Homemade chai spice mix is a perfect holiday food gift! Or, keep it all to yourself, so you can make authentic chai(Indian tea) any time you want! Use the chai spice to make a chai concentrate! That means instant hot chai or iced tea any time! This fragrant and delicious Indian chai masala is my family recipe.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 10 minutes
  • Total time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Beverage, Drink, Drinks
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

For the Chai Spice Blend

  • 3 tablespoons green cardamom pods
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or more to preference (or 2” cinnamon stick)
  • 2 teaspoons whole cloves
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 5 fennel seeds (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger (optional - omit if using fresh ginger)

For 1 Serving of Chai

  • 1 cup water
  • ½ teaspoon chai spice mix (or more, to taste)
  • ½ inch fresh ginger (grated or chopped)
  • 2 to 3 teaspoons loose-leaf tea
  • ½ cup creamy non-dairy milk (like barista oat milk)
  • sugar or sweetener to taste (optional)

For the Chai Concentrate (4 Servings)

  • 2 cups water
  • 2 teaspoons chai spice mix (or more, to taste)
  • 1 inch fresh ginger (grated)
  • 1½ tablespoons loose-leaf tea
  • sugar or sweetener to taste

Method

Make the chai spice blend.

  1. Combine all the chai spice blend ingredients in a coffee grinder or small blender. Blend until the mixture is evenly powdered. Depending on your blender, if might not do a good job of breaking up the cardamom pods completely. If you think that might happen, remove the husks before blending and use only the seeds.(This will make a more concentrated chia spice mix and you might need to add a bit less per serving). Store the spice mix in an airtight container away from direct sunlight. The spice will stays fresh for 6 months.

Make 1 serving of chai.

  1. Heat the water in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the chai spice mix and grated or thinly sliced ginger and bring to a boil. Add the loose-leaf tea and boil again. Stir in sugar to taste, then pour in the non-dairy milk slowly. (Do a very slow pour that will bring the temperature of the saucepan down and reduce chances of non dairy milk separating). Bring the mixture to a boil again, then turn off the heat. Strain into a cup and enjoy!

Make the chai concentrate.

  1. Heat the water in a saucepan and add chai spice mix and grated ginger. Bring to a boil. Add the loose-leaf tea and sugar (if using). Boil for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and let the mixture steep for a few minutes. Strain the concentrate, let it cool, and store it in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 7 days. Or freeze into ice cubes and use later!
  2. Use the chai concentrate: add equal parts chai concentrate and non dairy milk and heat up for hot heat or serve over ice for iced tea!

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.