As you are reading this post today, I am happy to be snuggled up with a warm blanket at a blogging retreat in Park City, Utah. There is snow falling outside our door, good blogging friends are near, and I am happy to be nestling in for some much needed R&R.
I don’t know about you, but it seems like fall has gotten off to a busy start. Busy, busy, busy. Always a little more busy than I’d like. Always trying to work on that. I embarrassingly didn’t even realize that the leaves were changing in Kansas City until I saw it on Instagram!!
Still, the transition into fall is one of my absolute favorite times of the year, and I have been trying to take small moments during the day to pause and soak it up. I’ve learned that one of the small habits that seems to always help with this is to cozy up with a warm drink first thing in the morning or at the end of the day. There’s something about holding a steaming hot mug and then taking slow, thoughtful sips that is the essence of comfort and calm.
So today, I thought I would share with you a recipe for one of my favorite comfort drinks — homemade chai tea.
I first learned to love chai back in the day at — you guessed it — Starbucks. I instantly got hooked on the drink and all of those delicious spices, and began stopping by to order an iced chai almost every day for work. Then the $4 daily expense got a little ridiculous. So I learned to buy Tazo chai concentrate at the grocery store. Then (bonus!) I learned that it was sold even cheaper at Costco!
But after years of buying those mega 3-packs of concentrate, I began to get tired of the uber-sweetness of that brand of chai. I loved the spices, but the sugar was too much. So I finally learned how to make homemade chai.
And friends — it is so easy!!!
My version is all based around making a chai concentrate so that you can refrigerate it and keep it around for multiple batches. All you need are a handful of spices and seasonings and about 20 minutes, and then you’ll have plenty of concentrate ready to make as much hot chai or iced chai as you’d like.
But the best part is that you can totally tweak the recipe according to your taste. If you really love the sweetness of the chai you get at Starbucks, by all means, add in more sugar and/or honey. If you like yours really peppery, add in more peppercorns. If you like yours really strong or really weak, that’s the joy of concentrate — you can control exactly how much flavor you get. Bottom line, everyone has their own preferences with chai, so with a homemade recipe you can make it your own!
With the holidays coming up, I’ll also add in that this is a perfect comfort food gift to jar up and give to your chai-loving friends.
Hope you enjoy!
Homemade Chai Tea Concentrate
Ingredients
- 12 cardamom pods, gently crushed
- 8 whole black peppercorns
- 8 whole cloves
- 4- inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced
- 4 cups water
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 3 whole allspice (optional)
- 2 Tbsp. brown sugar (more or less to taste)
- 2 star anise
- 1 vanilla bean, sliced down the middle
- 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
- 4 black tea bags
Instructions
- Bring all ingredients except tea bags together to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add tea bags and let steep for 5 minutes. Pour mixture through a strainer and reserve the liquid for concentrate, and let cool to room temperature.
- Mix equal parts concentrate with water or milk to make chai tea. Or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to one week.
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
To Make Hot Chai Tea:
Combine 1 part chai tea concentrate with 1 part water or milk (cow’s milk, almond milk, soy milk, etc.), and stir to combine. Heat in a saucepan over medium heat until simmering, stirring occasionally. Or heat in the microwave until simmering.
To Make Iced Chai Tea:
1 part water or milk (cow’s milk, almond milk, soy milk, etc.), and stir to combine. Serve over ice.
Just made this and I’m so happy :)
Also, I used about a large teaspoon of powdered cinnamon since I didn’t have the cinnamon sticks, and also used a teaspoon of vanilla extract since I didn’t have the vanilla bean. It still turned out soooo good.
Such a wonderful recipe! This is exactly what I was hoping to find. Thank you so much for posting!
If was curious if anyone knew the calories in the concentrate?
YUM! I’ve made it twice now and it’s been a hit! The second time I made it I backed down on the cinnamon a little, maybe my sticks were of the larger variety but it felt too strong – my lips and tongue were numb. :) highly recommend!
Delicious! I’m hoping it last longer than a week in the fridge. I stored my chai in the same type of container that I use for my home brew kombucha and didn’t realize I still had a bottle of chai tucked in near my kombucha. I made it on Christmas Eve, and it’s now January 5th. I’m having some right now:)
Can I use an herbal/ caffeine free tea?
Thank you for this simple and delicious recipe. I have been making homemade chai for a long time and periodically I like to check out what other people are doing. A couple of comments. I buy cinnamon in bulk, and it comes either in 4 or 6 in sticks. So if you have 6-inch sticks you won’t need quite as many cinnamon sticks. If you are a bad cook like me, by which I mean I always forget I have tea simmering on the stove, You may wish to add the cloves last. Over simmering cloves can bring out a very bitter flavor. I am following your recipe otherwise exactly this time, although sometimes I make ginger tea separately, and keep some around. When I have had too much caffeine, I’m a have ginger tea in the afternoon. Also, same recipe but add some fresh or dried Tulsi leaves if you have a cold. Ayurvedic medicine gives all kinds of kudos to the healing power of Tulsi. I don’t know if it really helps, but it’s a delicious twist on masala!
Best chai recipe thus far. I have been to only one coffee shop that has been able to satisfy my chai needs. I doubled the spices, simmered for double the time, and then left overnight. I love a very strong chai taste and this is perfect.
I love this recipe. Really easy. I didn’t use anise or allspice. This will be my homemade recipe. Thanks