Adrak Chai, or ginger tea, is a staple in Indian households, offering a perfect balance of milky black tea and brimming with anti-inflammatory benefits from fresh ginger. This 10-minute chai is the ultimate warm beverage for chilly mornings or rainy afternoons. Serve it with cake rusks, samosas, and other snacks.
Growing up, we used ginger in our household for a lot of medicinal purposes. Yes, it was a daily part of most of our meals like with dals and sabzis. But my mom also made sure I drank several cups of ginger honey tea when we were sick or not feeling our best.
As an adult, I love Adrak Chai! Ginger, the star ingredient, not only adds a spicy warmth but also offers numerous health benefits, from aiding digestion to boosting immunity. Stuffy nose? Ginger tea! Aching sinuses? More ginger tea! Sore muscles? You guessed it, ginger tea.
If you're one of those people that requires caffeine on a daily basis, or even several times daily, then this is a great way to include ginger into your diet! It's a lovely, lightly spiced tea for winter time.
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What is Adrak Chai?
The word "chai" translates to "tea", so "chai tea" means "tea tea". There are several types of chai, the most popular being Masala Chai. There's also Doodh Patti, Kashmiri Pink Chai, Kadak Chai, Kesar Chai, and many more.
Adrak Chai simply means ginger tea. It's an Indian-style of tea with black tea, fresh ginger root, milk, and sugar. It's typically served warm during the winter as a warming drink that reduces inflammation and soothes colds.
Gingerol, the main bioactive ingredient in ginger, is an anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant which is why the root is used for its medicinal properties. The benefits can include reducing nausea, aiding digestion, relieving the common household cold and flu, and many more (Source: NIH).
Ingredients - Notes and Substitutions
This Indian Ginger Chai isn't like most ginger teas you may get in the U.S. A lot of them are simply ginger simmered in water with honey and lemon for a soothing non-caffeinated drink.
- Black tea - Assam tea work best for chai, and English breakfast is a good runner up. My favorite loose leaf black tea is Danedar and my favorite tea bags are Tetley British Blend. I do not recommend earl grey. Some families even make their own blend of tea - my dad does a blend of black and green tea leaves.
- Ginger - Use fresh ginger root! I prefer to remove the peel for ginger tea.
- Cardamom - This can be optional, however I find that it gives a bit of fragrance and sweetness that compliments the ginger.
- Sweetener - Granulated sugar is the most typical sweetener, but brown sugar, jaggery, stevia, honey, and even maple syrup will work.
- Milk - The best milk for chai is undoubtedly dairy milk, preferably whole. The best vegan plant-based milk substitute for chai is oat milk or cashew cream.
Recommended Kitchen Equipment
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Buy Now → How to make Adrak Elaichi Chai
Adrak ki Chai doesn't require anything too fancy to make, but I've developed a technique to ensure the perfectly spiced drink!
- Thinly slice a 1-inch knob of ginger into chunks or matchsticks. I prefer to peel it first, but you can also give it a rinse and scrub any dirt off. A 1-inch knob is enough for two cups of water. Additionally, crush the cardamom just a bit to crack open and expose the seeds inside.
- Bring water up to a simmer in a saucepan, then add the ginger and cardamom. Allow the water to come to a boil for 2-3 minutes, the hue of the water will be a mild yellow-ish color. Then, add the black tea. Loose leaf or tea bags work! Add 1 teaspoon or 1 tea bag per cup of water.
- Steep the black tea for 3-5 minutes. The tea should be really dark red hue but be careful not to over-boil otherwise the tea will be bitter.
- Remove the saucepan from heat and add about ¼ cup of milk, or as much milk until you get your preferred milkiness of tea. If you're using a plant-based milk, you may want to warm it separately (like in the microwave) and mix it in after removing the tea from heat to prevent separation or curdling.
- Pour the tea through a fine mesh sieve into a tea pot or into individual mugs or cutting chai cups.
Note: Ginger has enzymes that can curdle milk so be sure to boil the spices as instructed before adding any milk.
Mix in honey, sugar, or you're preferred sweetener to the tea when serving.
Tips and Tricks
As someone who is really particular about ginger, here are some tips and tricks to make the best ginger tea:
- Make ahead instructions. You can make this ahead, which is great if you're a bit under the weather! I scaled the recipe and kept the concentrate without milk in a sanitized jug in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. I poured out a cup and added milk to enjoy it chilled, but you can enjoy it warm as well! Pop it in the microwave for up to a minute.
- Fresh ginger. Fresh ginger has enzymes that can curdle milk. It's best to boil the water with the spices, including ginger, before adding the milk. Alternatively, use dried ginger or ginger powder but fresh ginger is highly preferred.
- Don't overdo the ginger. Too much ginger can seriously overpower the tea, leaving an uncomfortable zing to the tea instead of a pleasant sweet and spicy ginger.
- Cut the ginger into pieces, don't grate. Cut the ginger into chunks or matchsticks for more surface area. Don't grate, because it'll release too much ginger juice into the tea and overpower it, possibly curdling the milk as well.
- Dairy vs. dairy free milk. Dairy milk is a popular option for adrak chai. You can add more than a ¼ cup to make it milkier if you'd like. If you're using a dairy free option, I recommend heating it separately and adding it after the tea leaves have steeped to prevent curdling or separation.
Serving Suggestions
Pair adrak chai with your favorite snacks, such as biscuits, pakoras, or aloo samosas, for a classic tea-time experience. It’s also delightful with sweet treats like chai spice chocolate chip cookies, amaretto cherry almond cake, or traditional Indian sweets like ladoos or barfi.
Ginger Tea Variations
While we love a good caffeinated chai, you can also make Adrak Chai without the tea leaves if you'd like to! Add a few other spices like fennel and nutmeg, or an orange peel for a bit of citrus and acidity.
Need more ideas to customize your Adrak Chai? Here are some popular variations:
- Ginger-Cinnamon Tea: For something a bit warmer that screams fall, add a cinnamon stick along with the ginger.
- Adrak Tulsi Chai: Tulsi, also known as holy basil, is a medicinal herb that blossoms with violet flowers. The leaves, stems, or seeds can be used in most use cases. It can be found in many home gardens! Add a sprig of dried tulsi along with the ginger.
- Ginger-Turmeric Tea: Turmeric offers additional anti-inflammatory benefits along with the ginger. You can find fresh, bright orange turmeric root in most grocery stores or a farmers market. Treat it the same way as the fresh ginger, cutting slices and adding it as the water simmers. A few turns of a black pepper mill will improve the health benefits turmeric offers. You can also give Haldi Doodh a try where turmeric is the main star.
- Adrak Pudina Chai: Similar to tulsi, mint (pudina) is a popular addition to this tea. Just a few dried or mint leaves are more than enough.
Storage Instructions
Adrak chai is best enjoyed fresh, but you can store the strained tea in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave before serving. Avoid storing it with milk mixed in, as it may spoil quickly.
More Chai Recipes to try
Recipe
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Adrak Chai (Ginger Tea)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1 inch knob of ginger
- 2 green cardamom pods
- 2 black tea bags
- ¼ cup milk
- sugar, to taste
Instructions
- Remove the skin of the ginger by using a spoon to scrape it off. Cut the ginger into smaller, thin pieces or matchsticks. Lightly crush the cardamom with a heavy flat surface.
- Bring the water to a simmer in a saucepan and add in the ginger and cardamom pods. Boil for 2-3 minutes so the ginger and cardamom release flavor and the water turns a yellow-ish hue.
- Then, add the black tea bags or 2 teaspoons of loose leaf black tea into the water. Steep the tea for 3-5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and add milk into the saucepan. Stir the tea together. Remove the tea bags.
- Strain the tea into glasses through a fine mesh sieve. Serve hot with sugar to taste.
Notes
- Fresh ginger. Fresh ginger has enzymes that can curdle milk. It's best to boil the water with the spices, including ginger, before adding the milk. Alternatively, use dried ginger or ginger powder but fresh ginger is highly preferred.
- Dairy vs. dairy free milk. Dairy milk is a popular option for adrak chai. You can add more than a ¼ cup to make it milkier if you'd like. If you're using a dairy free option, I recommend heating it separately and adding it after the tea leaves have steeped to prevent curdling or separation.
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