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This chai latte dry spice mix takes only a few minutes to make and doesn’t require any grinding of spices. Because all ingredients are dried the mix can be kept in a jar in the cabinet and is ready for use with a simple tea strainer anytime.
I love a good chai latte. In fact, I never even sit down at my desk in the morning any more without one in my hand; the drink gives me comfort and makes me feel ready to face the day. In case you’re not familiar with it, what we call chai latte here in the U.S. is a hot, slightly sweet drink that consists of milk and black tea flavored with a combination of spices (I use cardamom, clove, black peppercorns, ginger and cinnamon).
It’s very simple to make fresh at home and there are actually a number of different ways to do it. You can make an “instant” version – a powder of ground spices, dried milk and sugar that you stir into hot water or milk. Alternatively you can make a chai concentrate by infusing brewed tea with your mix of spices and keep that in the fridge until you’re ready to use it and then just heat it with milk.
What I do is this: I buy all my chai spices dried (but not powdered), add loose black tea to them and keep that mix in a jar in the cabinet. It keeps for a long time and when I’m ready for a chai latte I steam milk and submerge the spice/tea mix in a tea strainer in it. (If you don’t have a steamer you can certainly heat the milk in the microwave or on the stove top but I personally like the taste of steamed milk in this drink). To sweeten I use honey, it complements the warm flavors wonderfully.
How to make a homemade chai latte dry spice mix:
Once you’ve got all your spices assembled, it’s very easy to make the chai latte mix. You add whole green cardamom pods, whole cloves, whole black peppercorns, dried cracked ginger and cinnamon chips to a mortar and lightly crush the spices with a pestle. You don’t want to grind the spices, you just want to open up some flavor by breaking them.
Next you mix in loose black tea and that’s all there is as far as the spice mix is concerned. You can fill it into a jar and keep it in the cabinet until you’re ready to use it.
To make a chai latte, add the spice mix to a tea strainer, then steam some milk and drop the tea strainer in to let the drink steep.
Recipe Tip:
Be sure to use high-grade tea that doesn’t contain any tea dust because dust would come through the tea strainer and the particles would annoy you in the drink.
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Related Post:
Love warm and comforting spiced drinks? You might also enjoy this Spiced Eggnog:
Chai Latte Dry Spice Mix
Ingredients:
- 20 whole green cardamom pods
- 14 whole cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1.5 tablespoons dried cracked ginger
- 1.5 tablespoons cinnamon chips
- 2 tablespoons loose black tea*
Instructions:
- Add all spices to a mortar and crush very lightly with a pestle.
- Mix the crushed spices with the tea.
- Store the mix in an airtight container.
- To make a chai latte, add about 1 tablespoon of the mix to a tea strainer, then steam** 6 ounces of milk, drop the tea strainer into it and let it steep.
- Sweeten to taste with honey.
Notes:
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This looks wonderful, Nicole and I don’t even want to tell you how much I’ve been paying for this at the store. Definitely making this!
Thank you, Marissa! So glad you like it, I always find it a lot of fun to make this mix myself. :)
I love chai flavours Nicole and this looks delicious. Baking with chai is great and I have made my own spice mix like this before.
The tips in this are great and the pictures are lovely.
Thank you, Angela! I love baking with chai flavors. :)
What a great idea for a post Nicole! I love chai latte and never thought of making the spice mix myself! Thanks so much for sharing this one! Gorgeous photos as usual Nicole!
Thank you, Mary Ann! So glad you’re excited about this recipe. :)
Nicole, I love a good chai latte, and I’m obsessed with a packet ones. What a great thing to have a homemade mix. So excited to try this.
And I just noticed the new look. Love it!!
Ooh, thank you so much, Shinee! I’ve been working to make things more user- (and also google-) friendly! :)
Oooo! Nicole, I love Chai. I have tried so many Chai brands, some were pretty bad. I have settled on teas that have the ingredients in your dry mix. Usually they have more tea to spice than yours, but I like my chai spicy. I can’t wait to give it a try.
Thanks!
You’re welcome, Melinda! My mix is definitely high on spices and low on tea and you can always add more tea straight into the tea strainer. I hope you like it! :)
Thanks for your version here Nicole. I often times make a small liquid batch and like you mentioned, keep it in the fridge for quick heat ups in the microwave. I think I like your dry version here for shelf life purposes. :)
That’s what I like about it too, it’s always there and ready to go. :)