This spiced chai tea latte popsicles recipe is bursting with bold flavors! It’s the perfect refreshing treat with just a hint of sweetness for a healthy indulgence.
The moment September hit did you notice all of the Fall inspired flavors like pumpkin, cinnamon and apples hit the stores? I am so ready to stop by my neighborhood coffee shop to order my first cup of warm creamy chai latte, oh yea!
Today I’m sharing with you something that is going to satisfy your two cravings. You get a cool, sweet treat to beat the heat and a taste of those warm holiday spices. Let’s gradually transition to autumn together, shall we? Grab your favorite chai tea and let’s get brewing!
What is Chai?
Chai is a type of tea most predominately enjoyed in India and East Africa and can vary by region and even household. It is typically a combination of black tea, milk, warm, pungent spices and a sweetener. When you hear “masala” chai, that means spiced tea. Some spices can include cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and pepper. The blend of spices invigorates and has a warming effect on the body.
So comforting and delicious! It’s easy to create your own homemade masala chai blend so you can add a boost of flavor to your tea whenever you like.
What you find nowadays for chai tea lattes in popular coffee shops like Starbucks is similarly a mixture of milk, water, and a chai tea concentrate. Whatever you prefer, the wonderfully fragrant tea is sure to make you happy in an instant!
This recipe creates a quick spiced chai latte popsicle mixture using ingredients you most likely already have in your pantry. The first thing is to grab a few bags of your favorite chai tea. So what’s in chai tea bags hiding in those adorable mini white envelopes? You can typically find a blend of loose leaf tea (black, rooibos, or even green) and dried spices for a convenient and quick flavored tea. For this recipe, you could even use just a black tea because we are going to add in a generous amount of dried spices.
So what’s in each spiced chai tea latte popsicle? We first need to brew a strong batch of black chai tea and infuse it with a bold blend of six spices:
- ground cinnamon
- ginger
- allspice
- cloves
- cardamom
- nutmeg
To add creaminess to each popsicle, some milk gets whisked in with the spiced chai. I’ve been using unsweetened cashew milk. It’s so luscious with a subtle nutty flavor.
A touch of maple syrup balances the astringency from the tannins in the tea and pungent ginger. I’ve been using stevia in my beverages for some added sweetness without the sugar if you are looking for a calorie-free option. Now that you’ve got your popsicle base mixed, it’s ready to be poured into the popsicle mold.
These frozen spiced chai latte popsicles hit the spot for a chilly low-calorie dessert. If you want to take these frozen treats to the next level, you can add your choice of toppings. I had a small stash of white chocolate and pistachios, so I decided to drizzle and sprinkle them onto each pop. I’m not going to lie. They were extra yummy!
Did I mention that you could just pour this over a big glass filled with ice cubes for a refreshing drink? That’s only if you aren’t patient enough to enjoy it as a frozen popsicle. You could always just make a batch of the spiced chai mixture, refrigerate and mix 1/2 cup tea with 1/2 cup milk (hot or cold) plus some sweetener if you’d like for a chai latte beverage. Yes, it’s amazing!
What spices do you like in your chai? How would you customize your popsicles? I would love to hear your ideas in the comments section!
How do temperature and time affect the taste of black tea?
When brewing tea, the size of the tea leaf can affect how quickly it brews to extract the tea flavors. Leaves commonly found in little white bags tend to be more finely chopped. This will allow the tea to brew in a matter of minutes. The more water you have, say an 8-ounce cup versus a large pot, the more time you may need. Also the hotter the water, the darker the color of the tea and stronger the flavor will be. Cooler water will yield a milder and sweeter taste. For these spiced chai tea popsicles, we want a bolder stronger flavor, so a fine particle black tea steeped in near boiling water for 10 minutes is used to achieve a robust flavor. If you are using whole leaves, brew for a few moments longer to get a full extraction. If you’re not sure, taste every few minutes and remove the tea bags when you achieve the desired flavor strength.
- 2 1/4 cups water
- 2 bags chai tea
- 2 1/4 cups milk , unsweetened coconut, almond, soy, cashew or dairy
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon , ground
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg , ground
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom , ground
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger , ground
- 1/8 teaspoon allspice , ground
- 1/8 teaspoon cloves , ground
- 4 teaspoons pure maple syrup
- In a medium sized pot add 2 1/4 cups water and bring to a boil. Add spices and whisk. Add 3 tea bags and turn off heat. Allow to steep for 10 minutes. Lift up tea bags and squeeze to extract remaining liquid from the bags into a pot, discard.
- Add 2 1/4 cup milk and 4 teaspoons maple syrup to the pot, whisk to combine. Taste the tea mixture and add more sweetener if desired. Evenly distribute the chai tea latte mixture into each popsicle mold. I used about 6 to 7 tablespoons per mold. Add cover, insert sticks and freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight. If you are having a hard time getting the popsicle sticks to stay in place, you can wrap some foil on top of the cover then add the sticks through the foil the position it better.
- To remove the popsicle, use warm water over the molds for about 10 seconds, then pull the sticks to carefully withdraw the popsicle. Repeat the water process as needed. Eat immediately or transfer pops to small individual plastic bags and freeze right away.
- If desired you can add toppings to your popsicles like a drizzle of melted chocolate and sprinkle with chopped nuts. I used white chocolate and pistachios for my popsicles. Enjoy!
1) Honey can be substituted for maple syrup or any other sweetener. You can use stevia for natural non-calorie sweetener, just gradually add a small amount until desired sweetness level is reached.
Jessica, your food always looks amazing! My wife and I are going to love these.
Thank you SO much Tim!