Ginger milk tea is a warming spiced milk tea: black tea simmered with fresh ginger, softened with milk and lightly sweetened. It is comforting, gently spicy, and takes roughly 15 minutes from cold kettle to cup. Below is a straightforward ginger milk tea recipe with real amounts, times and temperatures, plus tips for making ginger tea with milk either hot or over ice.
What ginger milk tea is
At its simplest, ginger milk tea is a cup of strong black tea infused with fresh ginger and finished with milk. It sits in the wider family of milk tea drinks, but the fresh ginger gives it a clean, peppery warmth that plain milk tea does not have. If you want the ginger flavour without any dairy, that is a different drink entirely, covered in our guide to ginger tea from fresh ginger. This page is the milky version.
Two quick notes before you start. First, "ginger milk" can also mean a Cantonese dessert (a soft, jiggly ginger milk curd), which is not a tea at all; there is more on that at the end. Second, once you add spices like cardamom and cinnamon, ginger milk tea starts to overlap with masala chai and Hong Kong-style milk tea, both of which make excellent variations.
Ingredients for ginger milk tea
These amounts make one generous mug (about 240 ml). Scale up in the same proportions for a pot. Everything here is flexible, so treat the numbers as a starting point and adjust to taste.
| Ingredient | Amount (per cup) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh ginger | 1-2 tsp grated, or 3-4 thin slices | More ginger means more heat; peeling is optional if scrubbed |
| Water | ~150 ml (about 2/3 cup) | Enough to simmer the ginger and steep the tea |
| Black tea | 1 tea bag or 1-1.5 tsp loose leaf | A robust Assam or breakfast blend stands up to milk |
| Milk | ~60-120 ml (1/4-1/2 cup) | Dairy or plant milk; more milk gives a creamier, milder cup |
| Sweetener | 1-2 tsp sugar or honey | To taste; brown sugar adds a light caramel depth |
| Optional spices | Pinch of cardamom or cinnamon | Moves the drink toward masala-style chai |
How to make ginger milk tea, step by step
This is the core method. Work in one small pot so the ginger, tea and milk share the same infusion.
- Simmer the ginger. Add the grated or sliced ginger to about 150 ml of water in a small saucepan. Bring it to a gentle boil, then lower the heat and simmer for roughly 5-10 minutes. A shorter simmer keeps things mild; a longer one draws out more heat and aroma.
- Steep the black tea. Turn the heat to low or off, add the tea bag or loose leaf, and steep for about 3-4 minutes. Black tea likes near-boiling water (around 90-96 C / 195-205 F), so it is fine to keep it hot here. Steeping much past 5 minutes tends to turn the cup bitter and astringent.
- Add milk and sweetener. Pour in the milk and stir in your sugar or honey. Warm the mixture gently until it is steaming and just begins to simmer at the edges, but do not let it boil over. This is where you can also stir in a pinch of cardamom or cinnamon.
- Strain and serve. Strain out the ginger and tea leaves as you pour into your cup. Serve hot straight away, or let it cool and pour over a glass of ice for an iced version.
Ratios, temperatures and timings
A reliable starting ratio is about 1-2 teaspoons of fresh ginger and one strong measure of black tea per cup, with milk making up roughly a quarter to a third of the liquid. Keep the water hot (near boiling) for black tea, unlike green tea, which prefers cooler water. All of these figures vary with your ginger's freshness, your tea's strength and how milky you like things, so taste as you go. If you want to lean into a bolder, creamier cup, the Hong Kong tradition of using evaporated or condensed milk is worth trying, and our Hong Kong milk tea guide covers that style in detail.
Variations on the ginger milk tea recipe
Spiced (masala-style)
Add lightly crushed cardamom, a small piece of cinnamon, a clove or two, and a crack of black pepper along with the ginger. At that point you are close to masala chai; follow the dedicated masala chai method for the full spice blend and technique.
Iced ginger milk tea
Brew the tea a touch stronger so it survives dilution, let it cool, then pour over plenty of ice. A splash of extra milk or a little more sweetener helps, since cold drinks read as less sweet than hot ones.
Dairy-free
Oat and soy milk both froth and blend well and keep the drink creamy. Coconut milk pairs especially nicely with ginger's warmth.
Tips and troubleshooting
- Too spicy? Use fewer ginger slices or shorten the simmer, and add a little more milk to round it out.
- Too weak? Simmer the ginger longer before adding tea, or use an extra measure of leaf. Do not fix weakness by over-steeping, which brings bitterness instead of strength.
- Milk curdling. Very hot, concentrated fresh ginger can affect milk proteins, so add the milk after the tea and warm it gently rather than boiling it hard. A pinch of sweetener and steady, low heat keep the cup smooth.
- Make it ahead. You can simmer a stronger ginger-and-tea concentrate, then top each cup with hot or cold milk to order.
A note on "ginger milk" the dessert
If a recipe calls for "ginger milk" and produces a soft, set pudding rather than a drink, it is the Cantonese ginger milk curd, traditionally from the Guangzhou area of southern China. There, hot milk is poured over fresh ginger juice and an enzyme in the ginger sets it into a delicate, jiggly custard. It is delicious, but it is a different dish. This guide is the tea.
The takeaway
Ginger milk tea rewards a little patience: give the ginger time to simmer, keep the tea from over-steeping, and warm the milk gently rather than boiling it. From there you can steer it wherever you like, from a clean two-ingredient infusion to a full spiced chai. Brew a batch, adjust the ginger and milk to your own taste, and you will have a comforting, gently spicy cup ready whenever the mood strikes.