Homemade Chai Tea Recipe
- By: Samantha, selected from Planet Green
- July 31, 2011
- About Samantha
- Follow Samantha at @PlanetGreen
By Lauren Howland, Planet Green
I love drinking chai and have gotten into a bad habit of stopping at Starbucks on my way out to grab one. Although having something made on the run can be convenient, it leaves out the fun of learning to make something new, and also making it exactly how you want it (less sweetened, more spice, etc). The fun part is trying and tasting different mixtures of spice to find the perfect blend for your pallet. And, if you have extra, you can put it in the fridge and enjoy it on ice later on.
I like my chai to be pretty milky. So usually, I take a small boiling pot and fill it with 2 cups milk, or a milk alternative (I’ve tried with unsweetened coconut milk and almond milk and both work well), and one cup water. Traditionally, milk, water and black tea are boiled together. But, milk can be added after or not used at all.
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups vegan milk of your choice
- 1 cup water
- 1 small piece of ginger, chopped up into small pieces
- 5-7 crushed, or opened, cardamom seeds
- 2 cinnamon sticks broken up
- a few whole cloves
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 2-3 black tea bags, or approximately 6 teaspoons of loose black tea (If you like stronger tea add more).
- sugar or alternative sweetener (optional)
Instructions
- First, let the milk and water come to a slow boil in a small pot.
- Turn down the heat to a simmer and add the ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns and tea bags or loose tea.
- Let the mixture simmer for about 30 seconds to a minute (longer if you want stronger flavors) and then remove it from the heat. Allow 15-20 minutes for the mixture to cool and the flavors to blend, then strain into mugs. You can reheat before straining, if the tea is too cold for your liking.
- If you like your tea sweet, then add sugar or an alternative sweetener to taste. Enjoy!
Related at Care2
Images via Thinkstock
Thanks I enjoy this tea every now and then and enjoy making my own fresh foods because that way I know what's in it and it's been made with respect and love.
SEND