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This homemade chai concentrate recipe is the ultimate hack for richly flavorful lattes that are quick and easy, budget-friendly, and fully customizable.
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What is Chai Tea Concentrate?
Simply put, it’s strongly brewed black tea (loose leaf or tea bags) brewed with warming whole spices, perfect to store in the fridge, then combine with equal parts plant-based milk for a quick chai latte (hot, cold, or iced!) all year long.
Why You’ll Love This Chai Latte Concentrate
This chai tea concentrate is more cost-effective than a coffee shop or buying pre-bottled concentrates, contains no preservatives, and you can whip up a batch in under 25 minutes (mostly hands-off!) for a week of homemade chai that can be ready in mere seconds.
Best of all, this homemade chai latte concentrate recipe is 100% customizable to your perfect level of spices, tea, sugar, and the choice of plant-based milk used when serving.
Want to use homemade plant-based milk for this recipe? Try out these recipes for cashew milk, pecan milk, chocolate oat milk, or peanut milk.
Need more chai flavor? Try this delectable chai spiced popcorn. Not ready to hop on the chai train? Try my spiced persimmon smoothie or lemon cinnamon ginger tea.
The Ingredients
- Black tea: Assam tea is the most common choice for Chai, although English Breakfast tea works well too (regular or Decaf). I used tea bags, as it’s what I have, but use loose-leaf tea/tea powder (1 tsp per 1 cup water) if preferred.
Recipe Variations
Please use the suggestions below as a guideline and adjust to taste/preference.
- Other spices: Star anise (x1), fennel seeds (¾-1 tsp), black peppercorns (¼-½ tsp), nutmeg (½ tsp freshly ground), Allspice berries (2-4 whole)
- Vanilla: ½-1 vanilla bean or ½-1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
- Orange zest: about 1 tsp
- Dried rose buds: 4-6 dried rose buds, lightly crushed
How to Make Chai Concentrate
Keep scrolling to the recipe card for the complete list of ingredients and recipe instructions.
Step 1: First, gently crush the cardamom pods with the flat side of a knife. Combine the water, sugar, cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon sticks, and ground ginger in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
Step 2: Reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes (longer for more intense flavor). Add the tea bags off-heat and steep for 5 minutes (8 minutes maximum). Strain the spiced chai tea concentrate to remove ‘solids,’ then store in an airtight jar.
Optionally, go a step further and bloom the spices in the dry pan over med-low heat for 40-60 seconds, stirring constantly, until fragrant.
FAQs
Absolutely! You can substitute or omit it entirely. Just note, the shelf life may be reduced, as sugar is a natural preservative.
I don’t recommend it, as they won’t strain easily (aka gritty concentrate). Just 1 is fine, though.
You’ve likely steeped the tea for too long. Also, avoid squeezing the tea bags.
Toni’s Recipe Tips
- Use quality ingredients: High-quality tea and fresh spices make the best chai concentrate.
- Don’t over-steep the tea: Some people believe the longer tea steeps, the more the flavor, but over-steeping just leads to bitterness.
- For stronger tea flavor: Use MORE tea rather than steeping it longer.
- Adjust the ratio: General guidelines suggest combining equal parts chai concentrate and plant milk, but adjust the ratio for a stronger or weaker chai flavor.
How to Use Homemade Chai Tea Concentrate
- Combine 1:1 chai concentrate with plant-based milk (hot, steamed, or chilled with ice)
- Add a shot of espresso for a ‘Dirty Chai Latte’
- Top with your favorite dairy-free creamers for flavorful twists
- Use it when making chai oatmeal (how to cook oatmeal on the stove) or vegan overnight oats
You can also gift it in a cute glass bottle with instructions.
Storage Instructions
Let it cool, then store the liquid chai concentrate in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for 7-10 days. You could also freeze it in an ice cube tray for up to 3 months.
I love adding chai ice cubes directly to cold plant-based milk during summer.
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Homemade Chai Concentrate Recipe
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Video
Ingredients
- 6 cups water
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar (adjust to taste)
- 20 cardamom pods cracked
- 15 cloves
- 3 cinnamon sticks broken
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 8 black tea bags
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, combine the water, sugar, cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon sticks, and ground ginger.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add the tea bags, turn off the heat, and allow the mixture to steep for 5 minutes.
- Strain the concentrate to remove the spices and tea bags. To serve, mix equal parts chai concentrate and non-dairy milk. Enjoy hot or chilled.
- Store the chai concentrate in the refrigerator for up to one week.
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Notes
- Use quality ingredients: High-quality tea and fresh spices make the best chai concentrate.
- Don’t over-steep the tea: Some people believe the longer tea steeps, the more the flavor, but over-steeping just leads to bitterness.
- For stronger tea flavor: Use MORE tea rather than steeping it longer.
- Adjust the ratio: General guidelines suggest combining equal parts chai concentrate and plant milk, but adjust the ratio for a stronger or weaker chai flavor.
