There’s nothing like a really good cup of masala spiced chai tea to warm up your heart and your body on a chilly day. The fiery blend of seasonings combined with the sweet smoothness of vanilla and milk make chai tea a drink people all over the world revere.
During a Diwali celebration about a decade ago, a dear friend’s mom spoiled me by making me the best masala chai tea I’ve ever had. Such incredible deliciousness has made me a bit of a “chai snob,” I have to say.
So, in the quest to make something just as spicy, creamy and wonderful at home, I’ve tried just about every chai tea concentrate and teabag available on the Western market. And honestly, virtually all of the masala chai you can buy in American coffee shops and grocery stores taste bland and watery, often with far too much sugar in them to make up for the lack of flavor.
But then, most processed and packaged foods come up short compared to their traditional, homemade counterparts.
That’s why I asked my friend Nahid, an Ayurvedic nutritionist, for her favorite traditional masala chai recipe, so I could finally have the authentic tea that I fell in love with so many years ago, right in my own home.
I was not disappointed, and I know you won’t be either…
Ingredients
- 8 tsps. rooibos tea (or use black tea)
- 15 allspice berries
- 12 black peppercorns
- 8 whole cloves
- 5 green cardamom pods
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 1 star anise
- 1 inch fresh ginger peeled and grated
- 1 vanilla bean
- 5 cups filtered water
- ½ cup coconut sugar or 1/4 cup raw honey, if desired, to taste
Instructions
- Crack the allspice, peppercorns, cloves, cardamom and anise with the back of a large knife.
- Toast the spices in a dry skillet or on a baking sheet for about 5 minutes, or until very fragrant.
- Place the toasted spices plus all the remaining ingredients, including the tea, into a small muslin bag or cheesecloth tied up. Or add loose and be prepared to strain the tea later.
- Boil the purified water. Add the spice/tea mixture, ginger, cinnamon sticks and vanilla. Turn the burner down to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes until reduced by about one cup.
- Remove the muslin bag/cheesecloth or strain the tea through a fine mesh strainer.
- Stir in the sugar or honey until completely dissolved.
- Makes about one quart. The concentrate will stay fresh in the fridge for up to one week.
- When ready to drink, gently simmer one part chai concentrate with one part organic whole milk, full-fat nut milk or full-fat coconut milk until hot.
My favorite chai recipe! I save it in the fridge for iced chai lattes, 50% chai and 50% dairy free milk, and a little maple syrup. This time I used organic Lipton black tea (a suggestion from another chai recipe) because the flavor was funny when I tried Assam and another black tea I’ve since forgotten. The Lipton is perfect, although the bags are wrapped individually which isn’t my preference.
I’m so glad you enjoy it!
Thank you for sharing this recipe!!!I made this concentrate today and it’s way better and not sour like the tazo concentrate and more aromatic than the Oregon chai but honestly pretty close in flavor. I quadrupled the spices (x4) to get an authentic Indian kick lol because I don’t like Indian food or drink “white washed”. Hehehe sorry . I found that in order to use the 1:1 ratio of milk to concentrate the quadrupling of the ingredients worked nicely. Also use caylon ( non toxic) cinnamon which is much sweeter than the fake but much stronger Vietnamese cinnamon.i also heated jars and lids at 180 in oven and canned this concentrate in jars. I left spices in it for kicks to “age”. Just take out vanilla and the Vietnamese cinnamon stick if that’s the one you used. Caylon you can leave in.
Great, definitely craving this now!
The recipe calls for five cardamom pods. Does that actually mean pods or seeds?
Hi! This looks fantastic!
Do you know if it has a similar flavor to Tazo or Oregan Chai? If not, which spice is outstanding in flavor?
Thanks!
It’s better in my opinion as I found those two to be very watery and bland. You can adjust the seasonings to suit your taste.
Looks delicious. I’m confused about the ratios. It says to simmer down to 1 cup and that it makes a quart (4 cups), but later says 1 part concentrate to 1 part choice of milk. That would only make 2 cups. Thanks for any clarification.
You are simmering to reduce it by a cup. In other words, you are going from 5 cups of water in the recipe to about 4, or one quart of concentrate. This will make about 2 quarts of tea, though you can vary the amount of concentrate to suit your taste.
Well, you start with 5 cups of water so if you boil off 1 cup you’ll be left with a quart.
Yum! I’m so excited about this. I hate watery chai, and you’re right, that’s pretty much all you can find. I usually use 2 tea bags but it still isn’t enough. Making this tonight!
I hope you enjoy it! Some people like more pepper or more cardamom, so feel free to adjust the seasonings for your taste.