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I have been making my own milk tea at home for years. I have also been buying it at one of the many delicious local tea shops in the area for years. I feel like a new milk tea shop opens up nearby every month or two, and we are so spoiled for options! I honestly love both, but right now, I don’t have a lot of options. We are staying home, and I’m guessing a lot of you are, too.
In group texts, my friends and I talk consistently about 1) homeschooling, 2) the status of crowds at our local grocery stores, and 3) milk tea. While milk tea may not be one of the important things missing in our lives right now, it is definitely a noticeable one. That’s bound to happen with anything that was a regular, habitual, delightful part of your life, right? One of my friends even bought a gallon full of milk tea from a local tea shop so she could have a ready supply at home (and minimize going out to get more). Another one–from a totally different friend group–is thinking about doing the same thing! I’m telling you, we are serious milk tea drinkers.
So if you, like us, are looking for ways to satisfy your milk tea cravings but are also trying to minimize the number of trips you take out into the world, then I am here to help! Here are the three milk teas I make on the regular:
- Taiwan Style Milk Tea: This one is most similar to what most boba shops offer. It is the classic sweetened tea + creamer combo. I like to make it in big batches and have my own liter of it in the refrigerator, available for easy consumption.
- Hong Kong Milk Tea: This recipe uses brown sugar and evaporated milk. It is full bodied and delicious!
- Hong Kong Milk Tea II: This recipe simply calls for strong tea + condensed milk, which acts as both the sweetener and the milk component. My aunt in HK gave me a huge supply of special blend tea leaves so this one has been my go-to these days. YUM.
All of these recipes have been approved by many hardcore milk tea drinkers with fancy milk tea palettes, so it’s worth giving a try!
The main thing for any of these recipes is to get the right type of tea leaves. I’ve tried substituting with Oolong, Sun Moon Lake, green, and other black tea leaves thinking it should be pretty similar, but haven’t quite figured out the formula for those yet. Actually, just yesterday, I experimented with Sun Moon Lake tea leaves I had purchased from Ten Ren, and accidentally made it so strong I couldn’t sleep until 3am. (Sorry, family, for the grouchiness that happened today). It didn’t even taste that great. So, tea leaves matter.
Also make sure you measure properly–especially the amount of water. Eight ounces is probably less than you think, and it can be tempting to add more water in an attempt to make more milk tea… but then you’ll end up with a watery milk tea and that’s not gonna hit the spot. Simply double the recipe if you need more. I usually do.
Below, you’ll find my three favorite recipes. I tried to keep it short and sweet, but you can click on the title link for more detailed posts!
Taiwan Milk Tea Recipe
Makes 1 serving
Ingredients:
- 2 individual bags Red Rose Original Blend Tea Bags
- 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar (2 tbsp is like 100% sweetness at a shop)
- 2 tablespoons non-dairy powdered creamer
Instructions:
- Steep tea bags in 8 oz. hot water for ~5-8 minutes, stirring a couple times, until it is dark. Remove tea bags and add sugar, stirring until completely dissolved.
- Fill a cocktail shaker with 1/2 cup ice and 2 tbsp creamer.
- Pour tea into shaker and shake until outside of shaker is cold. Before sealing the lid onto your shaker, you might want to stir the ice around a bit to cool down the tea. Pour into glass and enjoy with a straw!
Hong Kong Milk Tea Recipe (with evaporated milk)
Makes 1 serving
Ingredients
- 8 oz. hot water
- 2 Lipton Yellow Label Tea Orange Pekoe tea bags, if you can find them, or 2 tsp of loose Orange Pekoe tea leaves
- 1-2 Tbsp brown sugar (2 tbsp is like 100% sweetness at a shop)
- 2-4 Tbsp. evaporated milk
Instructions
- Bring 8 oz. water to a boil (I microwave for a little over a minute)
- Stir in tea leaves. Let steep for 5-6 minutes. Tea should be almost as dark as coffee. Strain out leaves using cheesecloth or other fine strainer.
- Stir in brown sugar until it dissolves, then stir in evaporated milk, starting with 2 tablespoons. If you like it creamier, add an additional tablespoon at a time until it suits your liking.
Enjoy hot or chill until cold. You can use ice, but it might dilute the flavor a bit.
Hong Kong Milk Tea Recipe (with condensed milk)
Makes 1 serving
Ingredients
- 8 oz. water
- 2 teaspoons orange pekoe tea leaves
- 1-2 tablespoons condensed milk (2 tbsp is like 100% sweetness at a shop)
Instructions
- Bring 8 oz. water to a boil (I microwave for a little over a minute)
- Stir in tea leaves. Let steep for 5-6 minutes. Tea should be almost as dark as coffee. Strain out leaves using cheesecloth or other fine strainer.
- Stir in condensed milk.
Enjoy hot, or chill until cold. You can use ice, but it might dilute the flavor a bit.
Please let me know if you try any of these! I would love to see your photos (FB: https://www.facebook.com/cuppacocoablog)!
3 responses to “Three Delicious Milk Tea Recipes to Try at Home During the Quarantine”
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Yay!! Can’t wait to try out the Taiwan milk tea with Darren 🙂 also was just talking to a friend about how she misses boba and now can share this with her!
Yayyyyy yes please share with everyone and share the happiness! And thanks for comment ?
Oh you have shared these already ^^ hehe well I am still excited.