I’ve been drinking Masala Chai since I was a kid. Sure, back then my mom probably made it with more milk than tea, but the flavor was still there. Growing up in an Indian household, freshly made chai was served at least two times a day, more so if we had guests. It didn’t matter whether it was 100 degrees outside, my parents would still drink their two cups of creamy, hot chai.
My mom continues to drink her two cups of chai every day. So twice a day, she washes her teapot and goes through the tedious process of crushing spices and boiling tea. For her it’s nothing, but personally, I don’t know how she does it (patience? what’s patience?). I love freshly made chai, but I just don’t have the time to make it every day, let alone twice a day.
That’s Why I Started Making Homemade Chai Concentrate
It’s infused with all the masala flavors that I love: fresh ginger, cardamom, cloves, and fennel seed. The best part is, that I only have to make it once a week.
There’s nothing like drinking a fragrant cup of spiced masala chai in the mornings. The smell of sweet cardamom and spicy ginger is enough to wake you up. With this homemade chai concentrate, I can have my daily cup of chai without all the work that goes into making it.
Mom’s “Rules” for Drinking Chai
Even though I’ve streamlined the chai-making process, I still follow my mom’s instructions on how to enjoy a cup of chai to a Tea (heh, get it… T & tea 🤓).
- The chai must be HOT, not warm.
- Rinse your cup in hot water before pouring the chai. This keeps the chai HOT for a longer period of time.
- Drink the chai in a fancy china cup. Non-negotiable.
If you love chai, you can double, triple, or quadruple this recipe to make even more chai concentrate. If you’re keeping it all for yourself, just freeze the concentrate into ice cubes so they’ll last longer! In the summer, you can use these cubes to make a tasty iced chai drink!
Ingredients
- 5 cups water
- 10 bags black tea bags
- 10 cardamom pods
- 10 whole cloves
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 3 inch ginger cut into pieces
Instructions
- Lightly crush the cardamom pods and cloves with a mortar pestle.
- Add the ginger, spices, and water to a large saucepan and bring to a full boil.
- After 3-4 minutes, add the tea bags and reduce heat to low-medium.
- Put on the cover and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Strain the chai and store in a mason jar or a glass container in the fridge.
- To make a cup of chai, mix the concentrate, hot water and steamed milk of choice to taste.
Kait says
Just wanted to say thanks for this recipe! I keep going back to it over the last few years. I add extra ginger, peppercorns, a stick of cinnamon and a few star anise to give extra flavor and mix it with milk only.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Kait, thanks for letting me know how much you like it! Glad it’s one you keep coming back to 🙂
Samantha L says
Hi there, I may made this recipe and I enjoyed it but wished it was stronger in flavor. I already used very limited oat Milk. What would your suggestion be for a spicer chai? I additionally added black pepper corns and a half stick of cinnamon for my personal preference
My Heart Beets says
Hi Samantha, if you want a spicier chai, you can add more ginger (that’ll definitely help!) and you can also simmer the spices/ginger longer. The longer you simmer them, the spicier the chai should be. Let me know if that helps!
TB says
Hi,
The recipe asks to mix the concentrate, hot water and milk. I’m confused about what you mean by 1:1. Do you mean 1:1:1? So equal parts concentrate, hot water and milk?
My Heart Beets says
Please adjust this to your taste – I’d say it’ll really depend on the type of milk you’re using and also how creamy you like your chai.