Masala Chai Recipe (Spiced Milk Tea)

Masala chai is a traditional Indian spiced milk tea made with black tea, milk, sugar, and a blend of warming spices. This authentic masala chai recipe is made from scratch, so the spices are infused directly into the tea rather than using a prepared chai concentrate.

Like many Americans, my first experience with chai was at Starbucks. A sweet and spicy Starbucks chai tea latte is still one of my favorite hot tea drinks to order.

But there is something different about making Indian chai from scratch. The whole spices have time to infuse into the water and milk, and you can adjust the spice flavor and sweetness to your liking.

Once you have the spices on hand, it’s also a simple and inexpensive way to make chai at home. I like buying my spices in bulk and keeping a big bag of black tea on hand for making it.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• It uses whole spices – Cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, black pepper, and fresh ginger give the chai its warm, spicy flavor.
• You don’t need chai concentrate – The tea, milk, spices, and sugar all go straight into the pot.
• You can adjust the spice flavor – Let the spices infuse longer if you want a stronger spice flavor, or change the amounts to suit your taste.

What is Masala Chai?

Masala chai is a traditional Indian spiced milk tea made with black tea, milk, sugar, and a blend of warming spices.

The word masala refers to a mixture of spices, while chai simply means tea. So masala chai basically means spiced tea.

There isn’t one single recipe for masala chai. The spices and proportions can vary by region, family, and personal preference. Some versions use more ginger, while others lean more heavily on cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, or pepper.

That’s part of what makes homemade chai fun. You can start with a basic combination and find the balance of spices and sweetness you like.

What Is in Masala Chai?

The way I think about masala chai is pretty simple: spices, milk, black tea, and sweetener.

• Spices – This recipe uses cinnamon, green cardamom, whole cloves, black pepper, and fresh ginger.
• Milk – Milk gives the chai its creamy texture.
• Black tea – A strong black tea such as Assam or Ceylon works well with the milk and spices.
• Sweetener – This recipe uses white sugar, but you can adjust the amount to taste.

Ingredients Needed for Authentic Masala Chai

Whole Spices

• Cinnamon stick
• Green cardamom pods
• Whole cloves
• Black peppercorns
• Fresh ginger root (or crystallized ginger)

The whole spices are crushed before they go into the pot. They don’t need to be ground into a fine powder. In fact, I prefer a coarse crush because the larger pieces are easier to strain out of the finished chai.

I use a mortar and pestle for this, but a spice grinder, rolling pin, or the back of a heavy pan can also do the job.

Black Tea

Use a strong black tea such as Assam or Ceylon. Loose black tea is my preference, but tea bags can be substituted.

If you use tea bags, use more than you normally would for a cup of black tea. The milk and spices can easily overpower a weak tea.

One thing I’ve learned with chai is that longer steeping doesn’t necessarily give you a stronger cup. Black tea can become bitter when it is steeped for too long.

If you want more information about getting the best flavor from black tea, see my guide on how to make black tea delicious every time.

Milk

Milk is added after the spices and black tea have had time to infuse. Milk balances the strong tea and spices and gives the chai its creamy texture.

Sugar

Traditional chai is often quite sweet, but you can adjust the amount of sugar to your preference. I use sugar in this recipe to balance the strong black tea and spices.

How to Make Masala Chai

Detailed recipe and instructions are in recipe card at bottom of post.

1. Crush the spices. Use a mortar and pestle to coarsely crush the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and black peppercorns.
2. Infuse the spices. Bring the water to a boil. Add the crushed spices and sliced ginger, then simmer for at least 5 minutes. For more spice flavor, let them infuse longer.
3. Add the tea and sugar. Stir in the black tea and sugar until the sugar dissolves, then add the milk.
4. Simmer the chai. Bring the chai back to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. If the milk tea starts bubbling toward the top of the pot, lift it off the burner until the bubbles settle, then return it to the heat.
5. Strain and serve. Pour the chai through a fine-mesh strainer into mugs. Top with freshly grated cinnamon if desired.

Why I Infuse the Spices Before the Tea

I like to give the spices and ginger some time to infuse before adding the black tea. This gives them time to develop their flavor without over-steeping the tea.

Keep the black tea to about 3–5 minutes. If you want a stronger tea flavor, use more tea rather than letting it steep longer.

I also found that the bubbling technique is helpful when making chai with milk. When the milk tea starts climbing toward the top of the pot, lifting it off the burner lets it settle before you return it to the heat.

Recipe Notes & Tips

• Adjust the spices to taste. You can change the amount or type of spices depending on how you like your chai.
• Don’t over-steep the black tea. Keep the tea to about 3–5 minutes.
• Crush the spices rather than grinding them. Coarsely crushed spices are much easier to remove when you strain the chai.