What could be more comforting on a crisp autumnal day but an aromatic cosy chai latte? This spicy black tea is a delicious pick-me up, combining milky sweetness with fragrant and warming spices of cinnamon, ginger, star anise and cardamom. I love curling up in my favourite comfy chair with a good book and cosy socks, sipping chai tea latte and watching the world go by.

This recipe is quick to make, dairy-free and so much healthier than that found in traditional coffee shops. You’ll wonder why you didn’t start making it at home more often!

Coffee shop chai lattes have received a lot of bad press about their whopping sugar content. This recipe uses coconut sugar to make it a whole lot healthier, or alternatively, you can make it sugar-free using sweeteners like erthyritol or stevia.

Depending on time, I love to use a milk frother to add some foamy decadence.

The spices in chai tea make it a healthy option if you reduce the sugar. Some evidence suggests that cinnamon helps to lower blood pressure and bad cholesterol levels and that the black tea also helps lower blood cholesterol. The ginger and cinnamon may help in blood sugar regulation. Cheers to medicinal tea!

Makes: 2

Preparation time: 12-13 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 cinnamon stick
• 6 black peppercorns
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 star anise
• 3 cardamom pods, seeds removed and grounded
• 3 black teabags or 1 tbsp. loose-leaf tea
• 500ml boiled water
• 1-2 tsp. coconut sugar of ½ tsp. stevia or 1 tsp. erthryitol
• 500ml plant milk (I love oat, almond and soy milk)
• 4 slices of fresh ginger
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Method:

1. In a small saucepan and on a medium heat, heat the cinnamon stick, peppercorns, whole cloves, star anise and cardamom pods for a few minutes until you can smell the spices.
2. Put the black tea bags or black tea into a measuring jug or teapot then pour on boiling water. Leave to steep for a few mins.
3. Add the coconut sugar or sweetener of choice to the tea. Strain away the leaves or remove the tea bags.
4. Pour the milk* into the saucepan with the spices. Add fresh ginger slices and ground cinnamon and bring to the boil. *If frothing up milk, omit some from the saucepan as frothing works better on cool milk. Once boiled, remove the ginger slices.
5. Add the tea to the milk. Pour the chai tea into mugs or cups and top with frothed milk, if desired and a stick of cinnamon or pinch of cinnamon. You can adjust the sweetness if required (I so not like things too sweet!) Enjoy!

Don’t forget you can find my favourite recipes in my FREE eBook here.