Homemade Masala Chai Spice Mix (+ Chai Tea Latte!)

This homemade masala chai spice mix is made with 7 deliciously, warming spices like cardamom and cinnamon and is the perfect spice for a quick and easy chai tea latte! It can just as easily be made into a dirty chai as well, for that extra caffeine kick.

 

 

This post is sponsored by our friends at NOIIA! All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that make Ginger with Spice possible. 

 

NOIIA

 

NOIIA is a small, Norwegian company that has as a vision to offer smart storage solutions to your home, and especially the kitchen. They realized there was a gap in the Norwegian market and felt they could fill this gap by sourcing high quality products that consumers could benefit from - and for anywhere in the house.

 

Naturally, my favorite products at NOIIA are the smart kitchen solutions. These spice glasses are of great quality and in a fitting size for all my homemade spices. It is also much more financially viable to bulk buy spices in bags instead of already-filled glasses. Now you can just fill these beautiful spice glasses with whatever you want and save some money along the way!

 

There are many more useful products for food storage, such as oils and dry goods, tea, and coffee. And you can label them all so you don't have to worry about taking cumin instead of cardamom.

 

Yes, that can and may have happened.

 

With the code GWS20 you can get 20% off of the spice glasses and storage containers on  NOIIA.no! 

 

 

Fill up those spice containers

 

I got these spice containers at NOIIA and they are perfect for all my homemade spices. This chai spice blend is about 14 tablespoons and is perfect for one of these containers. Other spices mixes pictured here are these:

 

• Pumpkin pie spice
• Za'atar
• Italian seasoning
• Shawarma
• Everything spice

 

 

Aren't homemade spices just the best? And so much fun! If you want more ideas for homemade spice mixes, just head to my spice mixes category. But really, there's no problem in pouring just turmeric or even salt into these to make your spice rack look neat and tidy.

 

As I am the self-proclaimed spice queen, my spice rack has been a mess - until now. Never enough spices, and note to self to get a larger spice rack. Anyway... 

 

So what is chai?

 

Chai literally just means tea in India, but in Western culture it has been synonymous with the warming, mulling spices that India is famous for using in their teas.

 

Masala means spice, and is what we are really after. So masala chai is a spiced tea! However, I will use the word chai synonymously with the warming spices as well, as that is what most people are accustomed to.

 

Masala chai ingredients

 

Chai is that kind of spice blend that will be just as many varieties as the number of people you ask. The main thing though, is that the most prominent flavors are usually cardamom, cinnamon, and ginger. I add a couple of more warming spices, and there's no problem in just going all in and adding even more. It's all to taste!

 

• Cardamom
• Cinnamon
• Ginger
• Cloves
• Allspice
• Nutmeg
• Black pepper

 

 

Sometimes I also add a star anise, but I usually just add a whole star anise as a garnish to my drinks. It's what I tend to call a tasty garnish - just like the rosemary in this apricot gin fizz and jelly candy on these Norwegian turtle cakes! Never underestimate the power of garnish (let me know in the comments if you got that reference).  

 

Difference between chai, gingerbread, and pumpkin spice

 

These three spice mixes may have one thing in common: they are full of warming, mulling spices. You can pretty much use either of these for whatever and you will be fine. However, there are some small differences:

 

• The prominent flavors in chai are cardamom, cinnamon and ginger, with a hint of black pepper.
• Pumpkin spice has a lot of cinnamon, like a lot.
• Gingerbread spice is heavier on the allspice and don't forget to make Norwegian gingerbread cookies for Christmas!

 

I talk a little more about these things in my salted caramel chai cake, in case you're interested. If you're not interested in that, you should definitely check it out for the cake!

 

 

How to make a masala chai tea latte

 

This DIY chai spice mix is perfect for a quick and easy masala chai tea. I often use whole spices when making chai, but ground is way easier and cheaper and makes it that much more likely for me to actually make a latte.

 

The chai latte ingredients are simply milk, water, chai spice mix and black tea. It couldn't be much simpler!

 

 

Combine milk of choice (I love whole milk for this) with water, black tea leaves and chai spice in a small saucepan. While constantly stirring, bring it up to a gentle simmer. Take it off the heat and let it infuse for 5 minutes before straining (preferably double-straining) into your favorite mug. 

 

If you want a stronger chai flavor, I suggest using a black tea bag instead, so that you can take that out after 5 minutes and let the other spices infuse for at least 30 minutes. Re-heat before serving and don't forget to strain it! 

 

 

This drink is also very much delicious cold, in other words an iced chai latte. If you've been here for a while you know me, I'm a sucker for iced teas, and if you are too, here's a helping hand:

 

• Black iced tea with ginger and lemon (my go-to!)
• Herbal iced tea with hibiscus and lime
• White iced tea with guava 
• Green iced tea with grapefruit and mint
• Raspberry rhubarb iced rooibos tea
• Roasted oolong milk tea

 

And if you don't want to make it a latte, simply swap the milk out with more water - easy peasy!

 

Plus, if you like this Chai Latte, I'm positive you will like my Earl Grey Ice Cream as well.

 

Dirty chai latte

 

I notice a lot of people are asking for dirty chai lattes lately, and what that is, is simply a shot of espresso mixed into your chai tea latte (chai tea and steamed milk). Yes, it has both black tea and espresso so it will sure give you that caffeine kick you may need.

 

If you need another type of kick, this chai hot toddy has got your back.

 

The actual ratios for the recipe are in the recipe card below. So now let me ask you, how would you enjoy this chai spice mix? Tell me in the comments below!  

 

 

Did you like this recipe? Here are more cozy winter drinks:

 

• Peppermint mocha
• Caramel apple macchiato latte
• Pumpkin spice latte
• Decadent hot chocolate
• Orange hot chocolate
• Orange and chilli drink
• Chai hot toddy with spiced orange honey
• Eggnog dalgona
• Grapefruit and Calendula Tea Cider

 

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Comment below or tag me @thegingerwithspice on Instagram. And don’t forget to Pin it for later! To make sure you’re never missing another recipe, please feel free to subscribe to my newsletter. As a thanks you will receive a free e-cookbook Travels Through the Seasons, with many delicious recipes from around the world that suit different seasons of the year. 

 

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