Tea or 'Chai' as it is famously called in India, is popular across the world. There are hundreds of tea leaf varieties and many different ways of making it. Masala chai or Indian spiced tea is one such variant made by brewing together spices and black tea leaves.
Whether you are tired and craving refreshments or it is just a cold chilly day, a hot cup of masala chai is all you need to charge you up.
Masala chai can be made on the stovetop and even the Instant Pot when you want to plan it ahead of time and do not have time to monitor it.
Ingredients
It is common to find masala tea bags and the masala tea spice mix which are easy to use, however, it is difficult to beat the taste and goodness of using fresh ingredients for an authentic masala chai.
To make masala chai at home you will need loose tea, whole milk, sugar, water, ginger, and aromatic spices like cinnamon sticks, cloves, green cardamoms, or cardamom powder.
It is preferable to crush cardamom pods and make a powder but you can use store-bought cardamom powder. You can substitute cardamom powder with some fennel seeds but the taste and aroma would be completely different.
I also like to make ginger paste at home and refrigerate it. I use it every day to make masala chai or just ginger tea. If you prefer to grate ginger, that is also a perfect choice.
Black tea leaves (fine grain sized) are the most popular and widely used for making chai. I like to use the Red Label loose tea leaves. The other widely popular leaf variety is called the longleaf and differs in both aroma taste and method of preparation.
Stovetop instructions
Indian spiced tea can be made in the traditional way on the stovetop. To make tea from scratch, measure and put all the ingredients, except milk, in a saucepan and heat it on medium-high heat. Continue boiling the mixture and then add milk and finally bring it to a boil.
When you start heating tea on a medium-high flame, allow it to come to a boil. Then continue simmering for about 4-5 minutes until ¼th amount of water evaporates.
Once the water and spiced tea mix is boiled, add milk and continue to heat until it comes to a boil. It needs supervision else tea can spill out from the pot. Turn the flame off quickly and cover it with a lid for a few minutes before filtering it with a fine tea strainer into a teapot or into tea cups.
Instant Pot instructions
Why would you make tea in an Instant Pot? It is mainly for convenience. There is no monitoring needed, and you can also plan ahead. It gives the flexibility to use the delay timer for 1-2 hours and then the tea is ready when you are ready to sip it.
Masala chai can be made in the Instant Pot using the pot-in-pot method in a 6 qt. Instant Pot or a larger capacity. Put some water in the instant pot liner and then place a trivet.
In a small pot measure and put all the ingredients and cover it with a lid. It takes a little less water to make tea in the instant pot as water does not evaporate from boiling.
Close and lock the lid with the pressure release valve in the sealing position. Turn the instant pot on high-pressure mode for 5 minutes.
Allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes. This allows the masala chai to steep in all the flavors and still be hot to drink.
Release any remaining pressure manually. Carefully remove the pot and pour the tea into a teapot or into tea cups.
Substitutions
A few substitutions can be made to adapt the masala chai recipe to your preference.
Vegan - you can make vegan masala chai by substituting dairy milk with oat milk. Oatly is a great oat milk brand that will give an almost similar taste and you will not realize that it is vegan!
Tea bag - if you do not have loose tea leaves, you can add a tea bag per cup of tea and follow the same process.
Masala chai spice blend - you can keep it simple and just use store-bought masala chai mix instead.
Sweetener - instead of cane sugar you can use other sugar substitutes, you can add it later after straining the sugar into your cup.
Variations
Practice makes one perfect, this is also apt in making a perfect tea. Adding all the ingredients in the right proportion and boiling tea to ensure the flavors steep in is the key to making a satisfying tea.
Again everyone has their own preference, some like a stronger flavor, and some like it mild. Adjusting the cooking time and amount of tea and spices will eventually give you the perfect masala chai you have been craving for.
Serving suggestions
Indian spiced tea can be served with Indian breakfast or savory and spicy Indian appetizers and snacks. Some of the very popular choices are samosa, kachori, vada pav, sev puri, dabeli, thepla (fenugreek flatbread), nankhatai, and crackers.
You may also like other Indian drinks with Indian meals.
FAQ
Does chai mean tea?
Yes! Chai means tea. Chai is a Hindi word meaning tea. However, it is very popular to call chai tea in English.
What is the difference between chai and masala chai?
Chai would ideally mean making tea with basic ingredients - hot water and, tea with sugar and milk as an optional add-on. However, taking this a step further and adding a few whole spices(masala) makes it a masala chai.
Don't forget to check out these recipes to accompany your evening tea
Other beverages you might like
- Thai iced tea
- Instant iced coffee
- Mango lassi
- Banana dried fig smoothie
- Celery ginger lemon juice
- Indian buttermilk
- Indian lemonade
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📖 Recipe
Masala Chai Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup Water (¾ cup for instant pot)
- ¾ cup Milk (oatmilk for vegan)
- 4 teaspoon Organic cane sugar
- 2 teaspoon Tea leaves
Masala tea spices
- ½ teaspoon Ginger paste (or chopped)
- 1 inch Cinnamon stick
- ½ teaspoon Cardamom powder (preferably crushed from cardamom pods)
- 2 Cloves
Instructions
Masala tea on stovetop
- In a small pot add all the ingredients except milk.
- Boil the tea mixture on medium heat.
- Once it starts boiling, continue to simmer for about 5 minutes until ¾ cup of water remains.
- Add milk and continue to heat until the tea starts boiling (it will rise up).
- Remove the pot from the heat and cover it with a lid for about 2 minutes.
- Strain the masala tea into cups using a fine tea strainer.
Masala tea in Instant Pot
- Pour one cup of water into the Instant Pot liner.
- In a small pot place all the ingredients and cover it with a lid.
- Place a trivet and small pot over it with all masala chai ingredients.
- Lock the Instant Pot with the release valve in the sealing position.
- Turn the Instant Pot on high-pressure mode for 5 minutes by selecting the pressure or the manual button on the high-pressure setting.
- Keep the "keep warm" setting on.
- Allow pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes and then release remaining pressure by moving the pressure release valve in venting position.
- Stir the tea with a spoon to ensure all the sugar has been dissolved.
- Filter the tea using a fine tea strainer into a teapot or cup.
Anni says
I like to add some crushed black peppercorns too.