Masala Chai is a delicious Indian milk tea made with a blend of spices such as cardamom and ginger. There are many versions of this tea, but this recipe is from my Indian neighbor who became one of my best friends.
I’m a big coffee drinker, and I drink homemade Cold Brew Coffee all day long. But once in a while, especially when it’s cold outside, I crave for a nice cup of Masala Chai.
You might wonder why I’m sharing an Indian tea recipe on my site. Although I mostly share Japanese foods here, I sometimes share non-Japanese recipes when my family or I feel it’s important to be in our family’s just one cookbook.
This Masala Chai recipe was from my Indian neighbor who became my very close friend. When we moved to our house almost 10 years ago, she came by with her children to say hello. Our children had many playdates over the years while she and I sipped a cup of this Masala Chai.
What is Masala Chai?
Chai literally means tea (so don’t say Chai Tea), and the spiced-up version is Masala Chai. So what type of spices are in my Masala Chai?
My Go-To Spices for Masala Chai
Green Cardamom: It is the most important part of chai. If you have to pick only one spice, do include this in your chai, and don’t skip it. I just love the smell of cardamon. I purchased bags of green cardamom pods from a local Indian grocery store for my chai.
Fresh Ginger: I always keep fresh ginger for my Japanese recipes and I love the ginger’s subtle spicy kick in the chai.
Other Spice Choices: Many authentic chai recipes include a cinnamon stick, fennel seeds, black peppercorns, and nutmeg. All of the spices add a delicious warmth to the chai as well as some heat from the black pepper and ginger. Everyone probably has their preferred ratio for their spice blend, so feel free to adjust the amounts for each ingredient.
My Indian friend usually crushes/grinds the spices in a batch and keeps extra in an airtight jar. I don’t drink chai every single day, so I usually prepare my green cardamom when I drink it.
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Masala Chai
Ingredients
- 2 teacups water
- 4 pods green cardamom
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 slice ginger (optional)
- 3 tsp loose black tea (Red Label Orange Peko, Taj Mahal, Darjeeling, etc.)
- 4–6 Tbsp milk (I use whole milk)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- With a mortar and pestle, crack 4 pods green cardamom and discard the pods. Grind the cardamom into a fine powder. If you‘re using ginger, cut 1 slice ginger (thin).
- Into a small saucepan, pour 2 teacups water.
- Add the cardamom powder, 2 tsp sugar, and the ginger slice, and bring it to a boil.
- When boiling, add 3 tsp loose black tea.
- Simmer for 2–3 minutes.
- Add 4–6 Tbsp milk and bring it to boil again.
- When boiling again, reduce heat and keep simmering for another 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and strain the tea with a strainer. Serve with a biscuit or cookie.
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on January 7, 2011. It’s been updated with the new images.
Do you have a recipe for instant chai? I’d like to simply add a mix to hot water. Thanks!
Hi Maria, Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post!
Currently, Nami does not have an instant chai recipe. Sorry.😞
I fell in love with chai when my boyfriend’s mom made it for me! I’ve always been wanting to replicate it and with your recipe, it tastes just like my boyfriend’s mom’s authentic chai. Thank you so much for the recipe! I just have a quick question, can I ground a lot of cardamom ahead of time? Or is it better to ground it fresh each time?
Hi Cassandra,
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback. We’re so glad to hear you enjoyed this Chai tea!
We recommend ground it fresh each time to have a good flavor for your tea. The freshly grounded one is the best!
Can you please tell me where did i get the cup in the picture, it looks amazing
Hi Swapnil! I got the cups from a pottery shop at a farmer’s market in Palo Alto. 🙂
How much it cost and is it available online?
Hi Swapnil! Unfortunately, it’s not available online. The artist was selling his stuff at the farmer’s market. 🙁 Sorry…
I am Indian American and love to make chai the way my mother taught me, and out of curiosity I visited a few websites that instructed on how to make Indian tea. This is the only website that got the process right!! Traditional Indian tea is always boiled twice—once with just water, which is when tea leaves/spices are added, and then again after milk has been added, at which point you want to turn the heat down so it simmers. Thank you for sharing this on your website so others can enjoy a proper cup as well. Your neighbor taught you well ;D Though, you can definitely up the milk ratio for a nice and creamier cup. It’s not uncommon in India to brew tea entirely in milk! Arigatou <3
Hi Rose! I am so happy to hear your feedback and I told my friend who taught me this recipe. 🙂 I still think her tea tastes better when she makes it for me. It’s always a treat for me to enjoy her tea and her company. Thank you for making my day! xo
[…] drink ideas: masala chai, matcha latte or cold brew […]
[…] drink ideas: masala chai, matcha latte or cold brew […]
Hi
When I make Indian chai it is tasteless. I can’t taste spices as though all the ingredients did not mix.
Hi Aneta! I wanted to ask if you have tried this recipe or you were talking in general? I definitely taste the ginger and cardamom with this recipe. Maybe you need to increase your spices?
[…] my very good friend, made Chai every time our kids had a playdate at her house (I shared her recipe here). The cardamom pods smelled so inviting and delicious. It was a new spice that I had never seen or […]
Spot on! As a Westerner who lived in India for a year, coming back to the US and seeing “Chai Tea” everywhere, I am often very frustrated when people get it very wrong. I make it every morning for my family, and love that the recipe here is exactly the way it should be made. Thank you and I love your blog, hope it continues to be successful.
Hi overland_traveler! Aww I’m so happy to hear that you like this recipe and this is how you make chai. This is not a fancy version with lots of spices etc, but this chai was exactly how my Indian friend made for me (and how she taught me). I enjoy a cup of chai so much. I can’t order “chai” in the US because it’s not the same as how she taught me. 🙂
Thanks so much for your kind words about my blog!
In India there is “chai” and there is “masala chai”. Masala is “sauce”, so essentially the spice or masala is the sauce for the tea. Most chai does not have cardamom, etc., and when one goes to a street vendor one has to ask for masala chai if want the spice in their tea. Otherwise the chai is just tea, milk and sugar. Your friend made it very special, lucky!!
Oh, really! I didn’t realize that chai and masala chai are used differently like that. but it does make sense. Thank you for sharing the info with us! 🙂
“chai” is several languages simply means “tea”. “chai tea” is “tea tea” literally, but somehow through mistranslation “chai” in English is the word used for “spiced tea”.
Hi Gilly! Excellent! Thank you very much for your input!😊
Thankyou for a nice, simple and quick way to make chai. I admit to using an electric spice grinder both for time’s sake and that it gets the spices in to a powder.
Hi Monique! I love the smell you grind spices into powder. Very therapeutic… 😀 Make me want to drink a cup now, but I have to wait till tomorrow morning (or else I can’t sleep! Haha).