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.
Thanks for the recipe! This is my second time doing it and i’m getting better at it, tastes great :)
Hi Ali, would you (or one of your readers) please replicate a recipe for a Pumpkin Spice CHAI Latte [hot and cold] pretty please? Perhaps you already have…if so, please reroute me in that direction. I also want to add I truly appreciate the tip TEJAL shared for storing the seasonings in a jar to have at the ready.
Ali, I share the same palate as you. THANK YOU for sharing your comforts of the seasons. With Fall upon us again, I’ll be ready for sure.
Blessings ?
Thank you so much for publishing this recipe, my daughter loves Chai tea. Our local Costco had stopped selling the concentrate. The recipe was perfect, very easy to make.
Ashley
Hi Ali-
It’s many years later since you posted this recipe. And it’s a cool spring day in Park City. Yours is the first recipe that is perfect for me! And how fun we are both in Park City.
absolutely delicious. i have made many variants of this recipe and this is such a good base.
Thank you for this. Came out fantastic.
Can I substitute loose tea leaves for the bags, if so, how much?
You could add a teaspoon of loose leaf , that is about what is equivalent to a tea bag :)
It’s not “chai tea.” It’s just chai. Saying chai tea is redundant.
I have to add a comment. The recipe is wonderful thus the 5 stars. But the way it appears on a search for “homemade chai tea” makes it look like you are simply buying the concentrate and adding to it; not a recipe for the concentrate. Great recipe.
Hi I’m Diane!
I haven’t made it yet because I’ve noticed that there’s no chai seeds! Help me to understand because I really want to make it!
Hi Diane! I think you’re confusing chia seeds with chai. Chai is the Hindi name for tea. ( “Chai tea” is a redundant name). Traditionally it is made from black tea, milk and a sweetener. Spices blends like the ones used in this recipe, or ginger root or mint can also be added. There are many variations of the amount and type of spices used, but none use chia seeds. I prefer to blend the ground spices and store it in jar. It keeps a long time and I add it to taste when I make chai. I like Tazo’s version and have been on a mission to replicate the spices. Trying this one next!
This chai is lightly sweet and delicately spicy. I will make it again.