Homemade Chai Concentrate Recipe

What is Chai 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 Recipe

When drinking chai turned into a daily habit, this recipe for chai tea concentrate was practically a necessity. It’s 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, while sampling store-bought versions can leave you feeling like Goldilocks, 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. So, sure, I’ve tweaked this time and time again to my perfect level, but feel free to make it your own.

Not ready to hop on the chai train? Try my spiced persimmon smoothie or chai spiced popcorn. 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.

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.

Optionally, go a step further and bloom the spices in the dry pan for 40-60 seconds, stirring constantly, until fragrant.

FAQs

Pro 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.