Masala Herb

Flavorful Recipes

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • TRAVEL
  • Contact
  • New? Start HERE!
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • RECIPES
  • Contact
  • New? Start Here!
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    You are Here: Masala Herb » Recipes » Beverages

    Indian Masala Chai Recipe

    Dec 21, 2022 by Helene Dsouza

    21.0K shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Flip
    • Email
    • Share
    • Threads
    • Bluesky
    Helene Dsouza
    Aromatic Indian masala chai recipe prepared with whole spices. You can enhance this basic spiced chai tea recipe by adding small quantities of more spices, see in the post for recommended flavor variations. This recipe is on the milder side. To prepare Indian spiced milk tea with a spice blend, see in Notes below.
    Prep Time: 7 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 8 minutes minutes
    resting time to infuse: 10 minutes minutes
    4 cups
    RECIPE
    Indian Masala Chai Recipe

    The Indian Masala Chai Tea is prepared with spices, milk and tea leaves.

    I show you in my video how to make your own spiced milk tea with my real Indian chai recipe from scratch.

    Indian Masala Chai Recipe
    Recipes from around the world E-Book

    Global Food Recipes

    with Spices and Herbs

    Free E-Book available for a limited time. Grab yours now and get instantly inspired!

    00
    Days
    :
     
    00
    Hours
    :
     
    19
    Minutes
    :
     
    59
    Seconds

    You missed out!

    Recipes from around the world E-Book

    Your Free E-Book 

    was sent to your

    E-Mail Address!

    Please check your Spam folder

    Furthermore, you can choose to prepare your Indian tea with whole spices or with a spice blend.

    What warms you up when cold winds and weather threaten your comfort? A good cup of hot tea.

    In Europe, we love our black or green tea. In India, people enjoy tea and not just any tea, the Indian masala chai.

    Jump to:
    • 📕 What is Masala Chai Tea?
    • 🥛 Ingredients
    • 🍵 Variations
    • 🔪 How to make it?
    • 💭 Types of Indian Chai Tea
    • 👁️‍🗨️ More Tea related reads!
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    📕 What is Masala Chai Tea?

    Masala Chai is a spiced milk tea from India.

    Masala means "a blend of spices" and chai means tea.

    In the west, people tend to say Masala chai tea, which is actually wrong. It would mean that you simply repeat the word tea two times, Masala tea tea (which sounds totally ridiculous to an Indian).

    But so that we understand each other better, I will continue to call it chai tea in this post.

    Indian Masala Chai Recipe

    🥛 Ingredients

    A real Masala Chai is always prepared with whole spices because the flavors will be more intense.

    However, I'm not narrow-minded. You can skip all the spices in the recipe below and switch them with my masala chai spice mix.

    I don't recommend you use masala chai tea bags, those tend to be tasteless.

    My BASIC masala tea recipe is made with whole spices:

    Indian Masala Chai Recipe
    • Milk
    • Water
    • Black Tea powder such as Assam tea or Darjeeling teas
    • Cinnamon Stick
    • Green Cardamom
    • Cloves
    • Star Anise
    • Black Pepper

    I skip the sugar (yep!), but in India, they add tons of sugar! How much you add is up to you. You can try adding brown sugar to your Indian tea recipe.

    Indian Masala Chai Recipe

    🍵 Variations

    You can also add the following spices to your masala chai to customize it to your liking.

    ADVANCED Indian Masala Tea - add small quantities of one (or a combination) of these spices to the basic recipe:

    • Fennel Seeds
    • Pink Pepper
    • White Pepper
    • Dried or fresh Ginger
    • Vanilla Paste
    • Red Chili Pepper
    • Turmeric
    • Allspice berries

    🔪 How to make it?

    For homemade chai tea, you will need loose tea in leave form or granulated ground powder. Do not use teabags!

    Step 1

    Heat up the milk with water.

    Add tea powder and all the spices.

    Heat up milk with water. Add tea powder and all the spices.

    Step 2

    Bring to a boil.

    Take from heat but leave to infuse.

    Bring to a boil. Take from heat but leave to infuse.

    Step 3

    Strain tea.

    Serve with sugar in a cup.

    Strain tea. Serve with sugar in a cup.

    💭 Types of Indian Chai Tea

    In India, you have mainly 3 types of Chais.

    Chai - prepared with just black tea leaves, milk, water, sugar, and sometimes one or two spices. Variations exist all over the country and even outside the Indian subcontinent. Indian migrants in Dubai, for example, have a chai variation made with cardamom called Karak tea.

    Masala Chai - prepared with the same regular chai ingredients but a whole set of spices is added to infuse the chai with flavors. Many fold variations exist and all spiced Indian milk tea can be called authentic chai tea recipes (not set in stone and depends on region, status, etc).

    Black Tea - just black tea, water, and sugar. No milk is added here. If you want to order tea without milk in India, you order black tea or black chai, or kali chai.

    Of course, there are countless regional chai variations, the most well-known are the pink Kashmiri chai and the Kerala chai.

    👁️‍🗨️ More Tea related reads!

    Do you like milk teas? Check out my Chai Pumpkin Spice Tea or how about this low carb golden milk.

    Ever been to a tea garden plantation? I visited Munnar in South India and had tea in the clouds!

    Dear Reader, have you tried an advanced flavor variation of the basic chai recipe?

    Indian Masala Chai Recipe

    📖 Recipe

    Indian Masala Chai Recipe

    Indian Masala Chai Recipe

    Aromatic Indian masala chai recipe prepared with whole spices. You can enhance this basic spiced chai tea recipe by adding small quantities of more spices, see in the post for recommended flavor variations. This recipe is on the milder side. To prepare Indian spiced milk tea with a spice blend, see in Notes below.
    4.34 from 6 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Drinks
    Cuisine: Indian
    Prep Time: 7 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 8 minutes minutes
    resting time to infuse: 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 cups
    Calories: 123kcal
    Recipe by: Helene Dsouza

    Ingredients

    • 1 ½ Cup Water
    • 3 Cups Milk
    • 1 ½ Tablespoons Black Tea *see Notes
    • 5 Green Cardamom Pods
    • 5 Piece Cloves Whole
    • 1 Cinnamon stick
    • 1 Whole Star Anise
    • Pinch Black Pepper Ground
    • Sugar optional
    US - Metric

    Instructions

    • Heat up a pot and pour in water and milk.
    • Add the black tea and all the spices including green cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, star anise, and black pepper.
    • Mix everything in and bring to a boil.
    • Take from heat and allow the tea and spices to infuse into the India milk tea.
    • Strain and discard the tea leave pieces and spices.
    • Briefly, heat up again the tea and serve the masala chai hot in cups with sugar.

    Notes

    1. Use loose black tea leaves, never tea bags! Loose black tea leaves or granules are more intense in flavor and higher in quality.
    2. You can skip all the whole spices in this recipe and switch them with my homemade chai spice blend.
    3. You can add sugar, you don't have to.

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Indian Masala Chai Recipe
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 123 Calories from Fat 54
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 6g9%
    Saturated Fat 3g15%
    Cholesterol 18mg6%
    Sodium 84mg4%
    Potassium 269mg8%
    Carbohydrates 11g4%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 9g10%
    Protein 6g12%
    Vitamin A 295IU6%
    Vitamin C 0.5mg1%
    Calcium 228mg23%
    Iron 0.6mg3%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    21.0K shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Flip
    • Email
    • Share
    • Threads
    • Bluesky

    I am Helene, and I created Masala Herb in 2011. Here you will learn to cook with spices and herbs. I share from scratch, international food recipes and my mission is to teach you to cook flavorful food at home. Read More…

    MasalaHerb.com as seen on

    Comments

      4.34 from 6 votes (4 ratings without comment)

      Leave a Comment Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Chai Lover says

      December 05, 2022 at 6:27 pm

      2 stars
      Using uncrushed spices meant that it wasn't so flavoursome 🙁

      Reply
      • Helene Dsouza says

        December 08, 2022 at 8:17 am

        Hi there, what do you mean with crushed spices? Because the only ground spice is black pepper in this recipe. It's important to use quality spices to get the most of your chai flavors. For example, green cardamom. Many variations of this spice are sold in markets. The greener the pod on the outside the higher the quality and therefore the price. Quality spices have always been a commodity and that for a good reason. The world hasn't changed, we just don't know anymore to make the difference between the different qualities of spices. Take the spice in your hand and smell it, compare and in time your eyes will recognize better qualities. You can also dry roast your spices to help bring out some of those precious aromas. I hope this helps you to prepare a better masala chai in the future. 🙂

        Reply
    2. Shumaila says

      September 13, 2020 at 7:53 am

      Can i use honey in masala tea instead of sugar???

      Reply
      • Helene Dsouza says

        September 13, 2020 at 12:39 pm

        Yes you can 🙂

        Reply
    3. CanaryDawn says

      September 01, 2020 at 8:41 am

      Which particular teas and spices are less prone to mold growth & subsequent mycotoxin contamination? This is a major problem in the USA with lack of safe quality standards and as a result we have people severely ill and even disabled from food contamination. Making matters worse, processors & sellers are uneducated and unaware that these items need to be stored in cool temperatures with controls to keep the humidity low (less than 50%). Perhaps specific plants or processors can help Masala Chai lovers enjoy their tea without harming their health.

      Reply
    4. Kathy says

      August 24, 2020 at 8:23 am

      Any recommendations for a good milk alternative that won’t hinder the flavor too much?

      Reply
      • Helene Dsouza says

        August 24, 2020 at 5:22 pm

        I would use coconut milk or almond milk. However, I haven't tried it yet. I'm not sure if oat milk is much of an option. You can try it out and see how it turns out Kathy.

        Reply
    5. Sadia Afrin says

      June 18, 2020 at 12:47 pm

      5 stars
      Masala tea. Taste so good..

      Reply
      • Helene Dsouza says

        June 20, 2020 at 12:49 pm

        thanks for sharing Sadia

        Reply
    6. Gomo | cHowDivine says

      September 23, 2012 at 2:46 am

      It's finally getting a bit cooler here. This chai would be so nice for those cooler nights. It looks so good!

      Reply
    7. Nancy/SpicieFoodie says

      February 16, 2012 at 1:11 am

      Your Chai looks beautiful and the post is brilliant. I am so glad that you explained the meaning of Chai and Masalas. So many people don't understand it and use the word Chai incorrectly. Anyways, I agree with your spice discussion. My hubby and I also have some differences. 

      Reply
    8. Jessica says

      February 08, 2012 at 8:58 pm

      I LOVE this chai, thanks for Sharing! 

      Reply
    9. Shuhan says

      February 08, 2012 at 10:48 pm

      omg, i love chai. and now i can make my own. it's perfect for winter, and the smell of the spices are already enough to make you feel warm and cosy inside! this is my first time at your blog, and I'm really glad I dropped by and found the chai recipe (:

      Reply
      • Helene Dsouza says

        February 09, 2012 at 7:43 pm

        Hi Shuhan! I agree I love the aroma of chai its so very comforting. hope to see u soon on my blog, u r always welcome! =)

        Reply
    10. Helene Dsouza says

      February 04, 2012 at 1:43 pm

      @Nami its realy tima that I moev from google before they try to close my blog again (freaks). I got many complaints from my readers saying they cant comment for some crazy reason.

      Your comment was there yesterday Nami on top and now that u r saying it.. its for some reason gonne ( I dont delete comments!!)

      sorry for the inconvinience nami and thank u soo much for taking the time and leaving your comments again.

      my husband enjoys his chai with just cardamon and sugar too. he likes it more simple.

      thanks and sorry again nami!
      wish u a wonderful weekend!

      Reply
    11. Nami | Just One Cookbook says

      February 04, 2012 at 1:28 pm

      Oh now I see my comment... okay my first comment didn't go through for some reason.

      I wrote that I make chai every day twice, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. My neighbor Indian friend who became my very close mommy friend taught me how. It's almost same way as yours but she put sugar and cardamom together. It's so yummy and I got hooked on the first day I tried! Love your first picture!

      Reply
    12. Nami | Just One Cookbook says

      February 04, 2012 at 1:27 pm

      Did you see my comment that I sent out? I don't see my post and I didn't see any message after I hit publish... if it's not there I'll write again later. 🙂

      Reply
    13. Helene Dsouza says

      February 04, 2012 at 12:47 pm

      @Anita thank u dear! yeah there r a lots of ppl who cant live without their chai. XD kept already aside for u! 😉

      @Rosa thank u =) I am glad I am not in the cold! O.O but that chai would defenetly warm u up.

      @Joanne oh then I am glad to have taught u something new. 😉

      @Jay @Aarthi thank u both! =)

      @Purabi u r always welcome! ah the cups r actualy from our restaurant. hihi

      @Karen that sounds great, u r always welcome to join!

      @FrugalinWV thats great, glad u learned something new and maybe useful to u in the future. 😉

      @IndieTea In goa they dont even add ginger in most of the restaurants and shaks. they add cardamon and cinammon only. I think too much ginger takes away some of the other spices properties while drinking the chai. as I mentioned above, everyone experiences spices differently. and this spice blend is suitable for everybody ( I made that sure!).

      @Kiran I had heard somewhere in austria once that ladies from the fine houses would drink their hot coffee when the weather is hot because it would give them a soft lovely skin and the weather wouldnt be that hot anymore after drinking something hotter. the question is if it is true and if yes if one can apply that rule with chai too. have a nice weekend Kiran! =)

      Reply
    14. escribble says

      February 04, 2012 at 12:08 pm

      Just simply love masala chai -- perfect any day, well, except during scorching hot summer 😀 Have a great weekend, sweetie....

      Kiran @ KiranTarun.com

      Reply
    15. Indie.Tea says

      February 04, 2012 at 10:22 am

      We usually do our masala chai with a LARGE dose of ginger, cardamom, clove, pinch of pepper...very comforting 🙂

      Reply
    16. Frugal in WV says

      February 04, 2012 at 12:50 am

      I don't think I've ever had this type of tea, it looks like it would be great for the cold mornings we've had around here. As usual I love all your pictures 🙂

      Reply
    17. backroadjournal says

      February 03, 2012 at 11:11 pm

      I love tea and would enjoy sharing a cup of your chai tea. It would be great fun sipping tea while we talk about our favorite recipes.

      Reply
    18. Purabi Naha says

      February 03, 2012 at 9:44 pm

      I want to join for a cup of masala chai. The very sight of the chai is so comforting! Loved the chai cup as well!
      http://cosmopolitancurrymania.blogspot.com

      Reply
    19. Aarthi says

      February 03, 2012 at 9:24 pm

      They look yummy

      Aarthi
      http://www.yummytummyaarthi.com/

      Reply
    20. Jay says

      February 03, 2012 at 7:14 pm

      wow...super yummy chai..
      excellent captures..love your presentation..;)
      lovely recipe ...very tempting..
      Tasty Appetite

      Reply
    21. Joanne says

      February 03, 2012 at 6:51 pm

      I love chai tea but I don't think I've ever had this particular spice blend. It sounds like something that would make my afternoon all the more delicious.

      Reply
    22. Rosa's Yummy Yums says

      February 03, 2012 at 5:38 pm

      Mmmhhh, I'd love one of those now! It is sooooo cold outside.

      A lovely collection of recipes!

      Cheers,

      Rosa

      Reply
    23. sliceofmylyfe says

      February 03, 2012 at 4:38 pm

      The chai is the best thing in the world, my hubby claims. I am not at tea drinker but I know for a fact that many people cannot start their day without their hot cup of chai. I love the write up about how different spices mean and taste different things to people.
      Enjoy your chai and spare some of those yummy pakoras for me.

      Reply

    Welcome

    Hi there! I'm Helene and here you will learn how to cook with spices and herbs. Discover global food and learn to season your food like a pro. Read more about my work and mission or head over to my food ingredient space, Unknownbite.com, and our travel space, Paulmarina.com!

    More About Me ->








    Home
    About
    As seen in
    Contact
    Terms and Conditions
    Privacy Policy

    By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies.

    Masala Herb is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

    Copyright © 2025 · Magazine Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.