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
Thank you so much.
We have this nearly every night ahead of a normal cup of tea before bed. We have our own mint growing, it is so nice with the hint of tea.
Love that you tried it with mint…. so delicious!
Thank you. loved your article. It was really helpful for my business.
Wish to see more in coming days.
I’m obsessed with Chai tea and always looking at others’ recipes. When I was visiting Hampi, I met a lovely lady who invited me to her place for lunch. She added a few mint leaves at the end and let steep for a couple of minutes before straining. It lifts the flavours so much! You should give it a try 🙂
Hi Lu, I love it with fresh mint. I added it as an option in the recipe notes after my second visit to India where,in the North, they would often add it. Such great flavor!
i use the max amount of spices plus a couple extra quadruple it then warm it up with nut milk and sugar when ready to drink. almost but bit quite as good as in india and way better than anything i have had locally.
Thank you very much; I tried it, and I am hooked; great receipt!
Fantastic! Bravo! Appreciation coming from an authentic chai drinker from india.
Awesome!!! Thanks and so glad you enjoyed. 😉
Hi There,
Thank you for the direction you have provided to making “my own” masala chai”. With your starting point I used a 1/2 tspn and added coriander seed, fennel seed, 2 star anise pods, 1 whole [4″] cinnamon stick and 3 small bay leaves. Toasted all my spices first and transferred them into a mill to grind. Once the spice blend was ground up I started the Tea [Edro Gold Label Ceylon Tea] and then added 3 slices of fresh ginger [more next time :)] and 2 tspns of the masala blend. Started a boil and turned off the heat. steeped for about 2 hours and started it up again. Added 3% whole milk and used Jaggery as my sweetener…Wanted the authenticity to be close for the first time so I have a bench mark when I start using Macadamia Nut Milk. [sooo good and sooo close to real milk with 0 sugar, 0 cholesterol etc.; … anyways enjoyed this recipe very much, thank you and cant wait to try it with the nut milk!
Thanks for this! I’ve been wanting to try my hand at making masala chai for a long time and recently bought some loose-leaf assam just for the purpose. Just made my first-ever batch using your instructions here — it was super easy, and it tastes delicious! The ginger is really coming through, as is the black pepper. I feel the flavor is a touch “brighter” than what I’ve had at restaurants, and I’d like a bit more of a deep warming feeling. Maybe some allspice next time..? I didn’t have star anise, will have to grab that as well.
Yes, feel free to get it exactly how you like it. It’s fun to play and experiment.
I used coconut milk and it turned out so good! I would just reduce the amount of star anise.
Delicious. Just what I needed on a snowy day.
Hi. Do you know where or whom made your mug? I’ve been on a long search to find a mug that I love after I broke my favorite. Thanks
Hi Marie- I found it at a vintage store. 🙂
Is it okay to use black cardamom instead of the green ones?
Yes, I think it should be fine. Different, but OK. 🙂
I was wondering if anyone knows a from-scratch copy-cat of Starbucks chai lattes? I’d love to start from something I know I enjoy and then change it here and there to perfectly match my taste.
All the ones I find on Google just say “use chai tea bags, add milk”.
I used to work at Starbucks so let me tell you there’s no way to make an exact ‘at home’ copycat because of all the sugar and artificial flavorings inside the concentrate. Starbucks uses Tazo tea (for their loose leaf and the chai concentrate), so that’s why all people say is to brew a Tazo tea bag and add milk because it’s the same brand. The concentrate has an insane amount of sugar though, around 30g a serving. You can always ask the baristas to show you the carton to see for yourself.
Having visited this glorious sub-continent seven times, I have become an aficionado of many things Indian. Masala chai is surely a unique contribution to the international culinary repertoire. Watching the way it’s made in India is a magical prelude to the divine taste experience.
What I have learned is that one of the ‘secret’ ingredients is, Buffalo milk (which is widely available in India), and what gives masala chai its rich, silky flavour. If you substitute here in North America, it should be full-fat (at least 3.25%) milk. I use goat milk (3.25%). Also, the pouring back and forth adds air (oxygen) to the mix.
This concoction was not invented in a day, it has evolved over the centuries. Namaste.
thanks!
So good with vanilla rooibos tea!
Great idea Mel! Love it.
would it still be tasty without the sweetener? don”care for sweet drinks, but maybe chai really needs it?
I find it needs it- but start of conservatively and add to taste? you may need less?
i never heard of mint in chai until i read here. i googled it and its only served in “nathdwar( Gateway to God)” temple in udaipur. Thank you letting us know this recipe and lead us to the creator or the one.
Yes, I had it while in Northern India last year- my friend lives there and would make it for us from fresh mint from her garden- so delicious.
Great recipie! Thanks 😊
Great recipie! Thanks 😊
Thank you for this wonderfully balanced, simple to prepare, chai recipe! I have tried so many and this one outshines all the others I have tasted over the years.
Glad you enjoyed it Patti!
My husband’s family is Indian and I always wanted to try making their delicious tea on my own. I tried this masala chai and this recipe blew me away!! Hubby and I absolutely loved it! Next time I’m making a bigger batch. Definitely give this recipe a go!!
Amazing! This will be a new winter daily. Thank you for sharing.
How do you get your photos to look so good? Which camera do you use? I’ve got a good camera but it’s so hard to get good lighting where I am. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks John, I use a Canon 6D and a 50 mm lens. I think the key is light and just practice. I shoot by a big window- natural light but no direct sunlight.
Just curious about the lense, I assume it’s also a Cannon. Is it a single focus or is it a zoom? What are the F stops? I used to work in a camera store almost 2 decades ago. The F stop is essentially how much light is can gather. I “believe” lower is better?
hi Tim- I use a 50 mm macro lens by Ziess – single focus, not a zoom. F stop usually around 3.2-4 😉
Perfect!
I’m a little confused. You say to not boil the tea but it says to add it in step one and then step two says boil. Do I boil all the spices and turn off heat, then add tea leaves and steep for 10 min?
Just bring it to a boil (with the tea leaves), then turn the heat off. 😉