Oolong Milk Tea Recipe (Hot or Iced)
This post may contain affiliate links.Oolong Milk Tea is a popular drink from China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, known for its rich, toasty flavor and silky milk finish. This creamy tea has become a worldwide favorite through the bubble tea craze. It’s smooth, lightly sweet, and refreshing—perfect to enjoy warm or iced.
A Quick Look at the Recipe
🏷️ Recipe Name: Oolong Milk Tea
⏱️ Ready In: ~ 15 minutes
🍽️ Serves: 2 glasses
🔥 Calories: 105 kcal per serving (estimate)
🧾 Main Ingredients: Oolong tea leaves, water, palm sugar, heavy cream, milk.
🥗 Dietary Info: Gluten free
🧠 Difficulty: Very easy.
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If you’re a milk tea lover, Oolong milk tea deserves a spot on your must-try list. It’s made with fragrant oolong tea leaves, known for their roasted and slightly floral aroma that sits beautifully between green and black tea. When blended with milk, it becomes creamy, smooth, and deeply comforting. It’s the kind of drink that instantly lifts your mood.
Unlike the typical honey oolong milk tea, this version uses palm sugar, which adds a warm, caramel-like sweetness that complements oolong’s toasty flavor. It’s delicious on its own, but if you’re in the mood for bubble tea, you can add chewy pearls by following my how to cook tapioca pearls guide for the perfect texture every time.
If you enjoy this drink, you might also love some of my other milk tea recipes. Try rose milk tea for a delicate floral twist, Assam milk tea for a bold and malty flavor, or Earl Grey milk tea with its signature citrusy aroma. For something completely different, the colorful butterfly pea latte is a soothing, naturally caffeine-free drink. Each tea has its own personality, and this oolong milk tea brings the perfect balance of creamy milk and gently roasted tea flavor.
You can also explore more flavors in my Asian drink recipes collection, where I share herbal teas, milk teas, and refreshing traditional beverages from across Asia.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Recipe Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
Oolong tea leaves – Choose good-quality oolong tea leaves for the best flavor. Loose leaf oolong always tastes fresher and more fragrant than tea bags, giving the drink that signature roasted aroma and depth.
Palm sugar – Palm sugar adds a beautiful, earthy sweetness that pairs wonderfully with the toasty oolong base. Adjust the amount to your desired sweetness. When melted into the tea, it gives a warm, caramel-like flavor that honey or white sugar can’t replicate.
Tapioca pearls – You can use either brown or white tapioca pearls. Brown pearls usually contain palm sugar, giving them a richer taste, while white pearls are neutral and take on the syrup you soak them in.
Heavy cream – Heavy cream creates a velvety, café-style texture. If you prefer something lighter, you can substitute it with whole milk or any milk of your choice, such as oat, almond, or soy milk.
How to Make Oolong Milk Tea
STEP 1. Put 3 tablespoons of oolong tea leaves in a pot with a strainer. Pour in 300–400 ml of hot water (around 85–97°C). Cover with a lid and let it steep for 3–5 minutes until the tea releases its beautiful roasted aroma (Images 1, 2).
Cook the tapioca pearls until almost translucent, then soak them in sugar water before using (Images 3, 4). This keeps them chewy and slightly sweet. You can find the detailed method in my How to Cook Tapioca Pearls post.
STEP 2. Pour some of the brewed tea into a serving glass. Add palm sugar (or honey, if you prefer) and stir well until dissolved. Pour in whipping cream and/or fresh milk, then stir again to combine (Images 5, 6).
Add the cooked tapioca pearls to the bottom of the glass. Dust a pinch of Ceylon cinnamon powder on top for a light, aromatic finish (Images 7, 8).
Pro Tips
- Reuse the tea leaves. Don’t toss them after one brew! Good-quality oolong leaves can be re-steeped up to two more times, and the flavor actually becomes smoother with each brew.
- Keep a separate pot for brewing. When making milk tea, pour some of the brewed tea into another pot or cup before mixing with milk. This helps prevent contaminating your remaining tea leaves.
- Choose loose leaf oolong. Loose leaf tea gives a more fragrant, full-bodied flavor compared to tea bags. If possible, go for a good-quality loose leaf oolong.
- Adjust the creaminess. For a lighter version, use fresh milk or evaporated milk instead of whipping cream. Both give a smooth texture without feeling too heavy.
- Sweeten it your way. Honey, molasses, palm sugar, coconut sugar, or brown sugar all work beautifully. Palm sugar gives a gentle caramel-like note that pairs especially well with oolong.
- Add a pinch of salt. Just a tiny pinch can balance the sweetness and bring out the tea’s natural flavor.
- Finish with toppings. A sprinkle of ground cinnamon adds warmth and aroma. You can also top it with milk foam or even whipped cream for a café-style touch.
Serving Suggestions
This classic tea makes a wonderful drink to enjoy after your favorite Chinese-style dishes like egg foo young, eggplant stir fry with ground pork, Szechuan tofu pork, fried wontons, or shrimp omelette. The creamy, roasted flavor of oolong tea balances savory meals beautifully.
It also pairs perfectly with desserts and baked treats such as steamed lemon cake, cat tongue cookies, Dutch butter cake, or pandan chiffon cake. Whether you’re having it hot or iced, this tea brings a cozy, aromatic finish to any meal or teatime moment.
Oolong Milk Tea FAQs
Oolong tea stands out because of its oxidation level, which sits between green and black tea. Depending on how long it’s oxidized, it can taste light and floral like green tea or bold and toasty like black tea.
Yes, there is caffeine in Oolong tea, even though it is not as much as in coffee. Oolong tea contains 10 to 60 milligrams (mg) per 8-ounce cup.
Citrus fruits like lemon, orange, grapefruit, strawberries, and blueberries pair beautifully with oolong milk tea. It also goes perfectly with light Asian desserts or buttery cookies.
Yes, you can, but loose leaf oolong gives a much deeper and more fragrant flavor. If using tea bags, choose high-quality ones and use two per serving for a stronger brew.
Absolutely! It’s just as delicious without boba. You can add grass jelly, aloe vera cubes, or leave it plain for a lighter milk tea experience.
Storage
Oolong Milk Tea:
Keep leftover milk tea in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 2 days. Shake well before serving, as the milk and tea may separate.
Tapioca Pearls:
Best enjoyed fresh, but you can keep them in warm sugar syrup at room temperature for up to 4 hours. Avoid refrigerating or they’ll turn hard.
Tea Leaves:
You can rebrew the same oolong leaves once or twice within the same day for a lighter flavor.
Creamy Honey Oolong Milk Tea
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp oolong tea leaves
- 400 ml water
- 2 tsp palm sugar
- 50 ml whipping cream
- 20 ml milk
Instructions
- Boil 400 ml water. Wait until it cools down a little to 93 degrees Celcius.
- Put the tea leaves into a pot with a strainer.
- Pour the water into the pot. Let it steep for 3-5 minutes.
- Pour the tea into a different pot. You can use the tea leaves again for multiple brewing.
- If you want to use tapioca pearl, you can boil it until it becomes transparent.
- Drain the water, soak the tapioca pearls in a sugary water for a while.
- Put the tapioca pearls at the bottom of the glass.
- Pour the tea. Put 1-2 tsp palm sugar. Stir well.
- Pour the whipping cream and milk. Stir well.
- Sieve a pinch of cinnamon ground on top. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Keep the tea leaves for later brew. If you like it, you can brew it up to 2 more times.
- You’d better keep a different pot for brewing. Take some of the tea to make oolong milk tea. This is to prevent contamination of the tea leaves.
- Loose leaf tea tastes much better than tea in teabags, so try to get the tea leaves.
- If you like it less creamy, you can choose evaporated milk instead of whipping cream. Or the best thing is choose fresh milk.
- You can add additional topping like cinnamon ground on top.
- For sweetener the best choice is honey, followed by molasses, organic palm sugar, coconut sugar, or brown sugar.
- Some people add a pinch of salt to balance the sweetness. Try it out!
This Oolong milk tea with tapioca pearls recipe is just like the one you get in boba stores! Love it to the max!