Warm And Spicy Chai Tea Recipe

Autumn is the perfect time for warm, spiced drinks, and drinking a mug of chai is the perfect way to warm up on a chilly day. Recipe developer and health coach, Miriam Hahn, brings us this recipe for a warm and spicy chai. Hahn notes "I love to make this when I want something warm to drink that is different than coffee. I like treating myself to this in the afternoons when something sweet sounds good."

Many spices are involved in making this beverage — it's called a spicy chai, after all. We'll be honest, you might not already have all of these in your pantry, but as Hahn notes, "Once you have the spices on-hand, you can whip this up any time it sounds good."

Hahn likes to "make this ahead and keep it in a Mason jar in the fridge, then just heat [it] up when [I'm] ready to serve." This sounds like the ideal work-from-home afternoon treat that will brighten up any workday. Hahn adds that this tasty drink "is great on its own, and pairs well with scones, muffins, toast, [and] fruit."

To make this warm and spicy chai, you can start by gathering your ingredients. For this recipe, you'll need cardamom seeds, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, ginger, milk, water, black tea bags, honey, vanilla, and cinnamon. Hahn notes "most chai teas use cane sugar as the sweetener and I prefer using honey as it is less processed, offers some health benefit, and dissolves quicker."

Place the cardamom, cloves, and peppercorns into a zip-topped plastic bag. Using something heavy, like a mallet or even a Mason jar, crush the spices from the outside of the bag. You don't need to worry about grinding the spices finely, just enough to break them open to release their potency.

Once the spices are ground, put the crushed powder into a medium pot. Add the cinnamon sticks, ginger, milk, and water to the pot. Hahn's recipe calls for whole milk, but she adds that "any milk type will work if you want to make this dairy free." Bring this mixture to a boil, then remove the pot from the heat. Next, add the tea bags, cover the pot, and allow them to steep for 10 minutes.

Finally, add the honey and vanilla. Using a wooden spoon, stir until the honey has dissolved. Then, pour the mixture through a strainer to remove the crushed seeds and spices. Pour the tea into serving glasses and top with whipped cream and cinnamon, if desired. Hahn notes "adding whipped cream to this finishes it off in a delicious, fancy way. Especially after dinner, serving it this way, qualifies it as a dessert!"