Want to be a Kashmiri Chai maestro? Follow these step by step instructions for a recipe that provides authentic rich flavour with less than ten minutes of active cooking! Also included: my must know tips and tricks, fixes, and a cheat sheet for scaling it up or down!
🔍 Quick Look: Kashmiri Chai
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 2 minutes
- 🍳 Cook Time: 1 hour (only 7 active cooking minutes!)
- 🕒 Total Time: 1 hour
- 👥 Servings: 10-12
- 🔥 Cook Method: Stovetop
- ⭐ Difficulty: Medium
- Key to Success: Aerating! Everything else is hands off
Can't believe I was able to make a successful pink cup of kashmiri chai!! Thank you so much for this recipe ♥️ - Rameen Shahzad
Jump to:
- 🔍 Quick Look: Kashmiri Chai
- The Ultimate Winter Drink
- Why do you call it Pakistani Kashmiri Chai?
- Getting the right Ingredients for Pink Chai
- Why is Kashmiri Tea pink?
- Level with me: Do I need to cook it for this long?
- What to watch for when making Pink Tea
- Storing the Kahwa:
- Kahwa Cheat Sheet: How to scale the recipe
- Tips and Tricks for Perfect Kashmiri Chai
- Kashmiri Chai FAQs
- Classic Pakistani Drinks
- Kashmiri Chai
- Comments
The Ultimate Winter Drink
Most of the Kashmiri Chai I have had in my life has been served to me in styrofoam cups. Sometimes it was ladled into them late at night at winter time mehndis with the pulsing rhythm of dance performances in the background and others it was graciously filled by a family member while the loud buzz of excited chatter enveloped the room. With it's beautiful flavour, unusual spices and pretty colour, this drink is an iconic part of Pakistani cuisine.
Why do you call it Pakistani Kashmiri Chai?
The qualifier exists because what we call Kashmiri Chai is actually not entirely authentic to Kashmir.
Kashmiris make a beautiful beverage called Noon Chai which is decidedly savoury.
This does not pretend to be that! Kashmiri friends also regularly tell me that their version is not only savory, but made with cream not milk.
Truth: I used to call it Karachi Style Kashmiri Chai, but then my Lahori friends and those from other parts of Pakistan pointed out that they too make it exactly this way.
Getting the right Ingredients for Pink Chai
Kashmiri Green Tea Leaves - the star, please buy tea leaves labeled as Kashmiri for optimal results OR if they are unavailable then I have been told by friends who use this recipe that any strong Middle Eastern brand of green tea works too!
PLEASE make sure they are fresh! That box from two years ago will not hit the same!
Baking Soda - this is there to facilitate the pinkness, some recipes will use a lot more, but in my extensive testing and retesting I have learnt that unless you are using more whole spices to mask the aftertaste the baking soda does leave an unpleasant metallic taste. It is also NOT traditionally used and a modern day inclusion
Milk: The milk affects both colour and taste - generally I prefer evaporated milk here for flavour, but whole milk produces the best color. I do know of people who use half n half as well, but that is a smidge rich for my taste.
Salt: yes you have to, that's all.
Whole Spices: I use them lightly because when you cook it right Kashmiri Chai has a lovely savory depth of it's own. However, if you love star anise in it please add away!
Why is Kashmiri Tea pink?
Science my friends is a wonderful thing.
1.) In the first cook the green tea leaves react with alkaline baking soda to create a maroon base for the tea.
2.) When you add ice cold water you essentially shock the tea into preserving its color
3.) You then aerate it to enhance the hue and flavour.
Level with me: Do I need to cook it for this long?
Short answer: YES.
The flavour difference between Kashmiri Chai that is correctly brewed and isn't, is the difference between stove top chai and chai made with boiling water and a teabag. As someone who officially has made every iteration of this recipe on the internet I can assure you this is the best.
As the tea leaves for this Pink Tea simmer away they release their flavour into the kahwa. Given that the entire simmering process is hands off please let the tea leaves do their thing and give you the wonderful cup that you deserve.
What to watch for when making Pink Tea
Kashmiri Chai is often over complicated, but let me break it down for you to show you how straightforward it really is.
- Combine all the ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil
- As it cooks it will start to look maroon
- Sieve the tea leaves out
- Aerate vigorously with ice water - the tea will take on this maroon colour
- Add milk and bring to a simmer (add nuts if using!)
- Pour and sweeten if wanted!
TIP: I often do the aerating in my sink to contain stains from splashing!
Storing the Kahwa:
This recipe (which can be easily halved) makes a generous amount of kahwa. You can store it in the fridge for upto two weeks, but please note the color does dull over time.
Kahwa Cheat Sheet: How to scale the recipe
However, if you want to make a smaller quantity refer to the graphic below!
Tips and Tricks for Perfect Kashmiri Chai
Here are some must read tips if you are making it for the first time!
- Shock with the coldest water you can to produce that beautiful color
- Don't skimp on the aerating
- Make sure you actually simmer the kahwa and milk together for at least 2 minutes.
- Test a small quantity first so that you know the tea 'works' and if it needs trouble shooting (see below).
Kashmiri Chai FAQs
okay folks, deep breath. Odds are it still tastes fine, but if you want you can always add a little more baking soda to your kahwa (tiny amounts please) to see if that helps the colour. Too much and you will ruin the taste!
For the future remember fresher tea leaves and energetic aerating!
Oops. Okay so here's what you can do - we are going to add a few more pods of lightly bruised cardamom and fat pinches of nuts, give it a simmer, and then strain out the nuts and cardamom pods. The combination of the two should cut the bitter after taste.
This is very much a taste and preferences thing. I use whole milk because I love the color/ flavour. Evaporated milk is tasty, but the tea takes a warmer hue. Cream is what is traditionally used in (unsweetened) Kashmiri Chai.
Classic Pakistani Drinks
Oh and if you're wondering what to serve with Kashmiri Chai can I just say that this Cream Cheese Pound Cake is PERFECT with it! No cream cheese? No problem. Try this Yogurt Cake instead!
Thank you for being here! Made this Kashmiri Chai? I'd love to hear your comments - share them below and do leave a recipe rating! You can also tag me on Instagram @flourandspiceblog
Kashmiri Chai
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp Kashmiri Tea Leaves
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- ¼-1/2 tsp salt
- 5-6 Cardamom Pods
- 1 Badiyan ka Phool (Optional)
- 1 small piece of cinnamon stick (optional)
- 2 cups ice cold water (I mix mine with ice)
- finely chopped pistachios & almonds
To brew the tea
- ⅔ cup milk per serving you make
- additional minced nuts
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients except the ice cold water to a pot with 8 cups of cold tap water.
- Bring to a boil, simmer for one hour or until the liquid is halved, it's okay if it reduces a little more but please do cook it down.
- Sieve the green tea leaves out.
- Now get ready for a work out. Pour the ice cold water from a height into the tea concentrate.
- Pour back and forth from bowl to bowl or use a ladle to drop it back into the bowl from a height to aerate the tea. I suggest doing this in your sink or a prepped surface area since it does splash a bit.
- After a full 5-8 minutes of doing this the foam the tea produces will take on a rich bodied pink
- Bring the tea mix back to a boil, bring to a boil. The "kahwa" is ready.
- To make each cup of tea: Take a ladle (about ⅓ of a cup) of the kahwa, bring to a boil, add ⅔ cup milk and a splash of water. At this stage I like to throw in an extra cardamom pod too. Cook for 2-3 minutes and serve topped with a scant spoon of crushed pistachios
Video
Notes
- This makes a generous amount of kahwa, for smaller quantities refer to the infographic in the post!
- In the original recipe I had suggested cooking for two hours for the large quantity, but after experimenting a few times with the quantities I think about an hour or until the kahwa halves works
- If this is your first time making it then I suggest you read the blog post, especially the tips and tricks section!
Naima Q. says
I was so skeptical because I remember my family members taking hours and hours to make this, but this recipe is LEGIT and ready in under an hour. I tried all the quicker versions and they didn’t taste like home - this does! Thank you Sarah!
Sarah Mir says
How absolutely wonderful it is this to read this from exactly the kind of person I made this recipe for!!! THANK YOU!
Iqra says
What brand of leaves do you use ? I’ve tried a few with mixed success in getting the right color.
Sarah Mir says
Hi Iqra! I use handi brand but my friend uses arab green teas with this recipe and she has the same results. There are lots of troubleshooting tips in this post but the colour is a function of two things: the baking soda and the aerating with ice - the combination makes it work, let me know how it goes!
Christy says
Made this a few times and cannot get the flavor to come through. When I add the milk it just tastes like warm milk. I boiled it for at least an hour and still nothing.
Sarah Mir says
Hey Christy! thanks for sharing that - let's see if we can troubleshoot.
1.) what brand of tea leaves are you using
2.) is the colour of the tea that rich maroon before you add the milk?
3.) have you played around with the aromatics?
Christy says
I used Vahdam Kashmiri Kawa Tea and boiled it for over an hour. It was a dark brown by the time I was done. I tried adding additional cardamom pods the second time but did not note a difference. I may try a different tea to see if that works.
Emily says
Wow, this Kashmiri Chai recipe looks absolutely authentic and foolproof! I love how detailed the step-by-step instructions are—can't wait to try it myself and become a Chai maestro. The tips and tricks are really helpful, especially the fix for color and flavor. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe! Also, I’ll definitely check outmy game and support my team—looking forward to enjoying some delicious chai with it. Cheers!