Sugar-Free Chai Tea

Say hello to chai made at home, a DIY concoction of milky tea steeped with fresh ginger and Indian-style spices, cardamom, cinnamon, clove and black pepper. So brew a pot, then rewarm this cold-weather comfort drink throughout the week. Especially compared to sugary-sweet coffeehouse chai, my chai is either unsweetened or barely sweetened, it's all about the warm, wondrous spices. That makes it perfect for mindful eaters, diabetics and anyone craving authentic chai flavors with a healthier twist. Just steep, sip, and enjoy the comforting embrace of masala chai, naturally delicious and full of spice-forward charm—no sugar needed.

Homemade Chai, No Added Sugar, No Artificial Sugar Substitutes. A New Addition to The Homemade Pantry, a Kitchen Parade Specialty. Easily Adapted to Your Family's Tastebuds. Great for Meal Prep. Weight Watchers Friendly. Vegetarian. Naturally Gluten Free. So Good!!

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It is a kind of love, is it not?
How the cup holds the tea

excerpt from
"The Patience of Ordinary Things"
by poet Pat Schneider
via Writer's Almanac

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“Oooh. Something Smells good!”

I just looove to hear those words, so much that some times I put a cinnamon stick on the stove to simmer, just for the aroma – and the reaction.

WORD DANCERS Think of all the English words we have that describe our olfactory sensations, aroma, yes, but also scent, smell, stench, fragrance and odor. My books on word usage make little distinction except that aroma is the word most closely tied to food. Perhaps, methinks, aroma is in the nose of the be-smeller.

Right. Back to the chai tea, first made for my cookie swap back in December. I made it a day ahead and first taste, honestly, was unimpressed.

But the next day, I reheated it anyway – and lo, when my fellow cookie-bakers were arriving if I didn’t hear those much-sought words, “Oooh. Something smells good!”

We all loved the stuff. Ever since, after the holidays I keep a jug in the fridge, ready for rewarming a cup at a time. It feels New Year resolution-ish, what with milk and all. Try it first without a sweetener, letting the spices themselves subtly sweeten the milk. You can always add a touch of sweet another time, to your own taste.

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But Before We Get Going, What Is Chai? And Chai Tea?

My glib answer? Chai is just good ginger, good spices, good tea and good milk. It's just good!

But it's a little more complicated than that.

The word "chai" means "tea". So that means that to call my recipe "Chai Tea" is a sort of stutter, like saying it twice, "tea tea".

But in common parlance, the word "chai" has come to mean, for short, the spices in "masala chai". The spices are often ginger, cardamon, cloves, cinnamon and peppercorn but really, it's whatever Indian-style spices which taste good to you. Me, I love the addition of star anise!

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Recipe Overview: Sugar-Free Chai

• Sugar-Free Chai is a traditional blend of spices like cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and cloves steeped in tea and milk but without added sugar, appealing to those avoiding sugar but seeking flavor. It maintains the classic warmth and aroma of masala chai while catering to healthy dietary choices.

• How to Pronounce Chai = Think "chigh", as in chai rhymes with a friendly "hi" or a Rocky Mountain "high".
• When to Serve = Whenever you might make a cup of tea, for me that's a mid-afternoon pick-me-up or an after-dinner treat.
• Diet Needs & Choices = It's Vegetarian and Gluten Free.
• Distinctive Ingredients = Fresh Ginger + Spices + Strong Tea
• Short Ingredient List = all the above + Milk
• For Garnish = none needed
• Kitchen Tools = a knife & cutting board + a pot with a lid + a strainer + carafe
• Hands-On Time = Allow about 10 minutes of hands-on time over about 1-1/4 hours
• Time to Table = Allow about 24 hours for the mixture's flavors to meld in the refrigerator.
• Tasting with our Eyes = Chai deserves a pretty glass mug!
• Taste = The ginger and spices really come through here, so does the tea so long as a strong tea is used.
• Techniques = Two techniques are used here. The first is to "simmer" (that is, to boil with a very small, intermittent bubble) the spices in water, flavoring the liquid. While still hot, the spiced liquid is used to "steep" the tea leaves (that is, to let the tea's flavor to transfer as well except without simmering or boiling).
• Time Friendly = Allow about 10 minutes hands-on time over more than an hour. But then you'll want to refrigerate the mixture for 24 hours for the flavors to fully meld, this is key!
• Shop Your Pantry = This recipe is a pantry-friendly recipe. Here we even keep fresh ginger on hand all the time!
• Watching Our Waistlines = This recipe is a calorie-friendly recipe, the calories all come from the milk and I've used everything from skim milk to whole milk.
• Staying Cost Conscious = This recipe is a budget-friendly recipe, especially if you already keep the spices on hand.
• Makes = about 8 cups, it'll keep for a few days. Need less? Just cut the recipe in half. Need more? Double it!
• Small Households = This recipe works especially well for those Cooking for One or Two.
• So good! I hope you love it!


• If you like the idea of a better-than-a-coffeehouse chai, you might also like my Pumpkin Spice Lattes.
• Not quite what you're looking for? Check out my other beverages & drink recipes or my other recipes calling for coffee, espresso & tea.

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Why I Love This Recipe & You Might Too

• ... traditional chai minus the sugar
• ... bold spices without artificial sweeteners
• ... a nice change of pace from plain tea or tea with milk

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SUGAR-FREE CHAI TEA

Hands-on time: 10 minutes over 1-1/4 hours
Time to table: Best when flavors meld for 24 hours
Makes about 8 cups

• 8 cups water
• One piece of fresh ginger, about 3 inches long, washed and sliced thin cross-wise
• 2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
• 2 pieces star anise
• 16 whole cloves
• 20 cardamom whole seeds
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

• 3 small tea bags (see ALANNA's TIPS)
• 3 cups milk (we use skim or whole, whatever's on hand)
• Honey, agave or maple syrup to taste (optional)

In a large pot, combine the water, ginger and spices. Cover, bring to a boil and let simmer for 30 minutes. (Even with the pot covered, a good third of the water will evaporate.)

Turn off the heat. Pour the liquid through a strainer and discard the ginger and spices. Rinse out the pot with hot water, pour the still-hot liquid back in. Add the tea bags, cover and let steep for 15 minutes.

Remove the tea bags. Add the milk.

If serving right away, reheat the liquid but do not boil. Pour into hot mugs (see TIPS). If needed, sweeten to taste.

If serving later, let cool, then transfer to a carafe and refrigerate. Rewarm by the cupful to serve, sweetening to taste if needed.

ALANNA's TIPS For tea, I recommend a strong tea rather than a delicate herbal tea. For example, it's traditional to use a black tea that won't be overpowered by the spices. Canadian readers, you’ll be pleased to know that I’ve been making Sugar-Free Chai Tea with Red Rose orange pekoe tea! (And American readers, don't you be thinking that the Red Rose tea you buy in the States is the same thing. Since Red Rose was acquired by Lipton, there are two products, one American and another Canadian. When I used to go home to visit my father, we would cross the international bridge just to stock up on real Canadian Red Rose! Here’s a quick trick for keeping a cup of hot tea or coffee hotter longer. While the tea is steeping or the coffee percing, fill the mugs with hot tap water. That way, the hot liquid gets poured into warm mugs, all the better. For those who watch calories, dontcha be thinkin’ that commercial and coffeehouse chai teas are low-calorie or even contain real milk. This is a recipe for homemade chai tea made with real spices, real tea and real milk. No label reading required.

FOR MORE INFO If you "skipped straight to the recipe," please scroll back to the top of this page for ingredient information, ingredient substitutions, tips and more. If you print this recipe, you'll want to check the recipe online for even more tips and extra information about ingredient substitutions, best results and more. See https://www.kitchenparade.com/2009/01/sugar-free-chai-tea.php .

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Cup with skim milk and without sweetener: 54 Calories; 0g Tot Fat; 0g Sat Fat; 1mg Cholesterol; 52mg Sodium; 11g Carb; 0g Fiber; 10g Sugar; 3g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 1 & PointsPlus 1 & SmartPoints 1 & Freestyle 1 & myWW green 1 & blue 1 & purple 1 & future WW points

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail, you'll find my current address in the FAQs. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, for more scratch cooking recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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Alanna Kellogg

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

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