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Learn how to make chai concentrate at home. This easy chai tea recipe is better than the coffee shop and will save you so much money!
Raise your hand if you are as obsessed with chai as me! Once fall hit, I wasn’t jonesing for the pumpkin spice latte, what I wanted ALL THE TIME was a spicy chai tea latte. PS – did you know that the word “chai” actually means tea? So saying chai tea latte is really like saying tea tea latte. Ever since learning that I try to avoid being redundant and just call it chai.
If you have never had chai, boy are you missing out. It is so delightful, sweet and spicy and full of warmth. The great thing about making your own chai concentrate at home is that you can make it exactly how you like it. Want it less sweet? Add less sugar, or even change up your sweeteners. Don’t drink dairy? Use it with your milk of choice. Add more or less ginger and peppercorns to make it more or less spicy. I personally don’t like the flavor of anise, so I leave that out, but if you are a fan you can throw it in there. You could even make it decaf if you don’t want caffeine. The possibilities are endless.
I first set out to make chai concentrate from scratch because I wanted to have it every morning without having to leave my house. I have been tweaking this recipe for awhile, and have it exactly how I want it. All I need to do when I wake up in the morning is pour some of the chai concentrate into a cup, top with milk and warm it up. If the weather was warmer I would just pour it over ice and make an iced chai latte! But I have been really into hygge this fall (or as I call it, “getting cozy”) so I just want to enjoy a hot chai latte in my favorite cup, curled up with a fuzzy blanket in front of the fire. Is there anything better?
Chai Concentrate
Ingredients
- 8 bags black tea I used Darjeeling
- 5 cups water
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 3 inch piece of ginger root cut into coins plus 1-2 teaspoons grated
- 1 vanilla bean split and scraped
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves
- 1 teaspoon whole allspice
- 1/2-1 teaspoon peppercorns
- 10 cardamom pods crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
Instructions
- Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan.
- When boiling, remove from heat and add all spices, tea, sugar and honey. Whisk to dissolve sugar.
- Allow to steep for 15 minutes.
- Strain through a fine mesh sieve, store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
- To make one cup of chai, heat one part chai concentrate with one part milk. You can adjust to taste, some people prefer two parts chai to one part milk.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is my favorite recipe! I make it all the time. I do add chaga and dandelion root too.
I just found this recipe, do I use green or black cardamom pods?
Hi Jennifer, I used green!
How would I substitute Vanilla extract vs Vanilla bean? Also, I could only find ground cloves, allspice, cardamom and nutmeg. What is the ratio between fresh/whole vs ground? Thank you!
It was nice. But a bit bland and watered down. I added more spices and have it back on simmer hoping to give it more depth.
Where did you get cup and saucer? They’re beautiful!
Hi – I got the at Anthropologie but it was a few years ago so not sure if they still have them!
Hands down my favorite recipe for chai! I’ve made this many times over the years, and love it hot as well as iced. I do float one star anise in the mix; I hate licorice but do enjoy the flavor of the star anise in this, go figure!
Great recipe, thank you so much.
So glad you love it Mary!
Can I substitute with loose tea leaves, if so, how much?
Hi Felicia – I haven’t tried it but it should be fine. 1 tea bag contains about 1 teaspoon of tea, so you would need to use 8 teaspoons.
Could I just use chai tea bags and skip some of the flavour items??
Hi Julia – you could, but I don’t know that the flavor would be the same.
Nice recipe. For how long can it be stored in the refrigerator?
Hi Babs – it should last 7-10 days. Just keep an eye on it, as your conditions may vary.
Thanks! Im shopping for the ingredients right now 🙂
Thanks for this great recipe. It’s so delicious, warm and spicy, I added more cardamom pods, less brown sugar and made it 1:1 homemade almond milk. So happy.
Thanks again
So happy you loved it Carole!
…. You’re missing cardamom.
The major downfall of most American Masala Chai – they think cinnamon is the main flavouring spice.
Cardamom. Just do it.
There is cardamom in the recipe…. And in the photos.
I watched Trisha Yearwoid make her Pumkin Tiramasu today. I hate coffee but love Chai. Wondered if your syrup could be substituted for her Coffee syrup? What do you think?
I’m not familiar with her recipe but I think it could work! The only thing I would watch out for is the viscosity – if her recipe calls for more or less water and sugar, it could be thicker or thinner. But taste wise I bet it would be great! Let me know if you give it a try!
I love Chai. And cannot wait to try this recipe. Thank you!!! But..How long you usually have the chai concentrate in the fridge? Like..before it goes bad or anything.
Hi Millie – I keep it for one to two weeks. I hope you love the recipe!
I’ve never had chai before…
I have jotted down all the recipe.
Your photos are a feast for the eyes
Thanks Alis! You must try it, so good!
This is the way to do chai! I don’t like chai drinks that are made from a bunch of ground spices because they make the drink gritty and chunky. This would make such a great gift basket item too. So perfect!
Yes, whole spices are the best! Thanks Meg!