This small batch Homemade Chai Spice is the perfect blend of green cardamom, black peppercorn, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, mace, nutmeg, and star anise. Add it to black tea for a fragrant cup of masala chai or to your fall baked goods.
As someone who makes masala chai just about twice everyday, having a good chai masala (tea spices) on hand is incredibly important to me! This homemade, small batch chai spice blend is my favorite thing in my kitchen for a quick cup.
If you love chai flavored desserts or breakfast items, chai spice is great to have on hand! It's definitely handy to keep in the the kitchen cabinet, especially when fall rolls around and the cravings set in on rainy or cold days. You can add a small scoop to drinks, overnight oats, or baked items for a little sweet and spicy kick!
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The Spices
All the spices are readily available at any grocery store, but seriously consider treating yourself to some high quality whole spices for the best results!
The main spices for tea offer the best balance of fragrance, warmth, and spice.
- Cardamom - Use the entire whole green pod, and please don't buy McCormick! Cardamom is the main ingredient for masala chai and especially adds so much to the fragrance, so it's important to use the best quality you can find.
- Black pepper - Black peppercorns add the bit of spice and fruitiness to masala chai which gives it that zing
- Ginger - Pre-ground ginger is the only spice that isn't grinded from fresh ginger, because it'll turn into a paste.
- Cinnamon - Adds spice and sweetness. Don't use too much cinnamon, it shouldn't overpower the rest of your spices
- Cloves - Warming spices that's a bit bitter, which counteracts all the sweet spices
- Nutmeg - Use fresh nutmeg, which may need to be microplaned before adding it to the spice grinder with the rest of the spices. Good quality nutmeg will still have the shell on it to preserve the oils, so if yours does then be sure to peel off the shell first.
Other spices that are a great addition are mace, star anise, and tulsi but some people don't care for the flavor it imparts. Dried rose petals would also be a great addition but it's better to add them as necessary.
A lot of chai spice blends have allspice. This isn't something we use in Indian cuisine.
Recommended Kitchen Equipment
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Buy Now → This recipe is measured in grams, so it does require a kitchen scale. The strength and quality of spices are incredibly different depending on where you source them and this may require some adjustments to get a chai masala blend you love.
Chai spice is completely customizable to your preference! The closest you can get to mine is by weight, instead of volume.
If you're using pre-ground spices, I recommend following the recipe by weight as well although it may require adjustments. I recommend this Epicurious article for the closest conversion from ground to pre-ground.
How to Grind the Whole Spices
You'll need a Spice Grinder or a coffee bean grinder for finely ground spices. If you don't have one, you can also use a food processor or even a blender. The last option is grinding the spices one by one with a mortar and pestle, which may result in coarsely ground spices.
Another note is that my spice grinder would not grind a whole piece of nutmeg. I ended up using a microplane to shave it into smaller pieces into my spice grinder so it combined with the other spices.
If using an electric spice grinder, the spices do not need to be dry roasted in a hot pan beforehand. The heat from the blades will suffice.
The Perfect Chai Spice Blend
Just about every desi home has their own perfect blend of spices for masala chai. It's never the same across households. Even in my own household, I'm not the biggest fan of my dads chai because it's heavy on the ginger. I prefer my mom's by far!
Ultimately, the blend comes down to you. Do you like more cinnamon? Add another cinnamon stick!! Don't like cloves? You don't have to add it. It's up to your own preference.
Personally, I really love cardamom and black pepper and want it to stand out. I also found that the ratios I've used is perfect for fall baking! The hints of cardamom and cinnamon really stand out in the best way.
I made Chai Masala labels for you for easy labeling!! Download them and print them on Avery Round Labels (22856).
It's hard to know if you love the spice blend until you've tried it. I highly recommend giving it a try by making a cup of masala chai. If you aren't a fan, you can always re-blend by adding more of the spices that you think will balance it out.
For example, my spice blend was initially too bitter and warm, so I knew it had too much clove. I added more cardamom and cinnamon to offset it.
How to make Masala Chai with Chai Spice
I love using chai masala for masala chai instead of whole spices because it's so quick and extends the spices. I frequently feel like I'm wasting precious cardamom pods on a single cup of chai or that one clove is too strong for me.
- Boil the water with tea and spices. Once the water comes to a boil, add the tea bags or loose tea leaves and a teaspoon of the chai masala. Let the tea steep with the spices and then add the milk.
- Double Boil or Chaiwala Pull - There's two main ways of aerating chai to develop flavor. One is the double boil, which is notorious for causing the biggest mess. Bring the chai to a boil until it's almost to the top, and then lift the pot off the heat until it comes back down or immediately lower the heat if you have a gas stove. This is the first boil. Repeat it for a double boil. Be sure to watch the chai closely otherwise you’ll have a spill on your hands. Another hack is to put a wooden spoon over the top of the pot so that once the tea hits the spoon, it won't boil over. The second way is to pull the chai which is used by chaiwalas in India. Use a small cup with a handle to take some chai and pour it back into the pot from a height to create bubbles.
- Simmer. Yep, just simmer. Continue to simmer the chai until it's smooth and creamy, and the consistency and color that you want the tea.
- Strain and serve. Strain the tea with a sieve when pouring it into a cups or a pot for serving. Spoon in the sugar into the individual cups according to preference and mix until combined.
Other uses for Chai Masala
Chai spice doesn't have to be for a cup of masala chai! It's also super popular for fall baking. It can be added to cookies, used in cinnamon rolls, mixed in with buttercream, etc. It's a delicious addition to just about anything for a warmth, flavor, and fragrance.
I personally love it in homemade Chai Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chai Hot Chocolate, and overnight oats!
It can also be used for savory cooking as well. It is, after all, a spice blend much like garam masala.
Storage Instructions
Store the chai masala in a spice jar.
Chai masala spice blend will last in an airtight container for up to two years if stored in a cool, dark location. The flavor will be less vibrant the older the spice mixture is.
More Recipes with Chai to try
Recipe
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Chai Masala (Chai Spice Mix)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 20 grams green cardamom pods
- 15 grams black peppercorn
- 15 grams ground ginger
- 15 grams cinnamon
- 5 grams cloves
- 2 grams mace, optional
- 1 grams nutmeg
- 1 grams star anise, optional
Instructions
- Add all of the spices to a spice grinder machine and run the machine. Stop it every minute or two and mix it well with a spoon.
- Grind the spices until it's a smooth powder, resulting in about 100g of chai masala. Transfer it to an airtight jar and store at room temperature in a dark place.
- For 2 cups of masala chai, add 1 teaspoon of chai masala to boiling water along with black tea allow to simmer until the spices release their flavor, then add milk. Be sure to strain!
Notes
- Single origin whole spices give the best result for chai masala
- For conversion from whole spices to pre-ground, see this article.
- Reduce the amount of black pepper by 5 grams for less heat.
- Chai masala spice blend will last in an airtight container for up to two years.
Noémie says
Hi, thanks for this amazing recipe ! I wanted to make a chai concentrate (from your other recipe) and saw the note refering to this recipe to make our own dry chai spices. What quantity of water and black tea would you recommend to transform this blend into a concentrate ?
Shweta Garg says
I use 1 teaspoon of chai masala per 1 cup of water. The black tea is dependent on the brand you use, but I use 1-2 tea bags or 1 teaspoon of tea leaves.
Jess says
Excellent! I've been making my own chai for over ten years, and these spice proportions/ratio are spot-on! When I don't have time (or am too unwell) to prepare my own from scratch, I use a French press to make a quick cuppa. I order (from the company that starts with a "V") Original Masala Chai and stovetop preparation or not, still doesn't pack a punch. That's where the spice blend comes in! And yours is nearly identical to what I use in mine. Short of freshly chopping and prepping in one go, it doesn't get better than your spice blend recipe. Bravo!
*Side Note: I've started using Ceylon cinnamon. It is softer than Cassia, Vietnamese, etc., but due to their dangerously high levels of coumarin, the less spicy - but still delicious - flavor of Ceylon is well worth it...
**Btw, Do you have a personal recommendation for an exceptionally high quality, loose - or CTC (Crush, Tear, Curl) - Assam base that won't break the bank? It's more expensive, but requires MUCH less to make a perfect chai. I'm used to " V" Assam, but wow, is it pricey! Thanks!! And again, BRAVO!!
Shweta Garg says
Jess, Thank you so much for this comment! It really made my day! Agreed - Ceylon is the way to go for a good cup of chai.
I personally really love Danedar, but my Masala Chai recipe has a few additional trust recommendations. - Shweta
cate says
Finally a food blog that shows ingredients for dry bulk chai mix. Thank you...Great website!
Shweta Garg says
Ha! I'm glad someone appreciates it 😉 Thank you!
Bryce says
All I have for cardamom is black cardamom, should I wait to make this until I have green cardamom?
Shweta Garg says
Yes, definitely don’t use black cardamom.
Melaine says
Visiting India and going to the tea houses, Masala Chai became our new go to drink. Came back to the States found this wonderful page and made my own spice mixture from the recommended spice company, and have enjoyed grinding our own spices and fresh black tea.
Shweta Garg says
Amazing!! Love hearing that!
Kate says
Tasty but I think using less pepper would be better, it’s quite spicy. The pepper also drowns out some of the other flavors.
Shweta Garg says
I think it’s the perfect amount of black pepper 🥰 your tolerance may be lower, so definitely adjust to preference!
Lisa says
Thank you! This was a perfect base for me to use to make a batch of chai concentrate.
I toasted all the spices in a saucepan before adding the water and tea, and my goodness it smelt amazing.
Shweta Garg says
I’m so glad to hear that!!! It really does smell heavenly.
Randy says
This was excellent. Thank you for sharing so much detail.
I used 1/2 tsp Lipton Yellow Label loose tea per 1 tsp chai powder. Does that seem correct? I thought it was a good ratio.
Are the cardamom pod shells included in the weight and ground with the rest?
Where can your beautiful chai mugs be purchased?
Shweta Garg says
Great!! I’m glad!! It’s hard to say because I don’t use Lipton - usually most loose leaf teas are 1 teaspoon per cup of tea so I’d check the label. 1 teaspoon of chai masala is my go to!
The cardamom shells are included in the weight and give off their own separate flavor 🙂
The kulhads are from a ceramicist called Fatima’s Clay!
Joanne says
I wanted to grind my own spices to make the flavour stronger and this recipe is the best I've seen! I put extra ginger in, 'cause I like the "bite" at the back of your throat. Also put in some ground turmeric, thinking it might have some beneficial side effects.
Shweta Garg says
Love that you customized it! I generally recommend against turmeric because it doesn’t go with chai spice but let me know what you think!!
Becky Duncan says
I don’t see any ingredient to sweeten the tea. What would you recommend?
Shweta Garg says
This is a spice blend, so there’s no sweetener. I recommend taking a look at the following two pages if you’re looking to make chai:
https://masalaandchai.com/chai-concentrate/
https://masalaandchai.com/masala-chai/
Lena says
Monk sugar. The best ever!
Jenn B says
This recipe is fantastic! I used this to make a batch of chai masala crinkle cookies and the masala made them next level. I will always use this recipe when I want chai masala! Thank you for the recipe <3
Shweta Garg says
Obsessed with the crinkle cookie idea!! Will definitely need to try that one.
Jennifer says
This is wonderful! Thank you! For the cinnamon, is that ground or cinnamon sticks?
Shweta Garg says
I used cinnamon sticks. I also linked an article on how to convert whole spices to ground for this recipe.
Jennifer says
Thank you so much!
Karen Rajan says
Haven’t made it yet. Can you convert this to non metric. Or just tell me what is ‘g’? Grams?
Shweta says
It’s in grams, which is the most accurate. I linked an article that can roughly help you translate spices into imperial but the spice blend probably won’t come out the same.
Stacey says
It is very likely your home scale can be switched to metric. When I switch mine, it says kg, but once I start putting things on the scale, it gives me the mass in grams.