Masala Chai – Spiced Tea with Almond Milk and Fresh Ginger

Masala chai, or mixed spice tea, is a drink from India made by brewing black tea with milk and a mixture of spices like cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and cloves. It’s my go-to drink for this time of year and perfect for the holiday season. Instead of regular milk, I sometimes add almond milk whenever I make a fresh batch. The subtle flavor of the almonds is a nice complement to this aromatic tea.

Some people prefer unsweetened chai tea, however, I think some sweetness enhances the spices. For a healthier version, I added chopped dates to the mix but you can use honey or sugar. If you’re vegan, you can use all almond milk in this recipe, or alternatively use 1/2 cup of regular milk to achieve a more familiar consistency. Serve with vegan cocoa almond cookies made from the leftover almond milk pulp.

Masala Chai – The Perfect Winter Drink

  • Warming spices like cinnamon and ginger are great during the cold winter months
  • The perfect drink if you’re feeling sick and under the weather. The spice mixture is high in antioxidants and is said to help protect against cold and flu
  • If you need to avoid caffeine, Masala Chai has much lower caffeine content than coffee
  • The consumption of Masala Chai can calm an upset stomach
  • Use fresh ginger for an even healthier version; ginger also adds a nice kick to the tea
  • Feel free to play around with the amounts: Masala Chai is pretty forgiving so it’s perfectly fine to alter the recipe. Experiment until you find your preferred taste

Lightly crush cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Add crushed spices, ginger, dates & pepper to water. Boil then simmer.

Add milk and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add tea. Steep for 4-5 minutes.

Strain out spices, then pour tea into serving cups or tea pot.

Masala Chai Recipe

  • 3-4 cardamom pods
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 3-4 whole cloves
  • 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced
  • 2-3 dates, chopped
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 3 cups water
  • 1/2 cup almond milk
  • 1/2 cup regular milk (use all almond milk for vegan version)
  • 2 heaping tablespoons of loose leaf black tea (Darjeeling or Assam)
  • honey or vanilla sugar (optional for more sweetness)

    Lightly crush cardamon pods, cinnamon and cloves in a mortar and pestle.

    Put water in a pot and add crushed cardamon, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, dates and black pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let the spices infuse their flavor for another 4-5 minutes.

    Add the milk and almond milk to the pan and bring back to a boil. Remove from heat and add the tea. Cover the pot, remove from heat and let it steep for 4-5 minutes.

    Masala Chai is ready! Use a fine sieve and strain it into a teapot or directly into serving cups. Add honey or vanilla sugar if you like sweeter tasting tea.

    Total Time: 15 minutes
    Yield: 4 servings
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    Comments

      • says

        Thank you, Anna! If you’re a chai drinker then I highly recommend making it homemade. The flavor is wonderful and the best part is you can adjust the spices to your taste.

    1. Pearl says

      Hi ! Thanks for this recipe. I love my tea in the mornings and have been wanting to substitute Almond milk for cows milk , however was not sure if almond milk can be boiled like milk. Now I know it can be 🙂

    2. Aisha says

      Just made your masala chai and it was delicious. AND it was made with all almond milk (vanilla flavoured). I found that I didn’t even need sugar. Enjoying my dairy/sugar-free chai on a rainy day! Ahhhh

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