Indian tea, known as milk tea or chai, is an aromatic, delicious, and comforting hot beverage. Tea is consumed in every Indian home for morning breakfast and evening snacks on a daily basis.
Check out some of the best and authentic Indian breakfast recipes, street style evening snack recipes to serve with this warm and best cup of tea.
About Chai (Indian milk tea)
The name “chai” is the Hindi word for “tea.” Indians love their authentic tea made with milk. This does not mean adding milk to tea decoction like chai tea latte; instead, the tea powder is added along with water and milk and simmered until rich flavor and aroma are reached.
I am a complete chai or tea person. I cannot imagine starting my day without a warm cup of tea. I know a lot of people love Masala chai, but I am a lover of plain milk tea with no additional spices.
If you visit any restaurant or house in Karnataka, when you say tea, it means a simple plain cup of milk tea unless you ask for masala tea. Now if you love coffee over tea, then don't miss out on checking out our disco coffee, an Interesting way of serving South Indian coffee.
What is karak tea?
Karak, also called kadak in Hindi, means strong and intense in English. Kadak chai is what people love to have in the mornings to kick-start the day. During festivals or family get-togethers, all the chit-chat (conversations) happens with a cup of hot karak chai served with namkeens, biscuits, or risk.
What is cutting chai?
Cutting chai means half a cup of warm tea or a full cup of tea cut into smaller portions. A very popular style of tea is served in Mumbai.
Sharing a full cup of tea among colleagues or friends by "cutting" it into smaller portions. This allows you to enjoy a cup of tea without consuming a large quantity at once, gives a social experience, and keeps them fresh.
Ingredients
To make the perfect cup of homemade chai, you will need
Milk: Creamy and rich texture of the tea comes from the milk. Whole milk is commonly used. You can use skim milk or almond milk for a dairy-free vegan version. In this case, adjust the amount of water you add.
Water: Base for brewing the tea.
Tea powder: Indian milk tea is traditionally made with black tea leaves (chai ki patti). There are various brands like Brooke Bond Red label, Wagh Bakri, Tata Gold, Taj, etc.
Sugar: Sweetens the tea and enhances its flavor.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to make Indian tea with milk?
To make Indian homemade chai tea, first add water.
To this, add milk.
Add tea powder or chai ki patti of your choice.
Add sugar to your desired sweetness.
Bring this chai tea to boil.
Now reduce the flame to prevent it from spilling out and continue simmering for 3 to 4 minutes or until the color changes from milky shade to light brown.
Strain immediately in a pot using a strainer and discard tea powder.
Pour this into a serving cup, serve hot, and enjoy.
Tips to make the best cup of tea
- Simmer: Simmering the tea once it comes to a boil is very important, but only briefly until it reaches desired consistency and color. Simmering it for longer will not only change its color but will also make it bitter.
- Brand of tea leaves: The brand of tea powder (chai ki patti) or type of tea leaf you use will make a difference in the end. You may have to adjust the quantity as needed. I love the red label and wagh bakri brand from India. If using any other brands, you may have to experiment a couple of times to get the right tea flavor. If using tea bags, then for the best flavor, always add an extra bag than what is needed to make this Indian milk tea.
- The ratio of water: milk - 1:1 ratio is what we have been following since my grandmom’s time. If you like thick creamy tea, then avoid water and make the tea with milk only. But if you like it very thin, then increase the amount of water. Also, if using low-fat milk, skim milk, then you may have to reduce the amount of water.
- Add more flavor and add ginger, mint, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, or chai masala powder. I will share a detailed post on masala chai soon.
- Scaling: You can double or triple the recipe.
- Another way of making tea is to boil water, tea powder, and sugar. Then add the warm milk to it as needed for the desired flavor based on how karak tea you like.
- Adjust the amount of sugar you add based on your liking. But if you are adding, add it along with tea powder for the best flavor and color.
- To make a vegan version of Indian tea, use cashew milk or almond milk.
What goes with Indian tea?
Traditionally people like to have chai with biscuits like parle-g, Marie, or rusk. Semi-soggy biscuits or rusks dipped in tea are most loved for early morning or evening snacks.
Some other popular tea or chai accompaniment includes crispy samosa, veg puff, pakoras, batata vada, fafda, bhujia, kachori, etc.
You can check a list of Indian evening snacks and namkeens that can be served with a warm cup of tea.
Popular types of tea flavors
Masala Chai: Iconic Indian tea or spiced tea made with black tea leaves, milk, sugar, and a blend of aromatic spices like cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper, fennel, and ginger.
Ginger Tea (Adrak Chai): Freshly grated ginger is added along with milk and tea powder while boiling.
Cardamom Tea (Elaichi Chai): Crushed or powdered cardamom is added while boiling milk and tea powder.
Assam Tea: Known for its robust and malty flavor made with milk and sugar.
Lemon Tea: Black tea or green tea infused with lemon juice and lemongrass.
Darjeeling Tea: This tea is known for its delicate and floral taste and is mainly made without milk.
Nilgiri Tea: Popular type of tea from the hills of South India that has a brisk and mellow flavor.
Kashmiri Kahwa: Traditional Kashmiri tea where the green tea is infused with aromatic spices and honey is used as a sweetener. This tea sometimes also uses almonds, pistachios, and saffron.
Tulsi Tea (Holy Basil Tea): Tea with tulsi is believed to have medicinal benefits with soothing effects.
Noon chai: Sheer chai from Kashmiri Valley is made with green tea leaves, milk, salt, and a pinch of baking soda.
White Tea: This tea is a pale green color or light yellow color made with camellia sinensis.
Sikkim Tea: This black tea has a unique floral and woody flavor.
Moringa Tea: Healthy tea made with moringa leaves which is rich in antioxidants.
Butter tea: This type of tea, also known as "po cha" or "gur gur," is prepared using black tea, yak butter, water, and a pinch of salt.
Recipe FAQs
Indian tea is referred to as “chai” which is derived from the Chinese word for tea, “chá” (茶). It is made by brewing black tea leaves with milk and sugar. The spiced and sweetened black tea is known as “masala chai. Chai is not just a beverage. It brings people together for conversations and connections. Chai is an important part of daily life in India, whether you sip it at home, tea stall, or at street vendors.
Chai is a Hindi word that means Tea in English and usually refers to the plain milk tea prepared on a daily basis. Masala chai means spiced tea prepared using whole spices like cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, star anise, nutmeg, ginger, etc.
India is the largest producer of tea in the world. The type of tea is classified mainly based on the region they are grown and the processing method used. The two popular ones are Assam tea, known for its strong, robust flavor; Darjeeling tea, also known as Champagne of Teas, for its unique aromatic flavor. Other tea types include Nilgiri, oolong, Kangra, white tea, masala tea, green tea, etc.
Chai or tea tastes the best when served fresh. If there are any leftovers, I recommend reheating on the stovetop until warm and drinking within 3 hours. It won’t taste great after that.
The ratio of milk to water is very important while making the tea. 1:1 is what we have followed since my grandmother’s time, and it gives a medium-thick chai refreshing enough to kick-start your day. Adding more water and then using skim milk or 2% milk will make your tea watery.
Tea will turn bitter if the amount of tea powder or tea leaf you have added is too much or if you simmer or overboil the tea too long than needed.
Chai refers to traditional Indian tea made by brewing black tea powder along with water, milk, sugar, and aromatic spices so that the flavors are infused.
The Chai tea latte is a Western adaption of chai made using tea decoction or tea bags with steamed milk and sweetener and often served as a latte in shops like Starbucks.
They are different in preparation, presentation, and thus taste and flavor, even though they are made using the same ingredients.
More best Indian hot drinks
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Recipe card
Indian Tea | Milk Tea Recipe | Homemade Chai
Equipment
- Pot
Ingredients
- 1 cup Whole milk
- 1 cup Water
- 1 tablespoon Tea powder chai ki patti
- 1 tablespoon Sugar add 2 teaspoon for mild sweetness
Instructions
How to make Indian tea with milk?
- To make chai, in a saucepan or a pot, add water, milk, tea powder, sugar, and mix. Bring this to a boil.1 cup Whole milk, 1 cup Water, 1 tablespoon Tea powder, 1 tablespoon Sugar
- Now reduce the flame to prevent it from spilling out and continue simmering for 3 to 4 minutes or until the color changes from a milky shade to a light brown shade.
- (If you feel the tea is not strong enough, you can add more powder. Also, you can stir to prevent tea leaves from sticking to the pan. )
- Strain immediately in a pot using a strainer and discard tea powder.
- Pour this tea into a serving cup, serve hot, and enjoy.
Notes
- Simmer: Simmering the tea once it comes to a boil is very important, but only briefly until it reaches desired consistency and color. Simmering it for longer will not only change its color but will also make it bitter.
- Brand of tea leaves: The brand of tea powder (chai ki patti) or type of tea leaf you use will make a difference at the end. You may have to adjust the quantity as needed. I love the red label and wagh bakri brand from India. If using any other brands, you may have to experiment a couple of times to get the right tea flavor. If using tea bags, then for the best flavor, always add an extra bag than what is needed to make this Indian milk tea.
- The ratio of water: milk - 1:1 ratio is what we have been following since my grandmom’s time. If you like thick creamy tea, then avoid water and make the tea with milk only. But if you like it very thin, then increase the amount of water. Also, if using low-fat milk, skim milk, then you may have to reduce the amount of water.
- Add more flavor and add ginger, mint, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, or chai masala powder. I will share a detailed post on masala chai soon.
- Scaling: You can double or triple the recipe.
- Another way of making tea is to boil water, tea powder, and sugar. Then add the warm milk to it as needed for the desired flavor based on how karak tea you like.
- Adjust the amount of sugar you add based on your liking. But if you are adding, add it along with tea powder for the best flavor and color.
- To make a vegan version of Indian tea, use cashew milk or almond milk.
Rachana
For an amateur home cook like me, this recipe and this entire blog post has really helpful in levelling up my cooking skills! Now, I can finally make a good cup of chai for my family every day, thanks to you 😄