Chai Tea - Spiced Indian Tea- Masala Chai Recipe
Masala chai, a spiced Indian tea, is a comforting blend of black tea powder, milk, and aromatic spices like cardamom, cinnamon, and ginger. Loved for its rich flavor and warming properties, it’s more than a beverage—it’s a cherished tradition.
Servings: 2 cups
Calories: 52kcal
Cost: $5
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1½ cup water
- 3 teaspoon Black Tea Powder or use 3 black tea bags
- ½ cup milk use plant based if vegan
- ½ inch ginger root minced or shredded
Spices and Herbs ( Optional but highly recommended )
- ½ teaspooon fennel seeds
- 2 whole green cardamom
- 1 stick cinnamon stick
Optional
- 2 teaspoons sugar or sweetener of your choice
Instructions
How to Make Chai Tea - Spiced Indian Tea
- Place a sauce pan on medium heat. Add water. Add fennel seeds, slightly crushed cardamom pods and cinnamon stick and sweetener of your choice.
- Bring to a boil. Add milk and let it come to gental boil. Add black tea powder and freshly shredded ginger.
- Stir well and turn the heat off. (don’t continue to boil the tea, it may get bitter)
- Let it steep at least 5 minutes.
- Using a mesh strainer, strain into a glass or mug. Enjoy warm. Chai Cheers !
How To Make Instant Pot Chai Tea
- Add a cup of water in the main insert. Place all ingredients except milk in another smaller container that can fit inside the main insert.
- Place a trivet and put the tea mixture container over the trivet. Close the lid.
- Choose 3 minutes cooking time on high. After it's done cooking, let the pressure release naturally.
- After it is safe to open the lid, take the inner pot out. Strain the tea. Add in separately warmed milk. Mix well. Serve warm and enjoy !
Notes
- I add tea powder to the recipe very last and just bring it to gently boil. Do not over boil the mixture after you add tea powder. It makes unpleasant bitter tea full of tannins.
- Adding fresh ginger just before turning the heat off brings out intense flavor. Do not boil ginger in water from the beginning.
- You can use whole spices or powder mix. Whole spices taste fresh. If you are using premade chai spice mix, add a bit extra for intense flavors.
- Use as many or as little spices as you want. You just make it simple without any spice. ( plain black milk tea) just Ginger Tea ( Aadrak Chai) or just cardamom tea (Elaichi Chai)
- If you prefer, you can make a big batch of tea. Roughly keep the ingredients in same proportion.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 52kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 40mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g