Homemade Chai Tea Concentrate Recipe | Easy Spiced Chai Latte Base
This homemade chai tea concentrate recipe is rich, cozy, and packed with warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom. Perfect for hot chai lattes, iced chai, or meal prep, this easy stovetop recipe tastes even better than the coffee shop version and stores beautifully in the fridge or freezer!
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 33kcal
Cost: Varies
Equipment
- Large Saucepan
- Strainer
- Mason jar w/lid or other storage vessel
Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 3 whole cardamom pods
- 1 inch fresh ginger root sliced
- 8 whole black peppercorns
- 3 sticks cinnamon
- 1 ¼ Tbs black tea or 3 black tea bags, or tea of choice
- 1 teaspoon fennel seed
- 2 Tbs honey or maple syrup, or sweetener of choice
Instructions
- Place water and spices in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in sweetener of choice until dissolved.
- Add tea and allow to steep for 7-10 minutes, then strain.
- Store concentrate in fridge and serve with equal parts milk (can use nut milk or cream), serve hot or cold.
Video
Notes
Recipe Tips and Troubleshooting:
- Use Whole Spices When Possible - Whole spices create a cleaner, richer flavor and prevent the concentrate from becoming gritty.
- Don’t Boil the Tea - Boiling black tea too aggressively can make it bitter. Steeping off the heat gives a smoother flavor.
- Adjust the Strength - For a stronger chai tea concentrate recipe, let the spices simmer longer or add an extra tea bag.
- Double the Batch - This recipe stores well, making it perfect for meal prep or holiday gatherings.
- Hot Chai Latte - Mix equal parts concentrate and steamed milk.
- Iced Chai Latte - Mix equal parts concentrate and cold milk, and serve over ice.
- Dirty Chai - Add a shot of espresso to your chai latte.
- Chai Hot Cocoa - Mix equal parts concentrate with hot cocoa. (I love this DIY hot chocolate mix.)
- Make It “Extra” - Top with whipped cream and cinnamon for a cozy treat.
- Other Uses - Stir into oatmeal, mix with powdered sugar to make a dessert glaze, or swap for a portion of the milk used in your French toast batter.
- Refrigerator - Store your chai tea concentrate recipe in an airtight glass jar in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- Freezer - For longer storage, freeze the concentrate in freezer-safe containers or silicone cubes for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
Nutrition
Calories: 33kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.03g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.02g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 7mg | Potassium: 46mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 13IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 0.4mg
