This Thai Tea Ice Cream is a unique, creamy no churn ice cream recipe! The ice cream base is made with Thai tea mix, so it has a fragrant and vibrant flavor, a bright orange color, and like all no churn recipes, you won't need an ice cream maker or any other special equipment.
Just like traditional Thai iced tea, this recipe uses sweetened condensed milk, so the final ice cream tastes just like the drink! It is cool and refreshing and full of flavor...but if you want to try your hand at another version of this flavor profile, go for the Thai Tea Crème Brûlée.
If you're looking for an easy dessert recipe that doesn't require an ice cream machine, give this Thai milk tea ice cream a go. Or, try this strawberry ice cream, or blackberry ice cream for fruity no-churn ice cream variations.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
No churn. I love no churn ice cream recipes because you don't need any special equipment to make them and don't need to chill the ice cream machine the night before. This recipe comes together really quickly, and all you'll need to do is pop it in the freezer overnight before enjoying.
Thai Tea Flavor. This ice cream flavor tastes just like Thai ice tea, thanks to Thai tea mix and sweetened condensed milk. It is a unique flavor that is like an amped up, fragrant black tea flavor which pairs perfectly with the creamy ice cream base.
Simple Ingredients. You'll only need 6 ingredients to make this perfect dessert for the summer. Aside from the Thai tea mix, this recipe uses basic ingredients like sweetened condensed milk, heavy whipping cream, and coconut flakes.
Ingredients
- Thai tea mix. This can be found in most Asian markets or grocery stores, or can be ordered online. I love Pantai brand Thai tea mix, but you can use any variety you can find.
- Milk. The Thai tea gets steeped in the milk, which is thinner than cream and allows the tea to steep quicker.
- Heavy whipping cream. The main ingredient that gets folded into the Thai tea and condensed milk to keep the ice cream light and fluffy.
- Sweetened condensed milk. This allows the no-churn ice cream to remain super creamy instead of getting icy!
- Coconut flakes. An unsweetened variety of coconut gets toasted to provide extra flavor and texture to the top of the ice cream.
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Substitute sweetened condensed coconut milk for the sweetened condensed milk.
- Omit the coconut flakes from the garnish, if desired.
How to Make This Recipe
One: Steep the Thai tea and milk over medium low heat until steaming and very bright orange.
Two: Pass the mixture through a fine mesh sieve (pushing out all liquid) or squeeze it through a piece of cheese cloth.
Hot tip! If using a cheesecloth, wash your hands immediately, or else they will get stained orange!
Three: Mix the Thai tea with the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until smooth.
Four: Whip the heavy cream until thick and stiff peaks form.
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Five: Fold the whipped cream into the tea mixture in 2-3 batches.
Six: Continue folding until very smooth, but don't beat it or else it will deflate the air!
Seven: Add the ice cream mixture to a loaf pan, cake pan, or other freezer-safe container. Cover and freeze for at least 8 hours.
Eight: Scoop, and enjoy as is or with toasted coconut flakes!
Expert Tips
- Squeeze out as much tea from the liquid as possible to get every ounce of flavor into the ice cream.
- Whip the cream to very stiff peaks before mixing with the other ingredients.
- Fold the whipped cream in gently in batches. Don't beat or stir or else this will deflate the ice cream.
Recipe FAQs
You can find this in local Asian markets or on Amazon. My favorite brand is Pantai brand Thai tea mix.
This can be a downfall of no-churn ice cream, but to avoid it getting too hard, be sure to cover it tightly in the freezer. Let it sit out for 15 minutes before scooping if needed.
This dessert is good to eat in small amounts. It is very sweet because of the sweetened condensed milk, but don't skip this ingredient because it is key to consistency and a creamy ice cream.
Storage
Store the Thai tea ice cream in a tightly covered container for two weeks. Adding a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the ice cream is good practice to prevent ice crystals from forming.
What to Know When Cooking with The Cozy Plum
- All recipes are created with Diamond Crystal kosher salt, the least salty variety of kosher salt. If using Morton's, you'll need to cut the amount of salt in half as it's 2x as salty. This will be the same for sea salt. Please do not use table salt.
- Switch between Cups vs Metric using the toggle on the recipe card. Baking by weight using a digital scale will always produce the most accurate results.
- Scale the recipe using the '1X' '2X' '3X' buttons on the recipe card. Note that this does not make an adjustment for baking times, only quantities.
- If you'd like to make the recipe in a different pan, use the pan size converter.
📖Recipe
Thai Tea Ice Cream
Equipment
- Cheesecloth optional
- Whisk
Ingredients
- ½ cup thai tea mix
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream divided
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla paste or extract
- ½ cup coconut flakes unsweetened, toasted, for garnish
Instructions
- Combine the Thai tea mix, whole milk, and ½ cup heavy whipping cream in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Steep the mixture until it just starts to steam (stirring occasionally so the milk solids don’t burn on the bottom of the pan) and remove from the heat. The liquid should be very bright orange.½ cup thai tea mix, ½ cup whole milk
- Pass the liquid through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl to remove the tea leaves, and press the leaves into the sieve to remove as much liquid as possible. Alternatively, squeeze out the mixture in a piece of cheesecloth (wear gloves or immediately wash your hands after).
- Note: it’s ok to have flecks of tea in the liquid!
- Add the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla to the tea mixture and whisk to combine.14 oz sweetened condensed milk, 1 tablespoon vanilla paste or extract
- Place the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk attachment in the freezer for 15 minutes. Then, whip the remaining 1 ½ cups of heavy cream on high speed until stiff peaks form.2 cups heavy whipping cream
- In two batches, fold the whipped cream into the thai tea mixture until combined, but still light and fluffy.
- Transfer the ice cream to a loaf pan or cake pan. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and foil and freeze for at least 6 hours.
- Toast the coconut flakes in a large pan over medium heat, stirring until lightly golden brown. Transfer to a plate to cool. Serve on top of the scoops of ice cream.½ cup coconut flakes
Video
Notes
If the ice cream gets too hard, allow it to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before scooping.
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