Vegan Indian Masala Chai. Fabulous almond milk tea with fresh ginger and homemade chai spice blend with cardamom, cinnamon, pepper. Flavorful traditional Indian Chai tea made vegan. Jump to Recipe
Masala Chai was the last of the non-vegan foods to be eliminated from our diet. Hubbs and me both grew up guzzling cups of chai every morning with breakfast. It would be mostly milk and lightly flavored with tea till we hit the teens, then it was small cups every now then with friends, every time we visited anyone, at evening hang outs, in the wee hours of the morning during exams, and on and on. Dad still has a cup every 2-3 hours at work. No wonder we were so stuck to it, or more stuck to the dairy in it. The thick creamy concoction made with dairy milk, boiled for minutes and minutes, had not only the addiction from milk and tea but also several memories associated with it.
I have an older post with a creamer that was the recipe we settled on in the initial transition year. And now after trying several other plant milk options, this is our current vegan chai. The recipe works well with other almond milks and soy milk too. The additives in some of the packaged plant milks though change the texture and consistency of the chai enough that it can go from great to unpalatable if not used correctly(over heated or not heated enough, or curdles at high heat). Some of the preference is also related to the fact that the Chai has to uphold to our strong taste and texture memories. For someone who is flexible with the taste, the recipe will work with a lot of other plant milks as well. We’ve also loved oatmilk and soymilk versions(some brands)
Why the hassle to find the home made or packaged plant milks that works best? Same reason we all look to find cheese alternatives or other things from our pre-gan days. With the preference for steeped in water teas growing in this house, soon we might not be drinking the morning chai at all. It is a great option to have for anyone visiting though. Mom and dad drink Chai 3 to 6 times in the day. Mom loves the easy access to almond breeze when she visits.
There is also the option to use cashew milk, packaged or home made. The thing with cashew milk is that the heat thickens up the cashew milk really quickly and the thick texture might feel too different or new.
For any milk you use, give it some time. Try it a couple of times instead of just once. It takes time to get used to the change.Keep trying different plant milks for the ones that work best for you.
Chai in Hindi literally means tea, so Chai tea is basically tea tea 🙂 This often happens with non Indian (other non english) terms too. Its a translation that is helpful hence Chai tea is much bigger search term than just Chai.
More Indian Beverages
Thandai – Creamy Spiced Poppy Seed Almond milk Spring drink.
Aam Panna – Spiced Raw mango cooler
Mango Lassi – Sweet mango yogurt Smoothie
Steps:
Get all the ingredients for the chai ready. Clockwise from the top. Raw sugar, grated fresh ginger, Chai patti(dry loose tea), chai masala blend.
Boil the tea, chai masala, ginger and sugar in water. Bring to a rapid bubbling boil.
Pour the plant milk slowly.
Bring to just about a boil, then strain and serve.
This creamy Chai Latte.
You can also use an infuser. Add the tea and spices to the infuser and keep that in the boiling water. Add the milk, bring to just about a boil. Pour tea in a cup. Remove or keep the infuser in the cup and serve.
How to make a good Vegan Chai Tea
- Try different plant plant milk and try them atleast 3 times.
- Plant milks can tend to separate when added to boiling water. I usually do a slow pour so that the initial few seconds will cool the mixture. You can also add a tbsp of water before adding milk.
- You might need less or more loose tea depending on the brand and preference of flavor strength, and less or more non dairy milk.
- This is not the starbucks chai latte. Its stronger, thinner everyday Indian chai. More cardamom, less cinnamon and made with loose tea.
Recipe Card
Vegan Indian Chai Tea. Masala Chai. Gluten-free Recipe
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (187.5 ml) water
- 1.5 Tbsp raw sugar or other sweetener to taste
- 2 tsp chai patti/loose tea
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp chai spice/chai masala blend (see notes for large batch), or use 1/4 tsp ground cardamom, 1/8 tsp cinnamon, a good pinch of ground clove,, black pepper, ground ginger
- 1/2 to 1 tsp minced/grated fresh ginger ,some fresh gingers are too strong, so use to taste
- 1.25 cup (312.5 ml) Almond breeze plain almond milk or oatmilk or soymilk other non dairy milk.
Instructions
- In a small deep pan at medium heat, add water, sugar, tea leaves, chai masala blend and ginger. Bring to a bubbling boil. 7 to 9 mins
- Slowly pour the almond milk. Bring the mix to just about a boil. 6 to 8 minutes.
- Strain into a cup and serve hot. Compost the tea leaves.
- Note: some plant milks tend to separate when added to the hot water. Add a Tbsp cold/room temperature water to the boiling water to bring the temperature down. Then pour in the plant milk.
Video
Notes
Grind 3/4 cup green cardamom pods, 1/4 cup cinnamon sticks or 2 Tablespoons cinnamon powder, 1/4 cup cloves, 2 Tablespoons whole black pepper, 2 to 3 Tablespoons ground ginger. 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds(optional). Store in airtight container.
Change the quantities around to preference. Add more ginger for a winter chai masala. Add a tsp of nutmeg and all spice for variations. Use the spice blend in ice creams, doughnuts, caramel, bread, granola and more. Nutritional values based on one serving
Nutrition
Saijyoti
Pet peeve. Chai Tea? Really like saying tea tea🤦♀️Please , just chai or masala chai but never tea-tea.
Richa
1. That’s the search keyword.
2. many people don’t know what chai or naan etc terms mean . For each ethnic cuisine, they know their popular things. But just a chimchanga or missir wat as the title doesn’t tell you what it is if you are not familiar with the terms. So missir wat – Ethiopian lentil stew is basically like chai tea as missir means lentils and wat means stew. So “missir wat lentil stew” as a title means lentil stew lentil stew. But I would appreciate the translation in the title if I am not familiar with those terms.
Poornima
For Chai only after a boil will you taste the rich taste and all flavour release .
Richa
Yes. You just need to find the right non dairy milk. These days I use oat milk as it does well on boiling, so I cook it for a few minutes with the tea
Poornima
Thank you it looks fabulous, I tried it with soy milk , it was very good.
Richa
Awesome
Anne
What a difference making it this way! Oh I love this! So worth the time and the extra attention.
Vegan Richa Support
Awesome , thanks Anne
Ewa
Why bring the plant milk to a boil? Is it just to keep the tea hot or is there another reason?
Niv
It turned out yummy I only did half the sugar and used 1 cup coconut milk
Vegan Richa Support
oooo good to know, thanks
Kavita M
Just started plant based foods only and was looking for a good substitute to dairy milk.
This receipe will help.
Vegan Richa Support
perfect
Starr Hawksley-Anderson
Very delicious
Vegan Richa Support
Thanks for the review!
Vegan Richa Support
So glad you enjoyed it!
Vegan Richa Support
Thank you!
Ron
Just like the other recipes in your books, this always comes out fantastic! It’s so robust that I love experimenting with different teas, spices, sweeteners, and plant-based milks. My current favorite is with a basic supermarket looseleaf black tea, a little bit of star anise, agave and Trader Joe’s Oat Milk (refrigerated).
Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Yvonne
Delightful! I made this with oolong tea (only looseleaf on hand), and a combination of almond, coconut and soy milks. Thanks for a great vegan chai recipe.
Nina
I made the large batch Chai blend a few days ago and wasn’t sure I’d like the tea because of the large amount of cardamom, but I just made the tea and it’s perfect. I love it and am glad I made the large batch 💚. Will try with different plant milks, I used soy milk today. Thanks!!
Richa
aweesome!
Hemali Asher
Your receptors are awesome. I would like to try this. Have you used homemade milk or store bought fortified milk? Since in nutrition it’s 15% calcium. Please let me know. Thanks!
Richa
i use store bought almond breeze original or store bought oat milk
Tara
Interesting! I’ve tried various plant milks, and they always separate in the tea, but I never thought to add a little cold water first. The best experience I’ve had is with Ripple Plant-Based Half & Half, but it’s a little thicker than I’d like. I’ll have to try this.
Shalini
I am almost vegan except the chai part.. I have cut it down to having chai on the weekend, but still haven’t found the perfect vegan alternative to dairy and that’ the only reason I go back to dairy for chai.. I guess almond breeze should go to my grocery list this week. Thank you for the recipe. Chai struggle is real..:)
Richa
It definitely is! it took us a few months to settle on almond breeze. It takes a while for the taste buds to switch. When you try any non diary milk, try it for atleast a week for generally the time it takes to figure out how much of it you like in the tea and for your taste buds to start switching from dairy to the new flavor. If you dont like it after the week, dry a different one and continue. Dairy has a lot more addicting properties, so just give some time to your taste buds to switch and guide you towards the non dairy option you will eventualyl like in the long run. Good look!
April Parekh
Thanks Richa. Just made this to go with my poha this morning. I had pretty much given up on trying to drink chai, tea, coffee for awhile. I love almond breeze but I also feel like chai is best with a bit thicker texture so I used Trader Joe’s soy milk on this and it was delicious. I think my chai masala was a tad stronger than needed so I will back it off a bit next time to the lower end of the spectrum but I am so excited that I can again enjoy chai!
Richa
thats awesome! yes chai is such a personal preference. certain textures, flavors and feel. so definitely try more non dairy milks till you find the one that works best for you. my parents like a thin and low milk tea and they make theirs will 3 to 1 water to almond breeze. We make more of a 1:2 water to almond breeze.
Anjali Artham
I was looking for some alternative to milk tea , since I am Delhite and tea drinker .. lately my stomach hurts due to rawmilk , I will with plant milk … did u use any specific brand ?
Richa
I use almond breeze in the US.You can try all the brands and options you have available. It takes some time for the taste buds to switch over, so stick with one particular type for 4 to 5 days and then decide. Also, you dont want to boil the non dairy milks, heat them to just about to boil
Bhoomi
can you keep boiling the almond milk like regular cow milk for this Chai? If not, what are the disadvantages of boiling the plant based milk?
Thanks,
B
Richa
It depends on the type of plant milk. Soy milk does fine on boiling for some time, while almond milk usually changes in flavor which might not be to everyones liking. So test the milks to find the right amount of heating needed
Sam
Hi, I have two questions.
After boiling the spices and tea leaves for 7-9mins and you add the milk, you boil it for 6-8mins more? I wonder because you say that long boiling can give the milk a odd taste.
And second does use fresh or dry ginger make a huge taste difference?
Richa
Bring the milk to a boil. It takes 6 to 7 minutes for it to start to boil. As soon as it just starts to bubble, take off heat.
I don’t understand the ginger question. you can want to use which ginger instead of which.
kanha jain
I just made chai and it was delicous thank you for the recipe
Richa
Awesome!
Tamar
I have a really silly question! When you make the masala mix, do you grind the whole cardamom pods, or just the seeds inside?
Thanks in advance!
Richa
Hi Tamar, I grind the entire pod. You can also use just the seeds. My small magic bullet grinds up the pods really well. If you plan to use the chai masala in several other recipes like cakes and cookies, then use seeds (half the amount mentioned for pods).
Tamar
Many thanks and happy holidays!
Jessica Kumar
Richa,
What is your favorite vegan milk flavor being someone who grew up drinking tea? The almond breeze taste isn’t cutting it for us as it leaves a bitter aftertaste. What do you like best that tastes creamy?
Richa
Hmm. with almond breeze or any other non dairy milk, if you boil it too long, it can develop an odd aftertaste, sometimes texture as well. You will have to try out other milks to see what you prefer best. We narrowed down on almond breeze sweetened almond milk after trying out a bunch of different milks and brands and now we are so used to that one, that the other brands dont cut it. Maybe cashew milk by SoDelicious, soy milks other almond milk brands?
ed
hi,
Is cashew milk or almond milk pitta aggravating? i have pitta dosha, wanted to consume cashew milk in my tea on a daily basis, will it be ok?
thanks
Richa
I don’t know enough about that.
Sonal
I totally understand what you mean by tea being the last frontier to veganize. I had the same experience and over 6 years of strict vegan diet finally found an amazing milk alternative to make a thick milky indian tea. Try Vitasoy brand which is a Hong Kong brand and you can get it most Chinese stores. It is thick but not like some of the soy milks specially made for coffee. In Canada I can find it in most Loblaws in the Asian section. I use almond milk 99% of the time except when I make tea (Wag-Bakhri brand), mix with lemongrass, ginger, clove and Vitasoy milk. Yum.
Ruvana
Hi..so my parents are totally with me with being vegan but they have to,have to have that boiled thick,indian tea..so vitasoy will give the same taste and consistency? I would love to,find out to see my alternatives since I am really thinking about going vegan or at least slowly make some changes..
Richa
Hi Ruvana, It really depends on personal taste. We use almond breeze almond milk. I know some people who use home made almond cashew milk. cashews thicken the milk when heated. Some people I know use just cashew milk, or soy creamer. some use sesame almond/coconut milk. You can keep trying the combinations and brands to see which you and your parents kind of like. It might not be exactly like dairy milk but if you like it, you can get used to it fairly quickly. All the tea, spices and sugar is what keeps one hooked. So give each combination a try for atleast 2 to 3 times, because with just one try, you might only notice the differences and not the likeable qualities or the alternate milk.
shira
hi, do you grind the whole cardamon pod or just the seeds inside?
thank you
Shira
Richa
if you can find just the cardamom seeds, then use those (half the mentioned quantity), else the whole pods. I usually blend the whole pods coz i use the chai masala mainly for chai tea and strain it out.
Shira
Thank you. And I’d like to add that I enjoy your book very much – the recipes are very clear and organized and the outcome is delicious. I love it.
Ventair Kitchen chimney
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous
Vanilla soy milk tastes the best in India Chai. However after reading about controversies re.Soy, we recently switched to Vanilla Almond Milk. It does separates if poured in hot boiling tea even after reducing the flame. But now I use your technique of adding few drops of cold water to hot tea which helps enjoy creamy Indian Vegan Masala Chai.
Thank you
Candied Nuts
Great post. Thanks for this wonderful post 🙂
Animesh Gupta
The pics of the tea that you have provider are really awesome and it feels to have the tea every time when you see this pics.
I have one question.
Is it necessary to add chai masala(TEA MASALA) in tea every time when we make tea?
Richa
you can omit the masala. The recipe is for masala chai. The masala helps mellow the difference in taste with the different non dairy milks.
Anonymous
It looks wonderful! I haven’t had chai tea very often, so it looks like a tasty new territory for me to venture into! Thank you! I have 2 questions. I am trying to stay away from sugar and those calories, so I use Pure Via sweetener. Will that work OK or does the real sugar contribute to the overall texture you referred to? Second – how do I pronounce the name correctly? Ch – ai as in Ch-erry? Or hard “k” – K-ai? Thank you.
Richa
The sugar isn’t adding much to the texture, so you can use a different sweetener. Add it while boiling or after depending on how it holds up to heat.
its Ch (ch- erry) a (a – re), i pronounced as ey in (h – ey) , or ‘a’ as in when you say a the alphabet.
Annie
I must try this!
Ellie
Ohhh I’m so glad I found your site, it’s filled with amazing recipes and stories~:D I may not have drunk Indian chai very long (only 2 weeks), as I had it everyday when I was in Punjab in 2010! But I have serioussslslyyyy great memories associated with the stuff, and even though I’m not a sweet drink kind of person, chai is one of the tastiest things I’ve ever had. I think their raw/fresh milk really made a huuuuge difference! But I’m looking forward to making this for my husband since he misses it so much. <33Have a beautiful day.
June Baby
That looks delish! I love Indian chai, especially all of the ginger flavors. 🙂
sophiesfoodiefiles
Yummmmmm! it looks so delicious. I must try this tomorrow. 😃