Chai Syrup
This homemade chai syrup recipe makes an aromatic, masala chai-inspired concentrate with cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, and other spices. It can be prepared with or without black tea and is perfect for both hot and iced chai lattes. Once you’ve made a batch, simply mix a little syrup with plant-based milk whenever you feel like a vegan chai latte.
Chai Syrup Instead of Freshly Brewed Masala Chai
Masala chai is an Indian spiced tea traditionally made with black tea, spices, milk, and sugar. The exact spice blend and preparation vary depending on the region and personal preference.
In this recipe, the spices are simmered with water and sugar to create a chai concentrate that you can later simply mix with plant-based milk.
Homemade chai syrup isn’t the same as traditionally prepared masala chai, but it’s a convenient way to enjoy its warm, spicy flavors whenever you feel like having a chai latte.
What Spices Go Into Chai Syrup?
My spice blend is inspired by the flavor of Yogi Tea Classic, which I’ve always particularly enjoyed. For this chai syrup, I use:
- Cinnamon sticks: Add warmth and a slightly sweet cinnamon flavor.
- Cardamom pods: Give chai its characteristic aromatic, slightly floral notes.
- Fresh ginger: Adds a pleasant kick of heat.
- Cloves: Bring an intense, warm, spicy flavor.
- Allspice: Adds warm, slightly peppery notes to the blend.
- Black peppercorns: Enhance the spiciness and add a little extra heat.
Fennel seeds, star anise, or a little chili would also work. After trying different variations, I’ve stuck with this particular blend because I prefer it without those additional spices.
For this recipe, use unground spices whenever possible. They’re much easier to strain out after simmering, while finely ground spices can end up in the finished concentrate.
How to Make Homemade Chai Syrup
You’ll find the complete instructions in the recipe card below, but there are two steps worth explaining in a little more detail.
Crush and Briefly Toast the Spices
Lightly crush the spices before cooking to help release their flavors. The cardamom pods in particular should split open. There’s no need to grind the spices into a fine powder – in fact, it’s better not to.
Next, I toast them in a dry pot for about one minute. The aroma is absolutely wonderful.
Keep a close eye on them: The spices should become fragrant, not burn. If they start smoking heavily, the heat is too high.
Simmer the Spices and Strain Thoroughly
After toasting, add the fresh ginger, water, and brown sugar. Let everything simmer for about 20 minutes so the spices can infuse the liquid with their flavors.
To strain the mixture, I line a fine-mesh sieve with cheesecloth. This catches even the smaller spice particles. I then let the strained liquid simmer for another ten minutes.
Why Isn’t My Chai Syrup Thick?
This chai syrup is more of a liquid concentrate than a traditional thick sugar syrup. That’s because of the ratio of water to sugar.
So if your syrup is still quite runny after cooling, don’t worry – that’s exactly how it’s supposed to be. It’s designed to be mixed with plant-based milk in small amounts.
Chai Syrup With or Without Black Tea?
You can make this recipe either with or without black tea.
With black tea, the concentrate tastes closer to traditional masala chai and contains caffeine. This is the version I personally prefer.
The black tea is added only after the spices have finished simmering. Turn off the heat, let the tea steep for about three to five minutes, then strain it out. Since you’re using quite a substantial amount of tea, setting a timer is a good idea. Leaving it to steep for too long can make the tea bitter.
Without black tea, you’ll have a caffeine-free spiced syrup. Simply leave out the tea at the end. This is especially convenient if you want to enjoy a chai latte in the evening or prefer to avoid caffeine.
It’s difficult to give a reliable caffeine amount per cup for the version with black tea. The actual amount depends on several factors, including the type of tea, steeping time, and how much syrup you use.
How to Make a Chai Latte With Homemade Syrup
To make a vegan chai latte, mix 1–2 tablespoons of chai syrup with plant-based milk, such as my homemade barista oat milk. I recommend starting with one tablespoon and adding more to taste.
You can also replace some of the plant-based milk with water. The drink will be a little less creamy, but it still tastes good.
Depending on what you’re in the mood for, there are several ways to enjoy your chai latte:
- Hot Chai Latte: Heat the plant-based milk, froth it if you like, and stir in the syrup.
- Iced Chai Latte: Combine the syrup with cold plant-based milk and ice cubes in a glass, then stir well.
- Dirty Chai Latte: Add a shot of espresso to your chai latte for a coffee flavor alongside the warming chai spices.
If you like, sprinkle a little cinnamon over your finished chai latte.
On a cold autumn or winter day, a hot chai latte is especially lovely with Vanillekipferl (Austrian vanilla crescent cookies), a slice of moist carrot cake, soft apple cinnamon rolls, or a piece of this baked oats breakfast cake.
How to Store Homemade Chai Syrup
Pour the hot chai syrup into thoroughly cleaned, heat-resistant bottles and seal them tightly. Once cooled, store the syrup in the refrigerator.
It’s difficult to give an exact shelf life for homemade chai syrup without specific testing. The sugar content can help with preservation, but it doesn’t make the syrup last indefinitely.
Make sure to work hygienically and discard the syrup if you notice mold, signs of fermentation, or other changes.
If you’d like to make a larger batch, you can also freeze some of the syrup in smaller portions.
This chai mix tasted so much better than the chai lattes I get at my local coffee shop! I’m making a big batch of this to use throughout the winter season!
Ho Ho Ho!
This homemade chai syrup isn’t just a treat for yourself – it also makes a wonderful homemade Christmas gift for family, friends, and colleagues.
Make sure to use bottles that seal properly. I ordered my swing top bottles *) from Amazon. They are affordable and 9 pieces of 8 oz each are perfect for the double amount of syrup listed in the recipe (2 liters or 67 oz), if you leave a tiny bit of room at the top.
To make that amount, simply double the servings in the recipe card using the arrow – the ingredient quantities will adjust automatically.
Homemade Chai Syrup for Hot & Iced Chai Lattes
Useful equipment
- cheesecloth *)
Ingredients
- 500 g brown sugar *) turbinado sugar
- 1 liter water
- 2 sticks cinnamon *)
- 4 tablespoons cardamom pods *)
- 50 g ginger approx. 8 thumb-sized pieces
- 3 tablespoons cloves *)
- 1.5 tablespoons all spice *)
- 10 black peppercorns *)
- 50 g loose black tea *) optional (you can also use teabags with the same amount/weight of tea)
Instructions
- Prepare the bottles: Thoroughly clean the heat-resistant bottles and their closures, rinse them with hot water, and let them drain well. Have a clean funnel ready for filling.
- Prepare the ginger: Wash the ginger thoroughly. If it isn't organic, peel it. Then cut it into slices.
- Crush the spices: Roughly crush the cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, cloves, allspice, and peppercorns. The cardamom pods in particular should split open. You can use a mortar and pestle or simply place the spices directly in the pot and crush them with the bottom of a sturdy glass.
- Toast the spices: Toast the crushed spices in a sufficiently large pot over medium heat for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Be careful: The spices will start smoking quite quickly, but that doesn't necessarily mean they've burned. They'll release a heavenly aroma! Keep a close eye on them and don't toast them for much longer than a minute, as they can burn quickly.
- Cook the syrup: Add the ginger, brown sugar, and water and bring everything to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low or medium-low and let it simmer gently for about 20 minutes.
- Strain the spices: Pour the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth into a second pot. Let the strained syrup simmer gently for another 10 minutes.
- Add black tea (optional): If you're making the version with black tea, turn off the heat, add the tea, and let it steep for 3–5 minutes. Then strain the syrup again through cheesecloth. If you're using tea bags, simply remove them.
- Bottle the syrup: Using a clean funnel, pour the still-hot chai syrup into the prepared, heat-resistant bottles and seal them tightly.
Notes
- Yield: This recipe makes approximately 1 liter (about 4¼ US cups / 34 US fl oz) of chai syrup. The actual yield may vary slightly depending on the cooking time and how much liquid evaporates.
- Black tea: You can use loose black tea or tea bags. What matters is the total amount of tea – 50 g – rather than the number of tea bags. Without black tea, you’ll get a caffeine-free spiced syrup.
- Allspice: If you can’t find allspice, you can use a little extra cinnamon and cloves instead.
- Other spices: Fennel seeds, star anise, or a little chili would also work well in this chai syrup. Personally, though, I prefer this spice blend without those additional ingredients.
- Consistency: This chai syrup stays relatively thin and is more like a concentrate than a thick syrup. That’s completely normal for this recipe.
- How to use: For a chai latte, mix about 1–2 tablespoons of syrup with warm or cold plant-based milk. Adjust the amount to taste and sprinkle a little cinnamon over the finished drink if you like.
- Storage: Once cooled, store the syrup in the refrigerator. Always use clean utensils when dispensing it.
- Recipe update: I’ve updated this post and halved the original recipe quantities. The recipe now makes approximately 1 liter of chai syrup instead of 2 liters. Some older comments may refer to the original quantities. To make the larger batch, simply select 2× in the recipe card.
This is incredible!! Made this to keep costs down on iced chais and it’s actually even better than Starbucks!! (…) I’m in love, super easy to make, this recipe is a keeper for sure!
– Samantha (Kommentar)