This easy Sugar Free Chai Concentrate takes only 25 minutes to make. Make it ahead and store in the fridge for those keto chai latte cravings. Great in hot and cold drinks!
I love the warmth and coziness of a creamy keto chai latte. But I have often been frustrated by the lack of ready made sugar-free options. There are all sorts of chai mixes and chai concentrates on my grocery store shelves, but the sugar content is shocking.
I bet you already know how this story ends, right? Of course I had to make my own sugar free chai concentrate. Of course I did! It is insanely easy and uses common household ingredients and spices.
Keto chai lattes are the perfect hot drink for those chilly fall days. Just like my sugar-free hot chocolate mix, you can make a big batch and store it for later.
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Why you will love this recipe
I already told you it’s easy to make. Really easy! And to make it even more accessible, I used the ground spices from my spice cabinet. Because while some of us foodies have things like whole cinnamon sticks and cardamom pods, most people stick to pre-ground spices.
It takes all of about 20 minutes to make this sugar free chai syrup, and you can use it for both hot and cold drinks. I’ve made the classic masala chai, as well as keto iced chai and some fun chai Frappuccinos. You could even make some tasty cocktails with it or pour it over keto pancakes!
This easy concentrate stores really well too. Because it has no cream or dairy, it can last in the fridge for up to a month. So you can whip up keto chai lattes whenever the mood strikes.
Ingredients you need
- Water: Filtered clean water is best for all hot drinks.
- Sweetener: I really like a brown sugar replacement such as Swerve in this recipe. But you could use regular granulated sweetener. And it can be made with erythritol, allulose, or a mix. They all work well.
- Black tea: Use plain black tea bags with no additional flavorings. You can use decaf if you are sensitive to caffeine.
- Vanilla: Vanilla extract pairs well with the warm chai spices.
- Ground spices: Classic masala chai spices include ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, and cloves.
Step by Step Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the water, sweeteners, and spices. Bring to a full boil over medium heat.
2. Once boiling, remove from heat and add the tea bags. Let steep for 15 to 20 minutes, then squeeze out the tea bags and remove. Stir in the vanilla extract.
3. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove as much of the solids as possible. Store in a jar in the fridge for up to a month.
Keto Chai Latte
Combine 1 cup of the chai concentrate with 2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk and 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream. Pour into a mug and sprinkle the top with a little cinnamon or cardamom.
If you have a frother, you can froth the mixture as it heats up. I have a stand-alone milk frother like this one from Nespresso. I use it to heat and froth the milk mixture before adding it to my chai.
Expert Tips
For the best chai flavor, the quality and freshness of your spices matters. Spices lose potency over time and things like ginger, cardamom, and cinnamon can become mellowed. I am guilty of keeping my spices around too long so I know this first hand!
If you want things a bit spicier or sweeter, you can adjust the amounts of spices and sweetener after you’ve steeped the tea. Make sure to stir it up before you taste it.
Use a fine mesh sieve when you strain the mixture, to catch as much of the solids as possible. You won’t get every little bit but the concentrate will be more clear and you get a mouthful of ground spice when you sip your drink.
Shake the concentrate up if it’s been sitting in the fridge for a bit. The sweetener and remaining spices tend to settle to the bottom.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are a few sugar free chai mixes on the market but they aren’t easy to find. And many of them contain unnecessary additives or ingredients like Sucralose. They’re often quite expensive as well. Making your own sugar free chai concentrate is easy and cost effective. And you control the ingredients!
Conventional chai lattes are not keto friendly. A typical latte from a coffee shop often has upwards of 24g of sugar. But you can enjoy low carb keto chai drinks if you make your own at home. You can use your favorite sweetener to taste.
This recipe for sugar free chai concentrate has 3.4g of carbs and 1.3g fiber per cup. So it has 2.1g net carbs per serving.
Sugar Free Chai Concentrate
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 1/3 cup Swerve Brown, (or other brown sugar replacement)
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 4 bags black tea
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together the water, sweeteners, and spices. Bring to a full boil over medium heat.
- Once boiling, remove from heat and add the tea bags. Let steep for 15 to 20 minutes, then squeeze out the tea bags and remove. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove as much of the solids as possible. Store in a jar in the fridge for up to four weeks.
- Shake thoroughly before using.
Notes
Nutrition
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Rating it 5 stars before even trying it, because I’ve been hoping for for a long time! I love chai and the idea of a sugar free chai latte is enchanting!! I will try it using decaf English breakfast tea because I try to limit my caffeine intake. Thank you💕
I love Chai, I will have to try this.
I am trying to use more tumeric. Do you know how much I would add to the spices?
I think you will need to google that.
Before I went Keto, Chai lattes from Starbucks was my drink of choice and I was really missing that drink. Thank you for bringing it back into my life! This chai recipe is awesome!!
Storms heading into the PNW, and this just hit the spot. I added a touch of sugarless eggnog syrup for a chai-nog version and it’s yummy!
Very, very delicious. Made the concentrate as written. Another great recipe. Thank you
As a personal preference, the 2nd time I made a latte I decreased the almond milk to 1/2 cup. I like a little more chai taste. Perfection!
This is another excellent recipe. I highly recommend it for your afternoon break…5 stars…..
Thank you!
Also fantastic in a Chai Old Fashioned! Cheers!
Great idea!
I served this to my son first. He said it was better than buying it! It has great fall flavors and I frothed the milk and cream to give it a foamy top. So good!
Great to hear!
Hi Carolyn
I do the exact same thing to a certain degree. I pre-grind enough in a spice grinder that I use just for the tea spices. I pre-grind black and green cardamom, fennel seed, black pepper, seeds, cinnamon bark, ajwain seeds, cloves and star anise. Sometimes I will put in ground ginger. I store that in the little tub in my cupboard and then when I want some tea which is most mornings, I just put a spoonful into a T-ball and boil in a big pot of water along with two black teabags, one white tea, bag, and one earl grey tea bag because I love the spice. I let it come to a rolling boil for about 5 to 7 minutes. I let it cool and then put it into a cleaned out jar like the one you have. Mine is from Avalon Dairy, which had whipping cream in it. I stored in the fridge until I want it. Then I will pour enough for a cup along with a little bit of Stevia and 18% cream and a touch of whipping cream. It is so delectable to have steaming mug of hot chai on a cool day.
Wondering about the fat content?
There is none. It has nothing that would add fat. That’s why it’s not there.
if you add 2/3 cup almond milk unsweetened and 2 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream it adds 12.2 grams of fat to the chai mix.
Thanks for confirming this can be done with decaf tea! Besides the sugar, that’s my other gripe with commercial chai mixes. With winter coming up, this recipe is definitely a keeper!
As this is a concentrate what would the ratio of this to milk substitute be?
Hi Erin… please read the section where I discuss making a chai latte!
I absolutely cannot wait to make this. Chai eggnog Lattes 🤤💕
You say that it is a concentrate and that it makes 4 drinks. Do you mix 1/4 of it with more tea or water or a certain amount of cream or anything?
Hi Miriah… I discuss how to use it in the blog post, under Expert Tips/Chai latte.
“3. Store in a jar in the fridge for up to two weeks….
Notes
Storage Information: Store the chai concentrate in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.”
So which one is it? (I’m guessing that step 3 is a typo ….
4 weeks. I did a little research and it should be good for that long. I forgot to change the recipe.
Sure wish I knew how to can this to make a quantity shelf stable! Would be lovely to be able to just grab a jar from the pantry.
Thanks for making this. The only sugar free concentrate I could find at the store used sucralose and was sickeningly sweet.
yum! I do add a touch of creme to my cup when done.
You just made my day!! It is getting chilly here in PA and I have been craving a chai latte but didn’t want all the sugar. Can’t wait to make this! Thank you for yet again creating an amazing Keto option for a sugar laden craving.