Homemade Iced Chai Foam (Printable)

Spiced iced chai with a creamy cold foam topping, ideal for warm weather enjoyment and café-style indulgence.

# What You 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

→ 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 - Additional ground cinnamon (optional)

# How To Make It:

01 - Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add black tea bags, cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom pods, peppercorns, and sliced ginger. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
02 - Remove from heat, discard tea bags, and allow spices to steep for an additional 5 minutes. Strain the mixture into a pitcher and stir in honey or maple syrup while warm. Cool to room temperature, then 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. Pour chilled chai concentrate to fill each glass about two-thirds full.
05 - Spoon cold foam generously over the chai. Optionally dust with ground cinnamon. Serve immediately.

# Helpful Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes expensive and complicated but takes less time than a coffee shop run.
  • The cold foam is pure theater—watching it cloud over your drink makes you feel like a barista in your own kitchen.
  • Spices bloom differently when you simmer them together, creating a depth that tea bags alone could never deliver.
02 -
  • The chai concentrate must cool completely and chill properly, or hot chai meeting cold foam creates a terrible, melted mess instead of that crisp, defined layer of cream.
  • Whole spices release flavor on their own timeline, and that timeline includes a second steeping after you remove the heat—skip this and you've just made spiced tea, not chai.
  • Overwhipping the cream turns it grainy and separates it; watch it carefully and stop the moment it looks thick and pillowy because that's when it's perfect.
03 -
  • Make the concentrate a day ahead so you have iced chai ready whenever heat or craving strikes—it's one of those recipes that rewards planning.
  • If your cream won't whip into foam, it's too warm; keep it in the coldest part of your fridge and use the coldest bowl you have to get the best results.
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