I have approximately thirteen things I need to share with you today. And as usual, they are all scattered around in my head, awaiting their moment to be blogged. The most delicious of which is this homemade chai recipe.
I went to the Farmers Market this past weekend and scored some killer deals, which I will further share in detail with you later on tomorrow. However, while I was there, I also scored some delicious homemade chai. I've been eager to make my own for awhile, but just haven't gotten around to it for one reason or another. Well, at $7 a bottle, I found my reason. Because it was delicious, I had to buy it.
There is something about the sweet, flavorful, smoothness of a homemade chai recipe that just sends a jolt of goodness down my spine. And thus, my body forced me to buy the expensive, but very well packaged, bottle of chai. But then, in my usual “make it at home” tantrum that I throw after a purchase like that, I decided to put the petal to the metal and get to work at brewing my own.
$7 a bottle! Are you crazy!?
So here's what I did.
First, I bought my herbs and spices from the health food store (available in bulk): cinnamon sticks, cloves, whole black peppercorns, dried ginger, cardamom pods, allspice berries, nutmeg, and rooibos tea. Per batch, I figured that the spices equated to about $2. Then I got to work on the most amazing homemade chai tea recipe.
Homemade Chai Tea Recipe
You will need:
– 6 cinnamon sticks
– 15-20 allspice berries
– 5 cardamom pods
– 15 cloves
– 25 black peppercorns
– 2 teaspoon of dried ginger (less if you like it less spicy)
– A wee bit of freshly grated nutmeg (1/8 tsp.?)
– 6 tablespoons of rooibos tea, or 6 rooibos tea bags, or 6 darjeeling tea bags
– 1 tablespoon vanilla
– Sweetener of choice (quantity depending on how sweet you like your chai!) I use 1/4 cup sucanant
Step One: Using a mortal and pestle, or whatever means necessary, gently crack the spices (excluding the cinnamon sticks and ginger). Then, combine the cracked spices, the cinnamon sticks, the ginger, and 6 cups of filtered water in a pot.
Step Two: Bring the water to a boil and allow it to slowly simmer for 25 minutes.
Step Three: Strain the tea to remove all the spice and herb sediment. Add the vanilla. Then, mix in your sweetener. Honey would work wonderfully for this, as does rapadura. I found that 1/4 cup of rapadura per batch was just about the right sweetness for my taste. Could this homemade chai recipe be any more delicious? The question was rhetorical. The answer is no.
Step Four: Store the homemade chai in your refrigerator! Mmm. It's like having a latte stand right there in your fridge, whenever you need one! Note: This is a gallon sized mason jar – to give you an idea of the overall yield.
So how do you serve this homemade chai tea recipe, you ask? Well, I combine the concentrate and raw milk at a 1:1 ratio. Use slightly less milk if you like a spicier chai. Then, I add a few ice cubes, shake it around, and bam. Iced chai tea latte.
What's that? You want it hot? Easy! Simply combine the milk and the chai together and heat the mixture up slowly on the stove in a saucepan. Then, sip and enjoy.
Seriously.
This might have been the easiest thing I've ever made.
And it cost me less than $2. I could probably even cut the cost more if I bought the spices in larger bulk.
$2 people! That's less than one 12 oz. chai tea latte from Starbucks! And this recipe makes enough for, heck, I don't know how many, a dozen? Depending on what size of glass you use.
Sometimes I make little ones, just as a little pick me up.
Sometimes I make big ones. Because I want to.
Sometimes I make two big ones. Because it's been that kind of a day.
Let me tell you my three favorite things about this homemade chai tea recipe. Actually, four things.
1. It's inexpensive. This saves me from splurging at Starbucks.
2. I get to use an all natural sweetener vs. the sugary syrup that Starbucks uses (no offense, Starbucks).
3. I get to control the spice, and the sweetness, to my liking.
4. I get to use my raw milk vs. the ultra-pasteurized milk that Starbucks uses.
And while I do love the Farmers Market, and I do love the wonderful farmers there, I think I'll stick with making this wonderful chai concentrate at home. And now that I've started, I doubt I'll ever stop. What's better than having a lovely mixture of this in your fridge at all times?
Hmmm…
I'll tell you what's better.
A NIKON D70.
Booya Grandma. I. AM. SO. EXCITED.
Homemade Chai Recipe
for a tasty and inexpensive chai tea
- 6 cinnamon sticks
- 15-20 allspice berries
- 5 cardamom pods
- 15 cloves
- 25 black peppercorns
- 2 teaspoon of dried ginger (less if you like it less spicy)
- A wee bit of freshly grated nutmeg (1/8 tsp.?)
- 6 tablespoons of rooibos tea (or 6 rooibos tea bags, or 6 darjeeling tea bags)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- Sweetener of choice (quantity depending on how sweet you like your chai! I use 1/4 cup sucanant)
- Using a mortal and pestle, or whatever means necessary, gently crack the spices (excluding the cinnamon sticks and ginger). Then, combine the cracked spices, the cinnamon sticks, the ginger, and 6 cups of filtered water in a pot.
- Bring the water to a boil and allow it to slowly simmer for 25 minutes.
- Strain the tea to remove all the spice and herb sediment. Add the vanilla. Then, mix in your sweetener.
- Store the homemade chai in your refrigerator! Mmm.
For other great meal ideas, no matter what your dietary restrictions, check out the meal planning service I use: Real Plans.
Enjoyed your post i myself love chai tea/ a latte. I buy the tea bags at the store then heat it up on the stove.
When do you add the tea bags?
I can’t wait to try this! I am such a cheapo that I never buy Chai because the price tag. You’ve made my day! 🙂
And I am so envious! I bought the Cannon and really wish I would have gone for the Nikon! Enjoy that wonderful little peice of equipment!
Add green and black cardamon, and some anise seed!
Good on you for coming up with your own blend. That’s how they do it in India. Every family has its own blend of spices. Here’s a tip for you, heat your spices first in a skillet, then make your brew. The heat will really release the flavors.
Hi Julia , do leavehe spices in their whole state or , Crack them up and then heat the spices up? And, how long do you heat spices up for?
Thanks so much for valuable information .
thank you
I want a Nikon SO BADLY!!!!!!!! Jealous over here!!!! lol
Okay, this is now on my “to do” list, I love iced chai tea lattes! Thanks for the recipe!
This looks so good! I hope you come and share it at FAT TUESDAY!
http://realfoodforager.com/2011/08/fat-tuesday-august-23-2011/
Oh my gosh, YUM! I am so going to make this. I love chair, but never get it because of the starbucks price tag!
thanks,
Amy
I make my chai in the crock pot overnight. I use a bag for the spices and throw the tea in, in the morning for 15 min or so. Fresh ginger slices work well also. I use 3 1/2 quarts water and about the same amount of spice as you,
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This looks sooo good! I love that if I use Rooibus I could drink this without any caffeine (staying away from it while pregnant and seriously missing my chai teas!). Question – how long do you think the concentrate would last in the fridge? Just something helpful to know if giving this as a gift. Thanks!
I love chai and am excited to make this. I couldn’t find where to add the rooibos tea into the process. Is it added during the boiling water stage? Will this make it bitter boiling it for 25 minutes?
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Thank you so much for this recipe. I just made my second batch! Love it with coconut milk and honey.
I am so excited to try this. Question, do you think you could make large batches and can it?
I have no idea – mine never lasts long enough! 😉
Because of the low pH in these products, unless you have a scientifically proven recipe, you’re better off freezing this tea. It would be great to make ice cubes of it, for portion control.
Great suggestion! Especially if you prefer them iced, the cubes won’t water the drink down when they melt.
Yikes, sorry about the all caps name in previous post.
I used about 3/4 c. of the concentrate in a chai ice cream recipe from Just Making Noise’s “Just Making Ice Cream” – DELICIOUS!
That sounds delicious!
Yum! I make my own chai too ’cause I love it spicy! I gave it away for Christmas one year, I used the same spices and mixed it with tea leaves (also added pink peppercorns because they’re pretty) and jarred it up and gave it away.
I was curious as to how long you think this will keep in the refrigerator. If I remember correctly, the Tazo brand is good for only 7 days after opening it… Maybe I should just make a much smaller batch. I never go through that one in time.
just made a crock pot full of chai concentrate.
I enjoy a big glass with milk and ice
Looks wonderful – also wondering shelf life in refrigerator? Thanks so much! I would love to replace my caramel latte cravings with this recipe!
I drink mine up within a week!
I am going to try the chai tea. The price is the biggest “spice”. Thank you for sharing
I also make my own chai mixture.
Try adding some orange zest/peel (make sure no pith) in the simmering mixture, the flavour is amazing. A few slithers of fresh ginger gives a lovely flavour as well.
I also prefer to add chopped up vanilla bean as opposed to vanilla extract.
I also add molasses and honey into my mixture as well as star anise.
There is absolutely no comparison between commercial chai and this home made chai. Enjoy
Yum!
I’ve been trying to perfect the taste of authentic Chai for years, after having travelled to India.
The spices suggested in your recipe are very much similar to what I use.
I would suggest a better tea to use though is loose leaf Assam tea, it can be bought from most Indian supermarkets and should be far cheaper than darjeeling teabags!
Secondly, it’s rare you’d find Indians drink chai without milk and a fairly generous amount of sugar (say upwards of two teaspoons per cup) and street vendors often have their brews pre-sweetened.
Usually I’ll make my brew in water first, much as you suggest, tempering the spices first is a good idea, then add an equal amount of milk, and bring it to a very light simmer, making sure NEVER to let it boil (it can happen quickly).
The longer you brew it, the richer the flavour. I’d suggest at least half an hour after adding the milk.
I also sometimes just use milk and no water for the brew, but this takes more care.
I kinda like the “petal to the metal” image. Much more homesteady than the original version.
If I were to replace the dried ginger with fresh – how much should I use?
I usually use a piece that’s 2″ long and about 1″ wide!
I love this recipe and your gorgeous photos. Thanks so much – pinning!
I just got my first bag of Rooibos tea on Saturday. I’m so excited to finally make this! Being an active LDS member, tea is the only thing I truly miss. This makes me very happy! I see me doing a cop of this tonight while watching Reign on Netflix! 😀
I thought it was fabulaous love love loved it just made a second batch thank you
Just made this. Soooo good. Thank you so much! I think next time I’ll add a little extra spice, but that’s just because I love spicy chai so much. xo
I just made a batch of this in my slow cooker, left it brewing for day and a night and it put the best smell through the house. I swapped dried ginger with a slice of fresh, added a star anise pod and half a vanilla bean. Super sweet with rapadura! And I am out of raw milk till next week so I used unsweetened coconut milk (1 ingredient coconut milk, the real thai real stuff) out of a tin to drink with, and it was soooo gooood! Shaye, with your lovely pics on Instagram today and the recipes in From Scratch, you might just be my hero!
I can’t wait to try this. It looks and sounds delish.
Love your dedication to putting up all this amazing content! Helps a sista out!
…..and since you mentioned it….70D…what lenses do you shoot with? Appreciate it! Much love!
Could you please revise your recipe to tell the reader when to add the tea with the spices?
Where do you order your spices from in bulk?