Karak tea is bold, creamy, and unapologetically spiced. The kind of tea that doesn't whisper, it announces itself. Popular throughout the Middle East and South Asia, karak chai is brewed strong with black tea, cardamom, and sugar, then simmered until it turns luxuriously thick and fragrant! Enjoy a glass with Turkish delight on the side.
This karak chai recipe is comfort in a cup, whether you're sipping it from a roadside cafe or making it at home on a quiet afternoon. If you love samovar chai but want something a little stronger, a little creamier, and a lot more addictive, karak tea is about to become your new obsession.
Served in small cups and shared with family or guests, karak tea is meant to be lingered over, not rushed. It's bold, sweet, and warming in a way that feels familiar from the very first sip-especially if you grew up around Middle Eastern flavors or have a softer spot for spiced milk teas like spiced Kashmiri pink chai.
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❤️ Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Karak tea has bold, rich flavors. This strong tea is simmered slowly, so you get a deep tea flavor instead of watered-down milk tea.
- To make it, you need black tea, evaporated milk, sugar, and cardamom. To elevate it, add saffron, ginger, or a small piece of cinnamon stick.
- Chai karak is easily customizable. Adjust the spices, strength, and sweetness to suit your preference.
- It's perfect for any time of day, morning, noon, or after dinner. Karak tea always feels right!
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Black Tea: I prefer loose black tea to tea bags. The one linked is my favorite!
- Spices: Traditional karak tea is prepared with cardamom, which is the star of the show. However, I'll also be adding a few ginger slices. Since I grew saffron in my garden this summer, I'm adding a few threads of saffron too.
- Milk: Evaporated milk is traditionally added, and what I'm using. If you prefer, you can add whole milk. Some like to add sweetened condensed milk instead, which makes the tea both creamy and sweet.
- Sweetener: Granulated sugar or honey. The recipe calls for 2 tablespoons; however, you may want to start with 1 tablespoon and add more, if needed.
- Optional: Some people add cinnamon and whole cloves; however, that's less traditional.
🫖 How to Make Karak Tea
Step 1: Add loose black tea, crushed cardamom pods, ginger slices, and saffron to a medium saucepan or a Middle Eastern teapot. Cover with 2 cups of water, bring mixture to a boil, then simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
Pro Tip: Brewing the tea in water first allows the leaves to fully extract, creating the bold flavor that defines karak tea before milk and sugar are added.
Step 2: Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar and evaporated milk and stir to dissolve sugar. Simmer, covered, for an additional 10 minutes, then strain. Pour into tea cups and enjoy!
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Pro Tip: For a single cup, place a fine-mesh tea strainer over your mug and pour the hot karak tea directly through it. This method keeps spices like cardamom pods and tea leaves out of your cup while preserving the bold, creamy flavor.
Pro Tip: If you're serving a full teapot, strain the entire batch through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean teapot before serving. This stops the tea from oversteeping, prevents bitterness, and ensures every cup tastes smooth and perfectly balanced.
Karak Tea vs. Chai: What's the Difference?
Karak tea and masala chai are often confused, but they're not the same thing. Karak tea is known for its bold tea flavor and creamy texture. It's typically made with strong black tea, milk (often evaporated or condensed), sugar, and cardamom. The focus is on richness and strength rather than a long list of spices.
Masala chai, on the other hand, is spiced more heavily. It usually includes a blend of spices such as ginger, cinnamon sticks, cloves, black pepper, and cardamom, creating a more complex and aromatic spice profile. In short:
- Karak = strong, creamy, cardamom-forward
- Masala Chai = spiced, aromatic, and more complex
If you enjoy masala chai but prefer something richer, smoother, and less spice-heavy, karak tea is the perfect alternative.
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Karak tea is a rich, creamy Middle Eastern-style milk tea made by simmering strong black tea with warm spices-most commonly cardamom and sometimes saffron. The tea is slowly cooked with whole milk or evaporated milk, then sweetened with sugar, creating a bold, fragrant, and comforting drink with a signature creamy texture and spiced aroma.
Karai chai has roots in Indian masala chai, but it became its own distinct drink in the Arab Gulf. Indian tea traders brought spiced milk tea to the Middle East, where it was adapted to local tastes- stronger, creamier, and usually focused on cardamom (sometimes saffron) rather than a long list of spices. Today, karak chai is considered a Gulf classic, especially in countries like Qatar, the UAE, and Kuwait.
Karak tea contains a moderate amount of caffeine because it's made with black tea. While it's not as high in caffeine as coffee, it can be stronger than regular brewed tea since the tea leaves are simmered longer. The added milk doesn't reduce the caffeine, but it does mellow the taste, making karak tea feel smoother and less intense.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Be sure to use strong black tea. Assam is another great option.
- Evaporated milk is commonly served with tea in the Middle East. It gives karak chai that signature thick texture.
- Karak is meant to be slightly sweet. It's easier to add more sugar than to fix overdoing it.
- My chai cups are tiny, so I got 4 servings. If you serve it in 8-ounce cups, you'll get 2 servings.
- Store leftover karak tea in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze in ice cube trays and add to iced tea.
☕️ More Tea Recipes
If you enjoy this karak tea recipe, check out these other tea recipes!
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📖 Recipe
Middle Eastern Karak Tea
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Add loose black tea, crushed cardamom pods, ginger slices, and saffron to a medium saucepan or a Middle Eastern teapot. Cover with 2 cups of water, bring mixture to a boil, then simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
- Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar and evaporated milk and stir to dissolve sugar. Simmer, covered, for an additional 10 minutes, then strain. Pour into tea cups and enjoy!
- For a single cup, place a fine-mesh tea strainer over your mug and pour the hot karak tea directly through it. This method keeps spices like cardamom pods and tea leaves out of your cup while preserving the bold, creamy flavor.
- If you're serving a full teapot, strain the entire batch through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean teapot before serving. This stops the tea from oversteeping, prevents bitterness, and ensures every cup tastes smooth and perfectly balanced.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- Brewing the tea in water first allows the leaves to fully extract, creating the bold flavor that defines karak tea before milk and sugar are added.
- Be sure to use strong black tea. Assam is another great option.
- Evaporated milk is commonly served with tea in the Middle East. It gives karak chai that signature thick texture.
- Karak is meant to be slightly sweet. It's easier to add more sugar than to fix overdoing it.
- My chai cups are tiny, so I got 4 servings. If you serve it in 8-ounce cups, you'll get 2 servings.
- Store leftover karak tea in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze in ice cube trays and add to iced tea.
Hilda Sterner says
I hope you like this recipe as much as we do!