Coconut Free Chai Spice Iced Tea
Warm spices meet a refreshing chill in this aromatic iced tea that tastes like a café drink you made entirely from scratch. Black tea is simmered with cinnamon, fresh ginger, cardamom, cloves, and black peppercorns until the liquid turns a gorgeous amber and smells absolutely incredible. A splash of maple syrup brings just the right touch of natural sweetness without any dairy or tropical ingredients sneaking in. So many bottled chai-style drinks and premade mixes rely on coconut milk or coconut-derived sweeteners, which makes this from-scratch approach a genuinely satisfying alternative. Everything gets strained clean, poured over ice, and served cold — simple, stunning, and completely free of any coconut concerns. It's the kind of drink that feels special enough for guests but easy enough to batch on a weeknight and keep in the fridge all week.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 3 cups water
- 3 black tea bags
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, thinly sliced
- 6 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
- 4 whole cloves
- ¼ tsp black peppercorns
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
For serving
- 1 cup ice cubes, for serving
Instructions
- 1
Combine the water, cinnamon stick, sliced ginger, crushed cardamom pods, whole cloves, and black peppercorns in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes, until the liquid is fragrant and lightly amber.
- 2
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the tea bags and steep for 4 minutes, then remove and discard the tea bags.
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