Follow my family recipe for homemade chai masala powder to make a comforting cup of Gujarati cha. You can make this mix in less than 5 minutes by grinding aromatic whole spices or with pre-prepared spice powders.
Put the kettle on love!
When I’m feeling fancy I’ll prepare either a steaming cup of Kadak Chai (strong Qatari style tea), Cardamom Chai (tea with crushed cardamom) or Masala Chai (Indian tea with the addition of spices).
These teas are generally made with whole spices and fresh ingredients (fresh ginger) that have been pounded in a pestle and mortar.
Tea in Gujarati households however, is made a little differently. We do not use whole spices but rather use a powdered tea masala that is directly added with the tea leaves.
Every household will have their own recipe and unique combination of spices. You can easily purchase this tea masala but the beauty of homemade is that you can tailor it to suit your tastes.
It’s this tea masala that we use daily when making our chai. It’s so much quicker to prepare because we’re not pounding a fresh batch of spices every time. The chai masala powder is boiled alongside tea and milk and optionally extra fresh ginger and sugar.
Typical Gujarati tea masala is made with ground cardamom, cinnamon, clove, ginger and black pepper only.
Ingredients for Gujarati Chai Masala Mix
Be sure to check out the full recipe and exact ingredient list below in the recipe card.
Follow this method if you are grinding down whole spices.
- Cinnamon bark
- Dry ginger powder – if you leave this out, use extra fresh ginger when preparing your cup of cha
- Green cardamom pods – you can use the seeds or the whole pod. I use the whole pod. Note, do not use black cardamom.
- Whole black peppercorns
- Whole cloves
Easy & Quick Chai Masala Powder
My Mum has always made chai masala powder by buying ready-made ground powders of each of the ingredients.
All you has to do is measure out the powders and simply mix together the blend of spices. Do this with a freshly bought packet of powder for better flavour.
How to make Homemade Chai Masala
Some recipes call to dry roast the spices first – I have not and do not find much difference in the taste.
I use a coffee grinder or spice grinder to grind down the whole spices until I achieve a fine powder. I do not sieve the masala as I will be sieving the tea.
Storage
Spice blends are best stored in an airtight container to increase their shelf life. Keep the container stored in a cupboard at room temperature away from moisture. The masala keeps well for a few months before loosing its potency.
How to make Gujarati Cha
Here is how to make a warming up of Gujarati style tea using your homemade masala chai spice mix.
- You will need a saucepan. To boiling water, add black tea leaves (or tea bags) and chai masala to extract the flavour. You do not need much chai masala – I use 0.5 teaspoon for 2 cups of tea but you can adjust this to suit your taste.
- You can also add more crushed fresh ginger and even holy basil (tulsi leaves) to the saucepan.
- Once the tea is boiling, pour in the milk and boil for a further minute.
- Optionally add sugar and continue to boil for a minute then switch off the heat.
- The tea must be sieved out prior to serving. Do not add the powder directly into a mug as it will make the tea grainy.
You can also use this as a chai spice in bakes and beverages.
Other Homemade Spice Powders
Mild Indian Curry Masala Powder
Hot Madras Curry Powder
Maharastra Goda Masala
Gujarati Dabeli Masala
Kesar Badam Milk Masala (Doodh Masala Powder)
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
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Chai Masala Powder
Ingredients
- ¼ cup cardamom powder or green cardamom pods
- ¼ cup ginger powder
- ¼ cup cinnamon powder or three 2 inch bark
- ⅛ cup black pepper powder or black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon clove powder or cloves
Instructions
Easy Tea Masala
- Measure out the spice powders and simply mix together and store in a jar or airtight container.
Chai Masala Recipe using whole spices
- Measure out your whole spices and place in a spice grinder.
- Grind down to a fine powder and store.
Video
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Chai Masala Powder
Ingredients
- ¼ cup cardamom powder or green cardamom pods
- ¼ cup ginger powder
- ¼ cup cinnamon powder or three 2 inch bark
- ⅛ cup black pepper powder or black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon clove powder or cloves
Instructions
Easy Tea Masala
- Measure out the spice powders and simply mix together and store in a jar or airtight container.
Chai Masala Recipe using whole spices
- Measure out your whole spices and place in a spice grinder.
- Grind down to a fine powder and store.
Video
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Make aromatic ground cardamom easily at home by simply grinding down whole green cardamom pods. Ready in less than 10 minutes, my recipe makes a small batch but you can easily scale it up or down. It’s deliciously complex flavour works wonderfully in Indian sweets and savoury dishes too.
I can’t get over just how easy and quick it is to make my own ground cardamom! I just dry-roast the whole cardamom pods on the stove and whizz up in a spice grinder . A quick sieve to get a fine powder and hey presto! Flavourful green cardamom powder in minutes.
I’ve known for years that making homemade Indian spices is far superior ( tandoori masala , hot madras curry powder ) but it took me a while to do the same with cardamom. Cardamom powder is one of my most reached for spice too, especially at Diwali and special occasions!
I love that I can buy one packet of whole cardamom, keep half as it is and grind down the other half. No need to separately buy the cardamom powder and both remain fresh.
I’ve seen some recipes make cardamom powder by grinding the pods with sugar. I haven’t used sugar as I want this powder to be purely cardamom. Essentially, sugar helps to grind the pods finely. I toast the pods instead which removes moisture and makes the skin easier to grind.
What you will need
Be sure to check out the full recipe and exact ingredient list below in the recipe card.
Whole green cardamom pods – bonus points if you buy these fresh and use as soon as possible. You will get cardamom powder that is even more strong than shop-bought. Don’t use the larger black cardamom – they aren’t the same.
Pan – needed to dry-toast the spice. Use a heavy-bottomed pan so the cardamom doesn’t burn.
Spice grinder – I’ve found that using a spice grinder over a standard food processor gives much finer results. A high power nutri blender jar also does a good job.
Sieve – ultimately, you will get some bigger pieces of the skin no matter how good your grinder is. Sieving gives you a delicate fine powder that is smoother for desserts and baking – perfect for nankhatai . Don’t discard the larger pieces – use in cardamom chai for zero-waste!
How to make ground cardamom & Tips
You want to start by toasting the cardamom pods to remove moisture. I heat a heavy bottomed pan on low heat. Toast the pods, whilst constantly stirring, until the skin has slight brown spots. Your kitchen is already going to start smelling awesome! Remove from the heat as soon as they’re done. I took the cardamom out into a plate and spread out so they cool quickly.
Here’s a neat trick – you can microwave the cardamom pods instead of toasting on the stove. Place the cardamom on a microwave safe plate and heat in 10 second bursts until warm to touch.
Dry roast whole cardamom
Toast until light brown spots appear
Once cooled, place in a grinder jar and grind until you get a fine powder. It will take around 20-30 seconds, depending on the power of your appliance.
Note that seeds can stick to the grinder – my tip is to not over-crowd the grinder and over-grind. There is less chance the seeds will release oil and get stuck.
Once cooled, add to grinder jar
Grind to a powder
Sieve the powder to get it fine and remove the larger pieces of skin. Store in a container that has an airtight seal.
Sieve
Store in a jar
Storage
Cardamom powder, if stored well, can keep for up to 3 months. After this, it will loose some freshness, however shouldn’t spoil. I use a jar with an airtight lid and use a clean, dry spoon with every use – this prevents moisture seeping in and the cardamom powder from clumping.
How to use it
To get 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom, you need approximately 5-6 whole cardamom pods .
Use your homemade cardamom powder in any recipe that calls for ground cardamom. I use it in desserts such as shrikhand , bakes like barfi biscuits and mithai – see my barfi peda collection .
Some recipes, example shahi paneer , are made by grinding down whole spices. Use this cardamom powder as a substitute for the whole green cardamom pod.
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
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Cardamom Powder
Equipment
- Spice Grinder
- Skillet or Shallow Frying Pan
- Fine mesh sieve
Ingredients
- ½ cup green cardamom pods
Instructions
- Heat skillet or frying pan over medium-low heat, add ½ cup green cardamom pods .
- Lower the heat and roast the pods until fragrant and very light brown spots appear on the skin.
- Remove from the heat, transfer them on another bowl or plate and allow to cool completely.
- Once cooled, add to the spice grinder bowl, grind until you achieve a fine powder. Sieve to remove the large pieces. Optionally grind these larger pieces again and sieve to extract the maximum amount of cardamom powder.
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
