Kashmiri chai

Name: Kashmiri chai
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 10 g green tea leaves; ¼ tsp baking soda; 3 cardamom, crushed; 1 star anise / anise (optional); 750 ml water; 500 ml milk; ¼ tsp salt; 2 tbsp sugar (optional); 10 g pistachios, finely chopped (optional)

Vegetarian

کشمیری چائے · Kashmiri chai

A rosy-pink milk tea made by boiling green tea leaves with a pinch of baking soda, then aerating and simmering with milk. Lightly salted in Kashmir, sweetened and topped with pistachios in Pakistani cities.

Kashmiri chai is a Pakistani hot drink, ready in about 40 minutes and made with green tea leaves, baking soda and milk. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep: 5 min
Cook: 35 min
Total: 40 min
Serves: 4
Level: Intermediate
Calories: 79

Ingredients

4 cups

10 g Green tea leaves (opens in a new tab)About 2 tbsp Kashmiri (or gunpowder) green tea leaves.
¼ tsp (1 g) Baking soda (opens in a new tab)Creates the pink colour.
3 (0.5 g) Cardamom (opens in a new tab), crushed
1 (0.5 g) Star anise / anise (opens in a new tab) (optional)
750 ml Water (opens in a new tab)500 ml for boiling the concentrate, plus 250 ml ice-cold for shocking it.
500 ml Milk (opens in a new tab)Contains milk
¼ tsp (1.5 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)
2 tbsp (25 g) Sugar (opens in a new tab) (optional)Omit for traditional salted noon chai.
10 g Pistachios (opens in a new tab), finely chopped (optional)Contains tree nuts

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Boil the tea leaves in the water with the cardamom (opens in a new tab) and star anise (opens in a new tab) until reduced by about half and deep red-brown.
- 15 min
- medium-high heat
- Saucepan (opens in a new tab)
2
Step 2
Add the bicarbonate of soda (opens in a new tab) — it will froth — then pour in the ice-cold water and, using a ladle, lift and pour the tea back into the pan from a height repeatedly for 5 minutes to aerate it.
- 8 min
- medium heat
3
Step 3
Strain, then add the milk (opens in a new tab) and salt and simmer gently, stirring, until it turns pink and slightly thick. Sweeten if you like.
- 10 min
- medium-low heat
- Sieve / strainer (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels
4
Step 4
Pour into cups and sprinkle with pistachios (opens in a new tab).
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

About this dish

Origin: Kashmir · Commonly attributedFrom the Kashmir valley, a region divided between Pakistan and India; the sweet pink version is a winter favourite in Karachi and Lahore.Also popular in Pakistan, India
Dish: Breakfast · Snack · Hot drinks
Cooking method: Boiled, Simmered
Taste: creamy, aromatic / warmly spiced, salty, mild
Diet: Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · Low-carb
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat · Low-sodium
Without the optional extras: Whole-food focused, No nut ingredients, No added sugarWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Festive & celebration
Cook more with: Green tea leaves · Baking soda · Milk · Cardamom
Techniques: Boiling · Simmering · Reduction

Allergens

Contains: Milkfrom milk
Contains, can be adapted: Tree nutsfrom pistachios

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

79 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 317 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

Protein 21%
Carbohydrate 32%
Fat 48%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	79 kcal	25 kcal
Protein	4.1 g	1.3 g
Carbohydrate	6.3 g	2 g
Net carbohydrate	6.2 g	2 g
Sugars	6.5 g	2.1 g
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	0 g	0 g
Fat	4.2 g	1.3 g
Saturated fat	2.4 g	0.8 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	13 mg	4 mg
Sodium	285 mg	90 mg
Salt equivalent	0.7 g	0.2 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 172 mg
Calcium: 165 mg
Iron: 0.1 mg
Magnesium: 17 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 59 µg
Vitamin C: 0 mg
Vitamin D: 1.7 µg
Vitamin B12: 0.6 µg
Folate (DFE): 6 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Optional ingredients are not included: star anise / anise, sugar, pistachios.
Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): green tea leaves.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

The pink colour depends on proper aeration — don't skip the ladling.
Loose Kashmiri tea leaves give the strongest colour; Japanese or Chinese green teas often turn brown.

Common mistakes

Adding too much baking soda gives a soapy taste.

Serve with

Serve with bakarkhani or nan khatai biscuits.

Storage

The strained tea concentrate keeps refrigerated for 3–4 days.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 27 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

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Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Milk500 ml · 515 g

Used in step 3

Less sweet, dairy-free, caffeine-free or for more people — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sip & Blend

Reviews & corrections

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