Six published masala chai recipes put water to milk between 0.85:1 and 4.5:1, with 2:1 the middle. They use 1–1.5 teaspoons of black tea per serving (Assam is the common pick), 1.5–3.5 cardamom pods, and cook the chai 1–10 minutes after the milk goes in. Four cups made with Assam CTC at our catalog's lowest price cost about $0.33 a cup in tea, milk and sugar.
Masala chai is black tea boiled with water, milk, sugar and whole spices. There is no single correct recipe. We compared six published versions, from three home-cooking sites, a London restaurant and two magazines, and recorded every number. This page shows where they agree, where they split, and a 4-cup batch built from the middle of the range.
The base: water, milk and tea
Start with 2 parts water to 1 part milk and about 1.5 teaspoons of strong black tea per serving. That is the middle of the six recipes below.
| Recipe | Serves | Water : milk | Black tea per serving | Sweetener per serving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swasthi's Recipes | 2 | 1.5 : 1 | 1.25–1.5 tsp leaf | 1–1.5 tsp sugar |
| BBC Good Food | 2 | 1.6–2 : 1 | 1 tsp leaf (Assam suggested) | 1.5–3 tsp sugar or syrup |
| Bon Appétit | 4 | 1.27 : 1 before reduction, 0.85 : 1 after | 1.5 tsp leaf (Assam suggested) | 3 tsp maple syrup |
| Dishoom, via Time Out | 4 | 2 : 1 | 1.5 tsp leaf (Assam or Darjeeling) | 12.5 g sugar (about 3 tsp) |
| Ministry of Curry | 2 | 3–4.5 : 1 | 1 tsp leaf | to taste |
| Tea for Turmeric | 2 | 2.25 : 1 | 1.5 tsp leaf or bags | 2 tsp turbinado |
Ratios are our arithmetic from each recipe's listed quantities. Bon Appétit simmers 3.5 cups of water down by a third before adding 2.75 cups of milk, so its finished chai is the milkiest.
On the tea itself:
- Assam is the default. BBC Good Food, Bon Appétit and Dishoom all name it. Swasthi recommends "CTC loose tea leaves (Assam)" for a strong (kadak) cup.
- CTC is a grade style, not a region. See how to read a tea label for what CTC and other grade codes on the pack mean.
- Weigh it if you can. Keenan et al. 2011 used 2 g per level teaspoon of loose black tea. Using that figure, 1.5 teaspoons is about 3 g per serving.
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The spices and how much of each
Every recipe uses green cardamom and cinnamon. Most add clove, black pepper and ginger. Fennel shows up in two.
| Spice, per serving | Swasthi | BBC Good Food | Bon Appétit | Dishoom | Ministry of Curry | Tea for Turmeric |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green cardamom pods | 2 | 1.5 | 3.5 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Cloves | 1 | 1 | none | 1.25 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Black peppercorns | 1 (optional) | 1.5 | none | 3/8 tsp | 3 | 1.5 |
| Cinnamon | 1/4–3/8 inch | 1/4 stick | 3/4 inch | 1/2 stick | 1/2 inch | 1.5 inches |
| Ginger | 1/4 tsp fresh (optional) | 1/4 tsp ground | 3/8 inch fresh, grated | 3 slices fresh | 1/2 inch fresh | 1/4 inch fresh |
| Fennel seed | none | none | none | none | 1/4 tsp | 1/4 tsp (optional) |
Per-serving values are each recipe's total divided by its servings.
Where they split:
- Cardamom load. Bon Appétit uses 14 pods for 4 servings, more than twice BBC Good Food's 3 pods for 2.
- Pepper and clove. Bon Appétit leaves both out. Dishoom uses 1.5 teaspoons of peppercorns for 4, the heaviest pepper hit here.
- Fresh vs ground ginger. BBC Good Food uses ground ginger; the other five use fresh or list it as optional.
- Crush, don't powder. BBC Good Food says to bash the spices "to release the oils – you don't want to make a powder". Swasthi's quick method crushes them to powder. Both strain at the end.
Swasthi also gives a stored chai masala blend: 1 tsp cardamom, 1/2 tsp cloves, 2.5–3 g cinnamon, 1/4 tsp fennel, 1/4–1/2 tsp peppercorns, 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg and 2 star anise petals, with 1/2–3/4 tsp used for 2 servings.
Order and simmer times
The biggest disagreement is when the tea goes in and how long the milk boils.
| Recipe | Spices first, alone | When tea goes in | Tea/spice time before milk | Time after milk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swasthi | no | with spices, into hot water | 3 min rolling boil | back to a boil, then about 2 min |
| BBC Good Food | no | with spices, in cold water | very gentle simmer, no time given | off the heat, 2 min steep |
| Bon Appétit | yes, ginger and cinnamon, about 20 min | off the heat, with cardamom | 2 min steep | about 5 min to a foaming boil, then 5 min rest |
| Dishoom | no | with spices, in boiling water | about 10 min | about 10 min at a boil |
| Ministry of Curry | yes, until a gentle boil | at the boil | 1–2 min | 1–2 min |
| Tea for Turmeric | yes, until boiling | at the boil | 7–10 min | 5 min simmer, then 1–2 min rolling boil |
The pattern:
- Spices need water time; tea needs less. Three recipes start the spices before the tea. Bon Appétit goes furthest, with 20 minutes of ginger and cinnamon before any tea.
- Milk goes in after the tea. All six add milk after the tea has had its time in water.
- The milk boil sets the body. Totals after milk run from 2 minutes off the heat (BBC Good Food) to 10 minutes at a boil (Dishoom). Dishoom notes a skin forms and is strained off.
A 4-cup batch from the middle of the range
This batch sits at or near the median of the six recipes for each variable, rounded to kitchen measures. It is our synthesis, not a copy of any one source.
Ingredients (4 servings)
- 3 cups (720 ml) water
- 1.5 cups (360 ml) whole milk
- 6 tsp (about 12 g) Assam CTC or other strong black tea
- 8 green cardamom pods, cracked
- 4 cloves
- 6 black peppercorns
- 2 inches cinnamon stick
- 1 inch fresh ginger, sliced
- 8 tsp sugar (about 34 g), or to taste
Method
- Crack the cardamom and crush the cloves, pepper and cinnamon coarsely.
- Add spices and ginger to the water. Bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes. That splits the difference between Swasthi's 3 minutes and Dishoom's 10.
- Add the tea. Simmer 3 minutes.
- Add milk and sugar. Bring back to a boil, then simmer 2–3 minutes.
- Strain into cups.
The math behind it: 3 cups water to 1.5 cups milk is 2:1. Six teaspoons over 4 servings is 1.5 tsp each. Eight cardamom pods is 2 per serving, the most common count in the table. Expect to lose some volume to the simmer and the wet leaves.
For stronger chai, move toward Dishoom and Tea for Turmeric: more simmer time before the milk. For milkier chai, move toward Bon Appétit: reduce the water first.
Sugar: how much the recipes use
All six recipes sweeten the chai. They range from 1 teaspoon to about 3 teaspoons of sugar or syrup per serving.
- Lowest: Swasthi, 2–3 tsp for 2 servings.
- Highest: Dishoom, 50 g for 4 servings, about 12.5 g or 3 tsp each at 4.2 g per spoonful.
- Swaps: BBC Good Food allows stevia or maple syrup. Bon Appétit uses 1/4 cup of maple syrup for 4.
Our batch uses 2 tsp per cup, the middle.
What it costs per cup
Tea is cheap at chai doses. Milk is the biggest line item. Prices below are from the Tea Explorer catalog, 7,306 teas from 40 vendors, fetched 2026-10-01, as of October 1, 2026, plus U.S. average retail prices for milk and sugar.
| Batch item (4 servings) | Assam CTC, lowest | Assam, median | Pre-blended chai, median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tea price per gram | $0.070 | $0.175 | $0.160 |
| Tea, 12 g | $0.85 | $2.10 | $1.92 |
| Whole milk, 1.5 cups | $0.40 | $0.40 | $0.40 |
| Sugar, 34 g | $0.08 | $0.08 | $0.08 |
| Batch total | $1.32 | $2.58 | $2.39 |
| Per cup | $0.33 | $0.64 | $0.60 |
Sources: tea prices from the Tea Explorer catalog, 7,306 teas from 40 vendors, fetched 2026-10-01; lowest Assam CTC is Harney & Sons CTC Assam at $8.00 for 113.4 g. Whole milk $4.229/gallon and white sugar $1.024/lb are BLS U.S. city averages for August 2026. Whole spices are not included.
How the catalog numbers were built:
- Assam: 35 in-stock Assam black teas from 9 vendors, median $0.175 per gram. Two are CTC: Harney & Sons at $0.070/g and The Steeping Room at $0.142/g.
- Chai blends: the catalog classifies 119 rows as chai. After removing oolongs named Lei Kou Chai, gift sets, samples, latte mixes, and blends labeled herbal, green, Ayurvedic or caffeine-free, 29 in-stock black-tea chai blends from 11 vendors had a gram weight. Median $0.160/g, range $0.092 to $0.474. Teabox supplies 8 of them.
Pre-blended chai costs a little less per gram than the median Assam here, but you cannot change its spice ratio. Run your own numbers in the tea cost calculator, or compare formats in loose leaf vs tea bags.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ratio of water to milk in masala chai?
The six recipes compared here range from 0.85:1 (Bon Appétit after reduction) to 4.5:1 (Ministry of Curry, low-milk end). The middle is 2:1, used by Dishoom and close to Tea for Turmeric's 2.25:1. Our 4-cup batch uses 3 cups water to 1.5 cups milk.
How much tea do I use per cup of masala chai?
The recipes use 1–1.5 teaspoons of loose black tea per serving, and four of six land at or near 1.5. At 2 g per teaspoon that is about 2–3 g. Assam CTC is the most common recommendation.
Do you boil the spices before adding tea?
Three of six recipes start the spices first: Bon Appétit simmers ginger and cinnamon about 20 minutes, while Ministry of Curry and Tea for Turmeric add tea once the water boils. Swasthi, BBC Good Food and Dishoom put spices and tea in together. All six add milk after the tea.
How long should masala chai simmer after adding milk?
From 2 minutes off the heat (BBC Good Food) to about 10 minutes at a boil (Dishoom). Swasthi simmers about 2 minutes after the boil, and Tea for Turmeric simmers 5 minutes then boils 1–2 more. Longer boils give a thicker, more cooked-milk cup.
How much does homemade masala chai cost per cup?
In our 4-cup batch, tea, milk and sugar cost about $0.33 a cup with the cheapest Assam CTC in our catalog and $0.64 with the median-priced Assam, as of October 1, 2026. Milk is about $0.10 of each cup at the August 2026 U.S. average. Whole spices are extra.
