The McDonald's Hack For DIY Milk Tea

If you're looking to satisfy a craving for milk tea, the first thing you probably think to do is head to the nearest boba shop. Though the term "milk tea" can technically be used to describe any sort of tea that has milk in it, it commonly refers to the beverage served at bubble tea shops. This type of milk tea is usually made with black tea, sweetener, and milk — typically condensed milk, and evaporated milk. Boba is often added to it, but people also drink it on its own.

While milk tea can be pretty expensive at bubble tea cafes, you can get it for about a dollar at McDonald's. Instead of ordering milk tea however, you'll have to ask for a sweet tea and some coffee creamer. Most people recommend a ratio of five coffee creamers to one large sweet tea, though some say you only need two. However, the ratio of milk to tea alone isn't what makes this McDonald's hack taste like milk tea.

Ever wonder why the milk tea at boba shops tastes different from the iced tea lattes you get everywhere else? One reason is that it tends to be much sweeter, due to the condensed milk, which contains nearly 50% sugar. While the McDonald's milk tea hack instead calls for a coffee creamer made with light cream and milk, the tea itself provides plenty of sweetness thanks to the high amount of added sugar. Combined with the coffee creamer, it results in a sweetness comparable to milk tea.

A much more notable similarity between boba shop milk tea and McDonald's milk tea is actually the tea blend that's used. Hong Kong-style milk tea — one of the most common types of milk tea — gets its signature flavor from a combination of orange pekoe tea (usually Ceylon brand) and regular black tea. Most people know that McDonald's sweet tea is made with black tea, however according to the ingredients list shared on the McDonald's website, it also contains orange pekoe, just like Hong Kong style milk tea.

Whether you order through the app or in person, ordering milk tea at McDonald's is already fairly easy because all you need to do is ask for creamer. At McDonald's locations in Asia however, it's even easier because milk tea is already on the menu. The good news is, customers outside of Asia aren't missing out on much because according to the McDonald's Hong Kong website, the milk tea, much like sweet tea sold in McDonald's U.S., is made with "100% Ceylon tea" which more than likely means the Ceylon brand orange pekoe tea that is a staple of Hong Kong style milk tea.

For a limited time in 2021, McDonald's Japan, Malaysia, and Brunei even had a boba McFlurry that apparently tasted like the tea drink in dessert form. The menu item never ended up making it to the U.S., but American McDonald's customers on TikTok suggest dunking a vanilla soft serve in a large sweet tea for an even sweeter milk tea hack.