Authentic Masala Concentrate Recipe – Chai Syrup

Naturally sweet and spicy, with a hint of gingerbread, this authentic masala concentrate makes a perfectly spiced masala chai and is a delicious way to spice up your coffee or hot chocolate! It’s really simple to make and store, so you can effortlessly make masala chai at home in a flash.

You can also use this concentrate to flavor your homemade kombucha for a refreshing autumn drink, or why not a dirty chai latte? The options are endless! 

Unlike a chai tea concentrate, this recipe focuses on concentrating the flavors of the aromatic spices alone which allows you to use your masala concentrate to flavor anything you like!

The best part of making your own masala concentrate is that you only need a small amount to jazz up your beverage or whatever you decide to make.

What is Masala Chai?

In many parts of the world, the phrase chai tea has come to mean a particular kind of tea made in the Indian style. Starbucks chai latte comes to mind.

I’d been looking for a recipe for homemade chai concentrate or a chai syrup  for years, but my friend Rani recently explained to me that the word ‘chai’ actually means ‘ tea!

‘ So that ‘chai latte’ that sounds so exotic is actually ‘frothy milk with tea.’ It just so happens that Starbucks also adds a spicy, sweet syrup, which is now what we associate with the word ‘chai.’  

Confusing right?!

Masala means spiced and typically refers to five whole spices in particular; Cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, and peppercorn.  Some variations include fennel seeds, vanilla bean or cumin. 

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​So, the word chai means tea, and what we call ‘chai tea’ is more correctly called ‘masala chai’ or ‘spiced tea’ – masala is the mix of spices used to flavor the chai. 

So I’ve created a masala concentrate that can be frozen and a masala chai syrup that can be added to freshly brewed tea. 

Adding some masala syrup to melted butter is a great way to create the most delicious wintery sauce for pancakes and ice cream!

MASALA INGREDIENTS

The spice blend in this recipe is based on Yoga with Adriennes Yogi Tea which, in my experience, has included the best ingredients and a delicious blend of Indian spices. You can, of course, experiment with the proportions and spice blends to find the perfect balance, adding more ginger or cinnamon, for example. 

Rather than brewing the the chai tea directly, I've chosen to preserve the spices in a masala concentrate. That way I can easily add it to freshly brewed tea, coffee or hot chcolate.

I do this in two ways:

Freezing in ice cube forms or adding sugar to make a syrup.

Try to source organic ingredients where possible.

Star anise – as delicious as it is beautiful. The flavor, contained in both the seeds and the star itself, is very sweet and licorice-like, similar to aniseed.

Black peppercorn – I have not yet managed to source organic black peppar

Whole cloves

Organic Cardamom seeds or cardamom pods: Green cardamom is easily found in most supermarkets. But you can also experiment using black cardamon if you can get your hands on it. It’s known for its slightly smokey flavour, which might add an interesting depth of flavour to your chai concentrate.

Fresh Ginger – use organic ginger if possible, or peel your ginger.

Organic Cinnamon sticks – the word is derived from a Greek word meaning “sweet wood.” It has a naturally sweet flavor and sweet qualities due to the presence of its essential oil called cinnamaldehyde.

Be sure to source Ceylon Cinnamon if you can. You may need to look online as it can be tricky to find in supermarkets. Ceylon cinnamon has a milder, sweeter flavor and contains less of the toxic substance Coumarin.

Optional spices and flavors to experiment with:

Try adding a used vanilla pod if you have one. Or some orange peel for a Christmasy feel.

HOW TO MAKE SPICED MASALA SYRUP

Adding sugar to the liquid to create syrup increases the shelf life of your concentrate and creates an intense syrup. It should still be stored in the fridge, like an open jar of jam. I find it helpful to make small batches of masala syrup and store them in small jars.

• Fresh ginger – 8 slices
• Peppercorn – 20
• Whole cloves -15
• Cinnamon sticks – 3
• Cardamom pods -20
• Water – 1.5l
• Granulated sugar or brown sugar– 500g. 

1. Lightly crush the spices using a pestle and mortar or by wrapping the spices in a clean tea towel and using a rolling pin to roughly crush the spices. 
2. Bring 1.5 l / 6.5 cups of water to a boil and add the spices. Simmer on low heat for half an hour. Turn off the heat and allow to cool slightly before pouring through a fine strainer or sieve to remove the spices. 
3. Return to the heat and simmer without a lid until reduced to half the volume. 
4. It’s helpful to measure the liquid at this point. 
The ratio of sugar to liquid should be around 50:50 to preserve the syrup. So for 500ml of liquid, add 500g of sugar / 2 cups of liquid add 2 cups of sugar.
Bring to a boil and stir gently to dissolve the sugar.

Store in sterilized glass jars with tightly fitting lids. Refrigerated, your masala syrup concentrate will last for months.

MAKING MASALA CONCENTRATE TO FREEZE

Using this method to store your concentrate is helpful if you want to consume less sugar. You can choose to sweeten any beverages using maple syrup, honey, or even a sugar-free alternative.

You can also use the ice cubes to flavour an iced coffee, iced tea, and a glass of kombucha!

• fresh ginger – 8 slices
• peppercorn – 20
• whole cloves -15
• cinnamon sticks – 3
• cardamom pods -20
• Water – 1.5l

Method

1. Lightly crush the spices using a pestle and mortar or by wrapping the spices in a clean tea towel and using a rolling pin to roughly crush the spices. 
2. Bring 1.5 l / 6.5 cups of water to a boil and add the spices. Simmer on low heat for half an hour. Turn off the heat and allow to cool slightly before pouring through a fine strainer or sieve to remove the spices. 
3. Return to the heat and simmer without a lid until reduced to half the volume. 
4. Allow the liquid to cool before freezing in ice cube forms.

-Using ice cube trays to freeze your masala chai concentrate gives you a perfect serving size!

-Once frozen, you can transfer the cubes to a ziplock bag and return to the freezer. Pop into your teapot to bring hot water to the optimal temperature for brewing tea.

Green tea – 75-85°C / 165 – 185°F
Black tea – 95 -98 °C / 200 – 121 °F

Earl Grey Tea – 97.7°C/ 208°F

Using this method to store your concentrate is helpful if you want to consume less sugar. You can choose to sweeten any beverages using maple syrup, honey, or even a sugar-free alternative.

You can also use the ice cubes to flavor an iced coffee, iced tea, and a glass of kombucha!

SOME RECIPES FOR INSPIRATION

CUP OF CHAI WITH MASALA CONCENTRATE

Brew strong black tea according to the instructions on the box ( usually steep for 5 minutes in water that is about 95°C /200°F). Y

You can use tea bags, loose leaf tea, or wild-grown black tea for more flavour and nutrients. The amount of tea you use is up to personal choice.

I recommend you experiment with the amount of tea and brewing time.

Traditional masala chai tea is made using strong black tea to match and carry the flavour of the spices, with equal parts milk and chai and added sweetener to balance the bitterness. I find that masala chai, brewed in the traditional way, can be bitter, even with added sugar. 
I enjoy a less bitter tea and am mindful of reducing my sugar intake therefor a shorter brewing time suits me!

Over medium heat, warm the same amount of milk ( you can use cow’s milk , oat milk or any other plant-based milk of your choice )to 65°C /150°F. Using warm milk will ensure you have a hot cup of chai to enjoy, even if using a frozen concentrate. Temperatures above this will cause irreversible changes in flavour and chemistry of cow’s milk. ( You can read a little more about this in my recipe for the perfect Babyccino.

Combine the milk and tea, adding your masala concentrate if you haven’t used frozen. Sweeten to taste with sugar, maple syrup, or honey and give it a good stir!

Iced Masala Chai

Add masala concentrate, either in syrup form or frozen to black tea and place in the fridge to cool. Pour over ice, add cold milk and sweeten to taste.

MASALA CHAI LATTE / AKA CHAI TEA LATTE

Follow the steps above for making masala chai. Instead of simply adding the milk, use a french press, steamer, or electric wisp to froth the milk to create a creamy and delicious luxury tea. For an iced chai latte, you can froth cold milk.

MASALA HOT CHOCOLATE

Over medium heat, gently warm your milk of choice and add 2 tsp of organic cocoa powder per cup of milk, stirring well to combine. Add your masala concentrate and sweeten it accordingly. Top with steamed milk for extra luxury…

MASALA Cafe LATTE

Add 1 tablespoon of masala concentrate to 1 to 2 shots of strong espresso coffee and top with steamed or frothed milk.
You can easily make this an iced masala latte using cold coffee, milk, and ice.

DIRTY CHAI LATTE

Follow the instructions above for a chai latte but combine a shot of espresso with the tea and masala concentrate before adding frothed milk.

If you enjoyed this recipe, I would love it if you would give it 5 stars and let me know in the comments below!