Best Chaat Masala in India – We Reviewed 9 Top Brands (Apr 2024)
The scale of sour and spicy flavors is extremely balanced in Roopak’s Fruit Chat Masala, which is why it won in our review. We Also Recommend Keya and MDH Chaat Masala.
Our reviews are research-based, and all trials and testings are conducted in-house over days and weeks. We have a strict no-free-sample policy to ensure our reviews are fair and impartial.
Indian homes have a special relationship with chaat masalas. Be it a simple fruit chaat, a bland salad, or a portion of homemade karari aloo chaat, all of them can be spruced up in seconds with the addition of chaat masala.
Numerous brands in the Indian market claim to sell the most chatpata masala with a well-rounded sourness. We tested nine brands of chaat masala, all popular and easily available, for their flavor. After tasting them in a fruit chaat and with cucumber sticks, we had a clear winner.
We chose Roopak’s Fruit Chat Masala as our Top Pick in the Best Chaat Masala Brands in India review. We Also Recommend the chaat masala by MDH and Keya. Why did these chaat masalas trump the others? Let’s find out!
Table of Contents
Best Chaat Masala Brands in India – Detailed Review
Here is a table comparing all nine brands for their price, shelf life, net weight, and packaging.
Chaat Masala Brands in India – Everything You Need To Know
Did you know? According to popular stories, which are not proven yet, chaat masala originated in the Mughal kitchens in the 17th century.
This section discusses the chaat masala brands in India for their availability, sizes, price range, shelf life, and usage.
1. Reviewed Brands
The brands we reviewed are –
- Roopak
- MDH
- Keya
- Catch Chatpata
- Catch Sprinklers
- Everest
- Eastern
- Goldie
- 24 Mantra
2. Available Sizes
Chaat masalas are usually available in 50 gm, 100 gm and 200 gm packs. These small sized packs are intended for domestic use.
3. Price Range
On an average a 100 gm pack of chaat masala is priced between Rs 50/- to Rs 70/-.
4. Shelf Life
The shelf life of a packaged chaat masala is 12-18 months.
5. Availability
All leading brands are easily available offline as well as on grocery shopping portals like Amazon, Big Basket, Grofers and more.
6. Best Enjoyed With
Chaat masala is not supposed to be cooked with. It’s a masala that is sprinkled on top of dishes to enhance the taste further.
Chaat masala can be enjoyed with multiple things – be it a fruit chaat, freshly cut veggie salad, a plate of homemade curd-based chaat like bhalle, papdi, dahi golgappe, moong dal pakodi, aloo chaat, peanut chaat, and even as a sprinkling on a plate of piping hot pakodas.
Our Review Factors
Before we tell you about our review process, it’s important to know what goes inside a chaat masala.
Typically a chaat masala contains a mix of various ingredients like dry mango powder, black salt, black pepper, coriander powder, asafoetida, cumin, and mint. Different brands have different ratios and masala combinations. Some even add fennel and dried red chillies.
To test our chaat masala brands we set the following parameters –
1. Flavour
When it comes to the flavor of chaat masala, our prime decision was based on the ‘chatpata factor’ of the masala. Because what is a chaat masala consumed for if not for the spicy-sour flavors?
Through our testing, we wanted to gauge how flavorful the chaat masala is. Can we taste balanced notes of all the spices like dry mango powder, cumin, and coriander powder? Is it oversalted, too spicy, or too sour? Does the chaat masala lend its signature ‘zing’ to our bowl of fruits and cucumber sticks?
2. Aroma
As we know, eating is not dependent on a single sensory system. Along with our taste buds, our smelling abilities also enhance the overall experience, especially when it comes to masalas.
Chaat masala has this salty, almost spicy aroma with slight notes of mint and asafoetida. None of them should overpower the sour notes of dry mango powder. We checked all the brands for that.
3. Price
Does the quality of chaat masala justify the pricing by the brand? If not, why?
Who Is This Review For?
This review is for all the chaat masala lovers who love to add a dash of sour-spicy hits to their bowls of salad and chaats. If you are someone who always stocks up on a carton of chaat masala in your kitchen, this review will come in handy.
How Did We Pick Brands?
We picked popular and easily available brands of chaat masala in the Indian market. The brands have either been in the Indian market for a long time or have a strong online presence.
Our Review Process
Our chaat masala review was divided into two phases –
Phase 1 – Dry tasting
We dry tasted all the nine chaat masalas for their flavor. This helped us gauge the dominant ingredients used in the masala and the distinct character they add to the product.
Phase 2 – Mishry Secret Sauce
We blind tasted the chaat masalas as a sprinkling on top of cucumber sticks and fruit chaat. Out of the nine brands, four of them lacked the ‘chatpata’ punch synonymous with well-made chaat masala. This narrowed down the competition between the remaining five brands.
Re-tasting the cucumber sticks and fruit chaat sprinkled with the top 5 chaat masalas revealed a clear winner.
1. Roopak Fruit Chat Masala – Mishry Top Pick
Roopak Fruit Chat Masala comes in a see-through plastic bottle. A 140 gm bottle of this chaat masala is priced at Rs 100/-.
The color of the chaat masala is very close to dried mango powder (amchoor). The strong aroma of asafoetida and a slight chilli hit are the first things you notice when the bottle is opened. It has a light, coarse texture.
When we dry-tasted the Roopak Chaat Masala, both the flavors associated with a well-made chaat masala were in harmony. This chaat masala was as spicy as it was sour. The ‘chatpata’ factor was bang on!
When tasted blind with cucumbers and fruit chaat, this masala excelled. The depth of flavor from the dry mango powder, chilli, and pomegranate seeds is commendable.
Features
- The chaat masala is priced at Rs 100/- for a 140 gm bottle.
- The shelf life of the chaat masala is 12 months.
- Ingredients – Iodised Salt, Mango Powder, Salt Black, Cumin, Dry Pomegranate Seeds, Chilli Powder, Black Pepper, Ginger, Cloves, Asafoetida
- The sour and spicy flavors of the chaat masala are balanced.
- The packaging makes it easy to be used. Just pop the lid open and sprinkle the chaat masala. There is no need to transfer the masala for usage.
- The salt is not overpowering.
- There are no cons, making the Roopak’s Fruit Chat Masala our Top Pick.
For people who love to add chaat masala to their fruits, salads, and lemonades, Roopak’s Chaat Masala is the best option for you.
2. MDH Chunky Chat Masala – Also Recommended
MDH’s Chunky Chat Masala comes in a green colored carton. The color resembles dry mango powder. The aroma has big hits of asafoetida and chilli. The texture is mildly coarse.
Taste-wise, the MDH Chunky Chaat Masala is high on the signature tang. The presence of coriander powder and black pepper is bold. We sprinkled this on a plate of plain cucumber sticks during our tasting. Instant tangy elevation!
Features
- The MDH chaat masala is priced at Rs 65/- for a 1oo gm carton.
- Shelf life – 12 months.
- Ingredients – Salt white, Dehydrated unripe mango, Salt black, Cumin, Coriander, Muskmelon, Black pepper, Mint leaves, Dry ginger, Yellow chilli, Bishop weed, Cloves, Nutmeg, Asafoetida and Caraway.
- The chaat masala is very tangy and chatpata.
- The spice levels are balanced.
The MDH Chunky Chaat Masala is best suited for your pakodas and tikkas. It lends a beautiful tang to the dish.
3. Keya Mathura Chaat Masala – Also Recommended
Keya’s Chaat Masala comes in a bottle and has a sandy color. The texture is mildly coarse—the aroma packs in a lot of pepper-like heat.
When we dry-tasted this masala, we found it to be very high in salt. But when sprinkled on top of cucumber sticks, this was very chatpata and balanced. This chaat masala has a very fine blend of spices. It is tangy and spicy!
Features
- Keya’s chaat masala is priced at Rs 60/- for a 80 gm bottle.
- The shelf life of the chaat masala is 12 months.
- Ingredients – Iodised Salt, Amchur, Black salt, Cumin, Sugar, Asafoetida, Tamarind powder, Coriander, Pomegranate seed powder, Ginger, Black pepper, Nutmeg, Mint.
- The chaat masala has balanced spicy and sour flavors.
- It is chatpata and the blend of spices showcase themselves wonderfully on a plain salad/chaat.
4. Catch Chatpata Chat Masala
Catch Chatpata Chat Masala has a dark beige color and a very sour aroma. The sourness coming from dry mango and mild spiciness are delicious and chatpata. Even though this chaat masala was a strong contender, it could not make it to the top because our winners were more intense flavor-wise.
Features
- The Catch Chatpata chaat masala is priced at Rs 63/- for a 100 gm carton.
- The shelf life of the chaat masala is 12 months.
- Ingredients – Iodized salt, Dry mango, Mint, Black salt, Cucumis, Red chilli, Cumin, Citric acid, Bishop’s weed, Pomegranate seeds, Coriander, Ammonium chloride, Big Cardamom, Cinnamon, Ginger, Asafoetida, Sugar, Black pepper
- Catch’s Chatpata Chaat Masala had a nice balance of sour and spicy flavors.
- It could not win because our winning brands had a higher intensity.
5. Catch Sprinklers Chat Masala
Catch had two variants in the chaat masala section (chatpata and sprinkler) and varied vastly in taste. Unlike the chatpata variant, this comes in a bottle.
The Catch Sprinkles Chat Masala has a light muddy color and a mixed masala aroma. Not spicy or sour at all. The texture is mildly coarse.
During all our tasting phases, the ‘chatpata’ factor of this one was much lower in comparison and had a very off-taste.
Features
- The Catch Sprinklers Chat Masala is priced at Rs 68/- for a 100 gm bottle.
- The shelf life of the chaat masala is 12 months.
- Ingredients – Salt, Dry mango, Cucumis, Black salt, Cumin, Bishop’s weed, Mint, Long pepper, Sugar, Black pepper, Big cardamom, Red chilli, Clove, Cinnamon, Asafoetida, Coriander.
- The sprinkler bottle makes it easy to use.
- This chaat masala lacks the chatpata taste.
- The sour-spicy flavors were not in sync with each other.
6. Everest Chaat Masala
Everest’s chaat masala looks a lot like dry mango powder and has a robust heeng aroma. The dominant flavor during our tasting was that of asafoetida and chilli.
When we tried this with cucumber sticks, we felt that this was too salty and lacked the tang required from a well-made chaat masala.
Features
- The Everest Chaat Masala is priced at Rs 33/- for a 50 gm carton
- The shelf life of the chaat masala is 18 months.
- Ingredients – Rock salt, Black salt, Mint leaf, Cumin, Dry mango, Pomegranate seeds, Black pepper, Dry ginger, Chilli, Nutmeg, Asafoetida, Bishop’s weed and Malic acid.
- This chaat masala has a very unidimensional spiciness.
- The balance of masalas is off.
7. Eastern Chat/Raita Masala
Eastern’s Chaat Masala has a muddy brown color and no definitive aroma. It’s just felt like a mixed bag of unidentifiable masala.
During our dry-tasting, the amchoor flavor gave a small glimpse but vanished completely when tasted with the cucumber sticks. Overall, this is very flat-tasting and has no sour-spicy notes.
Features
- The Eastern Chat/Raita Masala is priced at Rs 54/- for a 100 gm carton.
- The shelf life of the masala is 12 months.
- Ingredients – Dry mango, Salt, Black salt, Coriander, Pomegranate seeds, Cumin, Dry ginger, Fennel, Asafoetida, Black pepper, Citric acid.
- Lacks the sour-spicy punch needed in a chaat masala.
- The chaat masala is very flat-tasting.
8. Goldiee Chat Masala
Goldiee’s Chaat Masala has a dark beige color and a strong heeng aroma. When dry tasted, the asafoetida and dry mango powder take the front seat. During the blind tasting session, our experts could only taste one dominant ingredient – heeng. The other essential elements like mango powder or pomegranate seeds paled.
Features
- Goldiee’s Chat Masala is priced at Rs 27/- for a 50 gm carton.
- Shelf life – 12 months.
- Ingredients – Salt, Dry ginger, Cumin, Long pipal, Dry mango powder, Black salt, Sat nibu, Pomegranate seeds, Big cardamom, Mint leaves, Asafoetida, Nutmeg and Cloves
- Lacks the ‘chatpata’ punch.
- High on asafoetida.
9. 24 Mantra Organic Chat Masala
24 Mantra Organic Chaat Masala is pale brownish in color with coriander like aroma. Taste-wise we felt that this chaat masala is very unidimensionally sour. The balance of tart and spicy that we were looking for was missing.
Features
- 24 Mantra Organic Chaat Masala is priced at Rs 75/- for a 50 gm carton.
- Shelf life – 12 months.
- Ingredients – Dry mango powder, Black salt, Salt, Sugar, Red chilli, Cumin, Tamarind, Coriander, Ajwain, Nutmeg, Cardamom, Black pepper, Cloves, Cinnamon.
- Majority of ingredients used are organic.
- The sourness of the chaat masala is unrelenting.
- The balance of masalas that bring the characteristic ‘chatpata’ flavor is not there.
Why Chaat Masala is popular in India – Secrets Revealed
While the origins of the iconic chaat masala are somewhat unproven, the recipe of chaat masalas evolved from a combination of digestive spices like roasted cumin and rock salt.
Earlier, most chatwalas prepared their own unique masalas that went on top of everything. The introduction of packaged chaat masalas shifted the game a bit.
Chaat masala helps instantly elevate the taste of a dish with minimal effort. When sprinkled on top of fruits, veggie sticks or homemade chaats and tikkas, the depth of flavor increases. It is extremely popular in India for its spicy and sour flavor. It is used extensively on top of salads, chaats, tikkas and pakodas.
Which Chaat Masala is the best in India – Winners Revealed
Why did we choose Roopak’s Chat Masala as our Top Pick?
A chaat masala should have a balance of sour and spicy flavors. Roopak’s Fruit Chat Masala perfected that balance which is why we chose it as our Top Pick. The dry mango flavor along with the slight chilli hit is wonderful. Amongst all the contenders this was definitely the most chatpata chaat masala.
We Also Recommend MDH Chunky Chaat Masala and Keya Mathura Chat Masala because they came the closest to our Top Pick in terms of the chatpata factor. Moreover, the sour-spicy balance was nearly perfect.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some interesting FAQs on chaat masala brands.
While both these Indian masalas are big on flavor and have a huge fan following around the world, they are not the same in any way.
Garam masala is made using whole warming spices like cloves, cinnamon, black cardamom and black pepper. It is used for cooking to spruce up a lot of curries and Indian veggies.
Chaat masala on the other hand is not to be cooked with. It is used as a sprinkler on top of chaats and salads.
The zingy sourness is hard to match with just a single ingredient. The closest alternative to chaat masala is a combination of dry mango powder and lemon juice.
Chaat masala is used to sprinkle on top of various foods like fruit chaat, aloo chaat, onion salad, cucumber and tomato salad, bhalle, papdi, moong dal pakodis, paneer pakodas, other veggie pakodas, curd stuffed golgappe, and tandoori tikkas. Some people also like to add chaat masala to their cheese and veggie sandwiches. Add a pinch of this masala to your glass of lemonade and it becomes even more delicious.
As per our review, Roopak’s Fruit Chat Masala is the best chaat masala brand in India. The sour and spicy flavor is very balanced and it enhances the taste of plain fruit chaat/cucumber sticks. We also recommend Keya and MDH Chunky Chaat Masala.
Final Verdict – Best Chaat Masala Brand In India
After extensively using all the chaat masala brands we chose Roopak’s Fruit Chat Masala as our Top Pick. The balance of sour-spicy flavors is the best in this brand. We Also Recommend MDH Chunky Chaat Masala and Keya Mathura Chaat Masala as they also nearly perfected that balance.
Which chaat masala brand do you swear by? Tell us which brand is your favorite and why?
Team That Worked On The Best Chaat Masala Review
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