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Japanese Royal Milk Tea Recipe

An easy 3-ingredients Japanese milk tea recipe (Royal milk tea), with directions for popular variations such as Hokkaido milk tea, Okinawa milk tea, iced milk tea, and bubble tea!

Prep Time
1 min
Cook Time
1 min
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 73 kcal
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Japanese

Ingredients

  • ½ Tablespoon black tea leaves Assam, Darjeeling, Ceylon or even Earl Grey. If using tea bags, I recommend at least 1 tea bag per person/ cup/ serving.
  • 3 Cups water
  • 2 Cups Full-fat whole Milk
  • White sugar or gum syrup, to taste Substitutes: caramel syrup, brown sugar syrup or a neutral honey. I usually use about 1-2 Tablespoons per 1 Cup of liquid (so 5-10 Tablespoons here-I suggest you start with 5 tablespoons then work your way up!)

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Bring water to boil in a small pot or saucepan.
  2. Once boiling, add the tea leaves then immediately lower the heat to simmer for about 2 minutes. If making iced Japanese milk tea, you may want to extend the cooking time, as the ice cubes will dilute the tea.
  3. Add the milk and keep mixture at a simmer- DO NOT allow it to boil!
  4. Just before the tea boils, switch off the fire, and strain into a pre-warmed teacup.
  5. Add sweetener of choice, to taste.

Notes

  • The steeping temperature will change depending on the type of tea used: for example, oolong tea typically steeps at a lower temperature than black tea leaves do. I go by feel (as the creamy milk hides many errors) but tea aficionados may want to use a food thermometer.
  • Best finished on the day it's made but can also be kept in the fridge in an airtight container for 2- days (without the ice cubes inside.)
  • Variations
  • See recipe post for more details
  • Note: the nutritional information is an estimate automatically calculated using the WPRM recipe maker and I am not responsible for its veracity.
  • Hokkaido milk tea: use fresh Hokkaido milk for an extra creamy and indulgent tea! 
  • Okinawa milk tea: use kokuta sugar as a sweetener to create the roasted caramel flavour and reduce the ratio of milk to tea used.
  • Iced milk tea: cool to room temperature then add ice cubes.
  • Bubble tea: add tapioca pearls (boba)
  • Vegan Royal Milk tea: substitute dairy milk for plant-based milk
  • Chai Milk Tea: use Indian Chai leaves

Nutrition Information

Calories 73kcal (4%) Carbohydrates 6g (2%) Protein 4g (8%) Fat 4g (6%) Saturated Fat 2g (10%) Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1g Monounsaturated Fat 1g Cholesterol 15mg (5%) Sodium 55mg (2%) Potassium 183mg (5%) Sugar 6g (12%) Vitamin A 198IU (4%) Calcium 155mg (16%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 73

% Daily Value*

Calories 73kcal 4%
Carbohydrates 6g 2%
Protein 4g 8%
Fat 4g 6%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1g 1%
Monounsaturated Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 15mg 5%
Sodium 55mg 2%
Potassium 183mg 4%
Sugar 6g 12%
Vitamin A 198IU 4%
Calcium 155mg 16%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.