For the longest time I was confused about what chai even was.

Is it tea or is it a spice? Does it go in baked goods? Or in tea with milk? halp.

Come to find out, the word chai alone means tea and what most of us Americans consider “chai” is the blend of spices that is added to tea… which is truly chai masala. Chai = tea. Masala = spice. So technically this is a tea spice. But I like to use it for other satisfying purposes.

I’ve quickly fallen in love with this chai spice blend. Of course grinding whole spices would be optimal for supreme chai-ness but who has time for that? Surely not me.

To cook this From-scratch Chai Set out:

ginger (ground)
cinnamon (ground)
allspice (ground)
cardamom (ground)
clove (ground)

There’s no right or wrong brand. I will first say, buy what you can afford. However, not all spices are created equal as you tend to get what you pay for. Currently I use Morton & Bassett (not sponsored) because I find their spices to be top notch in texture, color and flavor. A regular here and respect what their company stands for not only with charitable work but also quality control. With that said some other welcome brands I’ve used over the years are Simple Organic, Frontier Co-op and Penzys.

Measure 3 tablespoons (ground) ginger, 2 tablespoons cinnamon, 1 tablespoon allspice, 1 tablespoon (ground) cardamom and 1 tablespoon clove into a jar or container that has a tight fitting lid.

Stir or whisk to combine and you’re all set.

This dish makes a generous 1/2 cup, and you can easily double it for all your chai goodies.

I have some major plans for chai this fall and winter season. It’s crazy how obsessed I am and I don’t think I’ll be getting over it any times soon. I’ve already made one (soon to be two) recipes with my beloved chai spice blend and I’m SO particularly excited to share them with you! So stay tuned, I’ll be posting the first recipe this week!