Spiced syrup · In season for Fall
Chai Syrup
Toasted whole spices, strong black tea, brown sugar. The café chai latte, from your stove.
- 25 min total
- 1½ cups350 ml
- Keeps 3 weeks
Quick answer
Chai syrup is a spiced black-tea syrup for chai lattes. Simmer toasted cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, star anise and fresh ginger in water for 10 minutes, steep black tea for 5, strain, then dissolve brown sugar. Stir 2 tablespoons into a cup of steamed milk.
Chai syrup is sweeter and more concentrated than chai concentrate, so it keeps longer and you need less: two tablespoons flavor a whole mug of milk. The flavor comes from whole spices, toasted and cracked so they give up their oils, then simmered before the tea goes in.
The tea is the step most recipes get wrong. Boiling or stewing black tea makes it bitter and tannic. Steeping it off the heat for exactly 5 minutes gives you malty strength without the puckery edge.
Tasteswarm spicecardamommalty teapeppery
The recipe
Chai Syrup
Ingredients for 1½ cups350 ml
You’ll need: small saucepan, whole spices, mortar & pestle, fine-mesh strainer, milk frother, pump bottlesmall saucepan, whole spices, mortar & pestle, fine-mesh strainer, milk frother, pump bottle
Method
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Toast and crack
Toast the cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns and star anise in a dry small saucepan over medium heat until fragrant, 1–2 minutes. Lightly crush them in a mortar, or under the flat of a pan, just until the cardamom pods split.
8 green cardamom pods2 cinnamon sticks6 whole cloves10 black peppercorns1 star anise pod
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Simmer the spices
Return the spices to the pan with the water and ginger. Cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
½ oz15 g fresh ginger1¼ cups300 ml water
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Steep the tea
Take the pan off the heat, stir in the tea and steep for exactly 5 minutes. Longer makes it bitter.
2 tbsp8 g loose black tea
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Strain
Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Press the spices lightly, but don't squeeze the tea leaves.
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Sweeten and bottle
Return the spiced tea to the pan, add the brown sugar and stir over low heat until dissolved, about 2 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the vanilla, if using. Cool, bottle and refrigerate.
¾ cup + 3 tbsp200 g light brown sugar (packed)½ tsp½ tsp vanilla extract
Storage. Keep it sealed in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. Shake before using, since fine spice sediment settles. Throw it out if it smells sour or shows mold.
Per 1 tbsp (15 ml): about 32 kcal, 8.3 g sugar (estimate).
How to use it
Chai latte
2 tbsp (30 ml) in 8 oz (240 ml) steamed milk. Dust with cinnamon.
Iced chai latte
2 tbsp (30 ml) with 6 oz (180 ml) cold milk over ice.
Dirty chai
A chai latte plus 1 shot (30 ml) espresso.
Chai Old Fashioned
2 oz (60 ml) bourbon or aged rum, ¼ oz (7 ml) chai syrup and 2 dashes Angostura, stirred over a big cube.
Chai hot toddy
1½ oz (45 ml) whiskey, ½ oz (15 ml) chai syrup and ½ oz (15 ml) lemon juice, topped with 4 oz (120 ml) hot water.
Chai whipped cream
Whip 1 tbsp (15 ml) syrup into ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream for pie, cocoa or coffee.
Gear for this recipe
Glass Coffee Syrup Dispensers with Pumps (16.9 oz, set of 2)
A pump gives the same dose every press, so every latte tastes the same. Glass washes clean between flavors.
Best for Home coffee bars
Zulay Kitchen Handheld Milk Frother
Best for Lattes and cold foam on a budget
Breville Bambino Plus Espresso Machine
Best for Real espresso lattes at home
Takeya Deluxe Cold Brew Coffee Maker (1 qt)
Best for Iced coffee all week
More gear for this recipe (4)
ChefSofi Granite Mortar and Pestle (2 cup)
Best for Chai and spice syrups
Cuisinart Fine Mesh Stainless Strainers (set of 3)
Best for Every infused or fruit syrup
Whole Spice Starter Set (Star Anise, Cardamom, Cloves, Allspice)
Best for Chai, pumpkin spice and gingerbread
Cuisinart Chef's Classic 1.5 qt Stainless Saucepan with Lid
Best for Every stovetop syrup
Tips for the best batch
- Crack the cardamom pods just until they split. The seeds inside carry most of the flavor.
- Use a strong, malty black tea like Assam. Delicate teas get lost under the spices.
- Don't squeeze the tea leaves when straining. That's where bitterness comes from.
- Want it spicier? Double the ginger and peppercorns. Want it rounder and creamier? Add the vanilla.
Variations
Honey chai
Swap the brown sugar for 240 g honey, stirred in off the heat. It's softer and floral, and lovely in a hot toddy.
Chai concentrate (less sweet)
Use 600 ml water, 12 g tea and 100 g sugar, then mix 1:1 with milk. It's closer to boxed concentrate but keeps only about 1 week.
Caffeine-free
Use rooibos or decaf black tea. Rooibos can steep for 10 minutes without turning bitter.
Questions people ask
What's the difference between chai syrup and chai concentrate?
Concentrate is strong, lightly sweetened tea that you mix about 1:1 with milk. Syrup is sweeter and more concentrated: you use about 2 tablespoons per cup of milk, and it keeps longer in the fridge.
How much chai syrup do I use for a chai latte?
Start with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) per 8 oz of steamed or cold milk and adjust to taste.
Can I use tea bags instead of loose tea?
Yes. 4 regular black tea bags replace the 8 g of loose tea. Steep them for the same 5 minutes off the heat.
Does chai syrup have caffeine?
A little. A 2-tablespoon serving carries roughly a quarter to a third of the caffeine in a cup of black tea. Make it with rooibos or decaf tea for a caffeine-free version.
How long does homemade chai syrup last?
About 3 weeks in a sealed bottle in the fridge, or 3 months frozen.