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Mug of tea made with homemade chai syrup.

Kate's Chai Syrup

Kate Schat
Chai tea has a wonderful, warming flavour. It is super cost-effective to take your own loose leaf tea, herbs and spices, and condense into your own syrup. Then simply add milk and sit back!
5 from 11 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Drinks
Cuisine Indian
Servings 4 quarts
Calories 36 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 gallon water 4 litres
  • 4 cinnamon sticks
  • 10 whole cloves
  • 20 whole peppercorns
  • cup cardamom pods
  • cup fresh chopped ginger OR I use ⅓ c “tea cut” dried ginger
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 ½ cups sugar can use honey or maple syrup
  • ½ cup loose leaf black tea OR rooibos to make it caffeine-free*

Instructions
 

Stovetop:

  • Bring water to a boil, and add the cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, cardamom, ginger, and salt. Turn it down to a simmer and let it simmer for an hour.
  • Add sugar and simmer for a few minutes so it is well combined.
  • Turn off the heat. Add your loose leaf tea and let sit for 5 minutes.
  • Strain out all your tea and herbs.

Instant Pot:

  • Add water, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, cardamom, ginger, and salt into the Instant Pot.
  • Put the lid on, set knob to sealing, and set to 5 minutes pressure cook.
  • After it's done, let it naturally release for approximately 30 minutes, then flip the knob to venting.
  • It should still be simmering some; if not, turn on to saute, add the sugar, and stir to well combine.
  • Add the loose leaf tea and let sit for 5 minutes, then strain out all your tea and herbs.

To use:

  • Depending on how strong you want it, you will use 1 part Chai Syrup to 3 or 4 parts milk of your choice. Heat them both til they’re your desired temp, froth it if you’ve got a nifty little frother, and enjoy!
  • I usually add a hefty splash of chai syrup into a mug, top it up with whole raw milk, then pour it into a small pot and heat over medium heat until it's steaming.

To can:

  • Please note these are not official canning instructions but rough notes for you to follow.
  • Wash and sterilize your jars. Soak your new lids in hot water.
  • Fill your hot jars with hot syrup, wipe the rims, put on lids and rings. Process in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes,
  • Remove from the canner, let sit 24 hours in one draft-free place.
  • Remove rings, check seals, label, and put away in the cupboard!

To freeze:

  • I prefer to freeze liquids in yogurt containers or “32 oz reditainers” I buy off of Amazon. Simply let it cool, fill containers, label, and freeze.
  • To freeze in a jar, pick straight-sided jars such as wide mouth pints, wide mouth pint and a halfs or wide mouth quarts. Fill jars with the cooled syrup, leaving 2 inches of headspace. Label and chill in the fridge for 24 hrs before moving to the freezer.

Notes

  • *My best guess is this is 12-24 tea bags, depending on if your tea bags average a teaspoon of tea or much more. Loose leaf tea is very cost-effective to buy and I highly recommend it.

Nutrition

Calories: 36kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 40mgPotassium: 20mgFiber: 1gSugar: 8gVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 9mgIron: 1mg
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