Homemade Chai Masala or Tea Masala is an aromatic blend of whole spices which makes Indian tea flavorful. Add this to your Masala Chai to make the perfect fragrant tea.
I love to start my morning with a cup of kadak chai (strong tea). It is a tradition, a culture to have tea first thing in the morning in most parts of India.
Similar to the Garam Masala spice blend, every home has their own secret recipe to make chai and chai masala. All include the same ingredients - milk, sugar, tea leaves. Some enjoy Ginger Tea with lots of ginger, some Cardamom Tea with green cardamom pods and some Masala Chai, which has chai masala, a blend of whole spices added to it.
My favorite is Masala Chai. To enjoy a perfect Masala Chai, you definitely need a good Chai Masala Powder recipe. So here I share the detailed recipe to make the best homemade tea masala.
I like to make Chai Masala and store it in an air tight container and add a little to my tea. However it is best to not make too much chai masala at once. Having freshly made chai masala definitely enhances the flavor. I like to just make enough to use it up in a couple of weeks. It is very easy to make and hardly takes any time. This is also the reason I prefer to not buy chai masala from the store.
Add some fresh ginger, some chai masala and there you have the perfect cup of tea!
What is Chai Masala?
Chai ka Masala is a blend of whole spices, fennel seeds and ginger powder which added to Indian tea makes it much more flavorful. It adds a very unique flavor to the tea and also enhances the health benefits with the warming whole spices.
What are ingredients for Chai masala?
Here are the ingredients I usually add to Chai Masala and the benefits they provide:
- Cloves (Laung): Cloves have antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. They add depth and an earthy tone to the chai.
- Green Cardamom (Elaichi): Cardamom has antioxidants and cancer fighting compounds. It adds fragrance and subtle sweetness to chai.
- Black Peppercorns (Kali Mirch): Black peppers have anti-inflammatory properties, helps with digestion and nutrient absorption. They add a little spice kick to the chai.
- Fennel seeds (Saunf): Fennel helps with healthy digestion and have a calming effect. They add a cooling subtle taste to tea.
- Cinnamon (Dalchini): Cinnamon has powerful medicinal properties such as lowering risk of diabetes, regulating blood sugar, and many more. It adds natural sweetness and warmth to tea.
- Dried Ginger Powder (Sonth): Ginger helps reduce inflammation and improves digestion and immunity against flu & cold. It adds a subtle spice kick and warmth to chai.
- Nutmeg (Jaiphal): Nutmeg has the ability to relieve pain, improve indigestion and blood circulation. It adds a slightly sweet as well as warm flavor to the chai.
I did not add dry rose petals or tulsi (holy basil) to the chai masala. But if you have them available, you can add those too. You can also add tulsi while making chai.
How to make Chai Masala Powder?
Mix all the chai masala ingredients (except nutmeg) in a blender and blend to make a coarse powder. Grate nutmeg using a fine grater.
Store the chai masala in an airtight container and always use a clean, dry spoon when using it.
How to use Chai Masala?
Add ¼ tsp of masala per cup of masala tea. You can also add ginger and tulsi leaves along with this masala when preparing Masala Chai.
Enjoy this easy homemade Chai Masala to make your everyday tea!
Chai Masala Powder Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Cloves (Laung)
- ¼ cup Green Cardamom (Elaichi)
- ¼ cup Black Peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon Fennel Seeds (Saunf)
- 6 inch Cinnamon (Dalchini)
- 2 tablespoon Ginger powder
- 1 Nutmeg grated
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients (except Nutmeg) in a blender and blend to make a coarse powder. Grate the nutmeg in the powder.
- Store in an airtight container for up to a month.
- Use ¼ tsp of this powder for each cup of Indian masala chai.
Notes
Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
Rebecca Williams says
I love LOVE the chai mixture and will add some holy basil next batch. I have a question about using Allspice in the mixture in addition to or in place of Cloves. Would you recommend? If so what would the amount? Thank you. 🙂
Nirav says
Hi...
Can you give this all ingredients measurement in gram
Meeta Arora says
Hi Nirav - You can click "Metric" in the recipe card to get measurements in grams.
Priya Arora says
Hi Meeta, I have already tried this in winters. Totally loved it. Can we have the same chai masala in Summers ?
Meeta Arora says
Hi Priya - I do use the same chai masala. I would say you can reduce the amount during summer months as it contains warming spices. Happy to hear you enjoyed the Chai masala.
Phil says
Hi , I made masala chia from your recipe which is one of my favs , but can you tell me to how to sweeten it in flavour as we find it’s very peppery which is a bit overpowering…. Thanks Phil
Meeta Arora says
Hi Phil - Thank you for the feedback. You can ground some more cardamom, and cinnamon, and add some ginger powder to make it less peppery. If you just want to sweeten the tea while making it, you can use sugar, or honey.
Tar Agg says
Hi Meena... I have nutmeg powder instead of an actual nutmeg. Would you be able to share approximately how many cups/tsp/tbsp of nutmeg powder would amount to being the equivalent of grating one nutmeg? Thanks!
Tar Agg says
My bad, should have googled this first. According to McCormick, 1 nutmeg will be equal to about 2 tsp of nutmeg powder.... https://www.mccormick.com/articles/lifehacker/the-measurements-to-convert-common-whole-spices-in
Uma says
Just love it. I have been following your recipe now for almost 4 years plus , but found time only now to post this comment
Piping Pot Curry says
Hi Uma - Hello, I'm delighted you enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing back.
Pierre says
Hi Meeta, i have a question, i saw both your recipes, this one for making chai masala powder and easy way to make chai masala.
In one recipe you have 2 Green Cardamom (Elaichi) 2 Cloves (Laung)
½ inch Cinnamon (Dalchini) and 8 Black Peppercorns.
ANd in this recipe you have a bit more spices... nutmeg, fennel seeds and ginger powder.
Is it best to make chai masala with less ingrediants?
Meeta Arora says
Hi Pierre - That's a great question. I have simplified the ingredients to include the ones that have the most flavor when making for 1-2 cups of chai. Hope you enjoyed the Chai!
Tim D says
Awesome recipe, thanks!
I did have to sub preground nutmeg since my publix was out of whole nutmeg.
I’m using Tea Pigs English Breakfast Blend as my base tea.
Excellent! Thank you 🙂
Marsy says
Absolutely delicious! I used one tea bag and a half a teaspoon of the spice. Better than my previous favorite mix from the Indian store.
Meeta Arora says
Hi Marsy - Glad you liked the chai masala!
Jean says
Hi Meeta,
Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Do you brew the ground chai mix with the tea leaves on the stove, and strain when ready?
Meeta Arora says
Yes, here is the recipe to make the chai - https://pipingpotcurry.com/indian-masala-chai/
Vicky says
For 1 kg tea powder, how much quantity of each spices in grams i should use. Actually i want to prepare it and mix it with my 1 kg raw tea powder and store it for use.
Meeta Arora says
Hi Vicky - Sorry, I don't have those measurements. You will have to try and see how much quantity is needed.