The bright orange color, vanilla scent, and sweetened condensed milk in Thai iced tea are intensely refreshing. And all work similarly wonderfully in this Thai tea ice cream. Thai iced tea is the perfect thing for a no-churn ice cream like this one, because both include sweetened condensed milk as an essential ingredient.
Jump to the recipe to hit the ground running or read on to hear more about what’s unique about this recipe and why I love it.
Things I love about this Thai tea ice cream
1. It’s extremely low effort (but it does require some patience).
No-churn ice cream recipes are great because they take very little hands-on time. But the downside of no-churn ice cream is that it does require a good bit of waiting (in this case, two days).
But if you’re looking for something low-effort and hands-off that rewards a little patience, this recipe could not be any easier. And the flavor payoff is worth the wait. Think of it as trading effort for time.
2. You don’t need any special equipment.
Since it’s a no-churn recipe, so there’s no need for special equipment. You just need a whisk or mixer and a container you can chuck in the freezer.
3. It’s big on flavor.
The question of how to incorporate Thai tea into ice cream is tricky. You can’t just add tea or you’ll water down the creaminess (plus the tea flavor won’t come through). And in my trial recipes, I found that only infusing the cream with tea also does not carry through enough flavor. That’s where the vodka comes in.
Vodka is the perfect thing to add to no-churn ice cream because it allows everything to freeze up much more smoothly. It prevents giant ice crystals from forming as it freezes. And it’s the perfect opportunity to create a Thai tea extract to incorporate into the ice cream. The recipe calls for 3 Tbsp, but you’ll end up with about 2 after straining. The cream also gets infused with tea, so the whole thing is steeped in flavor.
This amount of vodka comes out to ¾ tsp teaspoon per serving. It doesn’t taste boozy, and the amount is very small, but if you’re serving someone who avoids alcohol for any reason, it’s important to let them know (and it’s not suitable for children).
PrintNo-Churn Thai Tea Ice Cream
- Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp vodka*
- 1 Tbsp Thai tea mix** for the vodka, 1 Tbsp for the whipping cream
- 2 cups [460 g] heavy whipping cream
- One 14 oz [395 g] can sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
Day 1:
- Place the vodka in a sealable container and stir in 1 Tbsp of the Thai tea mix. Cover and let sit at room temperature for at least 12 hours.
- Meanwhile, place the heavy whipping cream in a microwave-safe container and stir in the remaining 1 Tbsp of the Thai tea mix. Microwave for about 3 minutes, stirring once halfway through, just until it’s hot but not simmering (keep a close eye on it and don’t let it boil). Move to the fridge for at least 12 hours.
Day 2:
- The next day, strain the infused vodka through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl. Press against the sieve to wring out the leaves, and measure out 2 Tbsp of vodka. Discard the leaves and any extra vodka and set the 2 Tbsp infused vodka aside.
- Strain the steeped heavy whipping cream through the sieve into the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a mixing bowl if whisking by hand). Push the leaves against the sieve to wring them out, then discard the leaves. Beat the whipping cream to stiff peaks (slow down toward the end—do not over-beat, or it will turn into butter).
- Add half of the sweetened condensed milk to the whipped cream and gently fold together with a spatula. Add the rest of the sweetened condensed milk and the infused vodka and gently fold together until well combined.
- Transfer to a loaf pan or sealable container, cover, and freeze overnight until completely set.
Notes
* You end up using 2 Tbsp of vodka, and this comes out to ¾ tsp vodka per serving. It doesn’t taste boozy, and the amount is very small (similar to kombucha), but if you’re serving someone who avoids alcohol for any reason, it’s important to let them know (and it’s not suitable for children).
** Thai tea is usually sold as “Thai tea mix.” It is black tea leaves with an orange food coloring and some vanilla flavoring added.
Psst… by the way, I love this recipe so much, I ended up including it in my cookbook, Piecemeal.
If you like this recipe as much as I do, you might like my book! It’s full of mix-and-match recipes and inspiration for fun and easy meals.
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