Bold Indian-Style Masala Chai (Spiced Milk Tea)
Whip up this quick and easy masala chai in just 10 minutes on the stovetop. Made with black tea bags, 2% milk, sugar, and warming spices, every cup is rich, comforting, and full of traditional Indian flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 cup (473ml) filtered water
- 5 g fresh ginger (½ inch), finely sliced or ponded in mortar pestle (don't grate)
- 3 teaspoon loose black tea leaves or use 3 black tea bags
- 4 teaspoon (16g) raw cane sugar adjust quantity to taste
- 1 cup (250 ml) milk I use 2%, whole milk works too
Whole Spices
- 2 green cardamom pods lightly cracked open (use both seeds and skins)
- 1 whole clove
- 3-4 black peppercorn
- 2-3 g cinnamom stick (small piece)
Instructions
- In a medium, 2 qt sauce pan(use a high-walled sauce pan to prevent chai from boiling over), add water and bring to a rolling boil on high heat.
- Once the water is boiling, reduce heat to medium low and add in the whole spices and ginger. Let boil for 2-3 minutes to let aroma and flavor of spices to infuse. You can set a timer for precision.
- Once the spices have infused, add the loose black tea leaves(or tea bags) and sugar. Continue to let the tea leaves bloom for good 3 minutes on medium low flame.
- Pour in the milk. Raise the heat to high. 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 at this stage. We need to brew the chai more.
- Watch closely as the chai reaches a rolling boil on high heat, about 2-3 minutes. This is the first boil, and the color and flavor of the chai are still relatively light and mild, so further brewing is needed for a stronger tea.
- Reduce the heat to medium low and stir the chai continuously for 2-3 minutes for the milk to cook and flavors to deepen. During this time, use a ladle to aerate the chai. This aeration(or pulling) makes chai creamier.
- 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.
Notes
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- I use loose Tata gold black tea in my recipe. Indian brands are quite strong and give your chai a deeper taste. If using english breakast tea or milder tea varietes, you will need to add 1-5 to 2 tablespoons for proper flavor.
- 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.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!