An easy dairy-free Homemade Masala Chai that is full of incredible depth of flavor, rich aromas and the perfectly-spiced coziest mug to warm you up! Cinnamon sticks, fresh ginger, cardamom, allspice and cloves infuse amazing flavor and this will surely become your new go-to.
HOMEMADE MASALA CHAI
Meet one of my favorite things to drink…Masala Chai. Just as I shared in my Instagram stories earlier this week and that I stated yesterday on Instagram this was coming, you all were messaging for me to share my recipe, so here it is! I am a lover of all things spice-related. I’ve mentioned this many times on the blog before, but I love cinnamon, ginger and chai spice more than even chocolate. Nothing beats a hot cup of masala chai.
I’ve bought many chai blends from the store and they are always, just ok, not ever quite flavorful enough for me. Also, oddly enough, for some reason anytime I drink tea, I get a headache. Makes no sense because it can’t be caffeine-related since coffee doesn’t do it. I have no clue why. Because of this, I’ve stopped buying tea pretty much.
That’s what is kind of funny about my recipe, I didn’t actually even use any tea in this recipe, so it’s optional. Funny, since chai means “tea” but I promise you, it doesn’t need the tea bag and this way I know it’s 100% good for me too and caffeine-free and also safe for kiddos. I’d highly suggest making the recipe as written exactly first and then you can see if you want to even bother adding it.
Served with my Dark Chocolate Biscotti….also coming to the blog..
My purpose of creating this recipe is to have something warming, delicious, satisfying and completely healthy for me.
There are a ton of recipes for masala chai and they are all completely different. Some use a lot of milk, some use a little, and many recipes call for different blends of spices as well as the methods are all over the place. I came up with what I loved the most for ease, comfort and getting the most flavor. I found simmering the spices, cinnamon sticks and fresh ginger for 15 minutes infused SO much flavor.
‘Masala” simply means “blend of spices”, so I used what I wanted in mine to give the exact flavor I wanted. Although, I kept with the very authentic spices of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and cloves. Some use fennel or star anise but I wanted this recipe to be the easy-to-find ingredients and not require a mortar and pestle. I also do not want the flavor of fennel in mine. I like it in savory recipes, but not my drinks.
HOW DO YOU MAKE A DAIRY-FREE MASALA CHAI?
- organic cinnamon sticks, trust me on this, it makes all the difference!
- fresh ginger, don’t skimp on true flavor by using powder
- cardamom
- ground allspice
- ground cloves
- black peppercorns
- dairy-free milk
- pure maple syrup
You simply add all of the spices and simmer them for 15 minutes and the water gets infused with so much flavor. Add the milk (if desired) and heat through and then strain.
Using fresh cinnamon sticks and fresh ginger really is SO much better than powder and the smell is fantastic.
A note about the cinnamon sticks, please do not ask to sub with ground cinnamon. This recipe is tailored to using real cinnamon sticks. The rich aroma and depth of flavor from the cinnamon sticks is simply amazing, so don’t skimp on it! I got mine at Sprouts. Make sure you are buying organic for the best flavor.
Also, as you can see from the photos, I have 2 versions. One with milk and one without. Classic masala chai is made with a blend of both milk and water. I actually prefer it with just all water. Why?? Well, simply, the spices are more potent and rich that way! The milk version is good, but it’s more mild since the milk dilutes the intensity a bit. Try both ways and see which you prefer.
OTHER CHAI RECIPES
MORE WARMING DRINKS
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
Homemade Masala Chai
Ingredients
- 4 organic fresh cinnamon sticks (you really want new organic for best flavor, don't pick some from the back of your pantry that are years old)
- 1 1/2 inch chunk of peeled/freshly grated ginger, 15g (fresh is needed here for the best flavor)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 tablespoons 40g pure maple syrup
- 3 1/2 cups water if using the milk version (otherwise use 4 1/2 cups water if only using water)
- 1/2 cup (120g) your favorite non-dairy milk, keeping in mind they will all yield different creamy and flavor aspects, I used "lite" coconut milk
- I use this scale
Instructions
- Peel the ginger and weigh it for best results (15g) so you get the right level of ginger and kick in the recipe. This recipe comes out wonderfully spiced and a nice kick, but not overly so at all.
- If making the milk version, add 3 1/2 cups water to a medium pot. If wanting to only use water, add 4 1/2 cups.
- Add the cinnamon sticks, peeled and grated ginger (I just grated it right over the pot and roughly chopped the remaining that I couldn't finish grating. Add the cardamom, crushed black peppercorns, allspice, cloves and syrup.
- Give it a good stir and bring the pot to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to low to a gentle simmer, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Proceed to the next step if using milk or tea bags. Otherwise, it's done at this point for just the water and caffeine-free version.
- Now, if using the milk, add the 1/2 cup milk now after the 15 minutes. We are only using 1/2 cup here because we don't want a bland overly milky drink, which would just dilute all those wonderful spices too much! I find 1/2 cup to be perfect. Add the milk, give it a stir and bring back to a boil, let it simmer 2-3 minutes and remove from the heat.
- If using a tea bag, add 1-2 tea bags per preference of strength and cover with a lid. Let it steep 3-5 minutes.
- Strain all of the masala chai over a large bowl with a very fine mesh strainer to catch all of the ginger bits, cinnamon sticks, etc. and any tea bags.
- Drink and enjoy! And AS GOOD as this is right away, the flavors even further intensify and taste even MORE incredible the next day. So, store any leftovers in the fridge and reheat in the morning and drink that mug of spice heaven.
Do you buy the allspice, and cloves whole and then grind them in a pestle and mortar?
No, I buy them already ground!
Woah! This is so good! I wanted a full bodied beverage that wasn’t coffee and decided on this. I am so glad I did. I may drop the pepper a bit, but this was so very tasty and perfect for cooling temps showing up in Delmarva.
Hi
I’m confused about tea bags versus no tea bags.
I love the Masala Chai in India but I’m not sure if they use black tea leaves.
thanks
Some do, I chose not to because I wanted it caffeine-free, but I mention when to add them if you like in the directions.
I have been making chai from different recipes online and this is hands down the best recipe I’ve tried. The blend of spices and intensity of flavors really works to my liking. Honestly I didnt realize there wasn’t tea in the recipe until I had the ingredients on the stove. I was skeptical at first but as Brandi suggested, I tried it as is and it tasted wonderful! I could swim in this! The aroma in the kicthen is just amazing. It’s good hot or iced and with or without milk. This blend is just so versatile. It’s true that milk tones down the flavors but it’s strong enough to still have that kick. I also made a caffeinated version with two tablespoons of loose Assam tea and the flavors worked! So glad I found this recipe!
Woohoo, so sorry I missed this comment before Nona! This makes me so very happy to hear it’s the best recipe you’ve ever tried! I love how you mention the intensity of flavors too, because that is what I find is the issue with many others I’ve ordered or tried, they are just too bland! So, when I created this recipe, I wanted it bold, intense and authentic. So glad you loved it, thank you so much for making it and leaving feedback.
Can the cinnamon sticks be reused? They are expensive.
Thanks
Yes, rinse it after use with hot water. Let it air dry completely. Next time you use it, slightly grate a bit off of it first to release its flavor before using it again. Store them sealed.
This was great. Just what I was looking for. I didn’t have allspice so I omitted it, and I may have used a bit too much ginger because it was SPICY, but I personally enjoyed it. I may use a little less pepper and ginger next time but as it was it was fantastic. Perfect cold weather chai tea, not too sweet and incredible depth of flavor. Easy to make to. Thanks!
So glad you enjoyed it Sarah!
This chai is so delicious. I have almost drank this entire batch in one sitting. Thank you so much! It has the perfect sweetness and the spice is so very tasty.
I’m thrilled to hear this Dora, thank you so much for the amazing feedback!
Made this with almond milk first. I wasn’t sure about the peppercorns but followed the recipe to the letter. It is heavenly with a rich exotic flavour. The balance of spices is perfect. Made it again with cashew milk. Divine. If you want to pamper family and friends this is the ticket. Can’t wait to try something else. Yummmm! 🎉
Yay! This review makes me so happy Vivian, especially that you made it twice, haha! So glad you found the balance of spices perfect, thank you so much for taking the time to make it and leave the feedback!
I’ve recently come to the sad realization that I haven’t had biscotti in several years, so YES to posting your recipe soon! I’ll try your chai recipe. I often find black tea bitter, so your option of just spices and milk may do the trick for me. I’ve tried making multiple spice recipes that sound a lot like yours, but maybe it’s in the proportion. I’ve made it with star anise and with whole cloves, peppercorns, and cardamom pods. The cardamom pods are difficult to deal with it (good that I don’t have manicured nails because I think I’d ruin the polish by trying to open the pods) and I still wind up putting more cardamom and cinnamon in it. Interesting that you use cinnamon sticks and fresh ginger, but not whole cardamom or cloves…
Yes, this is so rich and full of flavor that black tea is not needed (in my opinion anyways) and the side effects of it as well I don’t like. Yes, exactly, it’s all about the proportions. These are common spices used in many masala chai blends but the different recipes and commercial blends out there are ALL soooo different and as I mentioned above, very bland to me, for the most part. Not enough spice or TOO much milk. I like to taste my spices so a ton of milk is just bland and boring to me. The reason I used cinnamon sticks is simply because I noticed an incredible flavor from them and the fresh ginger, well, it just doesn’t compare to powdered ginger for something like this, not to mention, both of those ingredients are easy to find at almost any grocery store. And since I wanted this recipe to be easy, I knew most would find those ingredients and have more difficulty getting the cardamom pods, whole cloves and having to deal with a mortar and pestle I wanted to avoid for readers. I also find ground cloves to be so intense and a small amount needed in the powder, that whole I didn’t think was needed here. Crushing the black peppercorns was super easy with the back of my spoon.
Hi Brandi:
This will be a great ‘warming’ drink to make after our hike today 😊 Sorry to hear about your headaches – they’re no fun at all!!
Looking forward to your biscotti recipe!
Any chance you might consider creating an anisette biscotti recipe? I’d be more than happy to help with testing…..
Thanks!
Thank you Denise, let me know what you think of it!! Oh yes, that’s a great idea on the anisette biscotti, will definitely have to create that version soon!
If you are sensitive or have allergies to molds – that might be why black tea gives you headaches.
It’s every single kind of tea I’ve tried, even green tea, it’s a bummer too because I love tea, but I got tired of getting a headache each time!