Pumpkin Spice Chai: Easy, 5-minute Recipe

Pumpkin Spice Chai

I love Chai. Who doesn’t?

The challenge with making chai is that to do it right, you’ve got to slow down and focus. Some days, that’s just not viable for me. Fall, when the kids are back to school and Harvest season is quickly winding into winter preparations, is one time of year when it’s tough to slow down in my household.

But I still love chai.

How can you easily fulfill your chai needs even when life’s a bit of a rush?

Pumpkin Spice Chai, of course! I have a super easy method for helping you make the best chai on the block no matter what your schedule looks like.

If you’ve never actually made your own chai, (maybe you buy it in those nifty aeseptic containers in the grocery store or rely on coffee shops to do it right?) you should know it’s a spiced tea preparation that started in India and was wildly popularized by the British during their occupation (and adoption of many things India, like Curry and Vindaloo).

Chai simply means tea. Indian families have their own recipes for Chai Masala, or Tea Spice, which they add to a strong Assam-style tea. The spices and milk are intended to make the tea more drinkable; Assam teas can be quite bitter and harsh. The basic three spices most chai blends include are Ginger, Cinnamon, and Cardamon, although you may well find a few chai masala blends that contain only one or two of them along with a variety of other spices, like clove, nutmeg, cayenne, and black pepper. The possibilities are astounding and utterly delicious.

So what has all this got to do with Pumpkin spice? The primary spices in Pumpkin spice blend are cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. That makes Pumpkin Spice darn close to chai masala….and it makes serving up a good chai surprisingly easy!

When you’re choosing your ingredients, keep in mind the tea can be the cheap, harsh Lipton or similar teas most tea-snobs eschew. I like Brooke Bond Red Label Tea or Tea India Ctc Leaf Tea, which I can buy in a giant bag fairly cheaply from my local Asian grocery shop or you can buy on Amazon. Look for Assam or potentially Niligiri tea, and aim for one that claims to be for breakfast or is quite strong in flavor.

For your Pumpkin Spice, pick the blend you like best. It’s pretty easy to make your own. Sue’s recipe is mighty tasty. Simply Organic makes a lovely blend as does Primal Palate.

Ingredients

  • 1 parts Black Tea, Assam
  • 2 part Pumpkin Spice Mix
  • 12 ounces (355 ml) milk, soymilk, or your favorite milk substitute
  • Sugar or honey (optional)

Equipment

  • Mixing spoons
  • Bowl
  • Spoon for mixing
  • Container for extra Pumpkin Spice Chai Blend
  • Spice grinder (a clean coffee grinder works well)
  • 12-ounce (355 ml) mug
  • Microwave
  • Whisk

Make Pumpkin Spice Chai Blend

  1. Powder the tea in your spice grinder.
  2. Add the powdered tea to your bowl and stir in the pumpkin spice blend
  3. Store Your Pumpkin Spice Chai Blend in a sealed glass jar or container.

Make a Cuppa Pumpkin Spice Chai

  1. Pour a generous splash of milk, soymilk, or your favorite milk substitute into your mug.
  2. Add 1/2 tsp.(2.5 ml) of Pumpkin Spice Chai Blend to the mug and whisk it until it’s well blended.
  3. Top off the mug with milk, soymilk, or your favorite milk substitute and microwave it until it’s hot, yet drinkable, about 1-2 minutes depending on the strength of your microwave.
  4. When your Pumpkin Spice Chai is hot enough, remove it from the microwave, add any sweeteners you so desire, and Enjoy!

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