Most masala chai recipes use a chai masala with the same 4 or 5 spices, this one goes further. Freshly ground with rose petals and saffron, this large-batch of homemade chai masala is the reason your chai will never taste the same again. The full ratio is inside.
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Being married in a Gujrati family who takes their Chai seriously. I had no choice but to learn this chai masala recipe from my mother in law to make a good cup of masala chai.
Masala chai made with your own homemade chai masala powder is a completely different experience from anything store bought. This chai masala recipe is not the regular spice blend but if you have never had chai with rose and saffron petals then trust me you haven't had a good masala chai. One jar of this blend, the right technique, and 15 minutes is all that stands between you and the most satisfying cup of chai you've made at home.
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Ingredients to make Chai Masala Powder
See recipe card for quantities.
- Cardamoms: green or choti elaichi
- Fennel seeds or saunf
- Whole black pepper corns or kali mirch
- Cloves or laung
- Cinnamon sticks or dal chini
- Nutmeg or jaiphal
- Dry Ginger Powder or saunth
- Secret Ingredients or Game Changers are Dried edible rose petals and saffron strands. I have shared Amazon links in the recipe card.
Ingredients to make Masala Chai
Quantities are in the recipe card.
- Homemade Chai Masala is the star of recipe. This is the reason your chai tastes different store bough chai masala blends. The rose petals and saffron stands make all the difference. Since your chai masala is freshly ground, its more potent than the store bought blend so a little goes a long way. start small and adjust it according to your preference.
- Chai patti or CTC tea or loose leaf Assam black tea is the bold, malty backbone of chai. CTC (crush-tear-curl) is the traditional choice as it brews dark, fast, and strong, which is exactly what this recipe needs to hold its own against a spiced masala. I would not recommend Darjeeling as it is too delicate and will disappear. I keep rotating my chai brands from Tata Tetly, Wagh Bakri, Brooke Bond Red Label , and lately Laxmi. These are easily available at any Asian grocery stores.
- Milk full fat is typically what gives this chai some body and richness. However on a daily basis I use low fat milk. The only plant based milk that can stand up to this Masala Chai is Oatly.
- Water helps extract all the flavors from the chai masala and the tea when simmering. Thus I always add these before adding milk. Adding milk too early cut this process short with diluted flavors.
- Sweetener sugar to taste always works well but you can choose any alternative like splenda, jaggery, monk fruit. I have personally switched to monk fruit as it doesn't spike blood sugar first thing in the morning.
Instructions to make Homemade Chai Masala
Many recipes suggest dry roasting the spices before grinding to draw out their essential oils but in practice, I've never noticed a meaningful difference in flavor. Since we're making a batch to store anyway, I skip this step. Feel free to roast yours if you prefer.
- In an dry grinder jar, you can either add all the spices at once and grind them into a fine powder or you can do what I do. Add the cardamoms, cinnamon sticks, cloves, whole black peppercorns, nutmeg, fennel and saffron strands.
- Pulse into a coarse mixture and then add dried edible rose petals and dry ginger powder to grind into a fine powder.
- Transfer in an air tight jar and store it at room temperature.
Instructions to make Masala Chai
Here is just a gist of the steps, quantities are in the recipe card below.
- Bloom the masala: Add water to a kettle or saucepan and simmer the water. Add the chai masala and simmer for a couple minutes until fragrant.
- Steep the tea: add the tea to the simmering water and and steep the tea for a couple minutes until you see a deep reddish brown color.
- Add the milk: pour the milk and bring it to a boil on medium heat. Watch closely as or else it will spill out.
- Simmer on low heat: Once the chai rises, simmer for another couple minutes on low to medium heat. Allow the rose and saffron to bloom.
- Strain: Strain into cups and if you want some froth pour from a slight height.
- Sweeten the chai: Add a sweetener of your choice and completely dissolve it by stirring it and enjoy. I add the sweetener in the end that ways I can add appropriate sweeteners to respective cups.
Anvita's Top Tips
- Your masala is more potent than store-bought so start with less.
- Don't skip the simmers, as that is where the rose and saffron do their work as they need 2 full minutes to bloom.
- Jaggery over sugar, atleast once. The earthy, caramel sweetness of jaggery has a particular affinity with rose and saffron that white sugar simply doesn't.
Common Mistakes to Avoid while making Chai
| Mistake | What Goes Wrong | How to Fix It |
|---|---|---|
| Adding milk before the masala has bloomed in water | Spices never fully open, chai tastes weak and flat despite using good masala | I always simmer the chai masala powder in water for a full 2 minutes before any milk goes in |
| Using too much masala powder | Overpowering, gritty chai where one spice dominates | I recommend starting with ½ teaspoon heaped per 2 cups, freshly ground masala is more potent so adjust up gradually |
| High heat throughout | Milk scorches on the bottom of the pan, adding a burnt taste that ruins the whole cup | I always make chai on medium heat from start to finish and reduce to medium-low the moment milk is added |
| Over-steeping the tea | Bitterness of tea fights the delicate rose and saffron notes in the masala | I recommend adding tea after the masala has bloomed and steep for no more than 2 minutes |
| Skipping the simmers | The taste of milk is overpowers the overall taste of the tea and spices | I do not skip my simmers as that is what allows the saffron and rose to bloom |
Serving Suggestions
- Classic Pairings : rusks, toasts, biscuits like Parle-G, Marie, samosas, paneer pakodas, onion pakoda, nankhatai, theplas, parathas, kachoris.
- Elevated Pairings : tea sandwiches, puff pastries, kathi rolls, shortbread cookies, baklava, paneer tikka.
So Make this masala chai once and I promise your morning routine will never be the same. If you tried this recipe, we would love to hear how it turned out, come back and leave a star rating below, or share your cup with us on Instagram or Facebook and tag us. Tell us how you made it yours.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Masala Chai Recipe with Homemade Chai Masala in 15 minutes.
Most masala chai recipes use a chai masala with the same 4 or 5 spices, this one goes further. Freshly ground with rose petals and saffron, this large-batch of homemade chai masala is the reason your chai will never taste the same again. The full ratio is inside.
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Servings:
cupsCalories:
148kcal
Equipment
- 50 oz. Glass Kettle for 4 cups
- 30 oz. Glass Kettle for 2 cups
- 1.5 Qt Milk Pot I also use this to make Chai
- Preethi Mixer Grinder Supports 110 volts for USA & Canada
Ingredients
For Chai Masala
- ¼ cup Green Cardamoms or choti elaichi
- 2 tablespoon Fennel seeds or saunf
- 2 tablespoon Whole blackpepper corns or kali mirch
- 1 tablespoon cloves or laung
- 2 sticks Desi Flat Cinnamon sticks or dalchini
- 1 Nutmeg or jaiphal
- 1 tablespoon Dry Ginger Powder or saunth
- 2 tablespoon Dried edible rose petals
- 2 pinches Saffron strands
Instructions
How to make Chai Masala
- Many recipes suggest dry roasting the spices before grinding to draw out their essential oils but in practice, I've never noticed a meaningful difference in flavor. Since we're making a batch to store anyway, I skip this step. Feel free to roast yours if you prefer.
- In an dry grinder jar, you can either add all the spices at once and grind them into a fine powder or you can do what I do. Add the cardamoms, cinnamon sticks, cloves, whole black peppercorns, nutmeg, fennel and saffron strands.
- Pulse into a coarse mixture and then add dried edible rose petals and dry ginger powder to grind into a fine powder.
- Transfer in an air tight jar and store it at room temperature.
How to make Masala Chai
- Bloom the masala: Add water to a kettle or saucepan and simmer the water. Add the chai masala and simmer for a couple minutes until fragrant.
- Steep the tea: add the tea to the simmering water and and steep the tea for a couple minutes until you see a deep reddish brown color.
- Add the milk: pour the milk and bring it to a boil on medium heat. Watch closely as or else it will spill out.
- Simmer on low heat: Once the chai rises, simmer for another couple minutes on low to medium heat. Allow the rose and saffron to bloom.
- Strain: Strain into cups and if you want some froth pour from a slight height.
- Sweeten the chai: Add a sweetener of your choice and completely dissolve it by stirring it and enjoy. I add the sweetener in the end that ways I can add appropriate sweeteners to respective cups.
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 148kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 52mg | Potassium: 485mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 510IU | Vitamin C: 36mg | Calcium: 268mg | Iron: 3mg
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