Add cozy spiced flavor and sweetness to your favorite drinks with this easy homemade chai syrup recipe! You only need about 20 minutes to make it.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my instant chai powder, too!
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Featured Reader Review
★★★★★
I've used this recipe for over a year now and I love it for dirty chais using my espresso machine! I've also made & gifted this syrup
-Grace
What is chai syrup?
Chai syrup combines brown sugar simple syrup with chai spices. The spices are cooked in sugar and water to create a deliciously spiced liquid sweetener that's great in everything from coffee to cocktails and mocktails.
As far as recipes, I love using this spiced sweetness in my chai matcha latte recipe and to make a mean chai spiced old fashioned.
DIY chai simple syrup uses also include adding flavor and moisture to cake layers or serving with other desserts like ice cream. Chai syrup vs. chai concentrate has no tea in it. Check out my matcha simple syrup for a tea infused syrup option!
❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Quick & Easy - No fancy techniques or specialized kitchen tools. This chai tea syrup recipe is beginner friendly, ready in under 30 minutes, and better than what you'll buy from Monin, Dunkin, Tazo, and Starbucks, and I'm standing on that!
Warming Chai Flavor - This is a slightly westernized chai flavor profile with lots of ginger, cinnamon, and clove as well as classic masala chai spices like cardamom, black pepper, and nutmeg.
👉🏾 We love chai spiced things around here like my lavender chai latte and cookie butter chai. And don't sleep on my salted peanut butter chai cookies and chai banana bread or pumpkin chai cookies!
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Chai Spices - I recommend using high quality organic spices, if possible. Ground allspice, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, ginger, and nutmeg work or you can start with whole spices and grind them. Chai bags will also work if you want to make a caffeinated syrup and I've included instructions for that below, too!
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Sweetener - I like to make a brown sugar syrup with chai spices because of the caramelized flavor notes, but you can use granulated sugar instead, coconut sugar, or even make a chai honey syrup. Use your favorite sugar substitute like stevia or allulose if you want it sugar free. Any of these options can be substituted in a 1:1 ratio for brown sugar.
Chai Vanilla Syrup - Mellow out the flavor a bit by adding a vanilla bean, vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste!
👉🏾 For different methods and flavor combinations, check out my citrus simple syrup with granulated sugar, ginger turmeric syrup with honey, or hibiscus syrup and cinnamon syrup made with brown sugar.
How to Make Syrup with Chai Spices
- Step One: Dissolve the brown sugar and spices in water over medium heat.
- Step Two: Bring mixture to a boil then simmer for about 10 minutes and remove from heat.
Pro Tip #1
How to make chai syrup with tea bags: If you want to use chai tea bags instead, simply mix the sugar and water, bring to a boil, then steep tea bags in the sugar syrup mixture until cooled. Use 4 to 8 bags depending on the strength of flavor you desire.
- Step Three: Once cooled, transfer the syrup to an airtight container.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe does not have any caffeine, but if you use chai tea bags, which typically have some black tea, specifically Assam tea, there will be caffeine.
Store this homemade syrup in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to two weeks. Make sure to shake it up before each use, as the spices will settle.
To freeze, transfer the syrup to a freezer-safe container. I recommend freezing syrup in molds or an ice cube tray for easier thawing and usage. It will keep for up to three months. Note that the syrup might not freeze all the way solid.
More Favorite Flavored Syrup Recipes
Looking for more recipes like this? Try these:
I hope you'll enjoy this homemade chai flavor syrup soon and very soon. And sharing is caring, so be sure to pin the best chai syrup recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Easy Chai Syrup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 1 ¾ cup water
- 1 ½ tablespoon ground ginger
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground allspice
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground clove
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Add brown sugar, water, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, clove, cardamom, black pepper, and nutmeg to saucepan over medium heat and stir vigorously to dissolve all the spices and sugar.2 cups brown sugar, 1 ¾ cup water, 1 ½ tablespoon ground ginger, 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ground allspice, 1 ½ teaspoon ground clove, 1 ½ teaspoon ground cardamom, 1 ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and cool fully then transfer into an airtight container.
Marie says
Tastes great and worked really well! It does have a little grainy texture because the spices do not fully dissolve (at least in my version), but I expected that. Maybe I will try to strain it to curb that problem next time.
It did make a lot of syrup! I think I will have to freeze some, so it doesn't go bad 🙂
Jazzmine Woodard says
Thanks for your feedback, Marie! I'm so glad this syrup worked well and tasted good to you.
Grace Gitto says
I’ve used this recipe for over a year now and I love it for dirty chais using my espresso machine!🤤 I’ve also made & gifted this syrup 🙂
Jazzmine Woodard says
Thanks for your note, Grace! I'm so glad you're still enjoying this syrup--and giving it as a gift is a great idea.
LM says
Have you ever used fresh ginger instead of ground ginger?
Jazzmine Woodard says
I haven't made this particular syrup with fresh ginger, because I never want to bother with straining it out, but would recommend 1 1/2 inches of fresh ginger (grated) for a similar flavor.
LM says
Thank you!
Jazzmine Woodard says
You're welcome!
Ali says
Delicious!
Jazzmine Woodard says
Thanks for your feedback, Ali!
Tessa Sullivan says
I am confused about the amount of ginger. Is it really supposed to be more than the rest of the spices? You say 1 1/2 tablespoons of it and then 3 teaspoons of cinnamon (which is 1 tablespoon), so I was wondering if you meant to say teaspoons.
Jazzmine Woodard says
Hi, Tessa! There is really supposed to be more ginger than the rest of the spices. The recipe is correct as written. Hope you enjoy it!
Grace says
This syrup is sooo delicious!
Jazzmine Woodard says
Thanks, Grace! I'm so glad you're enjoying it.
Daniel says
Hi, I tryed this recipe but it turned in to a jelly/slime 😅 I don’t know what I did wrong.
Jazzmine Woodard says
Hi, Daniel! Can you send a picture of your result to [email protected], so I can try to help?
Heather Lavin says
Hi - I’m getting ready to make this but wondered where you bought those perfect jars with spout? Thank you in advance.
Jazzmine Woodard says
Hi, Heather! I bought the jar at Cost Plus World Market. Hope that helps you.
Heather Lavin says
Thank you so much for your response
Sam says
I'm interested in making the tea bag method. How many tea bags do you recommend using? Can't wait to try it!
Jazzmine Woodard says
Hi, Sam! It depends on how strong you want the flavor to be. I recommend four tea bags on the weaker end and eight on the stronger end. Hope this helps.
Leo says
I used 3/4 cup water and 1 cup of chai concentrate since I didn’t have all the spices or tea bags, and it turned out great
Jazzmine Woodard says
Glad you were able to make this your own, Leo!
Tamara Binder says
Loved this recipe. Really easy, with loads of flavour. Thanks Jazzmine😊
Jazzmine Woodard says
You're so welcome, Tamara! Thanks for your feedback.
Krysten says
This spiced Chai syrup was really easy to make. The flavor is perfect! I used it in my Old Fashioned cocktail; had me feeling like a mixologist. I stored the leftovers in an ice cube tray. Definitely will make again.
Robin says
I'm a Chai spice fan so I simply had to make this syrup. It was so amazing now I can't imagine having pancakes any other way.
Jazzmine Woodard says
I've never tried chai syrup on pancakes and now you've inspired me!
Emma says
Delicious flavour, but also for me it turned out really slimey.
Tina McKinney says
Mine turned out pretty slimey too, yet tasty . I’m straining it now……it’s going to take awhile.
Jazzmine Woodard says
Hi, Tina. Sorry the texture didn't turn out as expected for you.
Emma Haerens says
A solution to the slime: put in all the ingredients in a blender and mix until a powder. Super easy to use for chai latte!
Marta says
I made a double-batch of this chai syrup because everyone in my family loves to have chai in the afternoon. It's such a simple way to add tons of comforting flavors to our tea and oatmeal (yes, oatmeal!).