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
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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Just made this and it is absolutely delicious!! Better than what you get at the chain coffee shops 💕💕.
Thanks for sharing your this recipe! 🥰🥰
Great to hear!
I have Chai teabags. Can I step those instead of the black tea and spices for the same results? Or is there a difference?
I would think so!
I just made this. I didn’t have brown Swerve but I have the Splenda blend which is a blend of Splenda and cane sugar. I only added 2 tbsp of it and it’s just the right amount of sweetness for me. I plan to make Dirty Chai Lattes with this as I have been pretty disappointed with Chai lattes lately at the chain coffee shops. I feel like they haven’t had enough spice flavors. This is perfect. Thank you!
Glad it worked out!
Hi, Carolyn! Thinking along the lines of your frozen coffee drinks, do you think making ice cubes out of the chai concentrate would work to make a frozen chai latte?
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!!