This premium homemade Chai Syrup is infused with black tea and the perfect blend of aromatic chai spices like cardamom, ginger, and roses. Add it directly to your coffees and teas, as well as other desserts. It delivers all the flavors of masala chai in an easy to make syrup.
This Chai Syrup was a highly requested recipe! For anyone who's a fan of Torani and Monin Chai Tea Syrups, this is an even better homemade version that's easy to make. Unlike commercial chai syrups that are heavy on the cinnamon, this is infused with whole spices for a better balance.
It's especially great for chai lattes when you're looking to snuggle up in the fall and winter or for mixing into popular drinks like a copycat for Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea Lattes.
The syrup is incredibly aromatic and delicious! I had to stop myself from drinking it straight. It's spiced to taste almost exactly like masala chai. I promise, this is going to be so much better than the Starbucks Chai Tea Syrup!
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Why You'll Love This Homemade Chai Syrup
Skip the store-bought syrups and make your own!
- This chai syrup only takes about 15 minutes to make!
- The syrup is incredibly versatile. Stir it into coffee for an easy dirty chai latte, sweeten a homemade chai latte for stronger chai spice flavor, drizzle it over pancakes or ice creams, or add it to cocktails, mocktails, oatmeal, and fall baked goods.
- It makes several servings of syrup and is super easy to scale for more.
Ingredients - Notes and Substitutions
The ingredients for chai syrup are very similar to a cup of masala chai, but of course, with sugar to create a shelf-stable syrup.
- Black tea - Assam tea creates the boldest, most authentic flavor. English breakfast is a good runner up. My favorite loose leaf black tea is Danedar and my favorite tea bags are Tetley British Blend. I do not recommend earl grey because the bergamot overpowers the chais pices. You can use high quality green tea but it will be a much different flavor profile and adds earthiness.
- Sweetener - Granulated sugar is the most typical sweetener for a classic simple syrup, but brown sugar adds subtle caramel notes. Maple and honey can be used for a different flavor profile, although it'll alter the taste slightly.
- Spices - My chai spice blend for this syrup includes cloves, black peppercorns, star anise, a cinnamon stick, green cardamom pods, dried rose buds, and ginger. Use whole spices for the best, robust flavor.
- Vanilla extract - A splash rounds out the spices and adds warmth without overpowering the chai. Omit if preferred.
Feel free to customize your blend with other spices such as fennel, tulsi, mace, nutmeg - or omitted based off of personal preference.
How to make Chai Syrup
Making a syrup is your typical 1-to-1 ratio of sugar to water, just like simple syrup. It's just a matter of infusing the flavors to make a chai simple syrup.
- Start with the whole spices - cloves, black peppercorns, star anise, a cinnamon stick, green cardamom pods, dried edible roses, and ginger. Transfer them to a mortar and pestle and lightly crush them to release the oils. Alternatively, give them a light smash under the blade of a knife.
- Transfer the spices to a sauce pan on low to medium heat and dry roast them for less than a minute so they release even more flavor.
- Immediately add in a cup of water and bring it to a simmer. Simmer the spices so the water infuses with them for around 5 minutes.
- Remove the sauce pan from heat and add the sugar, vanilla extract, and black tea bags. Stir until the sugar fully dissolves. Allow the black tea to steep until the syrup fully cools.
- Strain the syrup into a syrup bottle once it has fully cooled. Then, it's ready to use.
Expert Tips
- Use whole spices that are lightly crushed instead of ground spices for a cleaner, smoother, and bolder syrup.
- Don't boil the tea bags - steep them after removing the pan from heat to prevent bitterness.
- Toasting the spices briefly helps them release their oils.
- Double the batch if you regularly use chai simple syrup in th fall - it stores super well.
What to use the Syrup with
Chai Syrup is incredibly versatile for desserts and drinks.
I recommend drizzling it over desserts, like ice cream or any dessert a la mode. It's also perfect for smoothies, protein shakes, oatmeal, etc for a delicious additional spicy layer of flavor.
It's especially great for coffee and tea-based beverages! Add it as the sweetener for masala chai as an extra boost, or to dirty chai lattes with a shot of espresso and frothy milk.
My favorite quick beverage is a sweet chai latte with 2 - 3 ounces of the syrup with hot, frothy milk for fall and winter weather.
Storage Instructions
Store the chai syrup in an airtight syrup dispenser.
- Room temperature: Up to 2 weeks
- Refrigerator: Up to 1 month
For longer storage, stir in ¼ teaspoon of citric acid after the syrup has cooled and it will be good for up to 6 months. Another option is 2:1 sugar-to water ratio for a rich syrup which has enough sugar content to prevent the growth of bacteria for up to 6 months.
If the syrup gets a bit cloudy, it's totally fine! For more information, check out the science behind it from the Chai Concentrate recipe.
I grabbed this adorable syrup dispenser with the gold label from Etsy.
More Chai Recipes to try
Recipe
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Chai Syrup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 green cardamom pods
- 1 inch ginger, sliced
- 10 peppercorns
- 2 dried edible roses
- 2 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise
- 4 black tea bags
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Lightly crush the cardamom pods, ginger, peppercorns, edible roses, cloves, cinnamon stick, and star anise in a mortar and pestle.
- Transfer the crushed spices to a sauce pan on medium heat. Dry roast for no more than a minute.
- Pour in the water and simmer the spices for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the tea bags, sugar, and vanilla extract. Stir until the sugar fully melts.
- Allow the tea bags to continue to steep as the syrup cools. Once it has cooled, strain the syrup into a syrup bottle.
- Use 1 ounce for lattes, smoothies, dessert toppings, etc.
Notes
- Store the chai syrup in an airtight syrup dispenser for up to two weeks at room temperature, or in the fridge for up to a month.
- Adjust the spices according to personal preferences - i.e. if you like more cinnamon, add a second stick. The amounts of spices in this recipe are based on high quality, single origin spices. Please taste the syrup and adjust accordingly by adding spices or reducing in the next batch.
CJ says
I'm interested in making a turmeric chai syrup. How much turmeric would you recommend?
Shweta Garg says
I haven’t tried this so I can’t say and would even strongly recommend against putting turmeric in chai because it’s flavor profile isn’t a fit.
Tanya Rizki says
If making syrup to use in coffee do you omit the tea bags?
Shweta says
Nope, this is chai syrup so it does have tea. If you’re using it for coffee, you’d be making a dirty chai. If you’re looking for just a spiced syrup, I’d suggest using a different recipe.