11 Incredible Recipes of How to Make Homemade Chai Tea Easily

Chai tea is one of the most energizing beverages one can have in the morning. For many years, this beverage has been the most popular morning drink in India.

It has lovely aromatic taste notes and a robust flavor that gives you the right energy you need to start your day well.

Chai tea also makes an excellent beverage to share with a friend or family member on a cold evening. It’s a great way to forge connections and build relationships.

While there are various ways to make chai, many people still don’t know how to make chai tea at home. They only enjoy this type of tea in tea and coffee shops. 

As with most beverages, delicious and authentic chai tea requires you to have some skill and knowledge on how to prepare it.

If you are a tea fanatic and have a thing for chai tea, you have landed on the right page.

This article will provide 11 incredible recipes of how to make homemade chai tea easily. But first, let’s learn what chai tea really is.

What is Chai Tea?

Originated in Southern Asia, chai tea is a creamy, spiced tea usually enjoyed in India but is becoming popular in most parts of the world.

It’s a beverage prepared by boiling black tea in milk, water, and often a mixture of aromatic herbs and spices.

The most common type of black tea used in chai tea is Assam, though other types may be used. It delivers a robust and full-bodied flavor.

Chai tea is usually made whole, as it’s the best way to realize the richness in the tea and spices used.

It can be made with various fresh spices, including a mixture of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and star anise. However, different people have a blend that suits their taste.

The most commonly used sweetener for chai tea is plain white sugar. Other sweeteners like jaggery, unrefined cane sugar, and concentrated sweet flavor can also be used.

Chai tea is usually paired with some snacks and spicy treats such as samosa, small sandwiches, pakora, and murukku.

If you drink chai tea every day, you can reap various health benefits, including balanced blood sugar levels and improved heart health. Chai tea is also believed to enhance digestion and reduce nausea.

It’s easy to make chai tea at home, only that you need to have a few ingredients and follow a specific recipe.

So, what are the ingredients of chai tea? Well, the ingredients can vary depending on the recipe you want to use.

In this case, there are many homemade chai tea recipes you can follow to make a delicious beverage in the comfort of your home.

Here are the 11 best homemade chai tea recipes you can try at home:

1. Homemade Chai Tea Latte

This is a sweeter version of regular chai tea usually made with soluble powder or syrup that is similar to a chai flavor.

It’s made by mixing steamed milk with black tea that has been brewed with spices then topped with frothy milk foam.

Chai tea latte is often served hot but can also be enjoyed as an iced beverage. Here is how to prepare it at home:

Ingredients

• 1 chai tea bag (black tea)
• ¾ cup of boiling water
• Cloves and cinnamon stick
• 1 ½ teaspoon of honey
• 1 teaspoon of white sugar
• ¾ cup of milk

Instructions

• Pour your clean water into a kettle and let it boil.
• Add cloves and cinnamon sticks or any other spices you plan to use into the boiling water.
• Transfer the boiling water with spices into a teapot and steep your teabag for about 5 to 10 minutes.
• Discard the teabag and add honey and sugar to dissolve in the tea to sweeten the beverage.
• Froth the milk to form a frothy and thick liquid and heat it on a small saucepan over low or medium heat.
• Transfer the steeped tea into mugs and add warm milk. Then top the drink with a scoop of hot-frothed milk and stir to enjoy!

2. Homemade Chai Tea Concentrate

Chai tea concentrate is one of the easiest ways to enjoy spiced tea that suits your taste.

If chai tea is your favorite comforting drink, here is a recipe for homemade chai tea concentrate:

Ingredients

• 4 cups of clean water
• Black tea bags
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 vanilla bean or 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• ½ cup of coconut sugar or raw cane sugar
• Small piece of fresh ginger
• 10 whole cloves
• ½ teaspoon of freshly ground nutmeg
• 8 cardamom pods2 whole star anise pods
• ½ teaspoon of whole black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon of orange zest

To prepare a chai tea concentrate, you’ll need a good strainer and a quart-sized glass bottle. Once you gather all the ingredients and the equipment necessary, you can follow these instructions:

• Prepare your spices and lay them on a cheesecloth, and tie it with small kitchen twine. If you don’t want to use a cheesecloth, you’ll just have to add the spices directly into the water.
• Add your clean water and sugar to a small saucepan and let them boil over medium-high heat. When the water boils, reduce the heat and put the tea bags and the cheesecloth into the simmering water.
• After simmering for about 20 minutes, remove the saucepan from the heat and strain the infusion through a sieve.
• Then add one tablespoon of honey to sweeten your concentrate and stir to dissolve. If you didn’t use a vanilla bean, it’s time to add the vanilla extract, then stir the mixture.
• Let the mixture cool before transferring it into a container or airtight jar. When the concentrate has fully cooled, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to one week.
• To serve the concentrate, mix a small amount of it with sweetened or unsweetened milk. You can use hot milk or serve over iced milk for a cold drink.

3. Starbucks Copycat Tea Latte

This is a delicious type of chai tea from Starbucks. It’s usually made with water, milk, black tea, and spices.

It has a significant amount of caffeine, making a great drink to uplift your mood and keep you energized. 

Here is how to make Starbucks copycat tea latte:

Ingredients

• ½ cup of water
• 2 chai tea bags (black tea)
• ½ cup of milk
• 2 tablespoons of sweetener like honey or white sugar
• Powdered cinnamon and nutmeg

Once you gather the ingredients you can follow these instructions to make a Starbucks copycat chai tea latte:

• Pour clean freshwater into a kettle and bring it to a boil.
• Steep the teabag in a teapot with black tea for about 5 to 10 minutes.
• Add hot milk and honey or any other sweetener you like into the steeped tea.
• Use a frother or immersion blender and blend until the mixture is frothy.
• Transfer your Starbucks copycat chai tea latte into a cup. Then sprinkle some cinnamon and nutmeg on top and enjoy with a snack!

4. Indian Chai Hot Chocolate

This is a delicious beverage made with hot chocolate and chai tea. It tastes like normal chai tea but with some chocolate taste notes.

Ingredients

• ½ cup of milk
• ½ cup of water
• 1 chai tea bag
• 1 package of instant hot chocolate mix

Instructions

• Pour the water and milk into a microwave-safe mug.
• Turn the microwave on and cook on high for about one and a half minutes.
• Remove the mixture and add the chai tea bag. Then leave the tea to steep for about two to three minutes.
• Discard the tea bag and stir in your instant chocolate hot mix.

5. Hot and Spicy Himalayan Chai Tea

If you love spices that much, you can make this delicious and robust chai tea variety in about 20 minutes. Here is what you need:

• 3 cups of water
• 3 tablespoons of light brown or white sugar
• 1 piece of ginger root
• ½ cinnamon stick
• 3 green cardamom pods
• 6 whole cloves
• 1 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds
• ¼ teaspoon of black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon of Darjeeling tea leaves
• ½ cup of milk 

Instructions

• Boil water.
• Add all the ingredients except tea leaves and milk and then stir the mixture. Leave them to simmer in medium heat for about 20 minutes.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the Darjeeling tea leaves. Let the mixture steep for 5-10 minutes.
• Stir milk into the mixture and bring to a boil.
• Strain the tea into a jar or teacups, and enjoy!

6. Homemade Rooibus Chai Tea

Rooibus chai leaves are usually grown in South Africa, and they can be used as a substitute for the black tea used in most chai tea recipes.

Here is how to make Rooibus chai tea at home:

Ingredients

• ½ cup of whole milk
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 teaspoons of cardamom pods (crushed lightly)
• 4 cups of water
• 1 teaspoon whole cloves
• 2 small pieces of ginger
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 2 tablespoons of loose Rooibus tea

Instructions

• Bring water to a boil.
• Reduce the heat, and add all ingredients. Let the mixture simmer for 20 minutes. While at it, ensure you stir gently.
• Strain your chain and serve.

Read More:

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7. Slow Cooker Chai

This is an easy chai tea version usually prepared with whole spices and sweetened condensed milk. Here is how to make it:

Ingredients

• 1 quart of water
• 5 slices of ginger
• 5 green cardamom pods
• 8 whole cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 black tea bags
• 5 ounces of sweetened condensed milk

Instructions

• Pour your clean, fresh water into a crock of slow cooker.
• Add ginger, clove and peppercorn.
• Let the mixture simmer for 8 hours before putting black tea bag into the spiced water.
• Wait for the tea to steep for five minutes.
• Finally, strain your tea and add sweetened condensed milk.

8. Vegan Chai Tea

If you embrace veganism, you may want to try this vegan-friendly chai tea recipe. It involves swapping the dairy milk used in making chai tea with almond or coconut milk.

Ingredients

• 8 cardamom seeds
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 8 cloves
• 2 cups of coconut or almond milk
• 4 bags of black tea
• 8 teaspoons of sugar

Instructions

• Crush the cardamom, cloves, and peppercorns in a resealable paper bag.
• Place the crushed ingredients in a saucepan. Then add ginger, cinnamon, milk, and water.
• Turn the heat on and bring the mixture to a boil before turning the heat off.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat source and add your teabags. Then let them steep for about 5 to 10 minutes.
• Strain your vegan chai tea into cups and sweeten it with sugar or any other desired sweetener.

9. Chocolate Chai Tea

This is a spicy cinnamon chai tea with chocolate. It’s a great hot drink to enjoy on cold winter nights.

Ingredients

• 1 black tea bag
• ¼ cup of water
• 3 tablespoons of white sugar
• 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups of milk
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• Sweetened whipped cream
• 2 cinnamon sticks

Instructions

• Boil the water in a small saucepan and remove from the pan heat once boiled.
• Add the tea bag and let it steep for about 4 minutes.
• Remove the tea bag and stir in your white sugar and cocoa.
• Return the saucepan to the stove and let the mixture boil over medium heat.
• Add milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Then pour the hot drink into mugs and top with the whipped cream.

10. Iced Chai Latte

It’s very easy to make an iced chai latte at home, and you can actually make a big batch for the whole week.

Ingredients

• 4 chai tea bags
• 1-quart water
• ¼ cup of honey
• ¼ cup of water
• 3 cups of milk

Instructions

• Steep the tea bags in cold water for about 8 to 12 hours
• Combine honey and water and microwave them for about 30 to make the honey syrup. Then allow the mixture to cool.
• Remove the tea bags and pour some tea into tea mugs. Store the remaining tea in the refrigerator.
• Add a few ice cubes and two tablespoons of honey syrup to each mug. Then sweeten the tea with some milk.
• Stir to combine the ingredients and enjoy your iced chai latte.

11. Homemade Chai Tea Mix

Give yourself an instant boost with a cup of delicious chai tea mix on a chilly morning or a gray day.

Homemade chai tea mix is an easy recipe you can prepare within a short time at home. It works best with vanilla sugar instead of regular sugar.

Here is how to make it:

Ingredients

• ½ cup of vanilla sugar
• Non-dairy creamer
• Instant tea
• 1 cup of nonfat milk powder
• ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon of ground cardamom
• 1/8 teaspoon of ground cloves
• 2 teaspoons of ground ginger
• A pinch of ground pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg

Instructions

• Combine the milk powder, non-dairy creamer, vanilla sugar, and instant tea in a large bowl.
• Add ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cardamom into the mixture. Then stir to combine the ingredients.
• Blend the mixture in a blender until you achieve a consistently fine powder. For best results, blend one cup at a time.
• To serve, add 2 heaping tablespoons of the chai tea mix into a cup of hot water and stir to combine.
• Store the remaining chai tea mixture in an airtight container and store it in the pantry.

How to Mix Your Own Chai Tea Spices

Have you ever wondered how to make chai tea mix at home for a highly-flavored drink? Well, it’s pretty simple, provided you have all the ingredients.

The best thing about having a ready chai tea mix is that you can easily create delicious chai tea lattes, chocolate chai, apple chai, or any chai tea recipe anytime you want.

Here are the main spices you need to make a perfect chai tea mix at home:

• 2 teaspoons of ground cardamom
• 6 teaspoon of ground ginger
• 2 teaspoon of ground allspice
• 2 teaspoon of ground cloves
• 4 teaspoons of ground cinnamon

To make your homemade chai tea mix, combine all the spices in a large bowl and mix them thoroughly. Then transfer the mix into an airtight container.

If you prefer a sweet spice to a bite, you can substitute the ginger powder with two teaspoons of coconut sugar, brown sugar, or white sugar.

FAQs

Conclusion

Most chai tea versions, especially the chai latte, have become a popular way to enjoy tea at coffee and tea shops.
Fortunately, you can make various versions of chai tea at home easily. Don’t hesitate to try any of the recipes provided above.
You’ll have excellent results if you gather the ingredients needed for the recipe you want to try and follow the instructions given. Good luck!