A popular drink in Japan, divine Royal Milk Tea is easy to make at home with Assam or Darjeeling black tea leaves and milk. You can add sugar or honey to suit your taste. It‘s a delicious beverage to serve hot or iced, or you can use it as a base for boba milk tea!
Royal Milk Tea (ロイヤルミルクティー) is a popular Japanese drink that can be found hot or cold anywhere, whether at the Japanese market, convenience store, or vending machine. Made with Assam or Darjeeling tea leaves and milk, Royal milk tea is delicious to sip on, and makes a perfect drink to serve when you have friends over for tea time.
My son and I are both royal milk tea enthusiasts. We always order the tea from cafe menus or purchase bottles from vending machines in Japan. From time to time, when we find ourselves craving a cup of milky goodness, I’d make the tea at home.
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What is Royal Milk Tea?
Royal milk tea (ロイヤルミルクティー) was invented by the tea company Lipton in 1965 and quickly took Japan by storm. It captured the hearts of tea enthusiasts and casual consumers alike because of its higher milk ratio compared to other teas. The rich creaminess of the milk weakens the bitter taste of strong tea, thus creating a delicious balance. Now it is a commonplace beverage throughout Japan.
I always get royal Milk tea from Japanese vending machines. My favorite brand is Kocha Kaden (紅茶花伝) and Gogo no Kocha (午後の紅茶). Have you tried them before?
Royal milk tea is also noted for its cooking method because of its similarity to masala chai. Tea leaves are simmered in milk rather than steeped in hot water. This technique produces a richer and creamier brew that distinguishes these two drinks from other traditional teas. The only difference that royal milk tea has from the latter is that it does not include any spices such as cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon that chai might include.
Ingredients You’ll Need for Royal Milk Tea
- Water
- Black tea leaves
- Milk – If you don’t take dairy, you can substitute regular milk with oat milk or soymilk; however, the taste might vary. I don’t recommend almond or coconut milk as they overwhelm the flavor.
- Sugar – I used organic cane sugar, but brown or coconut sugar would work. You can use other sweeteners such as agave, honey, maple, and simple syrup.
How to Make Japanese Royal Milk Tea
- Bring water to a boil.
- Add tea leaves, reduce heat, and cook for 90 seconds to 2 minutes.
- Add milk and slowly bring to a simmer.
- When the tea is about to boil, remove it from the heat.
- Strain it with a tea or fine mesh strainer and pour it into your serving cup.
The Best Tea to Use
I recommend using a robust black tea with a strong flavor as the base for your milk tea. I like to use Assam tea as its full body and malty, spicy character come out beautifully after adding milk and sugar. It also yields a rich color for the tea. Another delicious option is the hearty Ceylon tea.
If you have English breakfast or Irish breakfast at home, you can use them too. They typically consist of a blend of Assam, Ceylon, and Tanzanian black tea.
For lighter-color tea, you can use Darjeeling tea. For a non-caffeinated version, you can use rooibos tea.
I do not recommend non-black teas, such as jasmine or green tea for milk tea.
Recipe Tips and Techniques
- Use a pre-warmed cup to maintain the temperature of the tea.
- Use the teacup you’re using for serving to measure water and milk. This will save you from washing a measuring cup.
- Don’t overcook the tea leaves, as the tea gets bitter.
- Don’t leave the stove once you add the milk. Milk may boil over when you look away.
- When making iced royal milk tea, cook the tea leaves slightly longer so the ice cubes will not dilute the flavor as much.
Turn Your Milk Tea into Boba Tea
If you are a fan of boba milk tea, add tapioca pearls (also known as tapioca balls or boba pearls) to the freshly brewed royal milk tea. It will taste just like your favorite bubble tea!
Storage Tips
You may end up with some leftovers if you make a big batch.
- To store: Keep in the fridge for a day for the best freshness.
- To reheat: Microwave or use a saucepan.
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Royal Milk Tea
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup water (or 1 regular-sized teacup 100% filled; plus more hot water to warm the teacups)
- 3 heaping tsp black tea leaves (about 9 g; use Assam for dark-colored tea and Darjeeling for light-colored tea)
- 1 cup milk (or 1 regular-sized teacup 100% filled)
- sugar (or honey; optional)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. My regular-sized teacups hold approximately 1 cup (240 ml) of liquid each, so I used them to measure my water and milk for this recipe.
- Add 1 cup water to a milk pot or small saucepan. Cover and bring it to a boil on medium-high heat.
- When the water boils, stir in 3 heaping tsp black tea leaves.
- Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 1½ to 2 minutes. If you‘re making iced royal milk tea, boil the leaves slightly longer to make stronger tea that the ice will dilute once served.
- Add 1 cup milk and slowly bring it to just simmering. Meanwhile, add hot water to your serving teacups to keep them nice and hot; drain the water before you serve the tea. Tip: If you already know how much sugar you‘d like to use, you can add it to the pot now to dissolve it before serving.
- When the tea is about to boil, remove it from the heat.
- Drain the hot water from the teacups. Pour the tea through a tea strainer or fine-mesh sieve into your heated teacups. Enjoy!
To Serve
- Serve with sugar or honey to sweeten it to your liking. Enjoy it with some homemade Matcha Cookies, Black Sesame Cookies, or Strawberry Mochi! You can also use it as a base for Boba Tea.
To Store
- I recommend making it fresh, but you can keep the milk tea in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to a day for the best freshness. Microwave or use a saucepan to reheat.
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on March 26, 2014. It was republished with new step-by-step and final images on May 15, 2024.
In Mauritius this is how we also make tea.
Is it similar to the Indian chai also without the spices?
Hi Rebecca, Yes. This is very similar to Indian Chai but without the spices. We hope you enjoy it!
YES! I love milk tea! It’s so easy to make too!
Hi Virginia, We are glad to hear you love milk tea too! We hope you enjoy this recipe.🙂
I made and drank this during colder days… So yummy and comforting!
Hi Olivia, We are glad to hear you enjoyed this Milk Tea! Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback.
I’m obsessed with milk teas and love having this recipe to alternate with other styles! I only have 2% milk at home but the tea still comes out nice and creamy. I used to buy Wakodo brand royal milk tea powder mix from the supermarket but it’s kind of expensive and probably not too healthy =P
Hi Fiona,
We are so glad to hear you enjoyed homemade Royal Milk Tea!
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback.🙂
I just followed the steps and it’s really great clearly I ll get addicted to it
Thank you so much
Hi Emman,
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback!
We are so happy to hear you enjoy Royal Milk Tea!🙂
Hello, I do this recipe quite often and I’m always wondering why is the amount of tea in the 2 cup recipe not double the amount of the 1 cup recipe? I understand the extra water in the 1 cup recipe is just there to compensate for the extra evaporation, so I’m curious 🙂 thank you!
By the way, I’m a french girl who lived 2 years in Japan about 10 years ago and your blog has become my go to recipe book for Japanese recipes! I can read Japanese recipes but often I find they’re not thorough enough for a foreigner. When in a different country average vegetable portions will be different, standard meat cuts will be different (all the meat in the aisles is very lean here), cooking habits learnt from childhood will be different… So if I want to it to taste authentic I need pictures and details about important steps! I love that when I use your recipes I know from the start it’s going to taste just the way it should! Thank you for all your work and recipes!
Oriane
Hi Oriane,
Thank you very much for trying many of Nami’s recipes and for your kind feedback.😊
This 2 cup recipe is adjusting the water amount for the evaporation. If you double the amount of the 1 cup, the tea will not be dark as your 1 cup recipe because you do not need to boil to reduce the water amount.
We hope this helps.
Hi, I love this recipe, may I ask how long is the shelf life of this recipe when stored in refrigerator? Thanks.
Hi Val! It has milk in it so I think it should be consumed sooner… I think maybe 2-3 days?
hi! Thank you for the amazing recipe, I have to say this is the best milk tea recipe with balanced taste between tea and milk!! I’ve been using this recipe ever since with many kind of black tea and it always go so well <3 one question, can I substitute with tea bags and how much tea bags do I need for one cup and two cups?
Hi Emily! Thank you for trying this recipe and I’m so happy you like it! 🙂 I would use 2 bags for one cup? You can always take it out early but you want nice tea flavors (and tea bags tend to be using less quality teas). 🙂
I’ve love this recipe but I’ve had so much trouble getting my water to boil at the specified medium high heat. Even with warm water I microwave, it seems to steam most of the water out before and takes more than 15 minutes so I just use high heat.
Hi Monica! Thank you for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback. I updated the recipe and simply said bring it to boil. 🙂
I love this recipe and make it on rainy days. I’m curious if this could work with dairy alternatives (lactose intolerance) I think oat may work since it tastes the closest to cow milk.
Hi Monica! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Yes, you can use lactose-free milk or oat milk. 🙂
Definitely will try this recipe out! Where did you get that lovely teacup by the way?
Hi Vivi! I hope you enjoy this recipe! This teacup is by Spode Italian Blue (https://amzn.to/2UHDShz).
I’ve been making this for years and I love it. I use tea bags for a quicker easier clean up, plus when I want an iced version I make another batch an hour or more before hand and freeze it in I’ve cube trays so there’s no diluting my tea. I do the same for my soda and other drinks as well. Can’t stand watered down drinks that aren’t plain water.
Hi Birdie! Glad to hear you enjoy this recipe! And yes, that’s a great idea! I do that for coffee sometimes too in the summertime. 🙂
Do you have a favorite brand of Assam or Darjeeling tea leaves that you use?
Hi Lilly! I don’t particularly have a favorite brand…
I made this today with some Toffee tea; black tea with nougat in it. It tasted so rich! perfect for a cold day like today!
Hi Rachel! Wonderful! So happy you enjoyed it. Thank you for your kind feedback. xoxo
Is there any preference on what kind of milk should be used? Should it be whole milk? When I went to Japan, the milk tea was rich — more rich than the way tea with milk tastes in the U.S. So, I don’t know if 1% or 2% will accomplish that same richness. I have whole milk, would that be best? Please let me know, and thank you for sharing this recipe with us! 🙂
Hi Oleander! In Japan, the majority of milk sold in the supermarket is whole milk, so that’s what I recommend. The low or nonfat milk in the US is too watery. 🙂 Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Thank you very much, Nami! I thought so, but I just wanted to make sure. 🙂