apartment is overly warm right now, and I love just about anything Thai. Looks incredible!
Thanks for sharing. Will try this..
Reblogged this on ammo's Blog and commented:
Found this while checking out my mobile press app.. a nice pick
what an absolutely delicious idea!! also, i used to go to this BYOB Thai restaurant where the owner would not let us order Thai iced tea if we had brought wine with us. she said the combination would curdle in your stomach and you would have terrible indigestion! don’t know if it’s true (never tried it, at her behest) but something to keep in mind!
Wow, I’ve never heard that. It seems a little unlikely… Luckily I (usually) only have Thai iced tea in the afternoons and (usually) only have wine in the evenings : )
Mmmmmmmm, Mai Tai—I mean Thai Iced
Thanks for sharing, lovely
quite interesting and looks cool …to kill the summer :)