Best Chai Tea
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Oct 1, 2025 
This homemade Best Chai Latte recipe is rich and simple, based on the authentic chai you find in India, with tons of spice and a creamy and sweet touch!
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
What we in America think of as chai tea, or a chai tea latte, is a far cry from what is traditionally served in the rest of the world. An authentic Easy Chai Tea recipe is made with thick buffalo milk, considerably too much sugar, black tea, and cardamom pods.
Served in scant shot glasses from dawn until way past dusk, this beverage is EVERYWHERE you look in India. This homemade chai tea recipe is easy to make and tastes just like the chai you can get in India. You might not have these ingredients on hand normally, but they are worth getting for whenever you are craving a cup of hot chai!
Why You’ll Love This Chai Tea Recipe
- Make-ahead friendly – This make-ahead chai is great to keep on hand, too. You don’t have to buy the boxed stuff anymore!
- Bold Indian flavors – From cardamon to cinnamon, every sip of this rich chai tea is loaded with bold notes of Indian flavors.
- Cozy and comforting – This warm and spice-filled chai is the perfect comfort drink.
It’s been many years since I last visited India. Yet I’ll never forget sitting in open-air chai shops drinking creamy, ultra-sweet chai with friends.
Ingredients and Tips
- Water – The base of the recipe. Use plenty of water, then let it simmer down into strong condensed tea.
- Star anise – For bold licorice flavor that packs a punch.
- Cinnamon – Use whole sticks, so they can be easily removed.
- Green Cardamom pods – Green cardamoms are the best to use here
- Black tea bags – Or you can use loose-leaf black tea
- Half & half – Or whole milk.
- Sugar – To make it sweet, of course!
- Garnishes – I love to use garnishes like cinnamon sticks and whole cloves of star anise.
Recipe Variations and Dietary Swaps
- Vanilla – Stir in a dash of vanilla extract for a boost of sweetness.
- Iced – Serve over ice with cold milk for a refreshing version of this chai tea.
- Vegan – Swap the half and half with oat milk, cashew milk, coconut milk or almond milk.
- Sugar-free – Replace the sugar with honey, maple syrup or use alternative sweeteners such as coconut sugar or date sugar. I would not recommend sweetener products such as stevia that will drastically change the chai flavor profile.
- Extra spice – For a slightly stronger spiced flavor, gently crush the whole spices using a mortar and pestle!
How To Make Homemade Chai Tea
Find the full Best Chai Tea recipe with detailed instructions and storage tips in the printable form at the bottom of the post!
Storage Notes
- Storing Leftovers – Keep chai tea in an airtight container in the fridge, and leave the spices in the chai until ready to serve. The longer they sit in the tea, the bolder the flavor will be. You can refrigerate this chai for up to 10 days if you have any chai leftover!
Serving Suggestions
This delicious and rich chai tea pairs really well with my Easy Cinnamon Biscuits or these Walnut Cherry Scones for an afternoon treat.
You can also start the day with this chai tea, along with eggs, bacon and a side of my Roti recipe for an Indian inspired breakfast.
Best Chai Tea Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 1 whole star anise
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 4 cardamom pods, cracked
- 4-5 black tea bags, or 1/4 cup loose black tea
- 2 cups half & half, or whole milk
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Press the cardamom pods until they crack. Bring the water, tea, star anise, cinnamon, and cardamom to a boil.
- Boil for 8-10 minutes, until the tea is black and has reduced to about 2 cups. Strain and add the sugar. Add the half & half and stir until hot.
- Place the used cardamom pods in the bottom of the cups for good friends.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Technically, this recipe is actually masala chai. Masala means “spiced” chai which is black tea with whole spices that add extra flavor and make this tea very comforting. Some masala chai recipes include fresh ginger, so feel free to throw a little in!
Any black tea would work, but I recommend using something strong like darjeeling tea or assam tea!
Yes! The word “chai” means tea in many different languages, with origins in India. So when we say “chai tea” it is redundant, but that is how it has become known here in the US!
Yes! Each cup of this tea could have up to 25 mg of caffeine in it, similar to basic black tea caffeine count.
Chai isn’t meant to be low carb or low sugar. It is meant to be strong, sweet, silky, and packed with spice! If you want your chai recipe to taste authentic, use the half & half and plenty of sugar.
Hello Sommer,
Thanks for posting this.
A variant is ginger tea – usually prepared when someone has cold or sore throat. A little bit of ginger ( quantity depends on how much flavor you want- some like it light and some want it dominant) is added to water when you start boiling it. Rest of the process is the same.
The process of adding milk to boiled tea reminds me of titration in Chemistry lab. You will have to monitor the color change with every added drop of milk and have to stop at an exact point. The whole color change process is a thing of beauty.
I really hope you got to taste the roadside Chaiwalla’s chai if you went to Mumbai. You get a cup for 10 cents and it tastes like heaven. When I was traveling on work in 2008 with a German colleague, I drank the roadside tea, but was hesitant to recommend it to my colleague. He insisted on trying it and was hooked. He drank the roadside vendor’s tea 5 times a day everyday thereafter until we left India.
Darjeeling tea and Assam tea are some of the most popular (and expensive) ones. But buyers have to ensure that they are from Darjeeling and Assam respectively. Else, it will be like buying French Wine made in, well, anywhere outside of France.
Love, Peace and Chai!!
I love coffee but need to give my adrenals a break. I’m switching to my tea of choice — *chai* and found your recipe. As it turns out I am a water buffalo farmer. We don’t milk ours but now I’m going to have to! The local Indian population literally begs us for buffalo milk, insisting they will buy every drop. This must be why. Thanks for the delicious recipe!
What a lovely post! I have been trying to find the perfect spice mix to get me started with chai. I am wondering what kind of black tea you use? Everyone seems to be different – from broken darjeeling, to orange pekoe, to lipton yellow label. All are “authentic” so I suppose it’s totally up to preference! So out of curiosity, what did you use? Thanks so much!
Sherry
Hi Sherry, I usually buy it at the ethnic food store, so it’s not a specific brand. But I would go with whatever tea brand you usually prefer.
Okay, thank you. I am just learning my teas and I actually just recently figured out that Lipton Yellow Label is an orange pekoe. I thought orange pekoe was a specific leaf type, but apparently it’s just a standard for tea. I get so confused sometimes! I’ll have to check out the teas in the Indian section at the global food mart. :)
Wow, this chai was really good! I didn’t have green cardamom so I used black instead. I normally use milk so I used half and half, and I felt the creaminess really complimented it! This is probably the best chai recipe I have ever used.
On the page I saw the recipe the amount of the ingredients was not showing. I would really like to make this tea, I love it.
Thank you much.
super yummy.
going to try a more potent brew next time. a longer steep.
Hi, would it be okay to substitute the sugar for honey, agave, or artificial sweetner, and the milk for soy or almond milk (or none at all if possible)? Thanks!
Hi Cheryl, It’s possible to adjust this to meet your dietary needs, but it will change the flavor a bit. Good Luck! :)
Best not to use agave, it will make you fat. Honey is ok, maple syrup is better. It’s not chai without milk; almond milk is ok, don’t use soy milk – over the years soy has become one of the most GMO intensive products.
I live in a small town where would I buy those ingredients?
Hi Rita, you should be able to find everything you need at your local grocery store. If not, you could always order spices on line. :)
We make this at work. We use the same method but for this amount we would use:
4 cups water (boil for 15 not 5 mins)
1 extra star anise (total 2: broken into pieces to infuse)
1 bay leaf
1/4 vanilla bean
4 whole cloves
Remainer of ingredients and proceedure remains the same.
Hi,
This recipe looks really good! Usually I just make a concentrate and refrigerate it. Can I do the same with this one? How long do you think I could refrigerate
It for?
Thanks.
Hi Alla, I don’t see why not. Let me know how it goes. :)
Add a few drops of Grape seed extract, it’s a power preservative
Really Thanks for this recipe. Having an Indian husband made me to search for a good chai recipe as he requested me one morning for a tea and I thought I want to give him something nice for his breakfast. It was a surprise for him, as he was used to have just tea bag, water and little bit of milk. He straight saw the difference and I was happy to see a smile on his face. Will definitely make it again :) xx
Simply loved you photography.
This tea looks tempting. Will try it for sure.