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Dash of Jazz » Recipes » Tea

Homemade Chai Spice Blend for Tea

Published: Sep 27, 2021 · Last Modified: Aug 27, 2023 by Jazzmine Woodard · This post may contain affiliate links · 13 Comments

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You can make coffeehouse-style chai lattes at home in just a few minutes with this easy chai powder recipe in your pantry. My authentic chai spice blend for tea makes for cozy mornings in no time at all.

When it comes to cozy morning drinks, I choose tea over coffee every time. And making chai lattes at home has become part of my morning routine, especially when I work remotely. The process is much easier than you might think with my chai instant tea mix. So today, I'm putting you on game with this aromatic, flavorful, comforting blend of spices and tea to start your day with. Let's get into how to mix chai spices at home for tea.

If you like flavorful sauces and spice blends, check out these posts next.

  • Brown Sugar Simple Syrup
  • Nigerian Suya Spice Blend
  • Southern Praline Sauce
homemade instant chai blend in open glass jar.
labeled photo of ingredients for instant chai powder: instant black tea, nutmeg, clove, cardamom, allspice, black pepper, cinnamon, ginger.

What You'll Need for this Recipe

Authentic chai is deeply aromatic from a complementary combination of spices that are earthy, warm, sweet, and a bit spicy. With a traditional masala chai blend, ginger and cardamom are dominant flavor notes, with some combination of peppercorn, cinnamon, nutmeg, start anise, and fennel also often incorporated. Westerners usually add allspice and a lot more cinnamon to the mix. My blend incorporates the elements of an authentic masala chai recipe with lots of ginger and cardamom plus a handful of other spices, including allspice. So, what spices are in chai latte mix?

  • Allspice
  • Black Pepper
  • Cardamom
  • Cinnamon
  • Clove
  • Ginger
  • Nutmeg
  • Unsweetened Instant Black Tea

This will likely be a spicier chai than you would get from, say, a Starbucks type coffee shop. If you want to make your chai spice blend sweeter, lean into the cinnamon and nutmeg. And dial back the ginger, clove, black pepper, and allspice a bit, if you don't want it to be as spicy. As far as tools, I recommend a mason jar or other clear, seal-able container to store your tea blend in and a long-handled spoon like a bar spoon for mixing everything up easily and with no mess. And that's it!

jar of chai spices and black tea
clear jar filled with chai spice blend and golden measuring spoon on top.

Homemade Chai Tips

  • Can I add sugar to my chai mix? If you prefer to cut down on steps and use dry sweeteners in your chair, you can certainly add sugar to this mix. to taste. Granulated sugar, brown sugar, and coconut sugar would all work well. I prefer to sweeten a chai latte with either raw honey or maple syrup, so I just add sweetener when making the drink.
  • How to store chai spice mix? Store this easy chai powder recipe in an airtight container, ideally in a dark, cool place like the pantry or even your fridge.
  • Wait, so do I have to refrigerate instant chai? Nope! Unlike liquid chai concentrate, you don't have to store this dry mix in the fridge.
  • Does chai dry tea mix go bad? Dry chai tea powder lasts for about one year when stored properly. Technically, it does not go bad in that it spoils or becomes unsafe to consume. But the quality of the spices may start to degrade after this point, making the blend less potent. Essentially, it might not taste as strong or at all the same after a year's time. This recipe makes about 90 servings, using one teaspoon per drink, so you would probably finish it before a year passes, anyway.
  • What milk to use in chai lattes? Masala chai is historically made with high-fat water buffalo milk. You can make a dairy-free chai latte with the plant based milk of your choosing, including almond, coconut, oat, and soy.
  • Does chai have caffeine? Yes, this blend contains caffeine by way of the black tea. You can use a decaffeinated instant black tea instead.
  • Is it redundant to say "chai tea?" Short answer is yes. The word "chai" translates from several different languages around the world to "tea" in English. So when you say "chai tea latte," you are actually saying "tea tea latte". There are different types of chai, including masala chai, which we covered. Each region in India has its own blend.
chai latte in clear glass mug.

How to Make a Latte with this Spiced Tea Blend

A latte combines steamed milk with espresso and sometimes sweetener. I'm tapping into my barista experience to give you a rundown on how coffee shops make chai lattes in three simple steps below with a video for my fellow visual folks!

  1. Add chai blend and sweetener of your choice to a heat-safe container then carefully pour in steamed milk.
  2. Use a frothing wand or an immersion blender to combine the mixture and froth the milk.
  3. Carefully pour mixture into a mug and enjoy warm.

DIY Chai Blend Video

How to Use Chai Spice

Although chai is traditionally combined with milk for drinking, I should note that you can do much more than make lattes with the tea blend. You can actually use it with hot water, instead of milk, and your choice of sweetener for a comforting mug of spiced tea. I also like to incorporate it into recipes, from baked goods to air-popped snacks. Here are a few of my favorite recipes to use chai spice.

  • Buttery Chai-Spiced Popcorn
  • Dark Chocolate and Chai Baked Oatmeal
  • Pumpkin & Chai Snickerdoodle Cookies

I hope you use this easy instant chai mix for making tea quickly in the morning for the perfect marriage of convenience and coziness. And sharing is caring so be sure to pin this DIY chai latte mix over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!

Chai Spice Mix Recipe

Homemade Instant Chai Mix

Jazzmine Woodard
DIY chai blend for authentic spiced tea at home
4.88 from 25 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Total Time 5 minutes mins
Course Drinks, Seasoning
Cuisine Fusion, Indian
Servings 88.5 servings
Calories 1 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ½ cup unsweetened instant tea
  • 1 ½ tablespoon ground ginger
  • 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons ground allspice
  • 1 ½ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions
 

  • Add all ingredients to a jar or other clear, seal-able container.
  • Using a long handled spoon, mix spices and tea until the blend looks uniform in appearance (about two minutes).
  • You can also seal the container and shake vigorously to combine. It may still be necessary to stir mixture with a spoon.
  • To use: mix one teaspoon of chai powder with cup of hot milk or water for drinking.

Video

Notes

One teaspoon is the recommended serving size.
Store mixture in an airtight container in a dark, cool place when not in use. Keeps for up to one year.

Nutrition

Calories: 1kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gSodium: 1mgPotassium: 5mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 2mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
decorative image for pinterest.
decorative image for pinterest.
decorative image for pinterest.
decorative image for pinterest.
decorative image for pinterest.
decorative image for pinterest.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jocelyn says

    November 12, 2023 at 12:22 am

    Hi, I've been searching for a chai tea mix without milk/creamer powder and this sounds great! Any recommendations of where to buy unsweetened instant tea in bulk? I see some small bags on Amazon.

    Reply
    • Jazzmine Woodard says

      November 12, 2023 at 11:02 am

      Hi, Jocelyn! I linked the unsweetened black tea powder I recommend under "What You'll Need for this Recipe", which is available at grocery stores like Walmart and online. Hope that's helpful!

      Reply
  2. Kim Yeager says

    March 20, 2022 at 3:21 pm

    5 stars
    I am a chai snob but the pods for my Keurig have sugar. This was exquisite! Tastes just like one from Starbucks!

    Reply
    • Jazz says

      March 21, 2022 at 12:11 am

      So glad to hear that, Kim! Glad you enjoyed this recipe.

      Reply
  3. Chenée says

    October 20, 2021 at 10:16 am

    5 stars
    I'm SO glad I found this recipe! The blend of spices is perfect, and I love that I can make chai lattes at home so easily! Thanks!

    Reply
  4. Kaluhi says

    October 20, 2021 at 4:56 am

    5 stars
    This gave me the most luxurious tea experience ever! Making the spice blend via your recipe will remain my go to!

    Reply
  5. Chef Mireille says

    October 19, 2021 at 8:48 pm

    5 stars
    I was so excited to try this unique version with the addition of allspice. OMG it was so good tonight as now the temperatures are cold and my nightly cup of tea was made so delicious thanks to you.

    Reply
  6. Stefani Renee says

    October 17, 2021 at 9:12 pm

    5 stars
    Chai is one of my favorite drinks. I love all of the flavors in your mix.

    Reply
  7. Stephanie says

    October 17, 2021 at 3:07 pm

    5 stars
    This Chai Tea was so tasty and such a relaxing start to the day.

    Reply
  8. Kate says

    October 17, 2021 at 2:57 pm

    5 stars
    This tasted amazing! Planning to make several batches to give to friends during the holiday period.

    Reply
  9. Crystal says

    October 16, 2021 at 11:20 pm

    5 stars
    I am not a fan of tea. However, the only one I've been able to tolerate is Chai, and this spice blend is perfect!

    Reply
  10. Katrina says

    October 16, 2021 at 8:47 am

    5 stars
    We used this Chai Tea blend for a fall family fun night and it was a big hit!! 💖

    Reply
  11. Marta says

    October 13, 2021 at 6:41 pm

    5 stars
    We all love Chai. Your spice blend's flavors were perfectly balanced. Perfect way to get the afternoon started, since it has cooled down some.

    Reply

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