Masala Chai Recipe With Whole Spices

Heather Dessinger

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Cup of freshly brewed masala chai with ground cinnamon and one whole star anise on top.

Make tea. Take first warm, delicious sip. Help kids find shoes for 45 minutes. Finish tea cold.

Sound familiar? Well then, you’re going to love this masala chai recipe! Infused with cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, fennel and peppercorns, it’s absolutely delicious both hot and cold. Most people probably tend to prefer one or the other, but I usually get to experience both with just one cup. 🙂

Unlike my adaptogen chai recipe – which is a caffeine-free version that includes therapeutic herbs that help our bodies adapt to stress – this recipe is true to black-tea infused blends found in India.

Masala chai literally translates as “spiced tea,” so it’s no surprise that it’s full of rich, full-bodied spices that will fill your kitchen with a delightful aroma when brewed.

Overhead view of loose leaf black tea, whole cardamom, peppercorns, fennel seeds, dried ginger root pieces and cinnamon chips

Free Download: “Homemade Masala Chai” Label Template

Oh and one more thing, this whole spice mix makes an easy, thoughtful and delicious gift for teachers, friends, grandparents, co-workers, neighbors, and whomever else you want to make smile.

Put it in a cute mason jar and voila! You have an instant gift that just about everyone will love.

Jar with "Masala Chai" sticker label on the lid

How To Package Chai Tea To Give As A Gift

For this project, I filled two of these 4 ounce jars using the recipe below. A tea infuser is needed to brew this chai, so I often include one like this with the tea.

Overhead view of hot masala tea
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4.82 from 11 votes

Whole Spice Chai Mix & Tea Recipe

Delicious both hot and poured over ice, this masala chai – which literally translates as "spiced tea" – is infused with cinnamon, cardamom, fennel, ginger, peppercorns and black tea.
Makes approximately 1.5 cups masala chai mix, which will yield about 24 cups of tea.
Course Drinks
Cook Time 5 minutes
7 minutes
Total Time 12 minutes
Servings 24 cups
Calories 7kcal
Author Heather Dessinger

Equipment

Ingredients

Masala Chai Mix Ingredients

Tea Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp chai mix (recipe above)
  • ¾ cup water
  • ¼ cup milk of choice
  • sweetener to taste (I use maple syrup or honey)

Instructions

To Make The Masala Chai Mix

  • Combine all ingredients and spoon into a clean jar. (Or jars, if you’re giving the mix away as a gift.)

To Brew A Cup of Masala Chai

  • Place one tablespoon of tea into a tea infuser.
  • Bring ¾ cup water to a boil and pour it over the tea. Cover and steep for 5-7 minutes.
  • Strain out the tea, add ¼ cup milk and sweeten to taste.

Notes

Nutrition facts are an estimate for one cup of tea. The info does not include milk of choice or sweetener. 
 
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Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 7kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 28mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg

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About HEATHER

Heather is a holistic health educator, herbalist, DIYer, Lyme and mold warrior. Since founding Mommypotamus.com in 2009, Heather has been taking complicated health research and making it easy to understand. She shares tested natural recipes and herbal remedies with millions of naturally minded mamas around the world. 

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38 thoughts on “Masala Chai Recipe With Whole Spices”

      • Oolong has caffeine. Oolong, white tea, green tea and black tea all come from the tea plant but are processed differently. Black- oxidized, Green- unoxidized, Oolong- partially oxidized. All the same species so caffeine level will vary somewhat but not a suitable replacement for black tea if one must avoid caffeine.
        (Very old comment thread but I wanted to correct since this OG question relates to allergy)

        Reply
  1. Did you know “chai” means “tea”? 🙂 It makes it redundant to call it “chai tea”. Please, just call it chai. As an Indian, it makes me cry a little bit every time I hear someone say “chai tea”. 😛

    Reply
    • Hi Dima, sorry to make you cringe. 🙂 I actually did know that, but when people search via Google they tend to use the incorrect phrase, so using that as the title helps them find what they’re looking for easier.

      Reply
  2. Help – I already get your newsletter – and am trying to figure out how to get the Masala Chai tea template without signing up again. Thank you!

    Reply
    • You can just fill out the form like you are signing up. You’ll get instant access to the template and you won’t get any extra emails from me. 🙂

      Reply
      • Hi, Heather. I already receive your newsletter but I filled out the form as directed. I did not receive instant access to the Masala Chai recipe. May I kindly ask what I’ve done incorrectly? Thank you for your time and attention in this.

        Reply
  3. 5 stars
    Heather,

    I loved your article. Masala chai is very famous in India and people here they love it. We have different varieties of Masala tea.

    Reply
  4. Hi Heather,
    By “dried ginger root” do you mean the powder bought in bulk or just chop fresh ginger root?

    Thank you,
    Denise

    Reply
  5. I am seeing the ingredients for the tea but not how much to use of each. On labels and how to make the tea after you have prepared it. Could you list how much of each. New to making my own tea. Thank you, Susan

    Reply
  6. In the recipe for the Masala Chai Tea I see that there is fennel listed among the ingredients. I really don’t like the flavor of fennel.

    Is there something that can be substituted for the fennel??

    Thanks!

    Reply
  7. Thank you for masala chai tea recipes. Thank you for all your helpful offerings. My daily life quality is improving with your helpful information.

    Reply