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.
Padmini says
Tried the recipe, but found the flavour if cloves to be over powering. Can quantity of cloves be reduced and ginger powder increased?
Meeta Arora says
Hi Padmini - Sure, please do adjust the quantity to your preference. You can also just add more ginger powder now to the already made chai masala and use it. I also add some grated ginger when making chai.
Suraj says
How can mix sugar and chai patti into this masala ?
Suraj says
Insted of using sugar and chai patti separately .
Meeta Arora says
Hi Suraj - Have never tried doing that. You can mix sugar and chai Patti together to your taste and add along with the masala. I like the idea as it would be so efficient to not have to open multiple containers 😊
Daksha says
Thank you so much! If I don't have Nutmeg piece, how much tsp of Nutmeg powder, per the recipe given?
Meeta Arora says
Hi Daksha - I would suggest to use about a teaspoon of ground nutmeg. Hope you enjoy the chai masala.
Bhavna says
Thank you for the recipe
Erin says
Delicious and easy!
Piping Pot Curry says
Hi Erin - So good to hear that.
Saira says
Basicly i am not a tea lover but masala chai is something different.I was only using 4 of these ingredients but when i tried with all these ingredients, i found the result super satisfactory. Thank you very much for the recipe
Meeta Arora says
Glad to hear you enjoyed the masala chai, Saira!
Dani says
How much mil do you recommend using with that 1/4 tsp of chai?
Meeta Arora says
Hi Dani - I am guessing you are asking about how much milk to add to the chai. Here is my masala chai recipe - https://pipingpotcurry.com/indian-masala-chai/. Hope you enjoy it!
Saraswathi says
Tried the recipe. Was excellent! Thank you for sharing
Beatrice says
Hello, is it best to first peel the ginger for a better taste or just blend the dried ginger with its peels? Thx Bea
Meeta Arora says
Hi Beatrice - To make the Chai masala powder, I use store-bought ginger powder. To make the chai, it is totally fine to use unpeeled ginger.
Karen T says
Do you put he cardamom husks in the blender or just the seeds? Thanks!
Meeta Arora says
Hi Karen - I put the whole cardamom pod along with the husk. Hope you enjoy the chai masala!
Suraj Kumar says
Metric conversion seems to be incorrect.
59.5g Cloves and only , 0.5g of Eliachi
Meeta Arora says
Hi Suraj - You are right. I have fixed it now. Thank you for letting me know!