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4.8 from 93 votes

Easy Masala Chai Recipe

A delicious and easy dairy-free chai recipe made with whole spices. It's spicy, comforting, naturally sweetened, and made in just 1 pot with 8 ingredients!

Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
25 mins
Servings: 3 (Cups)
Calories: 200 kcal
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Indian , Vegan

Ingredients

  • 1 whole cinnamon stick
  • 6-8 green cardamom pods
  • 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
  • 3-4 whole cloves
  • 2 ½ cups water
  • 2 Tbsp grated ginger (for less intense ginger flavor, slice instead of grating)
  • 3 Tbsp loose leaf black tea (or ~3-4 black tea bags // use decaf as needed)
  • 2 cups dairy-free milk (we favor oat milk, coconut milk, and cashew milk // use thicker, richer dairy-free milks like canned coconut milk or our Oatly recipe for creamier chai!)
  • Sweetener such as stevia, organic cane sugar, or maple syrup to taste

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Add cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, peppercorns, and cloves to the bowl of a mortar (or cutting board) and use pestle (or heavy pan) to slightly crush the spices. You aren’t pulverizing into a powder, just slightly crushing into small pieces (see photo).
  2. To a medium saucepan add crushed spices, water, and grated (or sliced) ginger and bring to a boil over high heat. (Note: For a less gingery chai, reduce amount of ginger and slice rather than grating). Then reduce heat slightly to medium/medium-low and maintain a simmer for 15 minutes or until it reduces by about one-third.
  3. Add tea (loose leaf or bags) and dairy-free milk of choice (we love light canned coconut) and lower heat to low. Cover and continue cooking for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Then turn off heat and let steep for 5 minutes more (covered) or longer for deeper flavor.
  4. Add sweetener of choice to taste (we prefer stevia or maple syrup, but sugar is more traditional). Strain through a fine mesh strainer before serving.
  5. Keep strained, cooled leftovers covered in the fridge up to 3-4 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in a milk frother. Not freezer friendly.

Notes

  • *Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with our homemade Cashew Coconut Oat Milk and sweetened with stevia.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1cup Calories 200 (10%) Carbohydrates 19.4g (6%) Protein 5g (10%) Fat 13.5g (21%) Saturated Fat 5.9g (30%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1.61g Monounsaturated Fat 4.7g Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg (0%) Sodium 21mg (1%) Potassium 283mg (8%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 4.9g (10%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 3(Cups)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 200

% Daily Value*

Serving 1cup
Calories 200 10%
Carbohydrates 19.4g 6%
Protein 5g 10%
Fat 13.5g 21%
Saturated Fat 5.9g 30%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.61g 9%
Monounsaturated Fat 4.7g 24%
Trans Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 21mg 1%
Potassium 283mg 6%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 4.9g 10%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.