Chai Concentrate

This homemade chai concentrate is the perfect blend of spicy, sweet, and aromatic. It’s just as flavorful as store-bought versions, but it comes in at a fraction of the price. Use this recipe for quick and easy chai lattes that are ready in no time. You only need to add milk and sweetener!

Why this recipe works

• Healthy: No preservatives or other ingredients you can’t pronounce are added. Homemade chai concentrate gives you control over the ingredients so you can prepare a healthy version.
• Customizable: Making chai concentrate allows you to add more or less spice, meter the sweetness, and switch up the tea base.
• Affordable: Compared to buying it at the store or purchasing a chai latte at Starbucks, chai concentrate made at home is much more affordable.

What is chai concentrate?

Homemade chai concentrate is made by brewing black tea with aromatic spices in very small batches, resulting in a strong mixture that can be combined with milk. It differs from traditional masala chai in that you don’t actually heat the tea and aromatics directly with the milk.

Instead, the final result leaves you with a concentrate that can be kept in the fridge and used whenever you are in the mood for a chai latte. Plus, you’ll have fewer dishes and less chance of a mess!

Is it vegan?

Chai concentrate is an “accidentally vegan” product that contains no animal-derived ingredients. It only becomes an issue when it’s mixed with milk or other dairy-containing products.

If you’re keeping your chai latte vegan-friendly, mix it with your favorite plant-based milk like oat, soy, or cashew.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Water: Use filtered water for the best flavor.
• Loose-leaf black tea: My favorite type is loose-leaf Assam, but any strong black tea, like Ceylon, English breakfast, or Irish Breakfast, will work.
• Ginger slices: Fresh ginger slices provide an intensely spicy, sweet, and fragrant flavor.
• Cardamom seeds: Whole cardamom seeds add a citrusy, piney, and almost minty flavor profile. Make sure you have green cardamom pods, not black cardamom pods. 
• Star anise: With notes of licorice, star anise adds a balanced sweetness. If you don’t have any on hand, replace it with aniseed.
• Cinnamon: For a warming, sweet, and subtly spicy element, you can’t forget the cinnamon. Use whole Ceylon cinnamon sticks as opposed to cassia cinnamon.

How to make chai concentrate

• Step 1: First, you will need to crush all of the whole spices (cardamom, ginger, anise, and cinnamon) using a mortar and pestle.

• Step 2: Heat the water in a saucepan over medium. When it starts to boil, turn the heat down to low and add the crushed spices. Let them simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.

• Step 3: After the spices have simmered, turn the heat to medium and add your loose-leaf black tea. Boil the mixture for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat.

• Step 4: Let the tea steep for 2-3 minutes, then strain it into a glass pitcher. Note: Do not boil or steep the tea leaves for too long since the chai concentrate will turn bitter.

• Step 5: Serve hot tea with chai concentrate, hot milk, and the sweetener of your choice. Alternatively, pour it into a glass bottle and keep it in the fridge for later.

How to use chai concentrate

Once your concentrate has finished steeping, it’s ready to be used in beverages like creamy masala chai, oat milk chai latte, matcha chai latte, and/or chai hot chocolate.

Use a 1:1 ratio of this concentrate to milk, then add a liquid sweetener of your choice. I prefer maple syrup, agave, or cardamom syrup, but coconut nectar or plain simple syrup are both delicious as well.

Try making ice cubes with part of the concentrate, then make an iced chai latte! Or, change up the flavor of your baking recipes by adding chai concentrate to cookies, muffins, cakes, donuts, and more.

Storage

Keep your homemade chai concentrate fresh by following these simple storage tips:

• Fridge: Transfer the concentrate to a glass container and keep it in the fridge for 6-7 days. To preserve it further, add ½-1 teaspoon of citric acid per 1 liter of liquid.
• Freezer: Once cooled, add the chai concentrate to ice cube molds and freeze. When they are completely frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe container or bag.
• Thaw: Melt the ice cubes in a pot over medium heat, then add milk directly to the pot. If you’re wanting cold chai, melt half of the ice cubes until they just turn liquid, then add milk, sweetener, and the rest of the ice cubes.

Variations

• Sweetened: Add your favorite sweetener directly to the mixture for a sweetened chai concentrate.
• Caffeine free: If you’re sensitive to caffeine or are drinking your chai later in the day, use caffeine-free black tea, rooibos tea, or herbal tea.
• Different spices: In place of, or in addition to, the spices listed, try cloves, fennel, tulsi, peppercorns, nutmeg, or even dried rose buds.

Top tips

• Whole spices: Use fresh, whole spices for the best results. They not only have a more intense flavor, but they are also much easier to strain than powdered spices.
• Strong black tea: Opt for high-quality strong black tea, so the concentrate turns out more flavor-packed.
• Don’t steep for too long: To prevent a bitter taste, don’t boil or steep the tea leaves for much longer than a couple of minutes.

FAQ

Similar Recipes

If you loved this recipe, be sure to check out some more of my most popular flavor enhancers like these:

• Lavender simple syrup: Sweet syrup infused with delicate lavender petals. 
• Lemongrass paste: A sweet, sour, spicy, and salty way to enhance many Asian dishes.
• Vietnamese plum soda: Made with simple syrup, pickled plums, and fresh herbs.
• Cardamom syrup: A unique way to flavor iced lattes, masala chai, and baked goods. 
• Tamarind chutney: A sauce that’s tangy, sweet, and delicately spiced.