Warm and soothing Mint Tea or Pudhina Chai is made with fresh mint leaves, ginger, Indian loose tea leaves, water, and whole milk.
Chai brings back memories of home. Every time I have a cup of chai, I think of my family. We have gotten together countless times to bond over a cup of chai. Now that I live miles away, chai time is even more meaningful when I visit home.
When chai was made in our home, mint wasn't typically added. It was not until I had chai outside my home that I realized many people add fresh mint leaves to their chai and the taste was so refreshing.
If you've already tried my popular Kadak Masala Chai recipe, go ahead and give this Mint Tea a try and I'm sure you'll love it.
What is Mint Tea?
Mint Tea is essentially Mint Chai or Pudhina wali Chai. Instead of adding your usual masalas in chai - cardamom, fennel seeds, peppercorns, cloves, for this recipe I just added fresh mint leaves and ginger.
You want to keep the Mint Chai recipe simple so the flavor of the mint can really stand out. The more spices you add, the less minty your tea will be.
Once the water starts to boil, add the mint leaves which will infuse in the water. Additionally, the water's color will start to turn slightly green
Healthy Benefits of Mint Tea
- Improves digestion
- Provides relief for colds, fevers, allergies, and sinuses.
- Helps improve breath
- Helps relieve headaches and migraines
- May help improve sleep
Why You'll Love Mint Tea
- It's like a big warm hug
- Nostalgic
- Heart-warming and soothing
- Perfect on cold winter days
- Hits the spot
- Gluten-free
Ingredients for Mint Tea
- Water - You need water for chai, this is obvious.
- Milk - I like using whole full-fat milk for chai, I find that it tastes best with regular milk.
- Mint Leaves - You'll need fresh mint leaves for Mint Chai.
- Ginger - A little fresh ginger gives Mint Tea a wonderful and soothing flavor.
- Indian Tea Leaves - You can use whatever brand you like, I prefer Wagh Bakri Indian loose tea leaves.
How to make Mint Tea or Pudhina Chai?
1. In a pot, add a cup of water and bring it to a boil.
2. While the water boils, go ahead and add mint leaves to the pot.
3. Smash fresh ginger into the pot. I used a mortar & pestle to smash the ginger.
4. Once the water comes to a boil, add loose tea leaves and boil for just 30 seconds. If you boil the loose tea leaves too long, your tea will become bitter.
5. Add milk soon after the tea leaves. Bring to a boil. This will take 2-3 minutes.
6. Once the tea comes to a boil, lower the gas.
7. Increase the heat again and start pulling the tea. Bring to another boil and turn off the stove.
8. Cover with a lid for 1-2 minutes. Let the flavors marry together.
9. Strain your tea and enjoy your chai with Indian snacks.
Tips for making the Best Mint Tea
- Add water, mint leaves, and ginger, and bring to a simmer.
- Add the tea leaves once the water is simmering/boiling.
- DO NOT boil the tea leaves for long, only boil the tea leaves for 30 - 45 seconds max and then add the milk. If you boil the tea leaves too long, this will result in bitter tea. Trust me, I've experimented enough.
- Pull the tea as you bring it to a boil, this allows the flavors to combine and creates a frothy mixture.
- Once the tea comes to a boil, reduce the heat, and increase it again for a second boil. I like bringing my tea to a boil twice.
- Once the tea is boiled, cover the tea with a lid for a minute and let the flavors marry together. Then pour and strain. Enjoy!
Substitutions
Oat Milk: If you prefer a vegan Mint Chai, then use oat milk instead of whole milk.
2% Reduced-Fat Milk: For a lower-fat option, you can substitute reduced-fat milk instead of whole milk. I would not use skim or 1% low-fat milk to make chai.
Variations
Without Milk: If you'd like to skip the milk in this Mint Tea, you can, but don't overboil the tea leaves else you'll end up with bitter tea. You can also add some honey or agave.
Without Milk & Tea Leaves: If you just want Mint Tea without milk and tea leaves, just add fresh mint and ginger and bring it to a boil. The water's color will be slightly green. Then strain as usual.
Storage
You can make any kind of prepared masala chai and store it in a thermos for up to 6 hours, it will still stay hot and fresh.
Top Tip
Do not boil the tea leaves longer than 30-45 seconds else you will end up with bitter tea. So when you add the tea leaves, about 30-45 seconds later, add the milk and stir.
FAQ
Sure, you can either substitute whole milk with oat milk. Follow the instructions as per the recipe card.
Simply use 2% reduced-fat milk instead of whole milk. The measurements will be the same. I would not use low-fat or skim milk for this recipe.
Sure. I don't like overdoing it with milk, but instead of ⅓ cup of milk, you can add ½ cup of milk if you wish. The more milk you add, you may also want to increase the number of loose tea leaves slightly.
More Indian Drinks
- Kadak Masala Chai
- Indian Style Cappuccino Beaten Coffee
- French Press Cardamom Fennel Tea
- Mohabbat ka Sharbat
- Thandai
Pin & Enjoy!
Mint Tea | Pudhina Chai
Vegetarian, Gluten-freeIngredients
- 1 cup water
- 2 fresh mint leaves
- ½ inch fresh ginger, smashed
- 1 teaspoon loose tea leaves
- ⅓ cup whole milk
Instructions
- In a pot, add a cup of water and bring it to a boil.
- While the water boils, go ahead and add mint leaves to the pot.
- Smash fresh ginger into the pot. I used a mortar & pestle to smash the ginger.
- Once the water comes to a boil, add loose tea leaves and boil for just 30 seconds. If you boil the loose tea leaves too long, your tea will become bitter.
- Add milk soon after the tea leaves. Bring to a boil. This will take 2-3 minutes.
- Once the tea comes to a boil, lower the gas.
- Increase the heat again and start pulling the tea. Bring to another boil and turn off the stove.
- Cover with a lid for 1-2 minutes. Let the flavors marry together.
- Strain your tea and enjoy your chai with Indian snacks.
Notes
- If you are doubling or tripling the recipe, note the cooking time will be longer.
Sushma Khemani says
This mint chai is soooo good and soothing when you have a scratchy or sore throat. Will be making this on repeat this Fall/winter season 👌🏼
honeywhatscooking says
Thanks Sushma. So glad you enjoyed it. It's perfect for fall and winter. Agreed. 🙂