By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 14, 2026
Serves 2
7 min
Hong Kong Milk Tea
Recipe GLPR21302ab18e0846
A rich and velvety Hong Kong-style milk tea that combines strong brewed black tea with creamy evaporated milk and sweetener. This beloved beverage is characterized by its smooth texture and comforting warmth, traditionally served as a refreshing accompaniment to dim sum or as an afternoon pick-me-up.
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Ingredients
3 cups water
5 black tea bags, such as English Breakfast
1/4 cup evaporated milk, plus more as needed
Granulated sugar, to taste
Directions
Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a kettle or pot over high heat.
Place the 5 black tea bags into a teapot or brewing vessel and pour the boiling water over them.
Let the tea steep for 3 to 4 minutes until the liquid becomes dark and rich in flavor.
Remove the tea bags by lifting them out with a spoon or strainer.
Pour the hot brewed tea into two serving cups, filling each about three-quarters full.
Add 2 tablespoons of evaporated milk to each cup, stirring gently to blend the milk with the hot tea until the mixture becomes creamy and light in color.
Sweeten each cup with granulated sugar to your taste preference, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely.
Serve immediately and enjoy while hot, adding additional evaporated milk if you prefer a creamier texture.
Comments
Every ingredient is a staple at every Charlotte supermarket, and evaporated milk and black tea are genuinely cheap. The stated seven minutes is honest—boil water, steep tea, strain, mix with milk and sugar—and there's no real prep work hiding in that count. This is a forgiving drink that scales easily and reheats fine, making it a solid weeknight win. The only minor drawback is that the quality rests entirely on tea selection, and the best black teas for this (strong, malty varieties) may require you to pick deliberately rather than grab whatever's nearest.
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