But way better than what you can buy.
Masala Chai is one of my favorite beverages to drink in the winter.
It’s like a hug from my imaginary Indian grandmother.
It’s why pumpkin pie flavor is so popular. We don’t genuinely care about pumpkin. We love the spices, sugar, and cream that become masala chai.
At times I can see why the Europeans in the 15th century would embark on a months-long water journey.
Quick lesson: Masala = Spice, Chai = Tea, but going forward, I’ll use the word chai to refer to the aromatic sweet drink that Americans consume.
Don’t be intimidated by chai.
Chai seems like a mysterious blend of exotic ingredients, but nowadays, you can get most of the spices at any large grocery store. And it is simple to make at home.
I understand any hesitation because even as a chef, I didn’t know how to make it until I came across this chai gift idea. The link is a do-it-yourself gift. You simply assemble all of the spices and loose-leaf tea. Put it in jars, and voila, Christmas gift.
But this simple gift idea transformed chai making in my own kitchen.
I first made it following their directions. And, once I realized that I could make my own, I was on a chai-making quest.
I have no Indian heritage. My chai knowledge only comes from what I have consumed in coffee shops, grocery stores, and the internet.
But I love to eat and drink and now make something close to what Indians might actually consider chai.
Make Your Own Chai
Most American supermarket chai options either are selling you a tea bag or a premade concoction of processed sugary flavors. Trying to make a cup of chai by steeping a tea bag doesn’t allow enough time for the flavor to come out of the spices. And the premade drinks and tea concentrates are filled with added sugar.
When you make chai at home, you get to enjoy the simmering spices on the stovetop. You can adjust the tea, sugar, and milk to your taste and create your own drink that you can cozy up with on a cold winter day.
Chai Spices
The spices for chai can include any of the following: pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, fennel, star anise, ginger, allspice, and bay leaves. Every Indian family has its own recipe, and so you can make your own too.
Most of the spices are readily available at the store or on the internet. You want to buy whole spices or seeds. This way, they last longer and don’t lose their aroma. When spices are ground, the processing causes them to go bad quickly.
To save money, avoid the tiny bottles at the supermarket. The best place to go to is an Indian grocery store, and then the second best is another ethnic market. Latin markets will have cloves, cinnamon, and coriander. Asian markets will have star anise, ginger, and bay leaves.
The Tea Leaves
Darjeeling or Assam are basic Indian black teas, but you can make chai with any black, green, or white tea or no tea leaves at all. The tea leaves were added to chai in its recent history.
Definitely don’t use expensive tea because you are masking its flavor with spices. I usually use Lipton because I have it on hand.
But, as with most things, you won’t improve a bad product, to a certain point. The better the tea, the better the finished product.
Chai Sweeteners
The spices on their own are bitter, and some sweetener is needed to balance the flavor. When you make it yourself, you get to choose what and how much to use. Honey and sugar of any kind are typical.
My Chai Method
I have found that it is easier to make about a quart of chai at one time. Going through the process for one cup is an ordeal that makes it a selling point for your favorite coffee or tea shop. I like to save the sweetened tea in the fridge and then reheat it and add milk when I am ready to drink. In the summer, you can just add cold milk and drink.
Mix the dried spices together. The spices blend will make several batches of this recipe.
Keep the ginger separate, you will need a fresh piece for each batch.
I like to toast the spices at the time I make the chai, but I don’t bother to grind them.
You only want to steep the tea for 2-10 minutes. The range of times allows you to control the flavor and caffeine level.
Masala Chai Recipe
- ¼ cup black peppercorns
- ¼ cup cloves
- ¼ cup coriander seeds
- ¼ cup fennel seeds
- ½ cup cardamom pods cut in half
- 8-10 star anise pods
- 4-5 cinnamon sticks, broken up
- 1-inch chunk of ginger, sliced
- 4 black tea bags or an equivalent amount of loose tea
- 1 quart of water
- 3-4 tablespoons honey or sugar
- Milk or Non-Dairy Milk Substitute
Combine the dry spices in a jar and mix everything up. Add about a quarter cup of mixed spices to a dry pan, making sure to get one star anise and a few pieces of cinnamon sticks, and turn on the heat. Stir frequently for 1 minute until you smell the aroma, and then immediately add 1 quart of water. Add the ginger. Bring the spices to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes. Bring the spices back to a boil, turn off the heat, and add the tea. Let the tea steep to your desired time. When you are ready, strain the entire mixture, discard the spices, and save the liquid. Add honey or sugar. Serve it with your favorite dairy or non-dairy beverage for a creamy texture. Save any remaining tea and refrigerate. Drink within 3-4 days.
Try Making Your Own Chai
This simple recipe takes a little time, but easy to put together. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Sit back and enjoy the aroma in your kitchen while you steep the spices on a cold winter day.
By making your own recipe, you can adjust the spices to your tastes and enjoy the satisfaction of doing it yourself.
Jules,
It appears to me that the recipe is all dry ingredients except the ginger. Can you store the fresh ginger with the other ingredients and it won’t mold or rot?
Mom
Hi Mom,
Thanks for pointing that out. I went back and clarified the directions. Keep the ginger separate. The spice mix will make several batches and then each time you would mix with a piece of fresh ginger.
Julie
Love the mother daughter interaction! thanks so much for this recipe. I’m continually on a quest for chai like what I had in India decades ago
I’ve dated two Indian women. I’ve also been drinking chai since 2005. What I’ve learned in that time is that everyone makes it differently, and it is most definitely not an exact process. Most Indians don’t even use all the spices that you’ve listed here. It’s either just ginger, or it’s just cardamom. The rest (the full masala mix) is only for fancy occasions, like welcoming guests or weddings. I’ve had absolutely terrible tasting chai at Indian functions (either too watery or completely overwhelmed by pepper), and I’ve had great chai. It all depends on who makes it.
And most of the time they have spices in powder form in a plastic container, which they throw into a pot of boiling water with a heaping spoonful of sugar (usually a large tablespoon) reduce to simmering, and after 5 or 6 minutes throw in the tea. They boil the tea for another 3 minutes or so, reduce it to simmering again, add the milk, boil it again, and you’re done.
It’s honestly very haphazard and not at all paid attention to. Both of the women and both of their mothers did it the same way. I do it my own way, and personally I think mine is superior to anything that I drank at an Indian household, because I use whole spices and I grind them each time (But without that experience, I never would have figured out how to make it in the age before YouTube). But that’s just me. The only thing that I will insist on is using whole milk, and using the lowest quality strong, plain tea that you can find, because you want the strength. I agree that you don’t need anything gourmet here. It’s all about body and standing up to milk and spices…nothing else really matters.
I’m not picking on you here at all, but it always makes me laugh whenever I see one of these recipes online. And when I was figuring out how to make it myself, I insisted on a recipe too. But Indians never use a recipe in my experience. They literally just throw it all in the pot. They don’t even pay attention to the water to tea ratio. A “cup” of water can mean literally anything, usually filling up a mug and pouring it in a pan. A piece of ginger means a piece of ginger sliced up. They always laughed when I asked “Yes, but how much?”
I’m glad you figured out what works for you though. But if you want a whole other challenge, dip your toes into the master-level that is trying to make Kashmiri pink tea…