Best Chaat Masala in India – We Reviewed 9 Top Brands

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!

Here is a table comparing all nine brands for their price, shelf life, net weight, and packaging.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Here are some interesting FAQs on chaat masala brands.

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?

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* Our reviews are unbiased and all samples used during the reviews were paid for by us. Read our entire ethics statement here.

* No part of this review is sponsored by any brand. All expenses were borne by us.