Iced Chai With Cardamom Cold Foam

Name: Iced Chai With Cardamom Cold Foam
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients: 2 cardamom pods (2 cloves, 1 small piece cinnamon stick, 1 stalk lemon grass, 1 tbsp fresh ginger); 6 tsp Tea powder/ tea leaves; 1/2 cup water; 1 and 1/2 cup milk; 2 tbsp condensed milk; 1 and 1/2 tsp masala chai powder (refer to the recipe linked below); Pinch of salt; 3/4 cup whipping cream; 1/4 cup milk; 1 tbsp condensed milk; 2 tsp cardamom powder; Ice cubes

Masala chai packed with all the spices and a little sugar to make the perfect chai/tea recipe for your evening. Paired with ice and a cardamom cold foam to create the best cold version of chai for a hot summers day.

While having a chat with a friend the other day our love for chai was the hot topic and with summer in full swing having hot is delicious but it got me thinking about an iced chai. Not the ones you get at starbees or these pseudo chai shops that are coffee shops who call it “chai tea”. I have deep love for chai and you can see that on my blog with the numerous fusion chai recipes I have. Saying this, I have never tried chai iced and to be honest I am not an iced drink kinda person. I love hot water and hot drinks. But I was intrigued.

I made my masala chai recipe with a few adjustments as I wanted to make it stronger in order to accommodate a cold foam on the top. We cannot be drinking milk with a side of chai – I love a strong chai so it was clear to me that I had to make a chai that was strong filled with spices, lemon grass and ginger. I added a little richness with condensed milk instead of sugar but I usually don’t make my chai sweet either.

The OG masala chai recipe can be found here. However what surprised me with this recipe was the cold foam, it truly ticked off the box for a cafe style cold chai but still retained the flavors and integrity. Will I make it again? Sure I will but I still prefer my chai hot. If you are an iced drink kind of person – chances are this recipe will change your life. If you are making this to serve a crowd just double the recipe and store it in your fridge in a pitcher for ease. However let us get to the recipe.

What is chai?

Chai is tea, specifically black tea brewed in an Indian style with milk and a little sugar. Masala chai is chai filled with spices, either whole or powder. Commonly used spices are cinnamon, star anise, nutmeg, ginger, saffron, cardamon.

What is masala chai made of?

“Masala Chai” translates to Spiced Tea. As simple as that might sound there are many ways to make a good masala chai. To make masala chai we first need to make the masala. Which basically is a combination of spices that have been dry roasted, left to cool before grinding into a fine powder. Now you can totally buy this is in Indian grocery stores or large supermarkets but I love making my own and I’ve tweaked the quantities of each spice to my liking. While we are still talking about spices I think its important I mention I love using fresh ginger and lemongrass in my masala chai but today I will show you this traditional version. If you want to use fresh ginger and lemongrass, make sure to add 1/2 inch ginger and 1/2 stick of lemon grass in the initial brew.

What does the masala chai powder includes?

The masala chai powder includes cinnamon, cloves, cardamon, nutmeg and dried ginger (I don’t always use fresh ginger to make my chai). I dry roast each spice individually and then let them cool down before I grind it into a powder. This powder can be stored in an air tight container, ideally glass, for months as long as no moisture enters, it will last. If you don’t have this powder on hand or access to a masala chai powder you can use whole spices in the brewing process. The quantities can be adjusted to your liking and taste. Check out my masala chai powder recipe here.

What is the difference between masala chai and regular chai?

Chai is basically brewed tea, masala chai is basically spiced brewed tea.

Make ahead and serving options –

You can make the chai the night before and chill it in the fridge overnight. When ready to serve the next day add the ice and the cold foam on top. If you are making it for a crowd make the chai and cold foam ahead so when ready to serve pour over ice and its done. You would be better off making and storing it in a pitcher. I like making the chai stronger than it should be as the cold foam will lighten it up and reduce the chai flavor. Also you could always add milk to make it less strong. Having said this the recipe below is for a strong chai but milk is subjective so add as much as you prefer.

Food pairing options –

This is a summer drink so I would suggest keeping this recipe pairing simple and fresh with my Indian nachos, homemade samosas, pakoras, the tomato puff and the veggie chutney sandwich. But you want to serve it with sweet dishes then the shrikhand tart, peanut ladoo, saffron milk cake, caramel custard, crackle top fudge brownies, pistachio kunafa brownies, honey date pine nut and espresso cookies, brownie batter cookies, etc. What you serve with your iced chai depends on when you are serving it and for how many people you are serving it for.

Looking for more chai inspired recipes?

Now that we have covered how to make this ice chai recipe, you can have a look at the recipe video on my socials but let’s get to it. Don’t forget to follow along for more fun recipe inspiration.

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on pinterest & instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking.

Iced Chai With Cardamom Cold Foam

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Chill Time 1

Course Breakfast, Brunch, Drinks, High Tea, tea time

Cuisine Indian

Servings 4 people

Equipment

Sauce pot
Spoon
Food processor
Strainer

Ingredients

Masala Chai -

2 cardamom pods 2 cloves, 1 small piece cinnamon stick, 1 stalk lemon grass, 1 tbsp fresh ginger
6 tsp Tea powder/ tea leaves
1/2 cup water
1 and 1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp condensed milk
1 and 1/2 tsp masala chai powder refer to the recipe linked below
Pinch of salt

Cold foam -

3/4 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup milk
1 tbsp condensed milk
2 tsp cardamom powder

Serve with -

Ice cubes

Instructions

In a small sauce pot on medium heat add the water, tea powder, masala chai powder, salt and whole spices. Brew for 2 minutes until it reaches a vigorous boil
Reduce the heat and let this mixture simmer for 2-3 mins on medium heat.
Add the milk, condensed milk and let it boil again.
Once bubbling reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 mins.
At this stage adjust the milk as needed. Take off the heat and allow it to cool completely.
To make the cold foam blend all the ingredients in a food processor or whisk it with an electric beater until thicker. I don’t like my cold foam very thick so be mindful on the consistency.
When ready to serve pour the chai over ice and then top it with the cardamom cold foam.

Notes

Homemade masala chai powder recipe is linked here.
I like to let the chai cool down with the whole spices and tea powder in the sauce pot to make it stronger but you could strain it before chilling as well.
Adjust the milk as needed, if you prefer a more milky tea add more milk once chilled.

Annika Eats

Hi Ninja!