Masala chai

Name: Masala chai
Prep time: 3 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 11 min
Ingredients: 250 ml water; 6 g black tea leaves; 250 ml milk; 10 g fresh ginger, crushed; 3 cardamom, crushed; 2 cloves; ½ stick cinnamon; 2 pinches black pepper, or 3 peppercorns, crushed; 4 tsp sugar

Vegetarian

मसाला चाय · masala chai

Strong black tea boiled with milk, sugar, fresh ginger and crushed whole spices. The everyday spiced tea of Indian homes and roadside tea stalls.

Masala chai is an Indian hot drink, ready in about 11 minutes and made with black tea leaves and milk. It serves 2 and is rated beginner to cook.

Start cooking

A glass of traditional Indian masala chai served with fresh ginger on a marble countertop. — Photo: Abhinav Singh / Pexels · Pexels License

Prep: 3 min
Cook: 8 min
Total: 11 min
Serves: 2
Level: Beginner
Calories: 118

Ingredients

2 cups

250 ml Water (opens in a new tab)
6 g Black tea leaves (opens in a new tab)About 2 heaped tsp loose Assam (CTC) tea.
250 ml Milk (opens in a new tab)Swap: Soy milk (Add after boiling to avoid splitting.); Almond milk (unsweetened)Contains milk
10 g Fresh ginger (opens in a new tab), crushed
3 (0.5 g) Cardamom (opens in a new tab), crushed
2 (0 g) Cloves (opens in a new tab)
½ stick (1.5 g) Cinnamon (opens in a new tab)
2 pinches (0.5 g) Black pepper (opens in a new tab), or 3 peppercorns, crushed
4 tsp (17 g) Sugar (opens in a new tab)Swap: Jaggery / palm sugar

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Put 250 ml water in a small saucepan (opens in a new tab) with the ginger, cardamom (opens in a new tab), cloves (opens in a new tab), cinnamon (opens in a new tab) and pepper (opens in a new tab). Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes to release the flavours.
- 3 min
- medium-high heat
- Saucepan (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels
2
Step 2
Add the loose tea and boil for 1 minute until dark.
- 1 min
- medium-high heat
3
Step 3
Pour in the milk (opens in a new tab) and sugar (opens in a new tab) and bring back to the boil. Let it rise up the pan, lower the heat, then let it rise again 2–3 times to thicken and deepen the colour.
- 4 min
- medium heat
Watch closely — boiling milk rises suddenly.
4
Step 4
Strain into cups and serve hot.
- 1 min
- Sieve / strainer (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels

About this dish

Origin: India · Commonly attributedMilky, sweetened black tea spread across India in the 20th century; spice blends vary by household and region.Also popular in Pakistan, United Kingdom, United StatesMore food from India
Dish: Breakfast · Snack · Hot drinks
Cooking method: Boiled, Simmered
Taste: aromatic / warmly spiced, sweet, spicy (chilli heat), creamy
Diet: Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat · Low-sodium
With the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Whole-food focused, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Everyday · Budget-friendly
Cook more with: Black tea leaves · Milk · Fresh ginger · Cardamom · Cloves · Cinnamon
Techniques: Boiling · Simmering · Fermentation

Allergens

Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom milk

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

118 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 268 g · recipe makes 2

Where the energy comes from

Protein 14%
Carbohydrate 54%
Fat 32%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	118 kcal	44 kcal
Protein	4.2 g	1.6 g
Carbohydrate	16.4 g	6.1 g
Net carbohydrate	15.8 g	5.9 g
Sugars	15 g	5.6 g
Added sugars	8.4 g	3.1 g
Fibre	0.7 g	0.2 g
Fat	4.3 g	1.6 g
Saturated fat	2.4 g	0.9 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	13 mg	5 mg
Sodium	59 mg	22 mg
Salt equivalent	0.1 g	0.1 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 200 mg
Calcium: 169 mg
Iron: 0.2 mg
Magnesium: 19 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 59 µg
Vitamin C: 0 mg
Vitamin D: 1.7 µg
Vitamin B12: 0.6 µg
Folate (DFE): 7 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.
Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): black 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

CTC (granular) tea brews strong and fast and is what most Indian households use.

Common mistakes

Adding the tea leaves with the milk from cold — the tea never brews strong enough.

Serve with

Serve with biscuits, pakoras, samosas or poha.

Storage

Best made fresh.

Variations

Adrak chai: Ginger only, no other spices.
Elaichi chai: Cardamom only.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 26 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

Milk250 ml · 258 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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