Low Sodium Classic Chai Latte

Total time20 min

Prep time5 min

Cook time15 min

4.8

(8)

Warm, aromatic, and deeply comforting, this homemade chai latte is the kind of drink that makes you want to curl up on the couch and ignore everything else for a while. Whole spices — cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, and ginger — are simmered together until the kitchen smells absolutely incredible, building a spiced base that no powder or syrup can replicate. Sweetness comes entirely from honey, which means you control exactly how much goes in and there's no hidden sodium lurking from flavored syrups or pre-mixed blends. That's the quiet win here: every single ingredient is straightforward, and none of them bring any added salt to the cup. The technique of bringing the milk to a gentle simmer rather than a hard boil keeps it silky and smooth, so the final texture is rich without feeling heavy. Straining everything through a fine-mesh sieve at the end gives you a beautifully clean, café-quality pour that looks just as good as it tastes. It's an easy two-mug recipe that feels genuinely luxurious.

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Ingredients

2 servings

1 cup water
1 cup whole milk
2 black tea bags (or 2 tsp loose-leaf black tea)
1-inch piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced
4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves
4 whole black peppercorns
1 star anise (optional)
2 tbsp honey, or to taste

Instructions

1
Combine the water, ginger, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, cloves, peppercorns, and star anise (if using) in a small 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
Add the tea bags and milk to the saucepan. Raise the heat to medium and bring the mixture just to a gentle simmer — small bubbles at the edges, not a rolling boil — then reduce the heat to low and steep for 4 to 5 minutes, until the chai is deep brown and richly spiced.

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