Made with black tea and an aromatic mix of warming spices, this homemade chai tea mix makes it easy to stay cozy on cold days so you can skip the expensive coffee shop and whip up some homemade chai instead!
What is chai tea?
Chai tea originates from India, and funnily enough, calling it chai tea is actually a bit of a misnomer because chai literally means tea in India! So technically chai tea really means “tea tea.”
But chai as we know it is a very distinct type of tea, made with black tea and a mixture of warming spices like cinnamon, cloves and ginger (among others). This is also known as “masala chai” or “spice tea.”
The chai tea mixture is then steeped in water and brought to a simmer over heat to extract maximum flavour (and medicinal benefits) from the tea and spices. Finally, milk and sugar/sweetener is added, and then the liquid tea is strained into mugs to be enjoyed.
(You could also strain the tea and then add warm milk and sweetener, but I like adding it before straining as it gets heated in the same saucepan and even more flavour gets extracted and infused right into the milk).
Making your own homemade chai tea mix is actually super easy and takes just a minute or two to whip up a fresh batch. Plus it tastes so much better than anything you’ll find in a teabag, a pre-made syrup or even in most coffee shops!
Ingredients you need for chai tea mix
Looseleaf black tea: Assam or Darjeeling are best… I use organic Assam tea)
Spices: (cinnamon sticks, star anise, allspice berries, cardamom pods, whole cloves, black peppercorns and ground ginger)
This recipe calls for:
- 2 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
- 3 star anise pods
- 1 teaspoon whole cardamom pods
- 1 teaspoon allspice berries
- 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger*
- 2 tablespoons looseleaf black tea
*Feel free to use fresh ginger in place of ground ginger, however if you’re making this chai tea mix to store or gift to someone and want it to be shelf stable, ground ginger works best.
This chai tea mix recipe makes about ¼ cup and fits nicely in a 4oz Mason jar or similar.
How to make it
It takes just 2 easy steps to make your own chai tea mix:
Step 1: Grab your loose-leaf black tea and the spices you’ll be using. You’ll also need some equipment like a mortar and pestle (I love this handmade stoneware mortar & pestle from Roots & Harvest).
Step 2: Using a mortar & pestle, gently crush the whole spices to break them into smaller pieces and release their aromatic oils. Add the tea and the ground ginger and mix well to combine.
And that’s it! Just transfer it to a jar and it’s ready to go whenever you are!
How to brew the perfect cup of masala chai
Once you’ve made the chai tea mix you’ll be able to make the perfect cup of chai anytime you want it, however you’ll also need some milk or cream and some sort of sweetener. You can also substitute non-dairy milk such as almond milk or coconut milk if you prefer. As for sweetener, white sugar, brown sugar, coconut sugar, honey, or maple syrup all work to bring some sweetness to this strong flavoured tea.
This recipe makes enough for two servings, or about three cups of finished chai.
Ingredients:
- One serving of chai tea mix
- 2 cups of water
- 2 cups of milk
- 1 tablespoon honey (or sweetener of choice)
Directions:
- Transfer the chai tea mix to a medium saucepan with 2 cups of water.
- Bring it to a boil and reduce the heat. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add 2 cups of milk and 1 tablespoon of honey (or other sweetener) and bring it back to a simmer for 5 minutes.
- Strain out the loose-leaf tea, serve in your favourite mug, and enjoy it hot!
How to gift the mix
This chai tea mix also makes a great homemade gift, especially for Christmas. Package it in a Mason jar or a decorative bag or pouch, and attach a pretty label and a recipe card. I’ve got printable versions of both under the “Labels” section of my Free Resource Library.
You can either print the labels on regular printer paper and then cut and paste them, or they’re designed to fit these brown kraft paper sticky labels (the same ones I use for labeling all of my homemade goodies).
If you’re gifting your chai tea mix, print out the recipe cards, paste them onto card stock, and include the recipe along with the tea. You could even package it along with a set of mugs for an inexpensive but impressive homemade gift for all of the tea lovers on your list! (And even us coffee lovers too;)
Frequently asked questions about chai tea
What’s the difference between chai tea and a chai latte?
While chai is typically made with milk, you could omit the milk and just sip the tea milk-free if you prefer. In the case of this recipe, the chai tea mix is steeped in water and then the milk is added before straining, whereas a chai latte is typically made with chai tea (steeped in water) and then steamed milk is added after it has been strained.
If you don’t have an espresso machine with a built-in steamer, you could make this recipe as it’s written and use a milk frother to make it a little more like a true chai latte
What’s a dirty chai latte?
You may have also heard of something called a “dirty chai latte.” The main difference between a typical chai latte and a dirty chai latte is the addition of espresso to the spiced tea and milk. This adds an extra hit of caffeine and coffee flavour to your chai. You can make this recipe dirty by adding a shot of espresso to your cup before pouring your prepared chai tea.
How long will homemade chai tea mix last?
If made with freshly ground spices and stored in a jar, chai tea mix will last up to at least a year on your pantry shelf. While it technically won’t go bad after a year, ground spices can lose their potency after a while, which is another reason why I recommend starting with whole spices and crushing them yourself, rather than using store-bought ground spices.
Don’t forget your labels!
Whether you make this for yourself or for someone else, you’ll want to label your homemade chai tea mix. Be sure to download the printable labels I use. You’ll find them –along with some printable recipe cards for gifting– under the “Labels” section of my Free Resource Library.
You can either print the labels on regular printer paper and then cut and paste them, or they’re designed to fit these brown kraft paper sticky labels (the same ones I use for labelling all of my homemade goodies).
If you’re gifting your chai tea mix, print out the recipe cards and paste onto card stock and include the recipe along with the tea. You could even package it along with a set of mugs for an inexpensive but impressive gift from the heart!
Finally, if and when you do make this recipe, be sure to leave a review/comment below to let me know what you think:)
Easy Homemade Chai Tea Mix
Ingredients
- 2 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
- 3 star anise pods
- 1 teaspoon whole cardamom pods
- 1 teaspoon allspice berries
- 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 tablespoons looseleaf black tea
Instructions
1. Using a mortar and pestle, gently crush the cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, allspice, cloves and black pepper seeds. I find it easiest to crush each spice one at a time.
2. Add the ground ginger and black tea and use the pestle to mix them with the spices.
3. Package in a Mason jar or a decorative bag or pouch, add a pretty label and attach a recipe card (you can make your own or download the labels and recipe cards I use from my Free Resource Library) and either store on your own shelf or gift to someone you love!
Notes
To make the Chai Tea
Ingredients
1 jar/package chai tea mix
2 cups water
2 cups milk or cream (or non-dairy milk substitute)
1 tablespoon sweetener of choice (sugar, honey, maple syrup, etc.)
Directions
1. Transfer chai tea mix to a medium saucepan, along with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Add 2 cups of milk or cream and one tablespoon honey (or other sweetener of choice). Bring back to a simmer over medium heat and simmer for another 5 minutes.
3. Strain, serve and enjoy hot!
I’m confused. You say, “This recipe makes enough for two servings, or about three cups of finished chai.”
Does this mean ‘1 serving’ is half this mix? Then you add 2 cups water and 2 cups milk, which comes to 4 cups, & with the other half of the mix it would come to 8 cups of tea. I’m missing something, please explain?
Hi Joetta,
The mix itself will make about 3 cups (roughly 2 servings, if each serving is about a cup and a half). You would add the entire mix to the pot along with 2 cups of waterAfter boiling and simmering for about 10 minutes, add the 2 cups of mlk and simmer for another 5 minutes. Add your sweetener, strain, and enjoy. You’ll have roughly 3 cups of liquid left over after simmering, which I find is enough for 2 standard mugs of chai.
I hope this makes sense! For reference, if you just want to make one serving, add half the mix and halve the rest of the ingredients (only add one cup of water and one cup of milk). Hope this helps!
Lo que no indican si se toma de noche o en las mañanas y sus propiedades y contraindicaciones