Have you ever tried roasting tea and sugar in a pan to make roasted milk tea? This popular Asian milk tea method is actually insanely creamy and delicious. It tastes like sweet, super creamy milk tea that’s fun to make! And you only need 3 ingredients to make this.

Here’s how to make roasted milk tea at home!

Roasted Milk Tea Takeaways:

• Roast the tea first for a more toasted flavor.
• Brew the tea with a little water for a stronger tea flavor.
• Careful not to burn the sugar!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe:

• It’s so easy and only requires 3 ingredients that you definitely have at home.
• This recipe is kind of unconventional, but it’s fun for making a unique milk tea.
• The drink is delicious and tastes even better than the ones from the store.
• Make a cafe-quality milk tea without paying the exorbitant prices!

What is Roasted Milk Tea?

In this recipe, roasted milk tea is milk tea made by roasting tea leaves and sugar in a pan until caramelized, then simmering the tea with milk until infused. The result is a caramelly, semi-roasted tea flavor that’s more creamy than regular milk tea. It’s a popular trend in Asia, and I see it floating around with Indonesian and Chinese creators.

The base is just black tea and sugar, but you can also add different fruits, spices, and teas for variety. I’ve seen strawberry, orange, brown sugar, and more. Because the preparation is quite simple, it’s easy to vary.

What is the Difference Between Roasted Milk Tea and Milk Tea?

Regular milk tea is made by brewing tea with hot water, then adding a super creamy milk or milk powder for a creamy flavor. You usually brew a super-strong tea that’s high in caffeine and bitterness, which is diluted by the milk. Because of the high water content, milk tea can sometimes be watery, especially if the boba shop uses fresh milk.

Roasted milk tea is made by roasting tea and sugar until caramelized, and then you add milk to steep the tea in. Since you infuse the milk with the sweet tea, it’s, by default, much creamier than regular milk tea. The tea flavor is less intense since the flavors aren’t brewed out by water, but you get a more delicate and fragrant aroma.

Personally, I like the infused method more, but I like leaving it overnight to really get all the flavors out.

What Does Roasted Milk Tea Taste Like?

Roasted milk tea actually tastes really similar to regular milk tea, just more creamy and less bitter. I thought the roasting process would add a deeper caramel or roasted note, but honestly, it’s not very distinct. Although I feel like using dairy milk would make the caramel flavor more apparent, as using something like oat milk masks the flavor.

It’s just a really creamy, flavorful milk tea that’s much creamier than regular milk tea. I think it’s the perfect base for tea lattes with matcha or even espresso, since the tea flavor is not as strong.

Roasted Milk Tea Recipe: Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make roasted milk tea at home:

• 2 tbsp Black Looseleaf Tea — I like using black tea because it’s the classic milk tea flavor. Assam works perfectly here, but you can use another variety like Darjeeling, Keelung, etc. You can also swap it for another tea, like oolong or green tea, but the flavor might be lighter since they are lighter-tasting teas.
• 2 cups of Milk — I use 2%, whole, or oat milk for this recipe since they have a nice creamy texture and flavor. However, you can make this with literally any milk or milk alternative you’d like.
• 1 tbsp Sugar — Regular granulated sugar is ideal for a nice caramel flavor, but you can also swap for brown sugar or even a liquid sweetener like honey or agave.
• 1/4 cup Grass Jelly (Optional) — I like pairing this with grass jelly, which is an herbal jelly that has a nice flavor. You could also make tapioca pearls or jellies, whatever you prefer!
• 1 cup Ice — I love this tea warm, but I also love iced drinks…
• 4 – 5 Strawberries (Optional) — For strawberry roasted milk tea!

How to Make Roasted Milk Tea

1. Roast the Tea (Optional). Add tea to the pan and toast on medium heat for 2 – 3 minutes. This brings out a nice aroma!
2. Caramelize the Sugar. Once toasted, add the sugar and heat on medium heat for 3 – 5 minutes. Let the sugar melt completely before touching it, otherwise you risk crystallization. If your pan heats unevenly, add a little water to make carmelizing easier.
3. When the sugar melts and turns a light golden color, stir the tea and sugar together until all the tea is coated. The sugar should be a golden amber at this stage.
4. Add Milk. Once the sugar caramelizes, add your milk and dissolve the sugar by stirring with a spoon.
5. Simmer Milk Tea. Bring the milk to a simmer and simmer it for 3 – 5 minutes, then turn the heat off and let it infuse for 10 – 20 minutes. You can also infuse it overnight for a stronger flavor.
6. Strain Tea. Once the tea and milk have infused, strain out the tea leaves and any bits of undissolved sugar. You can reuse the tea leaves for another batch. If serving immediately, let it cool completely before adding ice.
7. Prepare Toppings. If you’d like to enjoy this with grass jelly, cut it into small bite-sized pieces before serving. You can also add boba, fruit jellies, red bean, etc.
8. Assemble Drink. Add ice and topping of choice to a separate glass, then top with your roasted milk tea.
9. Mix and Enjoy! Mix with a spoon or straw and enjoy!

How to Make Strawberry Roasted Milk Tea

To make the strawberry version of this, at step 2 in the recipe, add 4 – 5 strawberries to the tea and sugar before heating it. While the sugar caramelizes, move the strawberries around so that they don’t burn, but try to avoid the melting sugar in the center.

Once soft, mash the berries so more strawberry juice releases into the milk tea.

Then follow the regular recipe as normal! You’ll have an aromatic and delicious strawberry roasted milk tea.

Tips for the Best Roasted Milk Tea

• Use Room Temperature Milk: If you add cold milk to your cooked sugar and tea, the sugar will immediately harden from the temperature difference. You can easily dissolve it into the milk by letting the mixture heat up until hot. But if you use room temperature milk, the sugar will stay liquid.
• Brew the Tea With Water: If you want a stronger tea flavor, I would add water to the roasted tea and sugar and let the tea brew into a concentrate. Then, simmer it and add the milk for a tea-forward flavor. It’s hard to get the same flavor from just infusing tea in milk, so this helps jumpstart the flavor.
• Don’t Overcook the Sugar: Sugar goes from caramel to burnt extremely fast, so make sure to keep an eye on the color as you’re stirring. If you’re unsure, turn the heat down early, as the residual heat will continue cooking the sugar. Burnt sugar is super bitter and unpleasant and can ruin the batch.

FAQ’s

Is milk tea just a latte?

No, on the contrary, it’s actually more like an iced coffee where you brew a tea base and add some milk and sugar to it. Most milk teas are strongly brewed tea, which makes up most of the volume. However, to get a creamy flavor, most places will use evaporated milk or milk creamer powder, which might make it taste more like a latte.

Can you roast tea?

You sure can! There are actually some teas that are roasted already, like hojicha, genmaicha, or roasted oolong. They have a delicious toasty and caramel-like flavor, which makes them really unique! Most brands roast the tea for you, but you can also roast it yourself at home.

Can I use any tea?

Yes, you can use any tea for this roasted milk tea recipe. I recommend black since it’s the strongest in flavor and pairs best with milk. But you can also use oolong or green tea, but the tea flavor may be lighter.

Other Milk Tea Recipes to Try

This roasted milk tea is so fun to make and super easy to make a drink that tastes like it came from a cafe. For more amazing milk teas, check out these other tea recipes next:

• Cold Brew Earl Grey Milk Tea
• Thai Iced Tea
• Iced London Fog
• Earl Grey Milk Tea with Boba
• Royal Milk Tea