Rose Cardamom Chai

Holi, the festival of colors, is coming up in a week.  Holi marks the arrival of spring.  While this isn’t a traditional Holi food or drink, the rose flavor gives me all of the floral feels of spring.  This rose cardamom chai will definitely be a staple in my kitchen this spring and summer.

Some of you may be wonder where I got this flavor combination from…  When I went to Paris last summer in June 2019, my mom and I got rose lattes at Ladurée.  Since then, I’ve been wanting to try to make rose chai.  Cardamom is a very common spice used in chai, aside from ginger.  Rose and cardamom also compliment each other very well, so I tested it out and loved the flavor combination!

Chai is the most requested recipe I get on Instagram.  Everyone has a different way of making chai.  What spices to add…  How long to let the tea boil before adding the milk…  How many times to boil the tea with milk…  I usually share videos of me making masala chai on my IG Stories on the weekend.  I’m still working on my masala chai ingredients.  It’s a lot of testing because I change the spice ratio every few weeks.  Usually it’s a combination of cardamom, cinnamon, dried mint leaves, fennel seeds, clove, and star anise. 

A few notes about ingredients:  I use the Wagh Bhakri tea leaves from my local Indian grocery store (Patel Brothers) or you can purchase it from Amazon here. Keep in mind that this recipe is using rose water, which is different than rose extract.  I also get the Swad rose water from my local Indian grocery store (Patel Brothers) or you can purchase it from Amazon here.  I’ve found that using whole cardamom pods and crushing them with a pester and mortal gives a stronger flavor than ground cardamom.  However, if I’m being lazy or have less time, I will use ground cardamom.  I usually always use whole milk, but sometimes oat milk.  If you want it less creamy use 1/3 cup of milk.  With milk alternatives, some times you will need to add more since they are thinner, and they won’t boil over like normal milk. For sweetener, I use a few drops of liquid stevia, but sugar, honey, or agave would also be delicious!

Print Pin

5 from 1 vote

Rose Cardamom Chai

Course Drinks

Prep Time 2 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 7 minutes minutes

Servings 1 big cup

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 3 cardamom pods or ½ tsp cardamom powder
• ½ tsp rose water
• 1 ½ tsp tea leaves
• ½ cup milk

Instructions

• Bring the water to a simmer in a pot over medium heat.
• While the water is simmering, crush the cardamom pods and add them to the pot along with the rose water.
• When the water comes to a boil, add the tea leaves.
• Boil for about a minute, and then add the milk.
• Once the chai comes to a boil, bring the heat down to low. Avoid overflowing the chai.
• Bring the chain to a boil again, and immediately turn the heat down to low.
• Bring the chai to a boil a third time and turn the heat off.
• Use a strainer when pouring into a mug.
• Let it cool and add sweetener of choice.
• Enjoy!

If you love rose like I do, check out my rose chia seed pudding recipe and no bake rose cheesecakes recipe.