Japanese royal milk tea (ロイヤル・ミルクティー) is creamy, rich, and full-bodied in flavour, with a beautiful, lightly floral aroma. On a hot day, chilled royal milk tea is so delightfully refreshing. Drinking it steamy and hot is wonderful, as well. I will show you how to make both versions.
A pleasant surprise for visitors to Japan is discovering the amazing selection of drinks you can find in its many cafes and shops. Even the vending machines have a huge variety of high quality, tasty beverages. One of my favourites was always royal milk tea. My after school snack would often consist of メロンパン and a cold glass of this tea.
What is royal milk tea?
Lipton brand created Royal milk tea in 1965, Japan, as part of their promotional series, "royal recipes." It was widely accepted in Japan; and now its popularity has spread around the globe.
It is made of a blend of black tea, milk, and sweetener. The strong tea and fresh milk combine to create a deliciously rich, creamy, and malty flavour, made a touch sweet with the addition of the sweetener. It is absolutely decadent.
This delicate, black tea beverage differs from regular tea because it is made by boiling tea leaves together with milk on a stovetop (similar to a chai tea but with less spices). Also, it has a higher percentage of milk than water, resulting in a well-balanced, creamier tea.
Best kind of tea leaves to use in royal milk tea
There are a few different kinds of black tea that can be used:
- ダージリン (インド) - 色は薄く、フローラルな香り
- アッサム (インド) - 色は濃く、豊かな風味でモルティなフレーバー
- セイロンウバ (スリランカ) - 琥珀色でコクのある味わい
My flavour standard is the delicious Kirin afternoon milk tea, an incredibly popular beverage in Japan. So I use a blend of 75% Darjeeling for the light colour and delicate floral scent, and 25% Assam for a bit of depth and robustness.
材料
- Black tea leaves - I use a blend of darjeeling and assam. I recommend buying loose tea leaves as you are most likely going to get a better quality than you would from a tea bag. Therefore, your result will be more like the high quality royal milk tea served in cafes in Japan.
- Milk - 2% or whole milk is best. Or substitute with unsweetened oat milk for a dairy-free option.
- 水
- Gum syrup or honey - You can use the sweetener of your choice. However, try to use a neutral flavoured one so that you don't affect the flavour of the tea.
それぞれの分量については下のレシピカードをご確認ください。
作り方
First you have to open the tea leaves to extract the most flavour. Put the tea leaves into a small bowl and add just enough boiling water to evenly coat the them.
In the meantime, heat the milk and water in a small saucepan.
Just before the milk/water begins to boil, add in the moistened tea leaves and turn off the heat. Stir them with a spoon to mix them in.
Then cover the pot and let it sit for 4 minutes for hot tea, or 5 minutes for iced.
If you will drink the tea hot, prepare your teacups by filling them with hot water to warm them.
After the steeping is finished, give it another stir, then strain the milk tea into a bowl or measuring cup with a pour spout.
Sweeten it to your taste with the sweetener of your choice. In Japan they often use liquid sugar called gum syrup. You can use sugar if you'd like, but I used honey.
For hot - remove the hot water from the teacups and pour in your tea. It is ready to enjoy hot.
For iced - cool the bowl in the refrigerator before serving the tea in an ice-filled glass.
代用
牛乳 - To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute the milk with unsweetened oat milk.
Gum syrup - In Japan, a liquid sugar called 'gum syrup' is usually used to sweeten royal milk tea. I used honey instead. You can substitute with the sweetener of your choice.
保存
和風ロイヤルミルクティーは密閉容器に入れて冷蔵庫で2～3日保存できます が、 作ったその日にいただくのが一番美味しいです。
FAQ
Yes, royal milk tea is made from black tea leaves that do contain caffeine.
📖 レシピ
和風ロイヤルミルクティー
- 準備: 1分
- 調理: 4分
- 合計時間: 5分
- 分量: 2人分
- 分類: 紅茶
- 国: 日本
説明
Japanese royal milk tea is creamy, rich, and full-bodied in flavour, with a beautiful, lightly floral aroma. You can enjoy this famous Japanese tea both hot and iced.
材料
2人分の量（1人分については美味しく作るコツをご確認ください。注：半分ではありません。）
1 ½ 小さじ (山盛り) x ダージリンティー茶葉
½ 小さじ (山盛り) x アッサムティー茶葉
300 ml 牛乳
100 ml 水
ガムシロップ（もしくはハチミツ）お好みで
作り方
小さなボウルに茶葉を量って入れます。茶葉が完全に浸るくらいの量の熱湯を注ぎます。茶葉が開いてきます。
(Hot version: preheat tea cups by filling with hot water.)
小さなお鍋に牛乳と水を入れて中温で温めます。沸騰する直前に、熱湯に浸していた茶葉を加え、火から下ろします。スプーンでかき混ぜます。
お鍋に蓋をします。ホットでいただく場合は4分、冷たくしていただく場合は5分蒸らします。
Give it another stir, then strain the milk tea into a bowl or measuring cup that has an easy pour spout. Sweeten the tea to your taste preference.
Hot version: Empty hot water from tea cups and fill with prepared royal milk tea.
アイスの場合：冷蔵庫で十分に冷やし、氷の上から注ぎます。
美味しく作るコツ
1人分の分量 1 ½ 小さじ (山盛り) 紅茶の茶葉 (75％ ダージリン、25％ アッサム) - 150ml 牛乳 - 75ml 水
栄養素
- 1食あたり:
- カロリー: 110
- 糖質: 16.5 g
- 塩分: 133.5 mg
- 脂質: 3.1 g
- 炭水化物: 16.1 g
- タンパク質: 5.2 g
- コレステロール: 12.5 mg
キーワード: 和風の紅茶、ロイヤルミルクティー
Kayla says
I'm obsessed with Japanese milk tea! But it's expensive at import stores. Thanks for showing how to make it at home 😀
アシャ says
I know! I needed a solution too 🙂
Trish says
This is great
アシャ says
Thanks!
Erin says
Great, easy-to-follow recipe
アシャ says
Thank you
Erica Lee says
Beautiful
アシャ says
Thanks Erica, appreciate it.
Sarah says
Delicious tea recipe!
アシャ says
Thank you 🙂
Carmen says
Can't wait to make this! 😀
アシャ says
Love it 🙂
Sophia says
Delicious and soooo good on as ice tea.
アシャ says
Thank you!
Tara says
Really enjoying this tea. Comforting.
アシャ says
Thank you 🙂
Oriana says
A friend and I made this. First time we tried Japanese milk tea. Loved it.
アシャ says
Thanks so much!
Deka says
My daughter made this for me today. Ice tea which I never tried before. So smooth and tasty.
アシャ says
So glad you liked it. Thank you
Shawna says
Thank you for sharing this. Such a delightful drink for a hot day. Will try it hot in the winter.
アシャ says
Thanks for the review!
Marsha says
Not much one for writing reviews however I have been enjoying this tea most of the summer. It's such a great tea to sit and relax with that I just wanted to thank you for the recipe.
アシャ says
Awe, thank you for going out of your way and writing one in this case. That made me very happy to read.
Esther says
I enjoy this tea very much. So relaxing after work or in the quiet of the weekend mornings.
アシャ says
Thank you. So glad you enjoy it.
Mai says
I enjoyed the first cup of Japanese milk tea this morning. So relaxing.
アシャ says
Thank you, so happy you enjoyed it.
Lana says
So good. Enjoying a cup as I type this. Very relaxing during these crazy times.
アシャ says
Thank you Lana. Appreciating the little things makes times like these easier to handle.
Nathan says
So enjoyed this tea. Thanks for sharing.
アシャ says
Thank you for the kind review 🙂
Megan says
Savoring this milk tea. Dreamy.
アシャ says
Thank you!
Evelyn says
My first time having this tea. A perfect relaxing drink as we jump or crawl into a new year. lol
I may need to have this tea every night.
アシャ says
Thank you, so glad you're enjoying it 🙂
Chelsea says
I find this tea so relaxing. Enjoying it with biscuits and jam. My happy place.
アシャ says
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoy it 🙂
Nicole says
My new fav. Cannot wait for friends to come for tea.
アシャ says
Thank you! 🙂
Candice says
Oh my goodness. This tea does taste like it is for royality. First time I ever tried it.
アシャ says
Thank you. It's a beautiful tea for sure. Glad you enjoyed it!
Whitney says
Enjoying my first cup of royal milk tea in my new home office. So glad I found your recipe. Thanks.
アシャ says
Thanks! Congrats on the new home office. I hope this tea made it feel extra cozy 🙂
Cindy says
Great tasting tea. Makes a cold day more enjoyable.
アシャ says
Thank you Cindy. Hope today is a bit warmer for you!
Lena says
Relaxing with a cup of this Japanese royal milk tea before bed. Wanted to let you know how wonderful it tastes.
アシャ says
Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Theresa says
Great flavor to this tea. Thanks.
アシャ says
Thanks for the kind review 🙂
Paula says
Thank you for this. Loving how this tea tastes.
アシャ says
Thanks for the review ❤️
Wanda says
I used the same blend you used in your recipe and found it very enjoyable as a hot drink.
Definitely going on my 'favorites' list.
アシャ says
That's great, thanks for sharing 🙂
Becky says
I am enjoying a cup of this tea right now. A great way to relax at the end of a long day.
アシャ says
Thank you. That sounds lovely 🙂
Nicole says
I searched for this tea on some Japanese menus at restaurants in my city. Most had a milk tea but not this combination to make royal milk tea.. Thanks for post. I truly love drinking this.
アシャ says
Thank you, I'm so glad you're enjoying it 🙂
Tammi says
I truly enjoy this tea. It seems the perfect pick me up.
アシャ says
Thank you 🙂 I agree!
Belinda says
Loving this tea.
アシャ says
Thank you!
Bill says
Wanda please come back I miss the kids I haven't seen them in ages, I'll even make you this Japanese milk tea you like so much.
Bill says
Wanda please come back I miss the kids I haven't seen them in ages, I'll even make you this Japanese milk tea you like so much.
Dirk says
Very good recipe. No more regular milk tea for me. I had no Darjeeling but it tastes fine with just Assam as well. This is the first out of similar recipes that I actually managed not to burn the milk. First I was afraid that the temperature was not hot enough but it turned out just perfect. The only problem for me was that the serving size for one is too small for me. So next time I will use the amount for two servings.
アシャ says
Thank you, Dirk! I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe 🙂
Bernice says
Thank you for this very useful milk tea post. Milk tea is so delicious and it really highlights the beautiful flavour of the tea you have blended. I tried it hot, now I'm making another batch to enjoy cold in the afternoon.
アシャ says
Thank you so much! I really appreciate it.
Colleen says
I had Royal Milk tea on a trip to Japan and have never forgotten it. Now I can make it! Thank you for sharing.
アシャ says
Thank you! It has a very special taste indeed.
nancy says
one of my favourite drinks to order and buy. thank you ! now i can enjoy this at home!
アシャ says
Thank you for the review 🙂
Vanessa says
I love tea! This was such a lovely way to prepare it. I definitely will be making the iced version on repeat as the weather heats up.
アシャ says
Thank you, I will be doing the same thing 😀
Terri says
I cannot wait to try this when we go to Japan! But in the meantime, thanks for this recipe, I'll be making it at home!
アシャ says
Thank you Terri, I hope you have an amazing time there!