Karak chai tea is a chai milk black tea made with black tea, sweetened condensed milk, freshly ground cardamom, sugar, and saffron. It originated in India, however, migrated to many other regions of the world, such as the Middle East Gulf countries.
It happened on a semi-cold winter night in the desert. I was sitting by a wood fire in the united arab emirates pondering what I wanted to do with my life. A friend handed me a cup of Karak chai tea. I just took one sip and my entire focus shifted. Wow, so much strong flavor in such a small little cup.
What I Love About This Recipe
This karak tea recipe is a delicious tea influenced by traditional Indian tea yet with its own unique flavor. There are different types of this milky tea. The aromatic spices from the ground cardamom, make this chai karak tea a popular drink.
Ingredient Notes
- Black Tea Leaves: My preference is to use loose leaf black tea, but you can use Lipton yellow label black tea as well. I explain a little more below the modifications needed if using Lipton yellow label instead of loose-leaf black tea.
- Fresh Ground Cardamom: Fresh cardamom is what makes this tea so flavorful. I recommend freshly ground green cardamom pods.
- Sugar: I use sugar in the raw, however, any type of sugar will work. You can also substitute agave nectar or honey.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: This makes the tea so delicious! The brand I use is Rainbow, but any type of canned sweetened condensed milk will work. If you would like to make this drink dairy-free, you can substitute homemade almond milk or canned coconut milk. If omitting sweetened condensed milk, you will need to add a bit more sugar.
- Saffron: If you have saffron on hand, I recommend adding a few threads to each cup.
How To Make Karak Tea
Ground the cardamom pods with a grinder.
Hint: If you don't have access to a spice grinder or coffee grinder, you can use a meat tenderizer which is like a big hammer. Place the cardamom pods in a plastic bag. Put the plastic bag on a cutting board and hit the pods with the meat tenderizer or hammer. You just want to crush the pods so that the flavors infuse into the tea.
Add the tea, ground cardamom, water, and saffron (if using) to a pot.
Boil water and ingredients on medium-high heat. If using loose leaf tea, boil for 15 minutes. If using Lipton yellow label tea, boil for 5 minutes. Add the sugar and condensed milk.
Boil for another 2 to 3 minutes.
Strain the milk in a tea strainer.
Pour tea into your favorite tea mug.
Tips and Tricks
The biggest tip I have for making Karak chai milk tea is to use freshly ground cardamom pods. The cardamom balances out the black tea and sweetness from the condensed milk. I use my coffee grinder to grind the cardamom pods. A spice grinder can be used as well.
Substitutions and Variations
- Use whole milk instead of condensed milk. Double the sugar.
- Add other whole spices to the tea like cinnamon stick, fresh ginger, or star anise.
Equipment
- Stovetop pot
- Coffee grinder, spice grinder, or meat tenderizer (it looks like a hammer)
- Tea strainer
Lipton Yellow Label
The best black tea for this recipe is loose black tea, but there are a few substitutions that will work as well. Lipton yellow label is easy to find in grocery stores in the US, Egypt, and the UAE. Lipton is a strong black tea that brews in less time than loose leaf black tea.
If using Lipton yellow label black tea, boil the ground cardamom pods for the first 10 minutes alone. Add the tea for the last 5 minutes because this tea is a lot stronger. I haven't tried making this tea with generic black tea bags, so I'm not sure how it will turn out.
Delicious Drinks
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📋 Recipe
Karak Chai Tea With Cardamom
Ingredients
- 6 cups water
- 2 tablespoon black loose leaf tea
- 1 tablespoon fresh ground cardamom or mashed cardamom pods
- 6 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 6 to 8 strands of saffron optional
Instructions
- Bring black loose leaf tea, ground cardamom, and water to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes.
- Add the sugar, saffron, and sweetened condensed milk while stirring. Continue to boil for another 2 minutes.
- Strain the tea.
Notes
- Cardamom is a necessary ingredient for this tea. There are two ways to prepare the cardamom: grind the cardamom in a coffee or spice grinder or mash the cardamom with a meat tenderizer. The main key is to break up the cardamom pop prior to adding it to boil.
- Lipton yellow label black tea can be used as a substitute for loose leaf black tea. Boil the ground cardamom alone for the first 10 minutes then add the Lipton yellow label black tea for the last 5 minutes while continuing to boil. Continue with the remaining steps.
DC
I love this recipe and have made it so many times now! Thank you 😍
Lily
So glad to hear that!! Thanks for the comment!
Laura
If I'm using lipton black tea bags now many do I use for this recipe
Lily
You would use 1 tea bag per person. The recipe is originally written for 6 people, so that would be 6 tea bags.
Haifa
SO GOOD. I am a big tea drinker and made this with loose leaf black tea. It was delicious.
Lily
So glad you liked the recipe