This Japanese royal milk tea is a rich, creamy, and sweet drink that you can enjoy both hot and cold. It comes together in a few quick steps and four simple ingredients.
Royal milk tea (ロイヤルミルクティー) is a popular Japanese drink found in restaurants, supermarkets, convenience stores, and vending machines all across Japan. It is made with black tea (such as Assam, Darjeeling, or English Breakfast) mixed with milk and sugar. It has a rich, sweet, and milky taste with a creamy texture. You will definitely want to make more after your first sip.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- While it’s super easy to buy the powdered form and just add water (I definitely have), I love making it from scratch as it’s more cost-effective. Plus, my local grocers don’t carry it, so ordering it online can be a little pricey as the mark up adds up over time.
- It’s really easy to make at home. You only need four ingredients, with one of them being water! You probably have everything you need at home.
- I love the rich and creamy taste. It’s very comforting, and I love sipping on it throughout the day.
Ingredients You’ll Need
water — to brew your tea in.
black tea — you can use loose-leaf or tea bags. I suggest using Assam, Darjeeling, or English Breakfast.
milk — I like using whole milk or 2% milk, so the royal milk tea is more creamy. You can even add a splash of cream to make the drink even creamier!
sugar — I use plain ol’ white granulated sugar as my sweetener. You can also use brown sugar for a more caramel taste or honey.
How to Make Royal Milk Tea
- In a small saucepan, add water and bring it to a boil.
- Add the black tea and lower the heat to a low simmer. Simmer gently for 2 minutes.
- Add the milk to the saucepan and keep a close eye on it. Allow it to simmer but remove the saucepan from heat once it’s about to boil.
- Remove the tea bags and serve the royal milk tea with sugar to sweeten it to your liking.
How to Make Iced Royal Milk Tea
- Transfer the royal milk tea to an airtight container or a covered jug and refrigerate until cold. Serve with ice.
- If you’re concerned about the royal milk tea tasting watered down with ice, you can brew with an additional tea bag or skip the ice.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Make sure you do not boil the milk. You do not want the milk to curdle.
- You can add as much sugar as you’d like. If you already know in general how much sugar you prefer, I recommend placing the sugar into your mug first and then adding the tea on top to help it dissolve better.
- You can store extra royal milk tea in an airtight container, such as a mason jar, in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Yes, royal milk tea generally contains caffeine due to the black tea. Alternatively, you can use decaffeinated tea for a decaffeinated royal milk tea.
In standard milk tea, the ingredients tend to be prepared separately and then combined, whereas the tea and milk are simmered together for royal milk tea.
Royal Milk Tea
Ingredients
- 2-3 bags black tea (Assam, Darjeeling, or English Breakfast), (2-3 tablespoons looseleaf tea)
- 1 cup water
- 1½ cup whole milk
- 1-2 teaspoon sugar, or more
Equipment
- small saucepan
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, add water and bring it to a boil. Add the black tea and lower the heat to a low simmer. Simmer gently for 2 minutes.
- Add the milk to the saucepan and keep a close eye on it. Allow it to simmer but remove the saucepan from heat once it’s about to boil.
- Remove the tea bags and serve the royal milk tea with sugar to sweeten it to your liking.
Notes
- You can adjust the amount of tea you use based on how strong you’d like the tea to taste.
Nutrition Per Serving
More Drinks to Try
- Iced Matcha Latte
- Strawberry Matcha Latte
- London Fog
- Earl Grey Milk Tea
- Cold Brew Milk Tea
- Hong Kong Milk Tea
- Taro Milk Tea
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