This Chai cider recipe is the coziest drink you will want to sip, on all autumn long! Warm apple cider, spiced chai & comforting spices - there's nothing better than this on a cold day. Top it with some of my maple cardamom whipped cream to make it taste even more delicious!
Watch how to make this delicious Chai Cider here.
My inspiration behind this Chai cider recipe
There was a chain of local coffee houses called Tully's coffee that I loved to visit, many years ago. One of their locations was next to a movie theater and I loved sipping on their warm coffees while watching a movie during the colder months.
On one such visit, I noticed that they had an interesting beverage called 'Chai cider'. This was during the months when pumpkin spice lattes were usually the common drink of choice. I wanted to try something different and I was also very curious to see if they had totally ruined the flavor of chai (sorry chai latte, you are nowhere close to how delicious real chai tastes😅). So, I decided to order it and take a chance! 😉
And to my very pleasant surprise, the chai cider tasted absolutely incredible! Warming spices and steeped chai mixed with steaming hot apple cider makes an incredible combination. I loved this drink so much that I had to recreate it at home, and that's how this recipe was born!
Unfortunately Tully's closed all their stores a few years later, but I'm happy that I figured out how to make chai cider super quickly, anytime I want. Hope you love this recipe too!
What makes this chai cider so special?
To me, nothing is cozier in the colder autumn months than cozying up in fuzzy clothes/blankets and sipping on a warm drink.
This chai cider recipe is filled with the warming flavors of spices like cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom, black pepper & nutmeg. These spices when steeped with black tea and combined with warm cider, make an incredibly cozy drink that will warm you from within.
Ingredients to make this chai cider
There's 2 ways you can make my recipe.
I love using Trader Joe's spiced chai tea bags and spiced cider to make this recipe incredibly quickly. Other similar chai spiced tea bags and cider will work here too.
If you can't find similar products, I have a detailed recipe on how to make chai masala below. Using your homemade chai masala, it is super easy to make chai cider using any plain black tea and apple cider!
I just couldn't resist featuring them in my recipe 🧡
Optional but highly recommended topping
I love topping my chai cider with a little dollop of maple cardamom whipped cream. While it is optional, I really enjoy how the maple and cardamom flavors enhance the taste of this chai cider.
It is super simple to make the whipped cream by hand. I whisked the cream using a hand whisk until soft peaks formed (about 3 minutes) and then mixed in the maple syrup and some ground cardamom.
The maple flavor goes really well with the warm apple cider and the cardamom adds a sweet and floral fragrance to this cozy drink.
Substitutions/changes to this recipe
Instead of apple cider, you could also use pear cider or even unfiltered peach/nectarine juice in this recipe. I think both of these options will work really well when paired with the spicy steeped chai.
You can make the whipped cream with any dairy/non dairy whipping cream of your choice.
I like the addition of ground cardamom as a topping but you could replace it with ground cinnamon, if that's what you have on hand.
More recipes to try
If you love this recipe, here are some other simple & delicious recipes you might want to try.
Chai cider
Ingredients
- 1 cup apple cider
Here's the one I use
If using spiced chai tea bags
- 1 cup water
- 1 spiced chai tea bag
Here's the one I use
If using plain black tea
- 1.25 cups water
- ½ teaspoon chai masala (recipe below)
- ½ inch ginger root
- 2 teaspoons loose tea leaves (
Here's my favorite brand)
Maple cardamom whipped cream
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom (
Here's my favorite brand)
Instructions
Maple whipped cream
- Whip the whipping cream with a hand whisk until soft peaks form (about 3 minutes). Pour in the maple syrup and half the ground cardamom and mix to combine.
If using spiced chai tea bags
- Steep 1 of the spiced chai tea bag in 1 cup of boiling water for about 3-5 minutes.
- In the meanwhile, heat 1 cup of the apple cider either over the stove top or microwave until it starts to simmer.
- Pull out the tea bag and mix the warm apple cider with the steeped chai. Pour the chai cider into mugs and serve with an optional dollop of maple whipped cream and add a pinch of ground cardamom over the top.
If using plain black tea
- In a saucepan, heat the water until it comes up to a boil. Crush the ginger in a mortar and pestle and add it into the water along with the chai masala and loose tea leaves and let it simmer for about 2-3 minutes or until the tea has steeped in the hot water.
- Pour in the apple cider and let the entire mixture heat through.
- Turn off the heat and strain the chai cider into mugs. Serve with an optional dollop of maple whipped cream and add a pinch of ground cardamom over the top.
Notes
Homemade chai masala
Equipment
Ingredients
To make the chai masala spice blend:
- 2 tablespoons green cardamom
- 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons cloves
- 2 piece cassia bark/Chinese cinnamon (each piece was about 1" long)
- 1 tablespoon rose petals (optional)
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- ½ nutmeg
- ½ star anise (optional)
- 1 tablespoon dried ginger powder (skip this is you plan to use fresh ginger)
Instructions
To make the chai masala spice blend:
- Add all the ingredients into a spice/coffee grinder and grind them to a coarse powder.
- You can store the chai masala in an airtight container in a dark cupboard/cabinet for 2-3 months.
- Use ¼ teaspoon of chai masala to make 1 cup of chai.
Watch how to make this delicious Chai Cider here.
Please leave a comment below to let me know what you think and subscribe to my social media if you would like to see more easy and delicious recipes.
Jake says
I love how easy & quick this recipe is and it tasted so good! I'm a big chai aficionado and I never thought I'd like to mix chai with apple cider, but I'm glad I tried this recipe. It tastes so good, perfect for cozy fall weather. Thanks for this amazing recipe ❤
Viola says
Thanks for taking the time to write a review, Jake! I am so happy that you loved my recipe ❤ I too was amazed at how good Chai and Cider taste together, when I tried it for the first time!
Courtney says
mmmmm!! I can smell it already!! This would be amazing with some apple cider donuts as well!!
Viola says
Thanks! Oooh, that definitely sounds like an amazing combination!