Description
A homemade, budget-friendly chai concentrate made with fresh ginger, cardamom, and black tea. This recipe allows you to create custom chai lattes at home for a fraction of the coffee shop price.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup (80g) loose leaf black tea (Assam or Ceylon) or 10-12 large tea bags
- 4 cups (960ml) water
- 3-inch piece fresh ginger (about 50g), peeled and sliced thin
- 1 tablespoon green cardamom pods (about 15 pods), lightly crushed
- 1 large cinnamon stick (about 3 inches)
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 whole star anise (optional)
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- Milk of choice (whole, 2%, almond, oat, or soy) for serving
Instructions
- Prep the spices: Peel and slice the ginger into thin coins. Lightly crush the cardamom pods to crack the shell. Measure out the cinnamon, peppercorns, and star anise.
- Simmer the spices: Pour water into a medium saucepan. Add ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, peppercorns, and star anise. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes to extract flavors.
- Add tea and sugar: Add the black tea and sugar to the pot. Stir to dissolve sugar. Simmer for 3-5 minutes until the liquid is a deep brown. Do not over-boil to avoid bitterness.
- Strain and cool: Remove from heat. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer (or cheesecloth for clarity) into a heat-safe container, discarding solids. Let cool to room temperature.
- Store and serve: Pour cooled concentrate into clean glass jars and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. To serve, heat 1 cup of milk and stir in 2-3 tablespoons of concentrate. Adjust sweetness to taste.
Notes
Do not over-boil the tea after adding it, as this causes bitterness. The concentrate can be frozen in ice cube trays for up to 3 months. Always mix the concentrate with milk before heating to prevent scorching.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Beverage
- Cuisine: Indian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup (made with 1 c
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 16
- Sodium: 30
- Fat: 4
- Saturated Fat: 2
- Carbohydrates: 18
- Protein: 4
Keywords: chai concentrate, homemade chai, fall recipe, budget friendly, ginger cardamom tea, dairy free option, easy chai latte