Warm spices, strong tea and steamed milk swirling around in my tummy make chai lattes a favorite during the winter months. It warms me from the inside out in a way that puts coffee and tea to shame. Unfortunately, the chai concentrate from certain coffee chains is too sweet. But there is something better.
It never occurred to me to make my own chai. (Certainly it must be too hard.) But when I saw this recipe from thecatnipcat for this Amazing Spiced Chai Concentrate, something about the whole thing seemed doable. If I had known how easy it was, I would have started making my own years ago. Needless to say, this version is delicious! And I love that I can up the quantities of the flavors I like more and reduce the quantities of the flavors I like less. For example, we used less sugar and doubled the cinnamon. Make the original version, then tweak the recipe based on your preferences. I wouldn’t be surprised if you find her recipe is just right for you.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need: cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, star anise, cloves, black pepper, nutmeg, orange zest, tea bags, brown sugar, honey, and vanilla.
Start by bringing 4 1/2 cups water to the boil on the stove.
Then you need some orange zest. If you don’t have a zester, you can use a vegetable peeler.
The recipe says to use a piece of ginger. For us that meant three large coins which we smashed to release more flavor.
Once the water has come to a boil, remove the pot from the heat and add the tea bags.
Then add your cinnamon sticks (we only add two—it just looks like we’re using four because we broke them in half).
Then add your star anise and seven cardamom pods. We only had cardamom seeds so we looked up how many seeds there are in a pod. The answer is “about 12” so we added roughly 80 cardamom seeds (no we did not count them out).
Then add the rest of the spices: the whole cloves, freshly ground pepper, zest (or peel), smashed ginger, and freshly grated nutmeg. Stir the pot to mix all the ingredients. This is the point at which Mom said, “This is starting to look like a witch’s brew.” I concurred.
Add sugar, vanilla and honey and then let this steep for 15-20 minutes. Our family likes our chai concentrate like we like our tea and coffee, strong and dark. So we let it go the full 20 minutes.
When the chai concentrate has reached desired taste and color, strain out the spices and zest.
Now you are left with delicious, homemade chai concentrate.
We added the chai concentrate to steamed milk, but you could mix it with ice cream or yogurt to give plain vanilla a flavor kick.
All I know is that I will never pay $3.25 for an overly-sweet chai again.
Thanks again, thecatnipcat!
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Description
All the flavor of a mix, with no funky additives or preservatives! The benefits to making your own mix are obvious: you can customize it all you want, you know exactly what’s in it, and if you buy them in bulk, the spices can be dirt cheap!
Ingredients
- 4-½ cups Water
- 1 stick Cinnamon
- 1 piece Fresh Ginger Chopped
- 7 whole Cardamom Pods
- 2 whole Star Anise Pods
- 10 whole Cloves
- ¼ teaspoons Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- ½ teaspoons Freshly-ground Nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon Orange Zest
- 10 teaspoons Green Or Black Tea Or 10 Tea Bags
- ⅔ cups Brown Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla
Preparation Instructions
Bring the water to a boil. Add the spices and tea, remove from heat and let steep 15-20 minutes, depending on how strong you want it. Strain and add the brown sugar, honey, and vanilla. Stir to combine.
Mix 1 part concentrate with 1 part milk, heat and enjoy or pour over ice.
For a stronger flavor, mix 2 parts concentrate with 1 part milk or half-and-half (if you’re like me).
This concentrate will keep in the fridge for around 2 weeks. Freeze it in an icecube tray and add to smoothies!
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Three Many Cooks is the always-entertaining food blog of Pam Anderson and her two daughters, Maggy and Sharon. Pam is a well-known and much-respected food writer and author, Maggy is a “hippy adventurer meets 1950s housewife,” and Sharon refers to herself as a recovering food snob learning to survive on a graduate student’s budget. Theirs is a strong relationship both inside and outside the kitchen, and it shows in the food they create and the stories they tell.
142 Comments
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Tea on 1.12.2011
I love chai and have made my own concentrate a few times. This recipe sounds super yummy and I can’t wait to try it out. Thanks for sharing.
Jessica Woolmington on 1.12.2011
Oh how wonderful! Chai is my very favorite thing…all my favorite flavors. I am running out the door to get the ingredients to make this today. Thank You!!!!
Joan C. on 1.12.2011
I posted a concentrate using sweetened condensed milk some time ago. I keep it in the refrigerator and besides using it with tea, I add it to coffee and half a package of instant cocoa for a special spiced mocha treat now and then.
https://tastykitchen.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/drinks/chai-coffee-tea-or-mocha-concentrate/
Amy K on 1.12.2011
I love chai. I’m wondering what is the best way to steam milk at home?
Jessie Heninger on 1.12.2011
Totally excited to try this and thank you for all the comments as I was wondering how long you could keep it in the fridge. Was glad to see that had been asked already. Woohoo!!
megank on 1.12.2011
Or if you are consumed with kids and a newborn and are lazy like I am…. Wal-Mart sells the same concentrate mix that Starbucks uses; Tazo. But that’s for us lazy folk.
Starbucks tastes funny because I think they don’t add enough milk and they also add water, blah!! But my local mom and pop Java house makes it to perfection. Thanks Judes!
Lisa on 1.12.2011
I saw this recipe this morning and got right to it. I’m enjoying a cup right now and it was so easy! Thanks for this keeper!
AGinTO on 1.12.2011
One of my best friends is Indian, and her mother gives me grief about store bought stuff… I discovered how to make it myself and its the ONLY way to go! So tasty and authentic!
Adrianna from A Cozy Kitchen on 1.12.2011
Brilliant idea! I love chai tea lattes but never get them because they’re too sweet and a lot of times taste chemically and fake. Super smart…as always.
melinda13579 on 1.12.2011
I am so happy that you posted this! I gotta share it with some buddies.
TreeHugginMomma on 1.12.2011
I love this recipe. I was given a recipe that involved adding the spices to sweetned condensed milk (which you then add to whatever tea you are making), but the spices always ended up on the bottom of the cup. I am so giving this a try…..
Ann (napangel) on 1.12.2011
I do believe that I love you. I cannot WAIT to make this.
ComfortablyDomestic on 1.12.2011
My day is not complete without a chai latte. Seriously. It never occurred to me to fuel my daily chai habit with my own chai concentrate. I am SO making this today!
Maggy on 1.12.2011
Yes, definitely refrigerate it. And I’d say it can be refrigerated in a covered container for a week or even more.
Crystal on 1.12.2011
If I didn’t have a dog on my lap I’d be doing a happy dance. I’ve seen chai recipes before but this one looks easy.
K.Young on 1.12.2011
Oh, thank you for finding this wonderful recipe! I love it!!
bobbisue on 1.12.2011
Since I have every thing but the cardamom on hand (a simple fix) I’ll try this before I pick up another case of concentrate at Costco. I hope it is delicious, because I have one daughter whose day is not complete without a Chai after school. This looks liks something we could make together.
Natalie on 1.12.2011
This looks delicious, thanks for sharing!
Question – does the concentrate need to be refrigerated?
Diana K. on 1.12.2011
I love chai and I’m excited to try this. Thanks for sharing!
Judith at Dance While You Cook on 1.12.2011
Since I can’t drink cow’s milk either, Ashelina, I drink my chai with almond milk. My favorite brand is Blue Diamond Original Unsweetened Almond Milk. It makes the most delicious chai. Seriously, I can’t go a morning without it. And the concentrate isn’t only for cold winter mornings, it’s great as iced chai for hot summer afternoons too.
bunny on 1.12.2011
do you know how long this concentrate will last for? it looks delicious, but i don’t drink all that much tea, just once or twice a week. thanks!
Rachel on 1.12.2011
Oooh that looks lovely! I never thought of making a concentrate of the spices before.
I’m glad you didn’t call it ‘chai tea’ though
That’s always been a pet peeve of mine because chai means tea, so it’s like calling it ‘tea tea.’ ‘Masala’ is usually used to refer to a mixture of spices, so instead of saying ‘chai tea’ it’s more accurate to say ‘masala chai’
anyways, great post!
Danise on 1.12.2011
Oh my dear heavens somebody help me….headed to the grocery store right now!
Lisa on 1.12.2011
Genious! You will find me hunting the local grocery and herb shops this morning so I can enjoy the chai bliss tonight!
KeithsKelly on 1.12.2011
May be a stupid question, but can you store the concentrate in the fridge for a few days? Thanks, looks delish!
Farm Girl Corinne on 1.12.2011
Oh my gosh how stupid I feel that I never thought to try my own. DUH. I’m going to the store today to buy some star anise and cardamom. Never again for whimpy tea bags or seriously over priced pre-made stuff!
Jocelyn in oc on 1.12.2011
@Lindsey, would you share your crockpot recipe if you haven’t already? Thanks!
ThreeManyCooks on 1.12.2011
Hey friends! Glad you like the chai concentrate recipe
Yes, we just used regular black tea bags. You could try it with chai tea bags, but I bet all the fresh spices will probably overpower any flavor in the chai tea bag.
And I hear people order a chai latte with soy milk all the time, so I know there are many people out there who exclusively drink chai soy lattes!
Enjoy!!
Ann-Charlott on 1.12.2011
This looks delish. And I love the mug you’re using:)
Amber | Bluebonnets & Brownies on 1.12.2011
My brother in law is going to die when he sees this. Great post, Mags.
Heather Disarro on 1.12.2011
i can only begin to imagine the possibilites with this bad boy…my mouth is going to be thanking me later!
Amy | She Wears Many Hats on 1.12.2011
Yum! I can almost smell it. Beautiful photography!
Rachel P on 1.12.2011
I have heard that chai with soy milk is even better!
LanaKM on 1.12.2011
I love Chai almost as much as I love coffee. Thank you for showing this in steps – it looks so easy!
I am assuming that this can be frozen? Oh, frozen in ice cube servings would be so awesome!
I will be stocking up the supplies so I can do this on our next snow day. Thanks again!
ashelina on 1.12.2011
Mmmm looks good. Has anyone ever made it with soy milk? I can’t drink regular milk.
carrie on 1.12.2011
It looks delicious. I had a question on the tea bags as well. Are black the best? Would chai tea bags be overkill?
Michelle on 1.12.2011
Thank you! I am going to give this a whirl today.
jackie on 1.12.2011
Can we assume that you are using black tea bags or have you found a favorite blended tea??
Thanks for this lovely post. Now off to find these spices in whole. Has anyone done a chai recipe with ground spices? I imagine ground spices don’t hold as much flavor at whole spices in the scenario??
Sandy on 1.12.2011
I spent 9 weeks in India last year, and the food I miss the most is chai, especially when served in little clay one-use cups. The Indian recipe is not this fancy, but I still couldn’t duplicate it here, even using the right Indian black tea. Maybe I’ll try this!
Judith @ Dance While You Cook on 1.12.2011
I love homemade chai! It has become a weekly ritual for me over the past year when I started perfecting my recipe. I quickly lose my bearings if I run out and don’t have any for the morning. The smell of the chai wafting through the house is reason enough to make it at home. And it’s so much cheaper. This looks like a great recipe! Enjoy.
Lindsey @ Enjoying Healthy Foods on 1.12.2011
I love it!!!! I love chai tea! I have a crockpot recipe and I love!!!
Thanks for sharing your way!!!!
Michelle GB on 1.12.2011
Thank you, thank you, thank you! As a chai addict myself, I am disappointed I never thought to make my own either. I can’t wait to try this!