How To Make Chai Spice With Just 6 Ingredients

If you're a chai spice lover, you've come to the right place. Whether this is the first time you've considered making your own chai spice mix, or you're an old hand looking for fresh ideas, it's really very simple to throw together a blend of common spices to create something magical. Chai, which originated in India, literally means tea, but in much of South East Asia, that means a sweet and spicy beverage with a tea base and heavy notes of cardamom mixed with even heavier notes of cinnamon and a dash of other warm and slightly spicy flavors. It can be called masala chai, meaning spiced tea. In America, chai spice is considered a flavor in its own right, made with a blend of spices that you can find prepackaged in supermarkets, similar to how you can find pumpkin spice. To make a house-blend chai spice of your own, you probably already have the necessary spices on hand.

While you're more than welcome to experiment with how best to measure out the spices — and which ones to use — based on your preferences, one easy-to-make blend consists of six common spices: Cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg. While you can go the extra mile to make this using whole spices, we're focusing on the ground versions for ease and convenience.

When putting this together, go heaviest on the cinnamon, followed by cardamom and ginger, and then your preferred amounts of nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. A good example is to use three tablespoons of cinnamon, one tablespoon each of cardamom and ginger, and ½ tablespoon each of the remainder.

It's worth making a reasonably large batch of your six-ingredient chai spice mix and storing it in an airtight container in a cool dark spot in your pantry for up to six months. This means you can buy quality spices and mix them up ready for use in all sorts of drinks and dishes at any time.

Chai spice mix is perfect to use in any place where you'd appreciate the distinct warmth and subtle spiciness of the blend. For example, using it in your hot chocolate can elevate the comforting drink, with the mix of spices playing well with the rich sweetness of chocolate. If you're whipping up a weekend brunch, add it as a delicious way to upgrade your pancakes. All you need is about a teaspoon of the mix in your batter for a breakfast that will give you all the cozy vibes, no matter the season.

You can also consider making a chai spice simple syrup to add to various beverages or desserts. Similar to how you can customize simple syrups with infusions, like pumpkin or apple cider simple syrup, adding a bit of this spice mix while you're slowly simmering equal parts water and white sugar will do the trick. You can then use this syrup to create your own chai lattes by adding it to tea-infused hot milk, or to drizzle on top of some vanilla ice cream.