This sweet, decadent, and festive chai hot chocolate is the perfect fusion of two classic beverages. Rich cocoa is infused with warming chai flavors for a dairy-free drink that’s guaranteed to impress. Serve it during the holidays or whenever you need a pick-me-up!

A serving mug of chai hot chocolate topped with whip cream, cocoa powder, cinnamon stick and star anise.

Why you’ll love this recipe

Dairy-free: Absolutely no dairy is needed to make this creamy drink, which means it’s suitable for most dietary needs and preferences.
Homemade: Chai hot chocolate is homemade, making it much more economical than expensive shops like Starbucks. Save your hard-earned money!
Customizable: Make it sweet, spicy, or perfectly balanced. Customize this versatile recipe to suit your unique flavor profile preferences.

What is chai hot chocolate?

Chai hot chocolate combines two of my favorite drinks in a well-matched fusion recipe. Classic hot cocoa is mixed with the spicy, sweet, and warming flavors of ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, and star anise.

I love that bitter-sweet chocolate gives the drink more depth and robustness than chai on its own. Although there is a time and place for hot chocolate and chai individually, they complement each other incredibly well in this beverage.

Feel free to make the recipe exactly how it’s written, or try making a few customizations of your own. I have some options listed further down below!

Is chai hot chocolate vegan?

If you’ve read my masala chai post, you’ll know most of the time chai is made with dairy-based milk. Hot chocolate is also typically a milk-based drink, making this recipe not vegan-friendly.

However, preparing a dairy-free version couldn’t be any easier! All you need to do is replace milk or cream with your favorite plant milk, and you’ll end up with a rich and satisfying drink. Try to stick to varieties like oat milk, coconut milk, or soy milk for the creamiest consistency.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Chai hot chocolate ingredients in separate dishes.

Water, plant milk: Both water and plant milk make up the base of this chai hot chocolate. For the milk, I prefer oat, but you can add other varieties like coconut, soy, cashew, pea, or almond.
Black tea: I recommend loose-leaf black tea such as Ceylon, English breakfast, or Assam. If you don’t have loose-leaf tea, replace it with strong black tea bags.
Sugar: To sweeten the hot chocolate, I like to add a touch of cane sugar. Coconut sugar, organic brown sugar, maple syrup, and coconut nectar all work as well.
Ginger: Fresh ginger provides a spicy, slightly sweet flavor. You can slice or grate it. If you don’t have fresh ginger, substitute a touch of powdered ginger instead.
Cardamom: My favorite part of chai spice is cardamom, which provides a fragrant aroma and a warm, herbal, and citrusy flavor. Make sure you have seeds from the green cardamom pods and opt for the highest quality possible!
Cinnamon: Imparts a sweet, warming taste. Similar to the cardamom, use whole cinnamon sticks for this recipe. I also recommend Ceylon cinnamon as opposed to cassia cinnamon for a more subdued and balanced taste.
Star anise: Whole star anise pods add sweet, licorice-like flavors. No star anise? Add aniseed or fennel instead.
Black peppercorn: While optional, black peppercorns add just the right amount of spice that balance out the sweetness of the drink.
Cocoa powder: You can’t have chai hot chocolate without some cocoa! Use Dutch-processed cocoa powder for a dark, rich flavor. You can also use unsweetened cocoa powder as a substitute, but it will be slightly more bitter.
Toppings: For an extra special chai hot chocolate, add a dollop of vegan whipped cream and cinnamon powder on top. You can also add vegan marshmallows, shaved chocolate, or sprinkles! --I urge you to try homemade vegan whipped cream with 5 simple ingredients; it's light, fluffy, and perfectly sweet.

Instructions

Step 1: First, pound the ginger, cardamom, and star anise together in a mortar to release all of the flavors.

Step 2: Heat the water in a saucepan over medium. Add the smashed ginger, cardamom, star anise, and black peppercorns to the water. Once the water starts to boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 15 minutes.

Boiling black tea leaves with spices in a sauce pan.

Step 3: Next, turn the heat back to medium-high and add the loose black tea leaves. Boil the mixture together for another 2 to 3 minutes. Careful not to let it boil too long or the tea will turn bitter.

Step 4: Remove the saucepan from the heat and strain the tea using a mesh sieve. Add the sugar (or another sweetener of your choice) and stir until it dissolves.

Top view of serving mug with powdered sugar next to a small bowl of powder sugar and spoon.

Step 5: Add a teaspoon of cocoa powder to the bottom of each serving cup. For reference, I’m using 2 tea cups in this recipe.

Step 6: Working slowly, stir the hot tea mixture evenly into each cup. It may help to use a small whisk to blend the cocoa powder with the tea as you pour. To warm up the milk, use an electric milk frother or the microwave (heat about a minute and use a handheld frother). Just make sure the milk is steaming hot. Pour the hot milk over the tea in each cup.

A serving mug with chai hot chocolate and powdered cocoa dusted over the top.

Serving mug topped with whip cream, cocoa powder, star anise and a stick of cinnamon in it.

Step 7: Dust some coca powder over the frothy milk. Top the cups off with vegan whipped cream, if you prefer. Sprinkle them with some extra cocoa powder or cinnamon powder for decoration.