🫖 Masala chai
Masala chai is Indian spiced milk tea: black tea simmered with milk, sugar and whole spices such as cardamom, ginger and cinnamon. It is strong, sweet and warming, with a creamy body and a fragrant spice kick. In India it is poured from the pot into small cups or glasses and sold by street chai-wallahs at all hours.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 300 ml water
- 200 ml milk
- 2 tsp loose black tea
- 2 tsp sugar
- 3 cardamom pods, crushed
- 2 cm fresh ginger, sliced
- 1 small cinnamon stick
Method
- Boil the water with the cardamom, ginger and cinnamon for 3 minutes.
- Add the tea and simmer for 1–2 minutes.
- Pour in the milk and sugar and bring back to the boil, letting it rise twice.
- Strain into cups and serve hot.
How to make it lighter
- Halve the sugar or skip it — the spices give plenty of flavour; 1 tsp sugar ≈ 16 kcal.
- Use low-fat milk or more water and less milk.
- Count chai through the day: several cups add up quickly.
History
Tea drinking spread widely in India in the 20th century after large plantations were established under British rule, and Indians soon made it their own by boiling the tea with milk, sugar and spices. Today masala chai is the everyday drink of the country and has spread worldwide.
Count it in one photo
Point your camera at the table — Me Nutrition recognises Masala chai and every other dish, with calories and macros for each. Ate only half? Slide it.
Download on the App StoreSimilar dishes
Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →