Thai Iced Tea may not be the most common ice cream flavour, but it works! This Thai Tea Ice Cream recipe is super easy to make, and TASTY!
Whoops.
Anyway, I’ve always been a fan of unique ice cream flavors, whether we’re talking Tiger Tail Ice Cream (well, not unique in general, but it sure was unique while I was living in the USA!), the Sweet Corn Ice Cream I started making for my husband 20 years ago, or even ... Moon Mist Ice Cream.
Recently, I was thinking of one of our favourite Thai restaurants. It closed down years ago, but I still remember the vibrant aroma coming from their kitchen, the vibrant orange color of their Thai ice tea, and always walking out feeling fat and happy, full of delicious Thai food. (Especially the Thai Mango Salad!)
I happened to have some Thai tea mix on hand, so I worked up a recipe and put on the rest batch.
Unf. That first scoop of ice cream was SO good!
I chose to make it up as a really rich frozen custard, kind of as a nod to the richness of the sweetened condensed milk that’s used in making the ice tea.
This makes for a very thick, robust, and satisfying ice cream - the perfect dessert when you want to enjoy a single scoop of ice cream, without feeling the need for a giant bowl of it.
It’s almost ... elegant? Definitely one of our favourites!
Anyway, let’s look at what you’ll need for putting on a batch of your own Thai Tea Ice cream...
Ingredients
For the most part, this recipe uses pretty simple ingredients that you can find in any grocery store - with one possible exception.
Here’s what you need to know:
Thai Tea Mix
Traditional Thai tea is made from strongly brewed black tea, along with a mix of spices - star anise, cloves, cinnamon, etc.
You can buy this unique flavor of tea as a mix - we use Number One brand Thai Tea Mix. It actually uses red tea - along with some food coloring - to create the bright orange color you usually see in restaurant Thai Iced Tea.
While you can buy this loose Thai tea mix in some larger grocery stores, we’ll usually buy it in Asian markets.
Egg Yolks
I designed this Thai Iced Tea Ice Cream recipe the way I generally like ice cream to be - very rich and thick, with a custard base.
I like ice cream that is really best enjoyed in small amounts, rather than the “ice milk” stuff that is usually enjoyed in larger amounts.
So, I use 8 egg yolks in this recipe.
If you’d like a lighter texture, you can cut back on the number of egg yolks you use.
For texture reasons, I personally wouldn’t recommend going any fewer than 2, though - you’re right into “ice milk” territory at that point!
Heavy Cream & Milk
For the absolute best texture, this recipe uses both whole milk and heavy whipping cream.
If you need to adjust this for dietary reasons, you definitely can - the finished ice cream just won’t be as rich and creamy.
You can use all whole milk, all skim milk, swap all or part of the milk for coconut milk or almond milk, whatever you need - just keep the total volume the same.
Sweetened Condensed Milk
This is what’s used to sweeten Thai Tea in restaurants, so it’s how I chose to sweeten this Thai Tea Ice Cream recipe.
There is a slight difference in volume between Canadian and American sweetened condensed milk.
Between that and personal taste, this is why I recommend tasting and adjusting for additional sweetness, if desired.
Salt
... and you’ll need a little salt, to brighten up the flavour. Not much to say here!
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How to Make Thai Tea Ice Cream
The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post, here is the visual walk through:
In a heavy bottomed medium pot, combine the milk, tea mix, and half of the cream.
Heat milk mixture over medium heat until it starts to simmer, stirring occasionally. Do not let it come to boil!
Remove from heat, steep Thai tea for 15 minutes.
Don’t go beyond 15 minutes - it can make your ice cream taste bitter.
Note: To remove even more of the leaves, you can then run the liquid through some cheesecloth, if you like. I’ll usually squeeze the solids from the first straining through a cheesecloth. This leaves some black flecks in the ice cream, but gets the most flavour and liquid out.
Add remaining heavy whipping cream to the egg yolk mixture, whisk until well incorporated.
I like to gently bring it up to 165 F, to ensure the eggs are properly cooked.
Remove from heat, and taste. If you’d like a little bit of additional salt or sugar, add it now, to taste.
Pour mixture into your ice cream machine. Follow the manufacturer's directions for your machine to freeze and churn custard mixture - depending on the size of the ice cream maker, you may need to do this in multiple batches.
Serve immediately for a soft ice cream, or transfer to a freezer safe container. Continue to freeze for at least 2 hours for a more firm ice cream.
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Thai Tea Ice Cream
Equipment
- Ice Cream Maker
Ingredients
- 2 cups Whole Milk
- ¾ cup Thai Tea Mix
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 2 cups Heavy Cream
- 8 Large Egg Yolks
- 1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk 300 ml / 14 oz
Instructions
- In a heavy bottomed medium pot, combine the milk, tea mix, and half of the cream.
- Heat milk mixture over medium heat until it starts to simmer, stirring occasionally. Do not let it come to boil!
- Remove from heat, allow to steep for 15 minutes.
- Once mixture has steeped, run it through a fine mesh strainer (scraping with a spoon to push the liquids through), and into a cleaned out saucepan. Discard solids (Tea leaves).
- Note: To remove even more of the leaves, you can then run the liquid through some cheesecloth, if you like. I’ll usually squeeze the solids from the first straining through a cheesecloth. This leaves some black flecks in the ice cream, but gets the most flavour and liquid out.
- Combine egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth - you can use a hand mixer or immersion blender if you’d like, I just use a whisk.
- Add remaining heavy whipping cream to the egg yolk mixture, whisk until well incorporated.
- Stream egg mixture into saucepan, whisking to incorporate. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens - it should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- I like to gently bring it up to 165 F, to ensure the eggs are properly cooked.
- Remove from heat, and taste. If you’d like a little additional salt or sugar, add it now, to taste.
- Cool Thai tea custard mixture to room temperature, and then chill thoroughly until ready to use - ideally overnight.
- Follow your ice cream maker’s manufacturer's directions to freeze and churn custard mixture - depending on the size of the ice cream maker, you may need to do this in multiple batches.
- Keep any extra ice cream mix chilled in an airtight container until use - process into frozen custard within a day or two.
- Serve immediately for a soft ice cream, or transfer to a freezer-safe container and continue to freeze for at least 2 hours for a more firm ice cream.
Notes
Nutrition
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Marie Porter
One of my favourite ice cream recipes so far - hope you enjoy it too!