How to make authentic Masala Chai, like they do in India, using whole spices. Vegan and Sugar-Free adaptable. This would be delicious served 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 first hand 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.
Watch how authentic masala chai is made in India!
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 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 here is to find the perfect balance between them.
- Black tea
- Spices
- Milk
- Sweetener
What tea is used for 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.
- Assam, Darjeeling is often used in India because they are grown there. 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.
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.
What spices are used 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, cloves, peppercorns and 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.
Lightly crush the whole spices before tossing into a pot of water with the black tea.
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.
You can also use a black tea bag or two.
Bring one cup of water with the spices and loose tea, just to a boil- then turn off the heat and let steep for 10 minutes. Boiling the tea will make it bitter, so just bring it to a boil.
Once it steeps, add the milk.
What type of milk to use in Masla Chai?
- In India, whole milk is typically used in Masala Chai.
- I’ve been substituting almond milk and oat milk with beautiful results.
- If you like a rich masala chai- add one full cup of milk. If you like a thinner chai, you can cut the milk with water – for example, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup water.
- So in a nutshell, if you like a richer, thicker tea, use more milk (or even use all milk instead of 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.
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 😉
Strain and serve.
And 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.
We have a few of these cute chai glasses with racks, available in our Bowl and Pitcher Shop if interested.
And there you have it, masala chai, like they make in India. A delicious morning beverage or afternoon pick-me-up.
Feel free to make this ahead, or make a huge batch ( leaving the milk part out) and store in the fridge. Then simply pull it out from the fridge and heat up with the milk.
Happy New Year Friends! May this cozy authentic Masala Chai bring comfort and warmth to help get us all through these cold months. Serve with Spicy Chai Molasses Cookies!
Love and cheers,
Sylvia
Print
Masala Chai Recipe
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 1 large mug
- Category: drinks, tea, hot beverage
- Method: stove-top
- Cuisine: Indian
- Diet: Hindu
Description
How to make authentic Masala Chai, like they do in India, using whole spices. Vegan and Sugar-Free adaptable.
Ingredients
- 5–7 green cardamom pods
- 3–4 whole cloves
- 1–2 star anise (optional )
- 5–7 peppercorns (optional)
- 1 cup of water
- 2–3 slices ginger (or more! skins ok)
- ½ cinnamon stick– split lengthwise ( use your fingers to separate)
- 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, cinnamon and black tea. I like to muddle the ginger a bit right in the pot.
- Bring to a boil and turn the off heat (don’t continue to boil the tea, it may get bitter) and let it steep at least 10 minutes…. or for several hours. The longer, the more flavor!
- 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: Instead of the full cup of milk, I typically use a ratio of ½ water and ½ milk. Many prefer the richness of a full cup 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!
Keywords: how to make chai, masala chai, masala chai tea, spices in masala chai, chai recipe, authentic chai recipe, spices in chai tea, vegan chai tea, chai latte recipe,
My go to recipe buuuutt it is extremely light on the spices. I double the recipe for the same amount of liquids and it’s perfect
★★★★
thanks it is delicious 😋
★★★★★
Thanks for the recipe, cant wait to try it once my cardamom pods come in! I was wondering where you got your white pot w/ the wooden handle. It’s so cute!
I got it at an Antique Store.
YUMMY
★★★★★
Thank you for sharing this recipe with us all, it turned out amazing! I don’t really like my chai too spicy though, what ingredients should I use less of? I don’t want to lose the authentic chai taste, just less spicy ness.
★★★★★
Just leave out the pepper!
A traditional chai sweetener in India would be jaggery. Its delicious and used in ayurveda.
thanks Joanne- appreciate this!
Made with cows milk/vanilla cane sugar and with oat milk/maple syrup… all delicious and *highly* addictive. I honestly don’t think I could ever order it from the drive thru anywhere again.
★★★★★
Haha! Love it Anna!
Hi Sylvia, loving this recipe. I’m keen to make a big batch and package it up as gifts for friends. Any chance you could let me know the weight measurements – counting all those peppercorns phew! 🙂
★★★★★
Sasha! I will work on this!
Nice post. Thank you!
★★★★★
Hello,
I landed on this page looking for masala chai recipes. Was a little surprised to see “In Hindu, masala means spice, and chai means tea. Spiced Tea.” Especially, since you mention that you visited India. Hindu is the way of life / religion that originated in India. The word you were looking for is “Hindi”, which is the language from India.
Thanks for the detailed description and a great recipe!
Which loose black tea leaves works best please? I have rung my local bulk store and they stock Dargeeling and the other from Sri Lanka?
Hi, most dark, strong, black tea will work here. Darjeeling or Assam, or Keenu. Even basic Lipton yellow label works great, or PG Tips.
I found that placing the spices in a little cheese cloth bag (just grab some cheese cloth, cut a square, put in the spices and tie it up) let’s you skip the straining process.
★★★★★
hi. I stopped drinking coffee for more than a year now and homemade Masala Chai is my perker upper. 🙂 Recently I made it but i got busy with some chores that I boiled the spices too long, I let it steep for too long.. end results was.. it was too strong and bitter. I think the longer you boil the spices, it looses the aroma and the longer you steep.. the taste is bitter. To top it all off, the almond milk that I’m supposed to simmer only for 3 minutes, I forgot it too and suddenly bursting in hot boiling temp. hhaaayyyss. I was able to drink a cup by adding more almond milk then the rest, I placed it in a tight container while it’s hot and placed it in the fridge right away. After 3 days, wanting to drink my Chai.. it taste like awful soury yucky taste! Really don’t know what happened, first time to experienced this. Perhaps I didn’t let it cool before placing in the fridge or just the whole process was really wrong. I learned my lesson. So today I made again and this time… no more other chores or multitasking but concentrated on my Masala Chai instead. 🙂 I had my cup and the rest letting it cool before I put in the fridge. Masala Chai is llllooooooovvvvveee!!!!
★★★★★
Yes, It probably spoiled. I’m sorry. You are right- Never place something hot in the fridge with a cover or lid on it. It basically keeps all the heat in and slows the cooling down- the perfect breeding ground for bad bacteria. So doing this will make things go bad. Let cool on the counter, refrigerate uncovered, once cold, then cover. Sounds like you figured it out! Proud of you for trying again! 😉
Love this. I’ve always wanted to make my own chai and this recipe is fantastic. Thanks for the inspiration! I’ll be sharing with my friends xx
★★★★★
This was one of the best masala chai I have ever made!! It was perrrfect just like how we get it back in India specially in Northern India ( shimla, manali)
The sweetness made a big difference and i was happy to use it for that extra spiced chai. I will be saving this recipe and will be sharing it too with my mom who is a tea lover. Thanks so much Sylvia. Much love with some chai 😊
★★★★★
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!