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Bon Appétit

BA's Best Masala Chai

4.6

(22)

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Photo by Alex Lau

This chai is definitively ginger-forward. Feel free to add a little more maple syrup if you like it on the sweeter side. This is part of BA's Best, a collection of our essential recipes.

Ingredients

4 Servings

1

1½-inch piece fresh ginger, unpeeled, coarsely grated

1

3-inch cinnamon stick, lightly crushed with the flat side of a knife

6

teaspoons loose strong black tea (such as Assam) or 6 tea bags (such as PG Tips)

14

green cardamom pods, lightly crushed, or ¾ teaspoon cardamom seeds, lightly crushed

2¾

cups milk

¼

cup pure maple syrup

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring ginger, cinnamon, and 3½ cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Lower heat and simmer rapidly, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced by a third and very fragrant, about 20 minutes.

    Step 2

    Remove pan from heat, stir in tea and cardamom, and let steep 2 minutes.

    Step 3

    Return pan to medium-high heat and stir in milk and maple syrup. Cook, stirring occasionally and keeping a close watch, until mixture begins to foam up and boil, about 5 minutes. Immediately remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes. Strain chai through a fine-mesh sieve into a teapot or pitcher and serve.

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Reviews (22)

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  • Delicious. It took longer than 20 minutes to reduce the liquid in step 1 - more like 30 minutes. Other than that, I followed the instructions exactly with wonderful results.

    • Sue Fisher

    • Denver, Colorado

    • 10/14/2023

  • Really loved this sweet, gingery chai. I added peppercorns and cloves to the mix and boiled the hecky out of the ginger and spices. Love that the spices heat balances out the maple-syrup sweetness.

    • Vancouver, Canada

    • 10/28/2020

  • This turned out really well. I like my chai with a heavier taste, so I reduced the water for more than 20 minutes. I also added extra ginger and a black cardamom pod for more depth and smokiness. I used a mix of whole milk and half and half for a thicker texture, too. I find the comment on 7/11/20 to be ignorant and an unfortunate example of how the noble intention to be inclusive can be warped into painful extremism. As a woman of color, I am repulsed by the thought that only people of a certain culture/ethnicity can be the voice for that culture, as if only Vietnamese people are ever allowed to present an "authentic" pho recipe - for example. Or that only an Indian staff-person at BA is allowed to present any Indian recipe. The maple syrup used in this recipe is obviously not traditional, but if one tries the substitution, one may find the flavor to be softer and richer than using palm or cane sugar.

    • slumberlyn77

    • 8/3/2020

  • So you have a (1) woman who is not Indian (2) writing, and therefore claiming authority on, an Indian recipe while (3) using ingredients that are not even culturally accurate — maple syrup — and (4) providing absolutely no acknowledgement or insight into the culture from which this recipe was taken or inspired by! Do better at representing the BIPOC community and elevating the voices of your BIPOC staff.

    • Anonymous

    • 7/12/2020

  • OMG, the taste!! It is exquisite. The time to make this fancy warm drink is well worth it. I used almond milk and it turned out fabulous! Thank you for all of the amazing recipes BA. Your team rocks!

    • Yesmeen

    • Edmonton, Canada

    • 4/29/2020

  • I chilled my leftovers in a jar and it was really nice the next day! I used sugar instead of syrup. and 8 teabags, but the tea I used is pretty weak.

    • seymourkitty

    • portland, or

    • 1/14/2020

  • The best! I used oat milk and it was creamy and delicious. Also subbed 1 tbs monkfruit sweetener for the maple syrup. I like my chai not too sweet.

    • Anonymous

    • Palo Alto, CA

    • 9/17/2019

  • LOVE. Can you please share ginger amount in tbs for consistency? Thank you!

    • karynmarie1

    • California

    • 8/13/2019

  • So yummy! Could you give a TBS amount for the ginger for consistency? thank you!

    • Anonymous

    • california

    • 8/13/2019

  • This is sooo delicious on a rainy day! Would it be sacrilege to make this the night before and heat it up the next morning? I think this would be wonderful in a thermos to take to work but I'm worried it wouldn't be as wonderful reheated.

    • Anonymous

    • New York

    • 5/14/2019

  • SO GOOD! I love the spicy ginger flavor it's perfect for a sudden scratchy throat during a polar vortex. I used a coconut based dairy alternative because my husband is lactose intolerant and we never have real milk and it was great!

    • Joey3

    • Cambridge, MA

    • 1/31/2019

  • Absolutely fantastic and not at all difficult. It takes a little time, but the results are worth it. I cut down the number of tea bags to 5 and like the results a little better. When I come home from work, I get this started and it makes the house smell wonderful and then I have a steaming cup and save the rest for the next day. I'm addicted!

    • Anonymous

    • Colorado

    • 10/18/2018

  • Is it possible to make this recipe with an alternative milk (soy milk or almond milk)?

    • Anonymous

    • 9/26/2018

  • Fantastic. My assam tea was loose leaf but not as finely crumbled like shown in the video, so make sure you measure your tea after crumbling.

    • jnjn06161502

    • FL, USA

    • 1/8/2018

  • damn this chai is AWESOME and i’m addicted to it!enough said!

    • jacquivanaswegen

    • UK

    • 1/6/2018

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