Homemade cozy chai lattes or refreshing iced chai lattes are super easy to make at home when you know how to make chai concentrate from tea bags! Whole spices, fresh ginger, and black tea create a really flavorful chai concentrate that tastes great in all kinds of drinks!

For more cozy drinks, try my matcha almond milk latte or almond milk eggnog.

tall glass bottle of Homemade Chai Concentrate next to two glass bottles full of evergreen sprigs

In some languages like Arabic, the word "chai" simply means tea. And in Arabic countries, a common form of chai is Karak Chai, which is a delicious blend of water steeped with black tea, cardamom, saffron and a little sugar, mixed with evaporated or condensed milk.

My husband who is from Iraq makes the best Karak tea. And the best ever milkshake I had was a karak milkshake in Qatar.

So I wanted to learn how to make chai tea concentrate from tea bags at home to be able to make chai lattes and chai milkshakes all the time! This concentrate tastes great with all kinds of milk, including homemade oat milk and almond milk.

brown mug full of a homemade chai tea latte next to a vintage book

What is Chai?

Confession: I used to be so confused by chai. Is it a plain black tea? Is it a sugary syrup mixed with hot milk, like at coffee shops? Or is homemade chai concentrate something else entirely?

In India, there are different types of chai, depending on the spice additions. For example, if you add fennel seeds, the tea boiled with milk and sugar is called Saunf wali chai. But if you add cardamom, cinnamon and cloves, then it's known as masala chai.

Chai is traditionally made from an array of strong spices and loose leaf black tea. However, homemade chai concentrate from tea bags is a really easy way to get a similar flavor.

two hands with wool gloves holding an brown mug of a drink.

Chai Lattes

Basically, chai is a type of drink made from tea leaves steeped with herbs and spices. Many who enjoy chai also mix the tea with hot milk and sugar. This addition of milk allows the drink to fall in the category of "latte", although a latte usually contains espresso.

But when you order a chai latte at most coffee shops in the Western world, you're usually getting hot milk with a powder or sugary syrup that imitates chai.

Being able to control the amount of sugar is one of the reasons why I like to make my own unsweetened chai concentrate at home.

tall glass bottle full of dark Homemade Chai Concentrate next to the whole spices used to make it

Chai Tea versus Chai Concentrate

As I was making chai concentrate, I thought, hold up. Am I just making really strong black tea with some extra aromatic spices? How is this different from just making a mug of tea? What's "concentrated" about it?

I was expecting a thick syrup at the end, but this concentrate is the same consistency as black tea. Well, it's all about the ratio of tea and spices to water.

overhead view of a mug topped with a lot of ground cinnamon

Normally, you'd steep one tea bag and a pinch or two of spices in a full 8 ounces of water, then add a small splash of milk. But by adding a larger quantity of spices and steeping the tea mixture longer, you are able to use equal parts of the chai concentrate to milk when making a traditional chai tea, or as many call it in the Western world, a "chai tea latte".

So for an 8 ounce mug, you only add 4 ounces of chai concentrate along 4 ounces of hot milk. It may not seem like a big difference, but these spices can get pricey!

a wooden bowl full of the whole spices and loose leaf black tea used in a chai spice mix

Ingredients

Water
Green cardamom pods
Black peppercorns
Whole cloves
Cinnamon sticks
Whole allspice
Star anise
Ground nutmeg
Ginger
Vanilla extract
Black tea bags such as English breakfast, Assam or Ceylon

Homemade Chai Concentrate steeping in a pot being stirred by a wooden spoon

How to Make Homemade Chai Concentrate

Simmer the water & spices: Simmer the water, spices, ginger and vanilla in a small saucepan for 10 minutes.
Add the tea: Add the tea and simmer for 3 minutes.
Steep: Remove the saucepan from the heat and steep for 10 minutes.
Strain: Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve or a cheesecloth.
Enjoy: Add straightaway to hot milk, or let the chai concentrate cool & store in the fridge.

two hands pouring a pot of Homemade Chai Concentrate through a fine mesh sieve into a glass bowl

Recipe Tips

Bulk Spices: Since you need relatively small amounts of each spice, I recommend looking for grocery stores that have bulk sections. Then you only have to pay for the quantity you need.
International Stores: I found some of these spices for much cheaper at my local Indian market and my local halal market.
Whole Spices: While ground spices are sometimes less expensive than whole spices, they could make your chai concentrate cloudy or grainy. I recommend using whole spices so you can fully strain them out.
Stronger Flavor: If you want even stronger chai flavor, steep the mixture for longer after you remove it from the heat.

two hands holding a mug of the best chai tea latte next to evergreen sprigs and an open book

Storing

Fridge: Allow your homemade chai concentrate to cool completely. Then transfer it to an airtight container like a mason jar or glass bottle with a tight-fitting lid. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Freezer: Sometimes when I make a double or triple batch of chai concentrate, I freeze some. The easiest way to freeze it is by dividing it among ice trays and freezing chai concentrate ice cubes for up to 3 months.

Shake Before Use: Before using your chai concentrate, give it a good shake or stir to mix any settled spices.