💡 Quick Answer
A 150 ml cup of chai with 60 ml of milk and 1 teaspoon of sugar has about 61 kcal; with 2 teaspoons about 77 kcal; without sugar about 45 kcal. Black tea or green tea has only 2 kcal. The milk and the sugar are the whole story: tea leaves add almost nothing.
- Milky chai (100 ml milk) with 2 tsp sugar: 106 kcal.
- Chai with 1 tsp jaggery: 62 kcal.
- Mug (250 ml) with 1 tsp sugar per 150 ml: 101 kcal.
Counting calories and protein? Snap a photo of your meal and the UltraFit360 app logs both against your daily target. Get UltraFit360 on the App Store or Google Play.
Chai is a drink most people have two to five times a day, so its calories matter more than any one cup suggests. A cup of tea is nearly free; a cup of milk tea with sugar is not. The searches ("1 cup tea calories", "calories in tea without sugar", "tea with milk calories") all depend on three choices: how much milk, how much sugar and how big the cup is. This page calculates each combination from food-table values and shows you how to read your own cup.
Calories in a Cup of Chai: Milk, Sugar and Plain Tea
| Cup (150 ml unless stated) | Weight | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black tea, no milk, no sugar | 150 ml | 2 kcal | 0.0 g | 0.5 g | 0.0 g |
| Green tea, no sugar | 150 ml | 2 kcal | 0.3 g | 0.0 g | 0.0 g |
| Chai with milk, no sugar | 150 ml (60 ml cow milk) | 45 kcal | 1.9 g | 3.2 g | 2.7 g |
| Chai with milk and 1 tsp sugar | 150 ml (60 ml milk, 1 tsp sugar) | 61 kcal | 2.0 g | 7.4 g | 2.7 g |
| Chai with milk and 2 tsp sugar | 150 ml (60 ml milk, 2 tsp sugar) | 77 kcal | 1.9 g | 11.6 g | 2.7 g |
| Milky chai with 2 tsp sugar | 150 ml (100 ml milk, 2 tsp sugar) | 106 kcal | 3.3 g | 13.5 g | 4.5 g |
| Buffalo milk chai with 2 tsp sugar | 150 ml (100 ml buffalo milk, 2 tsp sugar) | 140 kcal | 3.7 g | 16.9 g | 6.6 g |
| Chai with milk and 1 tsp jaggery | 150 ml (60 ml milk, 1 tsp jaggery) | 62 kcal | 2.0 g | 7.5 g | 2.7 g |
| Lemon tea with 1 tsp honey | 150 ml (1 tsp honey) | 23 kcal | 0.0 g | 6.2 g | 0.0 g |
| Black coffee, no sugar | 150 ml | 2 kcal | 0.2 g | 0.0 g | 0.0 g |
Source: Calculated by us from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) (black tea ID 173227, green tea 171917, coffee 171890, sugar 169655, honey 169640) and IFCT 2017 (ICMR-NIN) (cow milk L002, buffalo milk L001, jaggery I001). The recipes are our assumptions; your cup, milk and spoon will differ. Liquids are treated as 1 ml = 1 g.
These rows are our calculation, not a lab result: tea from USDA, milk, buffalo milk and jaggery from IFCT 2017, sugar and honey from USDA, in the amounts shown. Plain black tea has 2 kcal and green tea 2 kcal. Adding 60 ml of cow milk brings it to 45 kcal, and a teaspoon of sugar adds 16 kcal. A tea-stall style milky chai with 100 ml of milk and two spoons of sugar is 106 kcal, and with buffalo milk, which is richer, 140 kcal. Lemon tea with a teaspoon of honey is only 23 kcal because there is no milk, while jaggery in chai (62 kcal) is no lower than sugar (61 kcal).
Calories by Cup Size
| Chai with 1 tsp sugar per 150 ml, by cup size | Weight | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chai with milk and 1 tsp sugar, small cup | 100 ml | 41 kcal | 1.3 g | 5.0 g | 1.8 g |
| Chai with milk and 1 tsp sugar, regular cup | 150 ml | 61 kcal | 2.0 g | 7.4 g | 2.7 g |
| Chai with milk and 1 tsp sugar, large cup | 200 ml | 81 kcal | 2.6 g | 9.9 g | 3.6 g |
| Chai with milk and 1 tsp sugar, mug | 250 ml | 101 kcal | 3.3 g | 12.4 g | 4.5 g |
Source: Same recipe as the "milk and 1 tsp sugar" row above, scaled for the cup size (milk, tea and sugar all scale together).
A tea-stall cup is typically 80 to 100 ml, a home cup 150 ml and a mug 250 ml or more. At the same strength, a small cup has 41 kcal and a mug 101 kcal, so the number of mugs a day matters more than the recipe. Protein is tiny in every cup: milk gives about 2 g in a regular cup.
How Many Calories Does Chai Add Up To in a Day?
Three cups of milk chai with 2 teaspoons of sugar each come to about 231 kcal, roughly two rotis' worth of energy, and 25 g of sugar. Five cups push that to about 385 kcal and 42 g of sugar. If you want to lose weight, the easiest cuts are halving the sugar and using less milk. Moving from 2 teaspoons to 1 teaspoon saves about 16 kcal per cup. See sugar calories per teaspoon for the spoon maths.
Is Chai Healthy?
- Tea itself: contains caffeine and plant compounds with no calories. Moderate amounts are fine for most adults.
- Caffeine: keep to a few cups, avoid chai late in the day if it affects sleep, and ask your doctor if you are pregnant or have a heart condition.
- Iron absorption: tea can reduce absorption of iron from plant foods when drunk with meals; leave an hour between meals and chai, especially if you are anaemic. See iron and B12 for women.
- Milk: adds protein and calcium; see protein in milk.
Ways to Make Lighter Chai
- Use toned or double-toned milk and measure it.
- Cut sugar gradually by half a teaspoon every week; your taste adjusts in a month.
- Add cardamom, ginger and cinnamon for flavour without calories.
- Drink black tea or green tea for at least one of your cups.
- Pair chai with protein instead of biscuits; high-protein snacks has ideas.
Set your daily protein target with the protein calculator, and browse the nutrition hub for more foods and drinks.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories are in a cup of chai with milk and sugar?
A 150 ml cup with 60 ml of milk and 1 teaspoon of sugar has about 61 kcal; with 2 teaspoons about 77 kcal (our calculation).
How many calories are in tea without sugar?
Black tea has about 2 kcal per cup. With 60 ml of milk and no sugar it is about 45 kcal.
How many calories are in 1 cup of tea?
It depends on the milk and sugar: about 2 kcal for plain tea to 106 kcal for milky chai with 2 teaspoons of sugar.
Does green tea have calories?
Almost none: about 2 kcal per cup without sugar or honey.
How many calories are in black coffee?
About 2 kcal for a 150 ml cup without sugar or milk.
Is chai with jaggery lower in calories?
Not by much: 62 kcal for a cup with 1 teaspoon of grated jaggery, against 61 kcal with sugar.
Sources: Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy): black tea (173227), green tea (171917), coffee (171890), sugar (169655) and honey (169640); and IFCT 2017 (ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition): cow milk (L002), buffalo milk (L001) and jaggery (I001). The recipes and cup sizes are our assumptions, so your chai will differ.
Hitting your protein target on an Indian diet is easier when you can see it: UltraFit360 logs meals from a photo and tracks protein against your goal. Work out your number with the protein calculator.
Track Chai and Calories Automatically
Log your chai and snacks in UltraFit360 and see calories against your daily target.