Sometimes, the tastiest cup of milk tea is one that’s easiest to make. Custard milk tea is one of the easiest milk teas you can make, and it tastes absolutely delicious. Learn how to make it from a scratch in 10 minutes.
What is Custard Milk Tea?
Delicious drinks often happen by a chance (we’ll talk about this soon). The world of milk teas is evolving faster than ever, and new flavours are available almost daily. Custard milk tea is a tea you absolutely must try if you love milky teas. A drink with a similar name but a very different personality is a custard boba milk tea. It’s made with custard pudding topping, and usually a black milk tea base. This milk tea is a completely different drink.
It’s a milk tea made with black tea, milk, water, vanilla extract and corn starch to enhance the texture. Think about a cup of hot chocolate and you’ll get the idea. Milk teas have a much lighter texture than chocolate, and whichever milk you use, it still won’t be as creamy. The solution is actually quite simple – use a thickener.
How creamy should Custard Milk Tea be?
Using eggs is what makes custard creamy and rich. There are many benefits of using other ingredients instead and make an eggless custard. A great alternative to eggs is corn starch. It won’t influence the flavour of the tea but will help thicken it.
While custard milk tea is creamy and thicker than regular milk tea, it should not be as thick as the real custard. The goal is to achieve the same flavour profile and better texture, without turning it into a thick cream.
Which tea should I use?
To make this milk tea, choose unflavoured strong teas with naturally mellow deep flavour. Assam with hints of chocolate or Dian Hong black tea will work great. Because of a natural sweetness, a stronger white tea is another great option. To make a caffeine-free drink, you can use red rooibos tea. Using more tea leaves rather than simmering them longer will offer a richer flavour will less bitterness. To get the best possible flavour, choose teas that are not overly bitter, and are made of a higher grade tea leaves.
Which sweetener should I use?
Simmering tea leaves will usually release more bitterness, so there’s a high probability you will need some sweetener even if you usually drink tea with no condiments. Custard is usually made with regular granulated white sugar. You can use a light brown sugar too, or a neutral sugar alternative. One teaspoon will usually be enough, but you can adjust the sweetness to suit your taste.
Custard Milk Tea Recipe
Equipment
- Dipping dish
- small saucepan
- Kitchen strainer
Ingredients
- 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, depending on strength
- 1 teaspoon of corn starch
- 3 teaspoons of black tea
- 200 ml of whole milk
- 200 ml of water
- 2 teaspoons of water
- 1 teaspoon of white granulated sugar
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce the heat and add the tea leaves. Stir and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Add milk and sugar, stir and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
- In a small dipping (sauce) dish, mix cornstarch and 2 teaspoons of water until dissolved.
- Add dissolved cornstarch and vanilla extract to a saucepan.
- Let it simmer for another 2 minutes while stirring.
- Strain the tea into a serving cup.
Notes
- Both simmering and using 3 teaspoons of tea leaves will significantly reduce the amount of water.