If you love a good cream tea or flavored milk tea, you need to try this fruity cherry Earl Grey milk tea. It’s creamy, sweet, and has that fresh cherry flavor that’s not too tart nor too medicinal. This milk tea recipe is super easy to make at home and is even better than buying it from the store!

Here’s how to make a cherry Earl Grey milk tea at home!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• It’s super easy and needs fewer than 5 ingredients for a great drink.
• Tastes fruity and creamy, which is a great flavor combination.
• Try a unique twist of an Earl Grey milk tea!
• Make a cafe-quality milk tea at home without paying cafe prices.

What is Earl Grey Tea?

Earl Grey tea is a black tea infused with bergamot oil, which comes from the bergamot plant. It’s floral, citrusy, and herbaceous with a slightly bitter taste when brewed fresh. It’s one of the most popular teas, which I’m sure you’ve seen at cafes, restaurants, and hotels. It’s a very refreshing black tea with a light flavor as opposed to more malty black teas like Keelung or Assam. 

My favorite way to have it is in milk tea, which was my first taste of milk tea, ever. But besides having it the normal way, I love adding flavors to it to twist it! Like this cherry Earl Grey variation.

Do Cherries Taste Good With Earl Grey?

Yes, they do, and it’s a really natural pairing! Earl Grey has a bright, citrusy flavor with a floral finish, thanks to the bergamot oil, while cherries are sweet and slightly tart. That bit of tartness cuts through the tea and makes it brighter.

Adding milk doesn’t dampen the flavor, but the creaminess softens the bergamot and makes the cherry flavor juicy and dessert-like instead of sharp. And fresh cherries taste great, unlike extracts or syrups that can come off medicinal. And no one likes cherry-flavored medicine…

What Earl Grey Tea to Use

You can make this with either loose-leaf Earl Grey or tea bags, but the flavor will be noticeably different. Most tea bags are made with finely ground tea dust, which brews faster but often tastes flatter and more bitter.

Loose-leaf Earl Grey tea gives you a more aromatic cup. The bergamot is brighter, the tea tastes smoother, and the overall flavor is stronger.

You can also make your own Earl Grey at home by infusing black tea with dried bergamot peel or a few drops of food-grade bergamot oil. It’s a fun way to control how citrusy or floral your tea tastes!

That said, tea bags still work in a pinch!

How to Make Cherry Syrup

Making a homemade cherry syrup is super easy; all you need are cherries, sugar, and water. You can use fresh, frozen, or canned cherries; just make sure they’re pitted first.

Add the cherries, sugar, and water to a small pot. Then, use a spoon or potato masher to gently crush the cherries so they release their juices. Simmer the mixture over medium heat until the sugar fully dissolves and the cherries soften.

Once the syrup is aromatic and slightly thickened, remove from the heat and strain out the cherry solids. Pour the syrup into a clean jar or bottle, let it cool completely, and store it in the fridge for up to three weeks.

And that’s it, you got a simple, flavorful cherry syrup you can use in drinks, milk tea, or desserts!

Cherry Earl Grey Milk Tea Recipe: Ingredients

• 1 tbsp Earl Grey loose-leaf tea
• 1 cup water
• ¼ cup half and half
• 1 cup ice
• 3 pitted cherries
• ½ tbsp cherry syrup
• 1 cherry (garnish)

How to Make Cherry Earl Grey Milk Tea

1. Buy or Make Cherry Syrup. Use a store-bought or homemade cherry syrup for the perfect fruity sweetness. Use my easy cherry syrup recipe!
2. Brew Tea. Add Earl Grey tea to a heatproof cup, then add hot water and brew for 3 – 5 minutes or until well-brewed. The tea should be a dark orange color.
3. Add Milk. Add your half and half or milk to the hot tea and give it a good stir. Let it sit until ready to use.
4. Crush Cherries. Wash and pit your cherries, then add to the bottom of our glass. Crush the cherries using a pestle or other stick with a flat surface until well-juiced.
5. Assemble Drink. Add ice and cherry syrup to the glass, then pour the Earl Grey milk tea through a strainer into the glass, catching all the tea leaves. Garnish with a cherry.
6. Mix and Enjoy!

Tips for the Best Cherry Earl Grey Milk Tea

• Use Milk Powder or Creamer: Replicate that strong, creamy flavor from the boba shops and use non-dairy milk or creamer instead of fresh milk. Since it’s powdered, it’s a lot creamier and prevents dilution from happening to your milk tea.
• Add Vanilla: A touch of vanilla helps round out the bergamot and cherry. It makes the drink taste smoother and more balanced! You can also add it to your cherry syrup for a cherry vanilla syrup.
• Use Looseleaf Tea: Loose-leaf Earl Grey gives you a brighter, more aromatic flavor than tea bags, which are often made with low-quality tea dust. You can get loose-leaf tea from most grocery stores, or head to your local tea store!

FAQ’s

Does Earl Grey tea go well with milk?

Yes. Earl Grey pairs really well with milk or even creamer for a creamy taste! There’s a reason why cream tea is so popular in the UK, and milk tea in Asia. It’s just addictive.

Can I make Earl Grey milk tea dairy-free?

Yes. Oat milk is the most popular dairy-free option because it’s creamy and slightly sweet, but almond and soy milk also work well. Just avoid very thin plant milks so the tea doesn’t taste watered down.

Can I make this hot?

To make this hot, steam or warm up your milk before adding it to your brewed tea. Then, add your crushed cherries and cherry syrup into the milk tea, stirring to dissolve. I would garnish with a dusting of beetroot powder instead, and serve!

Other Milk Tea Recipes to Try

If you love recreating milk tea at home and saving money, then you’ll love these other milk tea recipes I’ve made over the years! Here are some incredible tea recipes to try next:

• Brown Sugar Milk Tea (Tiger Milk Tea)
• Roasted Oolong Milk Tea
• Thai Iced Tea
• Royal Milk Tea
• Butterfly Pea Tea with Boba