Masala Chai Tea- yes I know Chai means tea!- is one of the most popular Indian drinks. This easy warming spice drink is a simple delicious everyday drink but also perfect for when you have a cold.

Ingredients

You will only need a few simple ingredients:

Black tea leaves, black tea bags or black tea powder (dust)
- You will need 3 teabags for 2 cups of tea or 3 teaspoons of black tea leaves or 1.5 teaspoons of black tea dust (it's the strongest.)
Masala Chai Spices: there is some flexibility here but I like to use the following. (Alternatively, you can use my Masala Chai Concentrate to sweeten and spice up your tea.)
- ½ inch fresh Ginger (chopped)
- 1 stick Cinnamon
- 3-4 Green Cardamom
- 2 Cloves: I personally find cloves extremely strong but you can use more if you like
- ½ teaspoon of Black Peppercorns
- Some people add nutmeg, star anise and fennel but I keep my mix simpler.
1 Cup of Milk: I like whole fat milk but you an also use a dairy-free milk. I use a 1:1: ratio for milk and water (but you can change the ratio depending on the thickness of your milk.)
Sweetener: the traditional sweetener is jaggery or palm sugar. A decent substitute would be brown sugar but you can also use honey, or even maple syrup

📖 Variations & Substitutes

Make it dirty by adding coffee
Golden Milk Chai Latte: Add some anti-inflammatory turmeric
Chai Hot Chocolate: a spiced hot chocolate that's perfect for cold weather
Matcha Chai Latte

🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions

Put the spices in a ziplock bag then bash them with a rolling pin to help release the aroma. (You can skip the ziplock bag but it helps to prevent the spices from flying about. Alternatively, if you have a mortar and pestle, you can use that to crush the spices.)
Lightly toast the spices in a dry pan till fragrant, over a low fire.
Add the spices, ginger, black tea, and water to a pot and boil for 3-4 minutes till the liquid turns dark (or to taste. Start with a bit less tea first- you can always add more later and too strong a tea can make the drink bitter. Once the mixture has boiled, lower the heat to medium)
Add the milk AFTER the pot has come to a boil (if not the mixture may curdle) and simmer on medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
You'll know the Masala Chai is ready when you see a layer on top.
Pour through a tea strainer, into mugs (or teapot), and sweeten to taste.

🥡 How to Store

I recommend making the drink fresh before you want to drink it.

However, if you plan on drinking Masala Chai often, you can batch make the spices in advance- simply increase the quantities in the recipe, process in a spice grinder, then store in a dark-colored, airtight container.

You will need slightly more than ¼ teaspoon of the spice mixture per cup of tea.

Expert Tips

Tip #1: You can also pull, locally known in Malaysia & Singapore (where there is a large Indian population) as Tarik, your tea by repeatedly pouring it from a height- this gives the drink a nice frothy top. (Do this 3-5 times, from a height of 1-2 feet- if it's your first time doing so, maybe try from a shorter distance first!)

Tip #2: If feeling posh, add the teeniest pinch of saffron.

Tip #3: Make sure the milk simmers and not boils, as you don't want it to curdle- the milk needs to be heated gently over medium-low heat. Heating it too quickly, even if it doesn't reach a boil, can also curdle it. Boiling milk also destroys some of its nutrients. (Fun fact: milk with more fat is less likely to curdle than lower- fat milk! Think of what happens when you boil cream vs boil milk.)

🥗 Suggested Accompanying Recipes

Enjoyed this easy Masala Chai Tea Recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below! If you REALLY liked this dish, please consider supporting it by buying me a bottle of soy sauce! 🙂 (No obligation though!) Thank you and have a great day!