
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 tea 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.

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.

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.

Whole Spice Chai Mix & Tea Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Masala Chai Mix Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons cardamom seeds (hulled)
- 2 tablespoons dried chopped ginger root pieces
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon chips
- 2 tablespoons fennel seed
- 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns (Use red and green to add color)
- 7 tablespoons loose black tea
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
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thefolia
Viva la Masala chai…happy sipping!
Kylee
Is there something you would recommend to replace the black tea? Possibly an herbal tea?
Rutherford
Roiboos tea always goes well with chai spices!
Terry
Awesome! I’m allergic to caffiene and drink Roiboos tea all the time 🙂 I was wondering the same thing. Thank you!!!
fawziyya
I tried oolong tea and it tasted great
Cindy
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)
Stephanie
Yerba Mate has a wonderful smokey taste that enhances all of the other flavors and has amazing health benefits
Heidi
Is it 2 tablespoons or 2 teaspoons of ginger root ?
Heather
Tablespoons 🙂
Stella
The recipe above,
How To Make Chai Tea Mix,
shows;
“2 tablespoons teaspoon dried ginger root”
Kathleen Veltsos
I clicked on 3 ingredient body wash but it keeps going to the tea recipe. Help
Heather
Sorry about that! Here’s the recipe: https://mommypotamus.com/homemade-body-wash/
Laura
Where do you buy the spices and tea for the Chai?
Dima
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”. 😛
Heather
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.
Kathy
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!
Heather
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. 🙂
Beth
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.
Heather
I’m so sorry about that! It looks like a portion of the recipe was deleted due to a site glitch. Just added it back in – you should see it in the post above.
Kannan
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.
Denise
Hi Heather,
By “dried ginger root” do you mean the powder bought in bulk or just chop fresh ginger root?
Thank you,
Denise
Alisha
Is this tea okay for pregnant/breastfeeding mamas?
Debbie
I have searched the page and also the search box for the actual recipe of ingredients. Please help:)
Heather
I’m so sorry about that! It looks like a portion of the recipe was deleted due to a site glitch. Just added it back in!
d. mcmullen
Hmmm…don’t see the actual ingredients recipe to make the tea mix, only how to prepare the tea with the prepared chai mix?
Heather
I’m so sorry about that! It looks like a portion of the recipe was deleted due to a site glitch. Just added it back in!
Susan Wolpert
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
Heather
I’m so sorry about that! It looks like a portion of the recipe was deleted due to a site glitch. Just added it back in!
Dawn Parker
I would love to try this but can’t seem to find the link to the actual recipe.
Heather
I’m so sorry about that! It looks like a portion of the recipe was deleted due to a site glitch. Just added it back in!
CJJ
Hi Heather
I could not find the Masala Tea Mix – that is how to prepare the spice and ingredients measurements
Jan
Am I missing it or is the Masala Chai tea template no longer available?
Terry Ann
I’m finding it hard to find organic cardamom seeds. I see pods but not seeds. Where do you get your seeds? Thanks.
Heather Dessinger
I buy the pods, then open them up and scrape out the seeds. 🙂
Terry Ann Sadowski
Thank you, Heather!
Sandy
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!
Heather Dessinger
You can just leave it out 🙂
Linda Keaford
Thank you for masala chai tea recipes. Thank you for all your helpful offerings. My daily life quality is improving with your helpful information.