Paraben Free Masala Chai

Total time20 min

Prep time5 min

Cook time15 min

4.6

(15)

Warm, spiced, and deeply aromatic, this homemade chai is the kind of drink that turns a quiet morning into something worth savoring. Whole spices like cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and fresh ginger do all the heavy lifting here, building layers of flavor that no store-bought blend can quite replicate. For anyone navigating paraben-free living, packaged teas and flavored drink mixes can be a minefield of preservatives and synthetic additives — brewing from scratch with whole, recognizable ingredients sidesteps all of that completely. The method is straightforward: simmer the spices until fragrant, steep the black tea to a rich amber, then bring everything together with whole milk and sugar for a creamy, caramel-colored finish. Straining it fresh into your mug means every sip is smooth and clean, with nothing you didn't put in there yourself. It's the kind of recipe you'll come back to on repeat, tweaking the spice ratios until it's exactly yours.

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Ingredients

4 servings

8 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 cinnamon stick (about 3 inches)
4 whole cloves
6 black peppercorns
1 inch fresh ginger, thinly sliced
1 star anise (optional)
2 cups water
3 tsp loose-leaf black tea or 3 black tea bags (such as assam or darjeeling)
2 cups whole milk
2–3 tbsp sugar, or to taste

Instructions

1
Combine the cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, cloves, peppercorns, ginger, and star anise (if using) in a medium saucepan with the water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes, until the water is fragrant and lightly tinted.
2
Add the black tea and simmer for 2 minutes, until the liquid is a deep amber-brown.

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