Xanthan Gum Free Chai Spice Iced Tea
Warm spices meet a cool glass in this aromatic iced tea that tastes like a chai latte's more refreshing summer cousin. Black tea is simmered with cinnamon, fresh ginger, crushed cardamom, cloves, and black peppercorns until the liquid turns fragrant and lightly amber — the kind of depth that bottled drinks just can't replicate. Maple syrup brings a gentle, rounded sweetness that ties everything together without overpowering the spice blend. Because every ingredient here is a whole food or pantry staple, there's nothing to second-guess on the label — no thickeners, no stabilizers, nothing that doesn't belong. Many flavored teas and chai concentrates on store shelves sneak in additives that can be a real headache to track down, so brewing your own is a genuinely satisfying workaround. The process is simple: simmer, steep, strain, chill, and pour over ice. It's the kind of drink you'll want to keep a pitcher of 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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