Chai Tea Concentrate (To Make Your Own Chai Tea Lattes At Home)
This spiced chai tea concentrate can be used to make your own chai tea lattes at home. A unique homemade gift from the kitchen, with minimal spend.
Making your own flavored drink syrups at home is incredibly easy.
I’ve done this several times before – with ginger, lavender, and other flavors – but I recently discovered my favorite homemade syrup of all: A spicy, zesty chai tea blend that can be used to make your own chai tea lattes at home.
This is essentially a chai-spiced simple syrup. The spices I used are:
- Ginger
- Cinnamon
- Black peppercorns
- Cardamom
- Cloves
- Star anise
- Nutmeg
Makes a Great (And Inexpensive) Gift
Do you plan on giving homemade gifts this year for Christmas? Consider making a batch of this syrup. It’s a bit more creative than traditional food gifts like fudge and spiced nuts.
To make it gift-worthy, put it in a pretty container, add ribbon and a label, and you have a great holiday-appropriate gift that costs about $2.00 to make.
Other homemade gifts from the kitchen I like to give: Homemade vanilla extract, coffee spice mixes, and DIY herb blends.
Money-saving tip: Buy spices in the bulk food section instead of buying entire jars.
How To Make Homemade Chai Tea Lattes At Home
I considered making a concentrate that already contained tea, but after doing some research online, I decided against it because then the syrup wouldn’t last as long.
Instead, use these instructions to make a delicious chai tea latte at home:
- Make a strong cup of black tea (use 2 tea bags, if necessary)
- Use these instructions to make steamed milk in the microwave (or use your own steamer or milk frother)
- Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the syrup (recipe below) to the hot tea
- Add steamed milk and stir with a spoon
Other Uses For Chai Tea Concentrate
Besides making homemade chai tea lattes at home, here are some other uses for this syrup:
- Make the most delicious whipped cream ever: Use this syrup instead of sugar to sweeten homemade whipped cream. Serve on top of pumpkin or apple pie.
- Stir into your morning coffee along with some half-and-half
- Make a chai-spiced café latte
- Drizzle on top of vanilla ice cream
- Use as a syrup on pancakes or apple oatcakes
- Use as a cocktail mixer
- Add a tablespoon or two to cake batter
- Add a tablespoon or two to French toast or pancake batter
- Drizzle on top of cinnamon ice cream
Follow Haley @ Cheap Recipe Blog’s board Food as Gifts on Pinterest.
Chai Tea Concentrate (Chai-Flavored Simple Syrup)
Feel free to increase the amount of spices you use. I like my chai tea extra spicy, so next time I'll probably double the amount listed below. But for a crowd-pleasing flavor, stick to the recipe below.
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 knob of ginger, peeled
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 2 tablespoons cardamom pods
- 2 tablespoons dried cloves
- 3 star anise pods
- 2 nutmeg seeds
Instructions
- To prepare the dried spices: You will want to muddle the dried spices. You can either use a mortar and pestle, or simply use the back of a large knife and give the spices a good whack. You don't need to grind the spices - just break them slightly so that the flavors are more easily released.
- To make syrup: Place water and sugar in a medium saucepan. Turn on the heat to medium, heat to a simmer, and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add ginger and spices. Turn down heat to a low simmer and cook for 30 minutes or longer - until the syrup is infused and flavorful. Remove from heat and allow the syrup to cool.
- Before bottling, strain out any of the spice particles. Syrup will keep several months if refrigerated in an airtight container.
Finally made this today! Smells so good! I need to buy more glass bottles. I think my family would enjoy this for presents.
Awesome, Holly! This is definitely great for a gift.
I would love ❤️ this as a stocking stuffer 😉😉😉
Would make a great stocking stuffer indeed 🙂
I’ve been trying to get into hard candy making for a while now but I’m also a huge tea enthusiast. I came up with the idea that I want to combine the two and figured tea concentrates would be a perfect way to get the flavors I need. I cant wait to try this recipe out and to try making my first batch of candy!
What a clever idea!