Soothing, calming, and comforting classic Indian Chai but made with plant-based milk. This Chai is made with Oat Milk and trust me, you won’t feel like you are having a vegan chai (unless you are told). Since I started having vegan chai, I can not go back to consuming cow milk chai because this plant-based India Chai feels so much lighter and better in so many ways. Not just my stomach but also my skin feels better since I stopped consuming cow milk.
Try my version of vegan chai and I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I do 🙂
Story Time
How did it start?
I love Indian Chai and when I stopped consuming cow milk, I stopped consuming Chai altogether. Because I always felt that I can not have Chai without milk and it will not be the same with plant-based milk. That is why after quitting cow milk, I did not have Chai for a very long time – more than a year. One day, I randomly decided to try vegan chai with Barista Oat Milk. To my surprise, it was unbelievably tasty – just like a regular Indian Chai. I added a couple of extra ingredients so that I could balance the different taste of oat milk. Jatin could not believe that I am enjoying the vegan chai that I made with oat milk. Since then, Chai is back in my life again 🙂
Jatin was very skeptical about the taste until I made him a cup of chai. Initially, he could not even tell that it is a plant-based chai. Only when I told him that his chai is made of oat milk, he realized the difference in taste.
How my skin got better?
Apart from the taste, I find Oat Milk Chai much lighter on my stomach. Also, my skin feels so much better since I stopped consuming cow milk. I remember I started getting nasty pimples on my clean and clear skin when I turned 20 or 21. But those pimples were not like regular pimples. They would come on one cheek, get bigger and shinier, and last for a couple of weeks and once that heals, another pimple would show up on a different cheek. And they would leave an extremely nasty spot. So, my clean and clear face was full of dark and nasty pimple spots.
It never got better after that. It would stop for a while and then again show up. I even consulted doctors, and took medicines – homeopathy and allopathy – but nothing helped at all. Then I gave up and accepted it as a part of me. When I got married and moved to Pune, my skin lost its smoothness and I would feel grain-like bumps all over. And then one of the bumps would grow bigger and the same process (bigger – shinier – healing) started. This time I was not worried at all. ACCEPTANCE!
When I finally stopped Cow Milk
BUT when I moved to Germany and randomly decided to quit cow milk, after a while I started feeling that my skin has become smooth. I did not get any nasty pimples at all. I thought it is a fluke. To verify, I consumed cow milk chai and coffee for a couple of days and I again got the pimples. Then I realized that all those years when I was consulting doctors, blaming the weather, my food, water, etc., the main problem was actually the Cow Milk. Now, I do not consume it at all and have no regrets.
What is Indian Chai?
Indian Chai is an extremely popular hot beverage served in every corner of India. Now it is getting popularity in other parts of the world too. There is a special tea leaf that is used to make Indian Chai. This tea leaf is majorly grown in the Indian state of Assam. To prepare Indian Chai, tea leaf is brewed with a combination of cow milk and water. We even add some sugar and other flavoring ingredients like ginger, cardamom, fennel seeds, etc. Once brewed, it gives a nice red or brown color and a distinct aroma. Do Not confuse Indian Chai with Yogi Tea. They both are different.
Popular tea leaves used to make Indian Chai are the following:
- Waghbakri
- Tata Tea
- Red Label
- Taj Mahal
What is Barista Plant-Based Milk?
Here in Germany, we get two different versions of plant-based milk or vegan milk – Regular and Barista. Barista Milk is basically much thicker than other plant-based milk. It has got its name because it is very much suitable to make Barista Coffee (just like the one made with cow milk) – coffee with some design on top. It is not easier to get a nice, creamy, and frothy consistency on a coffee using regular plant-based milk. That is how a thicker version of plant-based milk came up. Now almost every restaurant that serves vegan coffee, uses Barista Plant-Based Milk.
Which Plant-Based Milk is suitable to make Indian Chai?
Which plant-based milk is suitable to make Indian Chai depends a lot on your taste preference. I prefer using Oat Milk because it suits my taste buds. It doesn’t have a strong taste and flavour and it goes very well with the Indian Chai recipe. But you can also try it with your choice of plant-based milk – soy milk, almond milk, cashew milk, etc.
Can I make it with regular plant-based milk and not Barista Milk?
Yes. Why not? You can surely make this Indian Chai with any kind of plant-based milk – regular or Barista. You just need to adjust the quantity of water that you add while making Chai.
If your milk is thicker (Barista), use it like you would use cow milk – one part milk, one part water. But if your plant-based milk is thinner, you do not need to add any water (or less water). Just use it directly to make Indian Chai.
Which brand of plant-based milk is best to make vegan Indian Chai?
The plant-based milk that is best to make vegan Indian Chai is the following:
- Oatly Oat Milk – Barista
- Alpro Oat Milk
- Alpro Oat Milk – Barista
- Ve Happy Oat Milk – Barista
The above-mentioned vegan milk options are my favorite. These days, there are plenty of plant-based milk brands available in the market (as seen in German stores). You can use any depending on your taste preference or what is on sale 🙂
What is the best time to drink Indian Chai?
If you are an Indian, there is no such thing as “Best Time” to drink Chai. You drink it when you feel like it.
But on a serious note, since Indian Chai is a caffeinated drink, it is best to drink it during the daytime or 7 to 8 hours before your bedtime.
How to serve Indian Chai?
Indian Chai can be served with the following for ultimate pleasure:
- Biscuits
- Bread Butter Toast
- Namak Paare
- Bhujia or other Indian Namkeen
- Rusk
Always enjoy it while it is hot.
Is this recipe Vegan?
Yes. All the ingredients used in this recipe are vegan and plant-based.
Easy Swaps
- Oat Milk: Use any other plant-based milk of your choice. Adjust the quantity of water depending on the thickness of the milk used.
- Flavoring Ingredients – There are plenty of ingredients you can experiment with – bay leaf, garam masala, holy basil (Indian basil leaves), or cinnamon.
More Indian Vegan Recipes – just as good
- Instant Ragi Idli
- Mix-Veg Oats Poha
- Vegan Gond Ke Laddu (Pinni)
- Vegan Coconut laddu
- Sabudana Thalipeeth
Now grab all the ingredients because you are ready to make this comforting and everyone’s favorite Indian Chai (but vegan) at home. I am sure that with our recipe, you will get addicted to vegan chai. Just keep in mind that you may need some time to get adjusted to the taste. But do not worry, if you do not like it in your first attempt, make some adjustments and continue. Your taste buds will get adjusted to the change.
If you try this recipe & like it too, please share the photo of your creation on Instagram and tag us @thefearlesscooking. We just love to see your recreation of our recipes.
Happy Cooking 🙂
Love from us
Richa
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