Nov 29, 2016, Updated Aug 19, 2024
What is Chai Tea?
The pale tea that North Americans typically drink is nothing close to the tea drunk by millions of Indians. Indian tea, called chai in hindi, is rich and milky, deeply coloured, steaming hot, and boldly flavourful with a definite need for sugar to offset the toasty bitterness. The word chai just means tea. Chai = tea. If you ask for chai tea in India, you’re asking for tea tea and your dorky adorableness will get laughed at a little bit. Masala chai, on the other hand, is what you’re probably aiming for – it’s the spiced version. Masala = spices. When we think of chai in North America, we are probably thinking of masala chai. If you visit India, you’ll see chai-wallas on every corner, calling out “chai! chai! chai!” and pouring steaming tea from a height (called “pulling” the chai), allowing it to cool a bit as it streams into little metal cups.
How to Make Chai Tea at Home
Despite what Starbucks would have you believe with their chai tea lattes, the real homemade chai tea recipe doesn’t start with a syrup and it’s not super heavily spiced. Because of this, it stays piping hot until ready to be drunk, rather than cooling down as it steeps in a teapot. Authentic chai tea is made of:
Water Milk (in a ratio of roughly one part milk to two parts water Lots of tea leaves or tea bags for strong infusion Plenty of sugar Optional addition of spices
A “recipe” is not really necessary; it’s really the method that matters.
The most important key for flavour is to make really good strong tea without letting it get bitter from oversteeping.
Here’s how to make really good cup of chai:
Scale the recipe measurements below to the number of servings you need.
Chai Tea Spices
If you love the flavour of North American coffee-shop chai lattes, you can buy tea masala at any Indian grocer, which is just a ground mixes of sweet spices. I personally find those spice blends usually taste dusty. I prefer to infuse my chai with fresh whole spices instead. Some of the most common spices (masala) used in a homemade Indian chai recipe include:
cinnamon sticks (or 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon) fresh ginger whole cloves green cardamom pods (or a pinch of ground cardamom) nutmeg allspice star anise fennel black peppercorns
My personal favourite spice blend includes fresh ginger root, whole cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks and sometimes fennel. You can use any or all of them to make your own flavour. I typically just toss in a few cardamom pods and fennel seeds. Warming and delicious. If you don’t have whole spices, you can use ground. Start with a bit and work up in quantity, as the intensity will vary.
What Tea Should You Use to Make Chai Tea at Home?
I love loose-leaf black tea leaves like assam or darjeeling, and the flavour is incredible in spiced tea.
This Tata Black Tea is the brand of premium Assam loose leaf tea my mother-in-law brings mr from India (and I can also find it at our Indian grocery stores). For the most part at home, however, I use whatever black tea I can easily find at the grocery store. For me, that is basic Tetley Orange Pekoe. If you are avoiding caffeine, you could make it with decaf black tea (but I find the flavour is super lacklustre) or a rooibos tea.
How to Sweeten This Chai Tea Recipe
For authenticity, chai should be generously sweetened. I’ve seen recipes call for 1 tbsp sugar per cup. I don’t measure, but I probably use 1 1/2-2 tsp in a coffee mug. It should have a similar sweetness to hot cocoa. Just avert your eyes and keep on spooning. (It won’t have more sugar than a Starbucks anyway, you’ll just be aware instead of ignorant.) To sweeten this chai tea recipe, you can use:
Plain granulated white sugar Natural cane sugar (my fav, because it adds rich flavour) Maple syrup or honey (not my preference, because those flavours are bolder and don’t belong)
What Milk Should I Use for Chai?
You have options here:
Is Chai Tea High in Caffeine?
Yes! Chai tea is brewed strongly with lots of black tea. However coffee contains nearly twice the amount of caffeine in tea. Furthermore, black tea contains L-theanine, an amino acid with therapeutic calming properties. I am a Registered Dietitian and I actually take L-theanine as a supplement for stress and sleep. Because of this compound, the overall caffeine feeling in chai is a less-aggressive buzz than a cup of chai coffee. Keep in mind that the more tea bags you use, the longer you steep it, and the more you stir it all make for a higher-caffeine chai.
Are There Health Benefits to Drinking Chai?
Wondering what chai tea can do for you or if it’s healthier than drinking coffee? Well, masala chai infused with spices may offer some impressive health benefits. Spices like black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, and clove have shown biological activity in preventing disease. There is good evidence to show that spices can reduce inflammation, and chronic inflammation is related to so many illnesses. So drink up, chai lovers! Happy cozy-weather sipping. (And thanks, Amma, for all the tea and love.)
Other Chai Recipes you will love
Karak Chai (Adarsh’s Middle-Eastern obsession) Chai Coffee Recipe Iced Chai Latte Recipe Chai Concentrate Recipe
My Indian Husband’s Favorite Recipes:
Easy Homemade Butter Paneer Flaky Homemade Potato Samosas or Chicken Samosas Best-Ever Creamy Butter Chicken (one of the most popular recipes on the website!) The Butter Naan Recipe that went totally viral Adarsh’s Chicken Korma that he says will change your life. Creamy Madras Lentils (the ultimate vegetarian comfort food) Amma’s special Masoor Dal recipe
