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Jump to RecipeWhat is Masala Chai?
Masala (mixed spice) chai (tea) is a beverage made by brewing black tea with a mixture of milk and Indian spices, such as fresh ginger, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon. It is traditionally made with whole milk and sweetened with sugar, but it is easy to make it keto by using creamy cashew milk and a keto sweetener such as monkfruit drops.
Masala chai is a great beverage for cold days. In addition to being served hot, it contains warming spices, which have an additional warming effect on the body.
Why should I make Masala Chai from scratch?
It is possible to buy masala chai tea bags with the tea and spices inside. It is also possible to buy chai concentrate that you can add to your milk of choice. However, these options don’t taste nearly as good as fresh, homemade chai. It is worth the effort.
Jump to RecipeMasala chai ingredients
Black tea – Conventionally grown tea is heavily sprayed with pesticides, so if at all possible choose organic tea. In my opinion, loose leaf tea always tastes SO MUCH better than bagged tea. The leaves are larger, it releases its flavor better when it is allowed to spread out in the water, and it doesn’t taste like paper. For masala chai, you have to strain out the spices anyway, so tea bags also lose their convenience factor.
Ginger – Fresh (or frozen) ginger slices add wonderful flavor that is much better than using dried ginger.
Whole spices – Whole spices maintain their freshness much better than ground spices. I have chosen to use cardamom (slightly crushed to allow water inside the pod), cinnamon (ceylon preferred for its sweeter flavor profile, but cassia will also work), cloves, black pepper, and fennel seeds, but you should experiment to find the combination you like best.
Cashew milk – I like the creaminess of cashew milk in this recipe, but other nut milks or hemp milk would also work.
Optional collagen powder – this is known to improve skin, joint, and hair health for some people. It also adds a bit of a creamier mouthfeel to warm drinks.
Jump to RecipeMaking masala chai
I tested several recipes during the development process for this one. Besides finding that whole spices made a big difference, I also found that the cooking method matters. Adding boiling water to the spices and tea leaves and then steeping like plain tea led to underspiced tea. Boiling the tea leaves with the spices led to a bitter brew. And cooking the tea and spices in milk instead of water as recommended by some recipes let to very weak flavor.
The best method I found was to simmer the spices in water for 5 minutes to draw out their flavors. Then add the tea (and collagen powder if using), reduce heat, and keep at a bare simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Add the cashew milk and warm to your desired temperature. Then strain and sweeten as desired.
Streamlining the process
I’ll admit, 20 minutes can seem like a long time to make a cup of tea. Keep in mind that much of this time is hands-off simmering. I like to stay close to the stove to keep an eye on things, but since I don’t need to watch it constantly I can use this time to empty the dishwasher, wash some dishes, clear off the kitchen counters, or fold some clothes on the kitchen table.
I keep some presliced ginger in my freezer at all times. I scrub the ginger under running water with a vegetable brush to remove dirt. (I’m too lazy to peel it). Then I slice it and place the slices on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet and freeze them. Once frozen I transfer them to a reusable freezer bag. Then I can pull out a couple of slices as needed.
I keep all the whole spices in the same cupboard as the tea. I use repurposed glass peanut butter jars for this, but you can use fancier containers if you wish.
I also keep a 1/4 tsp measure in the jar with the fennel seeds and a 1 tsp measure in the jar with the tea.
Keto Masala Chai
Equipment
- Turkish coffee pot (or other tall narrow pot)
- small saucepan (if your burner is much larger than your narrow pot)
Ingredients
- 2 slices fresh ginger
- ½ cinnamon stick (ceylon cinnamon preferred)
- 2 cardamom pods slightly crushed
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 black peppercorn
- ¼ tsp fennel seeds
- ¾ cup water
- 2 tsp loose leaf black tea (regular or decaf)
- 1 scoop collagen peptides (optional)
- ½ cup unsweetened cashew milk
- liquid sweetener (to taste, omit for Whole30)
Instructions
- Place ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, peppercorn, fennel seeds, and water in tall, narrow pot and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add tea and collagen peptides and reduce heat. Hold at a bare simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add cashew milk and heat 2-3 minutes or until the mixture simmers again, then remove from heat.
- Place liquid sweetener (if using) in cup. Strain tea mixture into cup and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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