This Thai Iced Coffee is the coffee recipe you never knew you needed, but won’t be able to live without! A must for summer, it’s refreshing and creamy, and sweetened with maple syrup instead of heavy condensed milk.
I survive on coffee. Funny thing is, I use to HATE coffee, but now the flavor of it brings me comfort and almost makes me relax a little. (I know, that’s the opposite of what it’s supposed to do, right?) A few years ago, I discovered Thai iced coffee when our cute local coffee shop was running it as a special. Once I tried this deliciousness, I got everyone else around me addicted too!
Why This Thai Iced Coffee Will Brighten Your Day
Okay, the caffeine definitely helps with the whole brightening your day thing. But that’s not all! Here’s why you’re going to love this recipe.
- A new way to get your coffee fix. Thai iced coffee is a strong coffee with notes of cardamom balanced with a creamy, sweet milk mixture, all served over ice for a refreshing sip.
- Lighter—and no dairy either. Thai iced coffee is usually made with sugary sweet condensed milk and evaporated milk. If you’re vegan, lactose intolerant, or avoid dairy for any other reason, that can make it a no-go. So I use coconut milk! Sweetening with maple syrup also makes it lighter.
- And yes, there’s the caffeine. Normally Thai iced coffee is made with espresso shots or a cup of coffee that is brewed with less water so it’s stronger in flavor. In this recipe, I used cold brew, which is also strong because it sits overnight with the grounds. (For more recipes with a caffeine boost, try my Espresso Cashew Clusters and Espresso Martini!)
What You’ll Need
A lot of the ingredients you need are probably spices you already have in your pantry! Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- Water – Filtered water is best.
- Coarse ground coffee – I used a medium roast or dark roast.
- Cinnamon stick – For extra cozy flavor!
Thai Cardamom Vanilla Coconut Milk:
- Coconut milk – Full-fat is a total must. Lite coconut milk just won’t give you the same level of creaminess.
- Maple syrup – Maple doesn’t only add sweetness, but also a lovely flavor to the iced coffee!
- Vanilla extract and almond extract – This duo makes sugar cookies delicious (really!) and you’ll love it in iced coffee too. Almond extract has the most amazing cherry-like flavor.
- Spices – Ground nutmeg, cardamom, and cloves.
How to Make Thai Iced Coffee
The full instructions are below, but you’ll find a quick overview on how to make Thai iced coffee here.
- Make the cold brew. Add the water, coffee grounds, and cinnamon stick to a large pitcher and refrigerate overnight.
- Make the sweet coconut milk. Whisk the coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, almond extract, cardamom, nutmeg, and cloves in a saucepan and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool.
- Serve. Strain the coffee and pour it over ice with the coconut milk.
Tips and Variations
Whether you want to switch things up or just perfect your technique, these tips will help.
- Strain the coffee well. The cold brew will have grounds in it, so be sure to strain well. You can line a strainer with a coffee filter and pour it through that; it can take a while for the coffee to filter through, but you can be assured there will be no grounds!
- Experiment with spices. Feel free to adjust the spices in the coconut milk mixture to suit your taste. Chai spices would be delicious too, especially if you love an Iced Chai Tea Latte!
- Use coffee ice cubes. Freeze some of your brewed coffee in an ice tray to prevent your drink from becoming diluted as the ice melts.
- Blend it for a frappe. For a thicker, frothy treat, blend the iced coffee and coconut milk with ice to make an easy homemade frappe.
How to Store
- Refrigerator: Store the cold brew coffee and coconut creamer in airtight containers for up to 1 week.
- Freezer: Freeze the coconut milk mixture in ice cube trays and use them within 3 months.
More Recipes for Coffee Lovers
Thai Iced Coffee
- Prep Time: 24 hours
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 24 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Coffee
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: Asian
Description
This easy Thai Iced Coffee recipe is refreshing and creamy, and sweetened with maple syrup instead of condensed milk so it’s lighter too!
Ingredients
- 8 cups water
- 2 cups coarse ground coffee
- 1 cinnamon stick
Thai Cardamom Vanilla Coconut Milk:
- 14 oz can full fat coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/8 teaspoon ground clove
Instructions
- To a large gallon pitcher add coarse coffee grounds, water and a cinnamon stick.
- Cover and refrigerator overnight.
Cardamom Vanilla Coconut Milk:
- To a small saucepan add coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, almond extract, cardamom, nutmeg, and clove. Whisk to combine.
- Bring mixture to a slow simmer and simmer for 20 minutes, whisking occasionally.
- You want the mixture to thicken or reduce a little bit. Once it has done so, remove coconut milk mixture from stove and cool.
Serve Iced Coffee over ice with Thai Vanilla Cardamom Coconut Milk.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8 oz + creamer
2 comments on “Thai Iced Coffee”
This recipe was not for me. I love coffee and make my own iced coffee daily, so I was excited to try this one. I followed the directions and achieved a nice thick creamy creamer, but it doesn’t taste like anything. It’s kind of sweet but that’s it. Maybe my tastes are too American.
haha… too american. LOVED that. This recipe should be coffee forward for sure with a subtle hint of sweet and coconut. Better luck next time! Cheers to caffeine lovers! 🙂