Looking for the perfect Vegan Chai Recipe? This recipe is for you, then! This is the best Masala Chai I have ever had (including the dairy ones I have had before turning vegan). It is packed with fragrant spices like cardamom and cloves and aromatics like lemongrass and ginger. The perfect beverage to wake up to or as a pick up during the day with no need for dairy.

Best Vegan Masala Chai - 1

What is Chai?

Chai translates to tea. I feel like I have to keep repeating myself because I keep seeing folks calling it “chai tea” and it’s one of my pet peeves. So why is “chai spices” a thing?

In India, Chai is always consumed with milk (like our dear friends from England do). When Chai is consumed without milk, we like to call it Kala Chai (black tea). Because the norm is to always add milk. And we like to spice it up to add a flavour punch. So when we add spices to Chai, like cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, pepper etc., it becomes Masala Chai. Masala meaning a mix of spices.

Plain Chai (without the Masala) is consumed when you don’t have the time to crush up a few whole spices or grate some ginger.

vegan chai with soy milk - 2

How to make Vegan Chai?

If you think about it, Masala Chai is all about that those spices and good quality black tea leaves. I prefer the Indian brands for this one. Especially, Assam black tea known for being strong. So if you replace the dairy with a vegan alternative, it’s done! But I do have some tips and suggestions because not all subs go well.

Steps:

  • Start by crushing your whole spices in a mortar and pestle.
  • Then slice lemongrass and grate the ginger.
  • Add the spices and aromatics to a pan with water in it and bring to a boil.
  • Once it starts boiling, add the tea leaves and bring down the heat.
  • Let it get to the strength of infusion you want and turn off the heat and add the vegan milk. I don’t like boiling vegan milks too long, especially if its oat milk. You can get by boiling soy milk though.
  • Serve hot with snacks like Vegan laddoos , Pazham Pori , Samosas or Aloo Tikki !

Ingredients and subs:

Vegan milk : I prefer soy milk or oat milk for this. Usually oat milk (I have a recipe for it) is the best sub since it does not impart a strong flavour of its own. I always have soy milk lying around at home (since it is nutritionally closest to dairy milk) so I end up making it with soy milk.

Whole Spices : Cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper. Now you can remove whatever is not available to you from this list. Sometimes I just add cardamom and its delicious. And is called Elaichi Chai (cardamom tea). You can sub with pre-ground versions but they lose taste with time in the shelf.

Aromatics : This is where the recipe takes to the next level. Lemongrass and Ginger. These two bad boys here make this Vegan Chai extremely fragrant and delicious. The flavour punch! You can skip these if it ain’t available.

And that’s it! Let me know if you try this recipe and I would love to see what you paired it up with. Tag @beextravegant on Instagram . If you don’t follow me there, I think it’s time you do that. I post yummy reels about vegan recipes and everything that is edible. Ciao!

If you like this recipe, check out other recipes from there blog:

  • Healthy Vegan laddoo
  • Bakes Aloo Tikki
  • Vegan Kulfi
vegan chai with soy milk - 3

Vegan Masala Chai

Ingredients1x2x3x

  • 2 cups Water 480 ml
  • 2-3 tsp Loose tea leaves black tea
  • 2/3 cup Oat/soy milk 160 ml
  • Brown sugar to taste

Whole Spices

  • 6 Whole green cardamom
  • 2-3 Black peppercorns
  • 4-5 Whole cloves
  • 1 stick Cinnamon
  • 1 pinch Grated nutmeg

Aromatics

  • 1 inch Ginger
  • 1 stalk Lemongrass optional

Instructions

  • Take a mortar and pestle and crush your whole spices. Set aside.
  • Slice lemongrass into 1 inch pieces and lightly crush it under a knife. Grate the ginger with a microplane or grater.
  • Add water to a pan, add the spices and aromatics (lemongrass and ginger) and bring to a boil.
  • Once it starts boiling, add the tea leaves and turn down the heat to medium or medium-low.
  • Let it get to the strength of infusion you want (I like to let it be on a slow boil for about 2-3 minutes) and turn off the heat and add the oat/soy milk. Heat it again if it’s not hot enough, but do not boil (especially oat milk).
  • Add sugar to taste and serve hot with snacks!

In today’s episode of “Make-it-yourself”, I introduce to you the queen of alternative milk – oat milk. It’s rich, it’s creamy, it’s easy to make and the best part, it does not have that slimy mouthfeel. Follow through all the tips and tricks of this oat milk recipe to get fresh, creamy, and luxurious Oat milk at home.

Oat milk is extremely flavor-neutral and goes really well in Chai , lattes, and smoothies. Creamy oat milk is key to a delicious vegan Chai. Are you looking for uses of oat milk and similar inspiration? You might like the decadent Dairy-free Chocolate pudding that I made using oat milk.

non-slimy oat milk held in a bottle - 4

Why Oat milk though?

The bright side to the pandemic is that we learned to depend on our own abilities as much as possible. Because of limited grocery trips, we had to learn to make do with what we had at home including making things from scratch. I’m glad that many of us could get inspired to consciously follow a more plant-based and animal cruelty-free diet.

One of the first steps to going non-dairy is to find the right alt milk for consumption because milk is a fridge staple. Cow’s milk isn’t for everyone – whether you’re a vegan, lactose intolerant or cow’s milk just doesn’t sit right with you. The alternatives are Soy milk and Coconut milk. There’s no harm in using them but coconut milk often impart a distinct taste to the recipe and some people are allergic to soy. Oat milk is the saviour for all these situations.

vegan chai with oat milk - 5

How to make Oat milk at home?

Oat milk is a blend of water and oats. These two simple ingredients are put through a blender to get a milk-like consistency, strained, and stored. It is a fairly simple technique and is cheaper than store-bought milk. Because of its growing popularity, oat milk is found in almost every grocery store or online store. The catch is that if you don’t make it the right way, you’ll end up with slimy milk. Many give up before they even give it a try and end up buying oat milk from the store.

Store-bought vs. Homemade

First things first, I am not against store-buying here. Many store-bought oat milk have additives like oils and sugars to give them a smooth and palatable texture. Although a plus point of getting store-bought oat milk is that they are fortified to have other nutrients and vitamins. Before the tips, I just want to flag that you can’t get the EXACT texture of store-bought oat milk at home. Store-bought versions use stabilisers so the water does not separate from the milk. They use enzymes to break down the oat’s starches. If you want a similar texture, you can use digestive enzymes (amylase) if you want to.

The slime-factor

Oat milk becomes slimy in texture because oats are known to absorb the water just like in overnight oats or porridge. After doing multiple test runs and coming up with my personalized super simple hacks, here’s how I recommend you make your oats milk:

Let’s get nerdy:

Let’s get familiar with a few basic technical know hows:
  • Temperature : When oats are soaked and processed in hot water, it forms a gel-like substance. This is called gelatinisation. This happens when we blend oats and water at a high temperature. The heat can also come from blitzing it on high-speed for a long time. That’s how we end up with slimy goopy oat milk.
  • Digestive enzymes : The only way we can avoid this, is to add digestive enzymes that break down the starch components in the oats. Amylase is one such digestive enzymes that does an amazing job at keeping the slime at bay. These are pretty easy to procur from any grocery store, it’s not a hurculean task.
  • Amylase can also be found in a wide variety of foods like bananas, papaya, mangoes as well as potatoes.
  • For this oat milk recipe, we are lowering the temperature factor by adding ice cubes while blitzing.

Recipe Instructions: Tips and tricks

  • Oats : We’re using unsoaked rolled oats for this recipe and not quick oats or steel oats. You can use gluten-free oats to make gluten-free oat milk in case you have allergies or intolerances. DO NOT pre-soak them. Pre-soaking them will turn the milk into a slimy mess.

  • Ice Water: Pour the oats into the blender with ice-cold water and ice cubes if you can. The trick is to reduce the temperature as much as possible. Note : The water consistency can be modified as per your preference. (For thicker, creamier milk and higher – LESS WATER: For thinner milk – MORE WATER)

  • Blending : Blend the two ingredients in a high speed blender for not more than 30 seconds and in a regular blender not more than 60 seconds. More blending time will heat up the content and leave you with a slimy texture.

  • Straining : Pour into a container through a GOOD quality nut milk bag to prevent sediments in the oat milk. Try using 2 nut-milk bags if yours isn’t very efficient. But DO NOT over-squeeze the bag. Let it seep through on its own with gentle squeezes in between. Double strain to make sure all the sediment is removed.

  • Oat Pulp : Use up the leftover Oat pulp for making Cookies or adding it to Crunchy Chunky Homemade Granola bowls.

Storage:

Freshly prepared oat milk needs to be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated. You can refrigerate it for up to a week. Keep in mind that the water and oats will separate when kept for so long. So, shake well before each use.

Also, if you want more dessert inspiration then feel free to check out my other recipes:

  • Dairy-free Chocolate Pudding (made with Oat Milk): Rich and Creamy
  • Vegan Cardamom Snickerdoodle Cookies
  • Best Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies (Vegan)
  • Best Vegan Masala Chai

Homemade (Non-Slimy) Oat Milk Recipe

Ingredients1x2x3x

  • 1 cup Rolled oats Gluten free (if necessary)
  • 3-4 cups Cold water
  • 1 cup Ice cubes
  • Vanilla extract, maple syrup etc. Optional

Instructions

  • Pour un-soaked oats into the blender with ice-cold water and ice cubes. Make sure the temperature is as low as possible.
  • Blend it in a high speed blender for not more than 30 seconds and in a regular blender not more than 60 seconds.
  • Pour into a container through a GOOD quality nut milk bag to prevent sediments in the oat milk.
  • Use 2 nut-milk bags and double strain to make sure all the sediment is removed.
  • Your creamy, slime-free Oat milk is ready!

These plantain chips are the perfect evening snack to pair with your chai /coffee. Made with raw plantains (called raw green banana in India), some turmeric, salt and oil for frying. It’s simple, SO DELICIOUS and a family favourite! Follow along with my easy step-by-step guide with photos for reference.

Plantain chips served with chai - 6

Inspiration for making plantain chips

I used to eat this addictive snack every day as a child! They are quite a delicacy in Kerala and you get to buy delicious freshly fried plantain chips from authentic Chip Shops/Centres.

Fun fact: I used to called plantains “raw banana” all my life in India until I travelled abroad and realised its actually plantains. So if you want real Indian plantain recipes, you are going to want to search for raw banana recipes LOL.

How to make Plantain Chips?

Me holding a bowl of plantain chips - 7

The recipe is very simple with basic ingredients:

Plantains: You need raw plantains for this recipe. You can get by substituting with raw bananas but they don’t taste the same.

Plantain being peeled - 8

Turmeric water for soaking plantains: In a large bowl, mix water with turmeric and let the plantains soak for about 30 minutes. This helps with the colour and also prevents the plantains from oxidising while you prep the frying oil.

Soaking plantains in turmeric water - 9

Oil for frying: Traditionally these are fried in coconut oil and I do believe that gives these plantain chips the best flavour. But if that’s too expensive for you, use any regular frying oil. Make sure to fry on high heat.

Turmeric concentrate for pouring into the oil: This is the star of the show that gives the chips that classic yellow colour. Just mix turmeric powder with salt and a bit of water, pour a teaspoon of this concentrate for each batch that you fry. Make sure you fry the plantains in batches to prevent clustering.

Adding the turmeric concentrate to frying plantains - 10

Let me know if you try this simple plantain chips recipe. Tag @beextravegant on Instagram .

If you don’t follow me there, I think it’s time you do that. I post yummy reels about vegan recipes and everything that is edible.

If you like this recipe, check out other snacks from there blog:

  • Healthy Vegan laddoo
  • Baked Aloo Tikki
  • Tofu masala sandwich
Plantain chips served with chai - 11

Plantain chips

Ingredients1x2x3x

  • 2 large raw plantains called nendra Pazham in Kerala
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp turmeric
  • 4 cups water
  • Coconut oil for frying

Instructions

  • Slit the tops and peel the the plantains, with greased hands if necessary (sometimes they could get sticky/slimy).
  • Pour 4 cup water in a large bowl with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp turmeric and stir.
  • Soak the plantains in this bowl for about 30 minutes.
  • Drain off the water and soak excess moisture with a kitchen towel.
  • Then, slice to medium thickness (with a mandolin, preferably).
  • Drop them in hot coconut oil in batches of one layer, to avoid clustering.
  • Make a turmeric water concentrate with 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp salt and 2 tbsp water.
  • Pour a tsp of this concoction into the frying chips (making sure to stay at a safe distance). This gives the chips the classic bright yellow colour.
  • Stir occasionally, and fry on medium flame.
  • Fry for about 10 minutes or until crispy but not golden brown.
  • Remove excess oil with a kitchen towel.
  • Enjoy plantain chips hot, with a cup of chai or store in an airtight jar for up to a month.
vegan chai with soy milk - 12

Vegan Masala Chai

Ingredients1x2x3x

  • 2 cups Water 480 ml
  • 2-3 tsp Loose tea leaves black tea
  • 2/3 cup Oat/soy milk 160 ml
  • Brown sugar to taste

Whole Spices

  • 6 Whole green cardamom
  • 2-3 Black peppercorns
  • 4-5 Whole cloves
  • 1 stick Cinnamon
  • 1 pinch Grated nutmeg

Aromatics

  • 1 inch Ginger
  • 1 stalk Lemongrass optional

Instructions

  • Take a mortar and pestle and crush your whole spices. Set aside.
  • Slice lemongrass into 1 inch pieces and lightly crush it under a knife. Grate the ginger with a microplane or grater.
  • Add water to a pan, add the spices and aromatics (lemongrass and ginger) and bring to a boil.
  • Once it starts boiling, add the tea leaves and turn down the heat to medium or medium-low.
  • Let it get to the strength of infusion you want (I like to let it be on a slow boil for about 2-3 minutes) and turn off the heat and add the oat/soy milk. Heat it again if it’s not hot enough, but do not boil (especially oat milk).
  • Add sugar to taste and serve hot with snacks!