Simple, practical, and full of everyday flavour, Chai Spice Mix and Chai Concentrate is a vegan, vegetarian Indian beverage, drink, drinks made with green cardamom pods, ground cinnamon, or more to preference, and whole cloves in about 20 minutes. The recipe lays out the ingredients and each cooking step clearly, so you can adjust seasoning, texture, and serving size for your own kitchen.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 10 minutes
  • Total time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Beverage, Drink, Drinks
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

For the Chai Spice Blend

  • 3 tablespoons green cardamom pods
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or more to preference (or 2” cinnamon stick)
  • 2 teaspoons whole cloves
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 5 fennel seeds (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger (optional - omit if using fresh ginger)

For 1 Serving of Chai

  • 1 cup water
  • ½ teaspoon chai spice mix (or more, to taste)
  • ½ inch fresh ginger (grated or chopped)
  • 2 to 3 teaspoons loose-leaf tea
  • ½ cup creamy non-dairy milk (like barista oat milk)
  • sugar or sweetener to taste (optional)

For the Chai Concentrate (4 Servings)

  • 2 cups water
  • 2 teaspoons chai spice mix (or more, to taste)
  • 1 inch fresh ginger (grated)
  • 1½ tablespoons loose-leaf tea
  • sugar or sweetener to taste

Method

Make the chai spice blend.

  1. Combine all the chai spice blend ingredients in a coffee grinder or small blender. Blend until the mixture is evenly powdered. Depending on your blender, if might not do a good job of breaking up the cardamom pods completely. If you think that might happen, remove the husks before blending and use only the seeds.(This will make a more concentrated chia spice mix and you might need to add a bit less per serving). Store the spice mix in an airtight container away from direct sunlight. The spice will stays fresh for 6 months.

Make 1 serving of chai.

  1. Heat the water in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the chai spice mix and grated or thinly sliced ginger and bring to a boil. Add the loose-leaf tea and boil again. Stir in sugar to taste, then pour in the non-dairy milk slowly. (Do a very slow pour that will bring the temperature of the saucepan down and reduce chances of non dairy milk separating). Bring the mixture to a boil again, then turn off the heat. Strain into a cup and enjoy!

Make the chai concentrate.

  1. Heat the water in a saucepan and add chai spice mix and grated ginger. Bring to a boil. Add the loose-leaf tea and sugar (if using). Boil for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and let the mixture steep for a few minutes. Strain the concentrate, let it cool, and store it in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 7 days. Or freeze into ice cubes and use later!
  2. Use the chai concentrate: add equal parts chai concentrate and non dairy milk and heat up for hot heat or serve over ice for iced tea!

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.