Masala Chai

Fragrant Homemade Ginger Masala Chai with Cardamom, Cinnamon & Star Anise

Servings: 2

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Recently I have been ordering chai from restaurants and cafes. As much as I love coffee, I have come to terms with the fact that I have to consume it very wisely. Even just a bit gives me the jitters. It seems that most coffee shops use chai concentrate which is often far too sweet or ironically not concentrated enough for my taste. Recently, roommate’s dad happened to be in town, stopping by our apartment in the mornings making us delicious and fragrant chai. At the risk of exaggerating I will tell you that I said to my roommate “this is life changing.” I am not normally the biggest fan of ginger but the ginger in this chai transforms it. I enjoy that I do get energy from drinking this chai but not in an overly intense kind of way that I do with coffee. 

This chai fills our home with rich notes of cinnamon, black tea, and sneaky star anise. It’s a comforting drink with digestive, antioxidant, and mood supporting effects. Soul-warming and aromatic, you’ll want to be sure to try this chai!

Wondering what you’ll do with some of these spices? I’d recommend you try making this rich, chicken pho to make the most of the fun new ingredients you may have bought. 

Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons loose-leaf Assam tea or 4 black tea bags

• 2¼ cups filtered water

• 1 cup whole milk, heated

• 3 black peppercorns

• 3 whole cloves

• 1½ tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and grated

• ½ teaspoon fennel seeds optional

• 2 whole star anise optional

• 6 cardamom pods, lightly crushed

• 2  ceylon or 1 cassia cinnamon sticks or ½ tsp cinnamon 

• 4 teaspoons honey, plus more to taste

  
  1. Prepare the Spices and Ginger

1. Add 2¼ cups of water to a saucepan.

2. Add the black peppercorns, cloves, grated ginger, fennel seeds, star anise, lightly crushed cardamom pods, and cinnamon stick(s) or ground cinnamon.

3. Bring the water and spices to a boil, then continue boiling for 5-7 minutes to allow the spices and ginger to infuse the water.

2. Brew the Tea

1. Add 4 teaspoons of loose-leaf Assam tea to the spiced water. Alternatively, use 4 black tea bags.

2. Bring the mixture back to a boil, then reduce heat to medium- low for about 5 minutes until dark and fragrant.

3. Heat the Milk

1. While the tea is brewing, heat 1 cup of milk separately until hot.

2. Once the tea and spices have brewed, pour the hot milk into the saucepan and bring the chai back to a gentle boil.

3. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes, allowing the tea, spices, and milk to fully combine.

4. Sweeten the Chai

1. Remove the chai from the heat and stir in 4 teaspoons of honey.

2. Taste and add more honey if desired.

5. Strain and Serve

1. Pour the chai through a fine-mesh strainer into mugs to remove the tea leaves, spices, and ginger.

2. Serve hot and enjoy!

Notes

• A fine-mesh strainer works well for serving. A matcha strainer can also be used if it has openings fine enough to catch the loose tea leaves and spices.

• Consider adding a handful of mint to hot chai, steeping for 2-3 minutes