Is there anything better than spiced, fragrant and warming masala chai? I love a cup any time! Learn how to make authentic indian masala chai with this easy 4-step recipe. Steeped in tradition and infused with aromatic spices, every sip will transport you to India!
I. I am sharing with you how to make strong masala chai, also known as "kadak chai," renowned for its bold flavor and unwavering consistency.
Chai isn't just a drink for us Indians-it's warmth, connection, and tradition. Brewing a pot at sunrise is my soothing ritual.One cup is never enough. Afternoons call for another round, weekends demand chai with breakfast, and if guests drop by, it's a must with snacks I serve. Binge-watching? Chai is non-negotiable. As you can guess, my day revolves around it.
What is Chai?
In Hindi, "chai" means "tea". In India, chai is a sweet, spiced hot drink brewed with black tea, water, and milk. Chai always has milk-street vendors prefer whole milk, but I use 2%. It mellows the tea's strength and balances the spices.
I love ginger (adrak) and cardamom (elaichi) in my chai which is a classic combo in most indian homes. Masala chai includes more number of spices.
On days when I crave extra warmth, I settle for masala chai. At my grandmother's home, we brewed chai with tulsi (holy basil).
Difference between Chai Masala and Masala Chai
Yes, the order of those two words changes it all!
In Hindi, Masala = whole spices or blend of spices
Chai masala or tea masala is the spice blend used for making chai. You simply crush the whole spices and your chai masala is ready to use. I use chai masala when making chai flavored desserts such as masala chai ice cream, masala chai tres leches cake,chai mug cake and masala chai tiramisu.
Masala chai simply means chai prepared using masala (whole spices or spice blend).
Why You Need A Recipe
I thought long and hard before putting a masala chai recipe out here. Chai is something I can probably make in my sleep. For a good part of my life, I have measured ingredients from the heart and managed a satisfying cuppa.
However, I realized that having a precise recipe helps me replicate that perfect cup every time and I want to share it with you. Here's is why I love this recipe .
- Consistent Taste - The biggest surprise during my chai testing was its consistency. Despite changing tea brands and spices, the flavor remained reliably the same. With this recipe, you can recreate the same delicious taste and aroma every time.
- Customizability - This is a slight deviation from what I wrote above. ChatGPT said:
- This chai recipe gives you full control over the ingredients. Adjust the tea, spices, milk, and sweetener to suit your taste-use fewer tea leaves for a milder flavor, skip cloves if you prefer, or add more milk or half-and-half for a creamier chai
- I have broken down my recipe into 4 easy steps and noted precise time for each step. Stick to these times and make a perfect cup each time.
- I've adjusted the recipe to accommodate different tea cup sizes. If you use large cups (like coffee mugs), you'll get 2 servings. But if you prefer smaller tea cups (as depicted in the pictures), you'll get 3 servings.
Which Kind of Tea Leaves to Use For Chai
Tea leaves or "chai patti" (patti means leaves in Hindi) are the soul of masala chai. They contribute to the body, color and aroma of chai. For making masala chai, black tea leaves are must.
My picks for brand of black tea are Tata Gold, Wagh Bakri, and Taj Mahal. You can find them in indian grocery stores as well as online .Experiment with different brands to find your favorite. You can even mix 1-2 brands in a jar to make your own personalized chai blend. Give it a try!
- I also want to note that is that you will find a lot of flavored black tea in indian stores. I personally, always purchase unflavored tea leaves and prefer to add my own spices & flavors to it. If you wish, try flavored black tea and see how you like the taste.
- Another term that you would often read on Indian tea labels is CTC. CTC on labels means "crush, tear, curl", and refers to how black tea leaves are processed. CTC teas are more astringent & robust as compared to orthodox tea leaves.
- You will often notice the term"orange pekoe" on indian black tea packages. "Orange pekoe" refers to leaf grading, not flavor. So rest assured your masala chai will not taste citrusy.
- If you can't find Indian brand tea, any strong unflavored black tea works.
Chai Ingredients
- Loose Black Tea - I prefer using loose black tea, however black tea bags work just fine! Read above section for more of my notes.
- Milk - I typically use 2% skimmed milk, but any milk in your fridge will do-raw, toned, homogenized, half and half, or even evaporated milk. Adjust the quantity to your preference for creaminess, remembering that too much can dilute the tea's flavor. I usually go for a 1:2 ratio of milk to water for one serving of chai. While milk foam isn't traditional in Indian chai, feel free to add it if you like.
- Sugar - I love using jaggery in my chai, however since it is an uncommon sweetner, I have develped my chai recipe using granulated sugar. Cane sugar, raw sugar, brown sugar, jaggery powder(see recipe notes on which stage to add it) all will work great to sweeten your chai.
- Ginger - A must in my chai! Use fresh ginger and pound it coarsely using mortar-pestle or finely chop it. Don't grate ginger, it will make your chai bitter. Ground dried ginger has a different flavor profile and isnt 1:1 substitute. If you cannot find fresh ginger, add 2-3 pinches of ground ginger(a little goes a long way).
- Whole Spices I use green cardamom, black peppercorns, clove and cinnamon(see my notes below).Feel free to skip any spices you don't have or like. If you only have ground spices, check out my chai masala recipe and add ¼ teaspoon while brewing your chai.
| Green Cardamom | My favorite spice in chai! Pop the green cardamom pod open and add to boiling water. |
| Black Peppercorn | Adds a peppery after taste in chai. If you wish, you could coarsely crush for pronounced flavor. |
| Clove & Cinnamon | These two have quite strong flavor and you need a very tiny amount else they will get overpowering in your chai. |
| Fennel Seeds, Mace Or Star Anise | I do not use, however these spices add unique notes, if you are fond of them. |
How To Make Masala Chai In 4 Steps
Infusion
- Take the milk out of the fridge, measure it, and let it sit at room temperature. Gather all other ingredients.
- In a high-walled stainless steel saucepot, bring filtered water to a rolling boil over high heat.
- Add whole spices and ginger, then boil for 1-2 minutes to infuse their aroma and flavor. Set a timer for precision.
Tip - Do not use grated ginger and don't add it to cold water, it will make your chai bitter.
Blooming
- Once the spices have infused, add the loose black tea leaves(or tea bags) and sugar. As the tea leaves bloom and release their color and flavor into water, sugar will boil and caramelize as well. This process will bring forward the color of your chai. If you add sugar later, it thins out the milk, and hence your chai. Let the tea leaves bloom for good 1-2 minutes on medium high flame.
- Once the water is deep dark brown color, pour in the milk. Using a wooden or a silicone spoon, stir the chai 1-2 times. Right after you add milk, the color of chai will be light brown and the flavor will quite mellow. We need to brew the chai now.
First Boil
- Stand nearby and watch closely as the chai reaches a rolling boil on high heat, about 2-3 minutes. Be cautious as it might boil over This initial stage, known as the first boil, transitions into the final brewing or simmering of the tea leaves and milk together. After the first boil, the color and flavor of the chai are still relatively light and mild, so further brewing is needed for a stronger tea.
Stir & Aerate
- After the initial boil, lower the flame to medium and stir the chai continuously for 2-3 minutes. Stirring makes for a smooth & thickish chai. During this time,optionally, you could use a ladle to aerate the chai - this makes for a chai with creamier and lighter texture.
- Once masala chai is ready, it will have a darker color. Immediately, strain the chai using a tea strainer into tea cups and serve rightaway. If you notice a thin film on top of chai, mix it back using a spoon. You can serve chai with tea biscuits, cookies or just about anything!
Recipe Tips
- After adding tea leaves, avoid boiling the chai for more than 5-7 minutes to prevent excessive release of tannin and caffeine, which would result in a stronger, darker, and slightly bitter chai.
- To sweeten with jaggery, add it to your serving cup, strain the chai, and mix to dissolve. Boiling jaggery with milk can cause curdling.
- While dairy milk is traditional for indian chai, plant-based options like oat milk work well too.
Bold Indian-Style Masala Chai (Spiced Milk Tea)
Ingredients
- 1 + ¾ cup water
- ½ teaspoon fresh ginger (½ inch), finely chopped or crushed (don't grate)
- 2.5 - 3 teaspoon loose black tea leaves or use 3-4 tea bags
- 2+½ teaspoon sugar adjust quantity to taste
- 1 cup milk I use 2%, whole milk is fine too
Whole Spices
- 2 green cardamom pod or ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 clove pinch of ground cloves
- 3-4 black peppercorn or ¼ teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 2-3 g cinnamom stick (small piece) or two pinches of ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Take milk out of the refrigerator, measure it and let stand on kitchen counter. Gather all other ingredients for making chai.
- In a sauce pot(use a high-walled saucepot to prevent chai from boiling over). Stainless steel pots are traditionally used for making chai in India.Add filtered water and bring to a rolling boil on high flame.
- Once the water is boiling, add the whole spices and ginger to it. Let boil for 1-2 minutes to let aroma and flavor of spices to infuse. You can set a timer for precision.
- After the spices have infused, add the loose black tea leaves(or throw in the tea bags) and sugar. Let the tea leaves bloom for good 2-3 minutes on medium high flame.
- Once the water looks a vibrant dark brown color, pour in the milk. Using a wooden or a silicone spoon, stir the chai 1-2 times. Right after you add milk, the color of chai will be light brown and the flavor is quite mellow. We need to brew the chai now.
- Stand nearby and watch closely as the chai reaches a rolling boil on high heat, about 2-3 minutes. Be cautious as it might boil over. After the first boil, the color and flavor of the chai are still relatively light and mild, so further brewing is needed for a stronger tea.
- After the initial boil, lower the flame to medium and stir the chai continuously for 2-3 minutes. During this time,optionally, you could use a ladle to aerate the chai - this makes for a chai with creamier and lighter texture.
- Once masala chai is ready, it will have a darker color. Immediately, strain the chai using a tea strainer into tea cups and serve rightaway. If you notice a thin film on top of chai, mix it back using a spoon. You can serve chai with tea biscuits, cookies or just about anything!
Notes
-
- After adding tea leaves, avoid boiling the chai for more than 5-7 minutes to prevent excessive release of tannin and caffeine, which would result in a stronger, darker, and slightly bitter chai.
- To sweeten with jaggery, add it to your serving cup, strain the chai, and mix to dissolve. Boiling jaggery with milk can cause curdling.
- While dairy milk is traditional for indian chai, plant-based options like oat milk work well too.
- Skip any spices that you dont have at hand or don't prefer.
I'd Love to Hear from You!