This authentic Masala Chai recipe features fragrant Indian spices, black tea, and your choice of milk (plant-based or dairy). A cozy comforting mug of goodness. Serve this with Spicy Chai Molasses Cookies!
Many thoughts appear in the mind, but it is the heart that holds one and not another. ~Dorothy Hunt
Call me a late bloomer, but it wasn’t until I went to India and experienced Chai firsthand that I fell in love with it. Now, there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t either make myself a cup, or pine for it.
Yes, I’ve had it numerous times here in the states, but somehow, either it was overly sweetened, too bland, or perhaps I had just never truly “connected” with it. It was almost like I met Chai for the first time at age 50 when I went to India. I can’t believe I lived so many years without it!
Masala Chai filled a void I never knew I had until those very first sips. ☕️
Here is a video of my favorite Chai Wallah at work- in a small village in Rajasthan, India. (Shot on my iPhone)
Authentic Masala Chai in India | 30-sec video
What is Masala Chai?
In India, masala means spice, and chai means tea. Spiced Tea. And that is exactly what Masala Chai is -black tea infused with fragrant spices, typically served with hot milk.
Here in the states, we often call this “chai tea”, or a chai tea latte. But in India, saying “chai tea”, is like saying “tea tea”. So that’s why in India, one says Masala Chai – or spiced tea. Good to know, right? 😉
Ingredients in Masala Chai
There are typically four components in Masala Chai and the secret is finding the perfect balance between them.
- Black Tea Leaves- or try decaf black tea. Assam and Darjeeling are often used in India because they are grown there.
- Whole Spices – cardamom, cinnamon, clove, black pepper, star anise and ginger root
- Milk (or nut milk)- plant-based milk or dairy milk both work great here! In India, whole milk is typically used in Masala Chai. For a plant-based chai, try almond milk or oat milk – both work great.
- Sweetener- use sugar, honey, maple, stevia, agave, your choice!
Best Tea for Masala Chai
- The base of the Masala Chai is typically black tea. Most strong, rich, dark black teas will work well in Masala Chai- something robust enough to hold up to all the flavorful spices. The tea need not be expensive.
- (I prefer to use a high-quality organic, loose black tea that I get in the bulk section of my grocery store. I use about a heaping tablespoon per serving.) Assam, Darjeeling or Ceylon.
- You can also use 1-2 black tea bags. Typical brands used are Lipton Yellow Label, and Taj Mahal, and PG Tips. Some households will custom blend their own teas to create their own signature flavor. This can be a very personal thing.
- Feel free to use decaf black tea.
What makes Masala Chai authentic is the use of spices. One thing is for certain, every single person in India probably has their own unique combination of spices they prefer in their masala chai and there is no one “right” way. It is very subjective.
Spices In Masala Chai
Chai Wallahs- the street vendors who make masala chai, all have their own unique blend of chai spices as well- and as you can probably guess, I was obsessed with watching them make their creations.
These are the chai spices I saw used the most in India:
- Fresh ginger
- cardamom pods
- cinnamon
- whole cloves
- peppercorns
- star anise
I especially love the green cardamom pods I picked up in India. So here is a starting point for you but feel free to improvise and fine-tune to your own taste.
How to make Masala Chai
Step One: Lightly crush whole spices using a mortar and pestle.
STEP 2: Simmer the crushed spices in 1 cup water in a small pot or pan, for 5 minutes.
STEP 3. Add the black tea. Then turn off the heat and let it steep for 10 minutes. Boiling the tea will make it bitter, so just bring it to a boil, then turn the heat off.
Step 4: Add milk of choice.
If you prefer a “richer” masala chai- you can use all milk and skip the water, simmering the spices and tea, right in the milk. Or if you like a lighter masala chai, cut the milk with water. Up to you- a personal preference. I like half and half.
Step 5. Heat and sweeten the chai.
Bring the milk and tea just to a boil again, then add sweetener.
How to sweeten Masala Chai
- The fourth component of Masala Chai is the sweetener. In India, jaggery or cane sugar is typically used.
- I prefer sweetening Masala Chia with maple syrup or honey instead of sugar. But any sugar, or sugar alternative will work here.
- Sweeten to your own taste. For a large 8-ounce serving, I use about 2-3 teaspoons of maple syrup – to balance the spices and black tea. Perhaps this seems a bit much, but to me it tastes perfect.
- Find your own balance 😉 If it tastes overly bitter, it needs more sweetener.
Step 6. Strain and serve.
How to serve Masala Chai
Yes, it is very typical to serve chai in a glass (vs. a mug) in India, leaving some room at the top to hold the glass. But a cozy mug is perfect too.
And there you have it, Masala Chai as they make it in India. A delicious morning beverage or afternoon pick-me-up. I also love this in the evenings with decaf black tea.
Can Masala Chai Be made ahead?
Feel free to brew a big batch of chai ahead, (leaving out the milk) and store it in the fridge. Then simply pull it out from the fridge and heat it up with the milk.
Masala Chai Variations:
- During my second visit to India, where we primarily stayed in the North, it was very customary to see chai brewed the same way but with the addition of fresh mint leaves. It was heavenly.
- Add fennel seeds
- Add nutmeg
What to serve with Chai
Happy New Year, friends! May this cozy authentic Masala Chai bring comfort and warmth to help get us all through these cold months.
Love and cheers,
Masala Chai Recipe
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 1-2 1x
- Category: drinks, tea, hot beverage
- Method: stove-top
- Cuisine: Indian
- Diet: Hindu
Description
This authentic Masala Chai recipe is cozy and warm! Learn to make it like they do in India, using fragrant whole spices, black tea, and your choice of milk.
Ingredients
- 4–5 whole green cardamom pods (or sub white cardamom pods)
- 2 whole cloves
- 1–2 star anise (optional )
- 4–5 peppercorns (optional)
- 1 cup of water ( see notes)
- 2–3 slices ginger (or more! skins ok) , or sub 1-2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/2 cinnamon stick – split lengthwise
- 1–2 tablespoons loose-leaf black tea, (or 1–2 tea bags) Or sub-decaf black tea
- 1 cup milk of your choice- organic whole milk, almond milk, oat milk, soy milk, cashew milk, hemp milk ( I like unsweetened, vanilla-flavored almond or oat milk) See notes for “ratio”.
- 2–3 teaspoons (or more or less) maple syrup, honey, sugar or alternative. (Sugar is traditional, but I prefer maple. )
Instructions
- Lightly crush cardamom pods, whole cloves, star anise and peppercorns, and place in a small pot with 1 cup of water. Add ginger and cinnamon. Muddle the ginger a bit right in the pot.
- Bring to a simmer, simmer gently for 5-10 minutes covered, and turn off the heat.
- Add the tea (Do not boil the tea, it can get bitter) and let it steep for at least 5-minutes.
- Add your choice of milk. Bring to a simmer once more, turn off the heat.
- Stir in your choice of sweetener, taste, adding more sweetener to taste. If it tastes bitter, you need more sweetener. Strain into a chai glass or mug.
- Feel the love. xoxo
Notes
TEA: Any dark, rich, robust black tea will work best here. Assam, Darjeeling, etc. You can also make the tea part as strong as you like. Start with one tablespoon loose leaf tea and add more according to your taste. Use loose-leaf or tea bags.
SPICES: Whole spices are preferred here but in a pinch feel free to add or sub ground spices to taste. You can add the ground spices at the end if you like.
MILK RATIO: you can use all milk if you prefer. I typically use a ratio of ½ water and ½ milk. Many prefer the richness of all milk, so feel free to adjust to your taste.
BATCH MAKING: You can make a big batch of the masala chai (without the milk) and refrigerate for up to 4 days, and heat up with the milk and sweetener when ready to serve.
You can add more whole spices and more black tea for an even stronger more concentrated version.
UPDATE: While in Northern India this past month, I had this Chai with the addition of a big handful of fresh mint leaves (simmering in the chai). ABSOLUTELY Delicious! Give it a try!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 16 ounces - using almond milk and 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- Calories: 51
- Sugar: 6.1 g
- Sodium: 100.5 mg
- Fat: 1.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 8.9 g
- Fiber: 0.6 g
- Protein: 0.9 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This is delicious. I make it using the maximum measurements of each spice, half water, 1/4 2% milk and 1/4 of whole milk – organic. Since I like a full flavor chai, I typically steep the tea and spices, along with 4 T of jaggery (Indian sugar), overnight in the fridge. In the morning, I add the milk and 1 more T of jaggery, bring it to a high simmer, strain and serve. Sometimes I add the milk the night before, too, making for an incredibly smooth, full bodied and full flavored chai. We are hooked!
Oh, forgot to mention that we use Brooke Bond Red Label Loose Leaf Black Tea. We are looking for a super robust black decaf tea but it remains elusive after Peet’s stopped selling theirs. Any suggestions?
Sorry, no, dont use decaf black tea!
Rooibos tea is a very low caffeine tea from south africa
Taylor’s of Harrogate Yorkshire Tea has a strong decaf that doesn’t taste bad with all the spices. Also Tetley British Blend decaf.
Love it Clarie- thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you so much for this recipe. Always enjoyed a good flavorful cup of masala chai in Mumbai.
I was searching for best Indian tea and came across your article.
I tried it myself following your recipe and it turned out amazing, so delicious and refreshing. I love it.
Great to hear, thanks!
This is an amazing recipe I forgot to use cloves and it still tasted better then Starbucks! Tip: save and reuse spices multiple times if you only put it in for 30 or less mins.
Yay!🙌
I want to make this so much !!
Are the spices for one large cup and do we multiply them by the number of mugs we wan ??
Yes, it is for one extra-large cup. Multiply for more. Also, the multiplier function may be glitchy so I’d multiply manually. 🙂
Hi there, may I ask you where would you get your fresh herbs and spices for this recipe? I was considering ordering them online or visiting an Indian Grocery Store. Thank you ma’am
I love to go to Indian Markets. If you have one, go! It is fun.
Hi
It is the best recipe for masala chai, but when I want to taste it in lab, may you can give me ingredient in grams?
I’m so sorry I don’t have those yet- working on it!
Its the best recipe I have ever tried! I leave the chai mixture for 3 hours and its so flavourful! thank u so much for the recipe!
Awesome 👏 Great to hear!
Just made a batch with loose leaf Rooibos and almond milk for a caffeine-free version to share with my friend.. absolutely aromatic and delicious even without much sugar. I loved it so much that I made another batch to keep in the fridge as soon as I was done with my cup. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe 🙂
Excellent Anna! Good decaf option! Great to hear and glad you liked it! 🙌
Made it today afternoon and it was mind blowing. I always wanted to make masala chai at home but never really too aby firm steps towards it. Today I just went ahead and did it – thanks to this wonderful recipe. Thanks Sylvia.👌
Yay!! So happy you enjoyed!
Absolutely love this recipe sweetened with maple syrup, it’s my go to tea for lazy weekends.
Thank you 💓
Thanks Dawn, glad you are enjoying it!
May I know which brand of organic black tea did you use? 🙂
Rishi Loose Tea
I have been to ashrams and had Masala Chia and am so excited at the thought of making my own, I totally hear what your saying about real Masala tea and I appreciate your recipe Thankyou 💖
Thank you. Excited to try. 🙂
Such a great recipe… especially when it is sweetened with the maple syrup! Not too sweet, creamy, aromatic, and warm! Thank for the recipe
Thanks Dan!
Very aromatic and my husband loves it. He likes whipped cream on top.
Mmmmmm. Decadent! Love it!
Nice recipe. I grew up with a close friend who was from India and her mom also put black pepper in hers. I never make mine without a little black pepper now… I really miss it if it’s not there. On the other hand my grandmother who spent many years travelling to India and making chai with the women there only uses cardamom. So many options, I love it!
hi.i dont have cardamom right now….. is it fine….or….?
thank u.
Yes, it is fine. But get some for next time!!! 🙂
thanks for the recipe it tastes so nice… but is there a way to make it as a powder mix so it can be used any time?
That is a great idea. Let me think about this!
I agree, dry would be good. I’m wondering about blitzing it all up?
Loved this, now my go to recipe when I feel like masala chai. Making some as I write with some Assam black tea . Love it
Delicious! Question; when making a larger batch, would you place it in the fridge with all spices in, or would you first strain it? I’ve now opted for leaving everything in.
I like it strong so I leave in too!
Made this today. Love it! Much better than the powder mixes served at many places. The spices smell so good. Will make a larger quantity next time. I drank it warm this morning and put some in the fridge for later to try cold. Thanks Sylvia!!
So happy you liked it!
Great , i like it !
Tried it,will put this on my tea list from now on.Really smooth and fragrant (though a bit too light in taste) You can add a bit of garam masala to enhance the flavour:)
Next time,I’ll just put a spoonful of sugar.
Thank you so much for this lovely recipe 💕
Thanks for the recipe. I followed it but it seemed that it wasn’t so aromatic! What did I do wrong?
Hummm… not enough flavor, or smell?
Thank you very awesome 🥰
Hi, Can I use all the ingredients in powdered forms.
Yes, you should be able to, but honestly not sure of proportions until I try this myself.