Masala Chai Matcha Latte

Think of this Masala Chai Matcha Latte as a fusion drink. It’s a classic Japanese matcha latte but made with masala chai instead of plain plant milk. I created this drink in collaboration with my friend Pratik, of Hungry Empire, and love that it embodies our two cultures! With his homemade masala chai and a shot of matcha, you get the most delicious Masala Chai Matcha Latte, or Matchai, as we’re calling it.

The spices in the masala chai add complexity and warmth to the drink and the matcha addition helps to balance out the sweetness of the chai. Both drinks pair well with their earthy flavors and it’s one of my absolute favorite matcha drinks. Not only that, but it’s gorgeous in colour and a great coffee-free alternative drink. You can enjoy it hot or iced, so it’s perfect year round, no matter the weather.

What is Masala Chai?

Chai in hindi translates to tea and the ingredients used to flavor and spice the tea varies greatly depending on what region of India you’re in. Typically, chai is always made with tea, spices, milk and sugar and can be found on most street corners in India. This recipe comes from my friend Pratik, whose family is from Gujarat, and the ingredients reflect that.

Masala Chai Ingredients

Chai concentrate, spice mixes and latte mixes can be commonly found in stores nowadays but as with most recipes, making it from scratch produces an even more flavorful result and the best part is that it’s completely customizable too! To make the masala chai, you’ll meed:

• Fennel seeds.
• Star anise seeds.
• Cardamom pods.
• Peppercorns.
• Cinnamon.
• Nutmeg.
• Clove.
• Fresh ginger.
• Fresh mint leaves.
• Plant milk.
• Sugar.

To turn the masala chai into a fusion matcha latte, you’ll also need a few more things:

• Ceremonial grade matcha powder.
• Hot, but not boiling water.

Make Chai Spice From Scratch

Making chai spice from scratch is a lot easier than you might think, and with Pratik’s expert guidance, you too, can make it at home. We start by toasting all of our spices in a dry pan until aromatic. You want to make sure you’re shaking the pan to avoid any spices burning. Pay special attention to the fennel seeds as they’re the smallest in size and most prone to burning.

Once toasted and your kitchen smells amazing, let the spices cool down for a little bit before you transfer them to a spice grinder. Blend until a fine powder forms and your chai spice is ready to go!

As mentioned, the spices used will vary based on region, household and preference, so feel free to play around with the ingredients and ratios. It’s completely customizable! Best of all, you’ll end up with a spice mix that you can use not only for lattes but also syrups, baking, dry rubs and more.

This recipe will yield at least 10 or so servings.

How to Make a Masala Chai Matcha Latte

To make the latte, we’ll start by bringing some water to a boil. Pratik recommends using the cup you intend to serve in to measure with. You’ll want to use half of the serving up to measure out the amount of water, then add it to a pot to bring to a low boil.

Once the water is simmering, grate in fresh ginger, add the fresh mint leaves, black tea and sugar, to taste. As the water starts to pick up and boil, add in warmed plant based milk. You’ll want use the same amount of plant milk as you did water and make sure to stir constantly so the milk does not burn on the bottom of the pot.

Bring the mixture up to a strong boil and then drop the heat. Repeat once more, for two boils. This helps to get the tea nice and frothy and you want to avoid stirring at this point in the process. Remove from heat and let sit–the tea will continue to brew as it sits. To serve, strain your mixture using a fine sieve and adjust with any addition sweetener as desired. This is a traditional hot chai, but if you’d like to turn it into a Masala Chai Matcha Latte, we’re going to add in a serving of matcha.

Prepare a serving of matcha (refer to the Ultimate Matcha Guide for more detail on how to do that), by whisking sifted ceremonial grade matcha powder with hot, but not boiling water. To serve, we’ll pour the masala chai over ice and then top it off with the whisked matcha.

Tips and FAQ

Enjoy this drink hot or iced! You can also store the prepared masala chai in the fridge, in an airtight container for up to a week and then add in the matcha fresh when ready to enjoy.

If you’d prefer to use a pre-made chai concentrate or chai spice mix, you can absolutely do that. I’d recommend simmering with fresh ginger and mint as it really elevates the drink and adds layers of complexity to the drink. I had never had it with fresh ginger and mint before trying Pratik’s recipe and it’s a game changer!

All of the whole spices used in this recipe can be found at an Indian grocery store. I highly recommend looking for one in your area as the drink is so much more delicious when prepared with freshly ground spices. If you do not have access to whole spices, you can also use ground spices and adjust to taste.

Using a coffee grinder or spice grinder is really important for achieving the finely ground spice mix. You can use a mortar and pestle but it will be a really brutal workout!

For more on matcha and where to find ceremonial grade matcha powder, refer to the Ultimate Matcha Guide.

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