A Perfect Dessert for Any Occasion: Masala Chai Pudding

Want a perfect homemade dessert that will tantalise your taste buds and satisfy your sweet tooth? This chai pudding recipe is not your ordinary pudding – it's a fusion of warm, spicy and complex flavours that will leave you craving for more. Once you try this recipe, you'll never look at regular pudding in the same way again. In fact, you'll see how easy it is to make it from a scratch, and adjust the ratio of ingredients to suit your preferences.

In this article, you'll learn how to make the best chai pudding, the ingredients you'll need, instructions for making it, and tips to perfecting it. And you'll learn how to adjust the recipe to make a pudding that you can add to boba tea as well. So, get ready to indulge in something truly delicious – a homemade masala chai pudding.

Why Making Chai Pudding from a Scratch?

Chai pudding is not a type of pudding you'd commonly see on the supermarket shelves, which is quite a shame. Then again, it's so easy to make at home it'll require less than 30 minutes of your time. Chai is a type of sweet Indian black tea with milk that can be made with a range of spices. Chai tea with spices is called masala chai, and it's more warming and complex. While both chai teas – the regular one and spiced one – are delicious, there's a certain magic in perfectly spiced chai pudding. Best of all, you can adjust this recipe and add other spices as well – and create some truly delicious flavours.

The Secret to the Best Chai Pudding

To make the best chai pudding, you'll need a few key ingredients that work together to give it that unique, spicy flavour. First off, you'll need a good loose leaf black tea and some basic spices – green cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. You'll also need whole milk, sugar and corn-starch. These simple ingredients come together to create a dessert that's rich, and bursting with flavour.

When it comes to choosing the right black tea, choose the one that has smaller, broken tea leaves. It's best to choose tea that won't become overly bitter when simmer for a longer time. Assam black tea and Kenyan black teas will work wonderfully with other ingredients and offer a strong enough base for adding milk. The milk should ideally be whole milk, as the fat content helps to make the pudding silky and smooth. And don't skimp on the sugar – you want enough to balance out the spices in the chai tea and the bitterness of black tea. Any simmered black tea will have more bitterness than a simply brewed one, but simmering is mandatory to get the right depth of flavour.

Once you have all your ingredients assembled, the process of making the pudding itself is actually very simple. By following a few key steps and incorporating the right ingredients, you'll be able to create a dessert that's truly delicious.

So, gather up your ingredients, clear some space in the kitchen, and get ready to treat yourself to something truly special!

Ingredients You’ll Need

The chai pudding recipe is ultimately about bringing together a few simple yet flavourful ingredients to create a warming and delicious treat that you'll want to indulge in time and again.

Black tea leaves – One of the essential ingredients chai pudding recipe are loose black tea leaves. Assam black tea with broken leaves or CTC tea are a great option. Avoid Darjeeling and Ceylon teas as they are lighter, brisker and more floral. It's important to choose tea that will result In a stronger brew, with deep colour and complex flavour. However, try to steep a cup first to understand the flavour profile. If the tea is too bitter when steeped regularly, it will be bitter after simmering too. That means – your pudding will be more bitter as well. Slight bitterness is welcomed, and it will be balanced out with sugar.  

Milk – whole milk is the best option for making a chai pudding. It has a higher fat percentage and will give a much better texture.

Sugar – regular granulated sugar is the best sweetener for this chai pudding. You can choose either a regular white sugar or a darker brown sugar to add a caramel note.

Spices – To give the pudding its unique spicy flavour, you'll need some spices. Masala chai spice mix can include a whole range of spices, from the most common ones like ginger, cinnamon, green cardamom and cloves, to a more rare ingredients such as rose petals, black cardamom, nutmeg and mace blades. Start with a basic mix of masala chai spices described below or use your favourite mix. You can always adjust them when making a next batch.

Corn starch – corn-starch is a key ingredient in making a homemade chai pudding.

Once you have all these ingredients assembled, you're ready to start creating this delicious dessert. With a few simple steps and the right ingredients, you'll be enjoying your homemade chai pudding in no time!

Instructions for Making Chai Pudding

To make the perfect chai pudding, start by gathering the ingredients. You want to have them ready before you start.

1. In a small bowl mix corn-starch with 3 tablespoons of cold milk. Mix it well until dissolved and set aside. This step is essential in making any pudding and do not skip. If you try adding powder to a hot milk, you will end up with clumps of corn-starch in hot milk, not a pudding.
2. Crush spices using pestle and mortar. Add them to a clean dry saucepan and dry roast them over low heat until fragrant. Do not use any oil, they should be dry roasted only.
3. Now add milk and black tea to spices and let it simmer for 10 minutes on low heat. Simmering is important to extract enough flavour and colour from both spices and black tea.
4. Once the tea is ready, strain it into a clean saucepan, add sugar and stir until dissolved. Put it back on low heat, pour dissolved corn-starch while stirring continuously until it thickens. This will take only a couple of minutes.
5. Pour the chai pudding into ramekins or small cups. Chill the pudding in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or until set.

When you're ready to serve, you can top your chai pudding with whipped cream, or enjoy it as it is.  

Now that you have the basic instructions down, keep reading for some tips on how to perfect this chai pudding recipe and take it to the next level!

Tips for Perfecting Your Chai Pudding

1. Use high-quality ingredients: The better the quality of your ingredients, the better your pudding will taste. Use only fresh spices and start with less. This doesn't mean you have to use the most expensive tea, on the contrary. Best tea will have broken or CTC leaves.

2. Let it chill: Chai pudding is best served cold, so let it chill in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. You can store it in the fridge for 24 hours, but make sure you cover it with a cling foil. 

3. Experiment with spices: Masala chai can contain a whole range of spices, so don't be afraid to experiment with the amounts or types of spices. The right ratio will depend on your personal preferences, but it's always better to start with less. Try adding new ingredients such as nutmeg, dried ginger, or rose petals to get even more flavour.

4. Add toppings: While this pudding is delicious on its own, adding toppings can make it truly indulging. Try it with whipped cream or even some caramel sauce – both go really well with sweet and warming flavour of this pudding.

5. Avoid tea bags: while it's possible to make chai pudding using tea bags, loose tea will give a much nicer flavour.

6. Always crush and dry roast your spices: this step will make sure your chai pudding is more aromatic and warming.

7. Add slightly more corn-starch if you are making it as a topping for boba tea: Want to use your homemade chai pudding as a boba tea topping? Add just a slightly more corn-starch (about 7-8 grams per 100 ml of milk) to get a thicker consistency. You'll be able to cut it more easily and it won't lose shape in your bubble tea.

Final Thoughts

Chai pudding is a perfect, easy to make dessert for any occasion. The secret to making the best chai pudding is in choosing the right black tea and the spices – cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves, that come together to create a warm and indulgent dessert. With simple ingredients and 20 minutes to spare, you'll be able to make this delicious treat any time you want. Once you've tasted it, it will be really difficult to go back to regular pudding. This spiced chai pudding recipe is definitely worth trying.