Homemade Iced Chai Foam (Print Version)

Spiced iced chai with cold foam offers a creamy, refreshing drink ideal for warm weather indulgence.

# What You'll Need:

→ Chai Concentrate

01 - 2 cups water
02 - 2 black tea bags
03 - 1 cinnamon stick
04 - 4 whole cloves
05 - 4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
06 - 4 black peppercorns
07 - 1-inch piece fresh ginger, sliced
08 - 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup, adjust to taste

→ Cold Foam

09 - 1/2 cup cold heavy cream
10 - 1 tablespoon sugar or honey
11 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ To Serve

12 - Ice cubes
13 - Ground cinnamon, for dusting (optional)

# How to Make It:

01 - Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add tea bags, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, peppercorns, and sliced ginger. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
02 - Remove from heat, discard tea bags, and let spices steep off heat for 5 minutes. Strain into a pitcher, stir in honey or maple syrup while warm, then cool to room temperature and refrigerate until chilled.
03 - Whip cold heavy cream, sugar or honey, and vanilla extract in a bowl or with a milk frother until thick and foamy but not stiff.
04 - Fill two tall glasses with ice cubes. Pour chilled chai concentrate to fill about two-thirds of each glass.
05 - Top each glass generously with cold foam. Optionally, dust with ground cinnamon and serve immediately.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • It tastes like a café drink you'd pay $7 for, but costs a fraction of that and takes barely 20 minutes.
  • The cold foam makes you feel fancy while doing something genuinely simple.
  • You can make the concentrate ahead, so mornings become effortless.
02 -
  • Don't skip straining the spices completely—little bits floating around feel gritty and detract from the smooth sip you're going for.
  • If your foam collapses before you serve, whip it fresh; it takes literally 90 seconds and the difference is noticeable.
03 -
  • Cold cream froths faster than room-temperature cream, and a milk frother makes foam in 60 seconds flat if you don't want to whisk by hand.
  • Toast your whole spices in a dry pan for 30 seconds before adding water to intensify their flavor—this single step makes an enormous difference.
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