Healthy Homemade Herbal Ginger Chai Latté

Besides my herbal adaptogenic cacao, my warming ginger chai latté is another cold weather favorite. This recipe is a great one to batch all at once to make a large amount of chai concentrate so you have fresh, immune-boosting and warming chai throughout the week but it can also be made per cup if you like it super fresh! 

My healthy, homemade chai recipe includes fresh ginger root and other warming spices and herbs to increase circulation during the fall and winter which is a simple way to boost your immune system and blood flow, boost digestion, and give you a healthy, herbal alternative to daily coffee consumption. Want to try another warming fall recipe? Get my simple immune boosting ginger tea recipe here. 

What you'll need

• 3-4 slices of fresh ginger root

• 1/2 stick of cinnamon 

• 3-4 cloves 

• 3-4 cardamom pods (cracked) depending on how intense you like it

• 3-4 black peppercorns 

• 1/2 cup of your choice of milk

• 3 cups water

• Your choice of sweetener

• Optional: black tea of your choice

Bonus hormone balancing and adaptogenic additions

• Ashwagandha 

• Shatavari 

• Rhodiola 

• Maca

• Reishi

Directions

• Bring the spices and ginger to a boil in a stock pot. Simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes. You can easily double or triple this recipe for a chai concentrate that will last one week if refrigerated.

• Turn off the heat and filter your ginger chai concentrate through a mesh strainer into a canning jar. 

• In your favorite mug, combine about 1/2 cup of warmed milk of your choice with 1/2 of the chai concentrate. 

• For extra fat and froth, add a teaspoon of coconut oil and blend on high.

• Mix in your sweetener—I prefer honey to others but you can use raw cane sugar, coconut sugar, stevia or monk fruit sugar.

The best part about making your own chai concentrate at home is that you can customize it to your wellness and lifestyle goals—and you can control what kind of sweetener (if any) is included. Most chais on the market have an obscene amount of sugar so I highly recommend making your own at home. 

Another way to boost the medicinal properties of your daily chai latté is by adding adaptogens and hormone balancing herbs. I have ashwagandha, reishi and maca on rotation in all my medicinal recipes but there are so many more that can serve as holistic health boosters. Be sure to check with your herbalist or medical provider before adding these to your daily habit, especially if you're on medication as some herbs do interact with certain prescription drugs.

Are you going to give this lovely chai recipe a try?