Description
This Homemade Chai Tea Concentrate recipe offers a rich, aromatic blend of spices slowly simmered for hours in a crockpot, then infused with black tea to create a flavorful concentrate. Perfect for making chai lattes at home, this concentrate can be mixed with milk for a hot or iced beverage bursting with warm spices and natural sweetness.
Ingredients
Scale
Spices
- 4 inches cinnamon sticks
- 4 whole star anise
- 15 cardamom pods, slightly crushed
- 8 whole cloves
- 4 whole allspice
- 2 inch knob fresh ginger, thinly sliced OR 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon fresh black pepper
Other Ingredients
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 cups water
- 8 black tea bags
Instructions
- Combine ingredients in crockpot: Add all of the ingredients except the tea bags to the crockpot. Stir together to ensure the honey isn’t just sitting on the bottom, helping it dissolve evenly.
- Simmer spices and water: Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 7-9 hours, allowing the spices to slowly infuse their flavors into the water.
- Steep tea bags: Turn off the crockpot and stir in the tea bags. Cover again and let the tea steep for 15 minutes, extracting a robust black tea flavor.
- Prepare straining setup: Line a strainer with cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl or container to catch the concentrate.
- Remove tea bags and spices: Use a slotted spoon to carefully remove the tea bags and whole spices from the crockpot, clearing the liquid for straining.
- Strain the concentrate: Ladle the chai concentrate into the cheesecloth-lined strainer until all liquid is filtered, leaving behind any residual solids.
- Store the chai concentrate: Transfer the strained chai concentrate to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
- Serve your chai latte: To make a chai latte, mix the concentrate 50/50 with your preferred milk. Serve hot by heating or pour over ice for a refreshing iced chai latte.
Notes
- The slow cooking times in the crockpot allow the spices to fully develop their flavors for a rich concentrate.
- You can adjust the sweetness by adding more or less honey according to preference.
- Use cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer to ensure a smooth, grit-free concentrate.
- This concentrate can be frozen in ice cube trays for longer storage and convenience.
- Substitute dairy milk with any plant-based milk for a vegan-friendly chai latte.
