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Yesterday, we shared a fantastic Chai Tea Smoothie recipe – made with this delicious, easy chai spice mix. Sure – you could easily buy a chai spice mix at most supermarkets these days. But chances are, you have most (if not all) of these spices already in your cabinet at home!
A spice blend like this is sometimes also referred to as Masala Chai – with the word ‘masala’ being the Hindi work for spice and cardamom being a key spice using in a masala blend. The word ‘chai’ means tea – so this is a wonderful spice mix very well-suited for mixing with black tea and milk.
In yesterday’s smoothie recipe, we used a teaspoon of this Chai Spice Mix along with several tea bags to create a strong concentrate that was then mixed with milk, yogurt, ice and a few other ingredients. But this Chai Spice Mix can be used for so much more: cookies, cakes, and other types of dessert, as well as savory dishes where you want to add an exotic spicy flavor!
Once blended together, store this Chai Spice Mix in a small, air-tight jar or container in your spice cabinet. The mix will keep for several months.
Adapted from Indiaphile.
Use our Chai Spice Mix in these delicious recipes:
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Chai Spice Mix
Although we used mostly pre-ground jarred spices in our version of this Chai Spice Mix, for even better flavor and potency use whole spices and grind them yourself.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons ginger powder
- 2 tablespoons ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1½ teaspoons ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, finely ground
- 3 tablespoons cinnamon
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients together in a bowl.
- Store in an air-tight container in a dry, cool location.
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I first made this mix 2 years ago. I loved it so much that the following holiday season (2018), I bought little jars and made some for my whole family – all 7 of them! They absolutely LOVED it too! I’ve used it in so many recipes. Often, just because I thought it would spice it up. Thanks so much for this mix!
★★★★★
You’re very welcome Susanna – so glad you are enjoying the mix!
How much of the chai mix would you use per cup? What kind of tea do you recommend using it with?
Hi Shannon – I believe that black tea is traditional for chai – which you can find in tea bags or loose leaves – but I’m sure you could play around with other tea flavors you enjoy. You can steep the tea in water or a mix of water and milk along with some of the chai spice mix. I’d start with a small amount per cup – maybe 1/4 teaspoon, adding more if you like a stronger flavor. Then, if using loose tea leaves, strain the mixture before drinking. Hope that helps!
I love all the spices in the chai tea spice mix. I’m not sure how to use it …. then I went to the chai tea smoothie …. yum! It talked about a tea, milk concentrate? How do I use the chai tea spice mix to make yumminess?
Hi Cinda – The smoothie recipe you referenced includes steps to create a chai tea concentrate that is added to milk and other ingredients for the smoothie. https://www.afamilyfeast.com/chai-tea-smoothie/
Thanks for posting this DIY chai tea mix. Just curious though, when you’re going to use this to make tea, how much should you scoop out of this mix to stir into 1 cup or tea/milk?
Hi Chantal – I’d suggest starting with 1/2 to 1 full teaspoon and add more to taste.
UPDATED: Chai Spice Glaze:
1 TBS milk
1-2 TBS 10 X confectioners sugar
1-2 tsp homemade Chai Spice Mix
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, whisking until glaze is lump free. Add more sugar if glaze is Too thin to Your liking. Glaze completely cooled Chai Bundt Cake. Serve immediately with tea or coffee, for breakfast or an afternoon brunch.
Made this Chai Spice Mixture then made a bundt cake using it. Wish i had steeped black tea in the milk. Here is my recipe, it is strong spice flavored with a sweet to it. Everyone who tasted it loved it in my family.
Chai Bundt Cake
3 cups AP flour
2 cups sugar
1 stick salted butter, softened
3 eggs
1 – 1/3 cup milk
2 TBS vanilla extract
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3 TBS {homemade Chai Spice Mix}
{Place 1- 1/3 cup milk into a small stove top pan and bring it to a simmer, do not boil or scald the milk. Add 1 TBS of Chai Spice Mix, remove from heat, cover and let stand while you mix the remaining cake ingredient together.} [“This is basically a chai latte” which is chai spices mixed with cream or whole milk.]
Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
Grease and flour your bundt pan.
In a small bowl measure out your flour, baking soda, baking powder, 2 TBS of Chai Spice Mix, whisk to combine.
Next the the bowl of a stand alone stand mixer add your softened butter into the bowl of the stand mixer, add sugar then beat until pale yellow and creamed together. Add in eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition then mix on low until combined and smooth. Add in vanilla extract mixing until just combined.
Then take your steeping spiced warm milk and your flour mixture, with your mixer on low alternate between the flour mix and the spiced milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Continue to mix on low until batter is smooth. Scrape sides of bowl to incorporate all the dry ingredients. Do not over mix batter.
Pour batter into greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes. Or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or only with a few moist crumbs. Once cake is cooked through allow to rest in pan, cooling on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Then gently invert bundt pan, run a knife along edges to loosen in necessary. Allow to continue cooling.
Make Chai Spiced Glaze.
Chai Spice Glaze:
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup 10 X confectioners sugar
2 TBS homemade Chai Spice Mix
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, whisking until glaze is lump free. Add more sugar if glaze is Too thin to Your liking. Glaze completely cooled Chai Bundt Cake. Serve immediately with tea or coffee, for breakfast or an afternoon brunch.
Sounds fantastic Emmi! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!
Hi Kathy – Our Chai Tea Smoothie recipe (https://www.afamilyfeast.com/chai-tea-smoothie/) includes a ‘chai concentrate’ recipe using this spice mix as a starting point. You could make that portion of the recipe – Steps 1 and 2 (adding more or less chai spice mix as you’d like) and then mix the concentrate with hot milk and more sweetener (honey, agave, sugar, etc) for your latte. Hope that helps!
PLEASE tell me there’s a chai cookie recipe coming soon! We have SO MUCH tea at home and I need some sweet treats to go with it!
Hi Sam – You read my mind – I was thinking about trying to make a chai spiced sugar cookie….stay tuned! 🙂
Happy New Year! Thanks so much for posting this chai spice mix recipe. I love a wonderfully spicy chai!
You’re very welcome Stephanie! Happy New Year to you too!
Martha,
One look at the Chai spice mix recipe tells me no extra cinnamon will be needed to replicate my favorite latte. Can’t wait to impress my friends with this treat, and as usual, give A Family Feast all the credit. I wish you could hear all the “this is so good” comments when I serve your recipes. I see a recipe book in your future!!!
Linda
Thank you so much Linda! 🙂 Maybe someday…