How to Make Chai with Herbs and Without Caffeine

As I write this, I have a pot full of warming, herbal chai simmering on my stove, and I am so excited to sit by my fire enjoying a cup of it on this rainy autumn day following our record-breaking flood here in Carnation.

(Luckily our house is on high ground far enough from the rivers that we were only inconvenienced by not being able to drive into or out of Carnation because of flooded roads on all sides.)

But, back to that warming cup of chai I was telling you about…

I want to share with you how to make chai with this wonderful chai recipe. This is a great holiday drink to share with family and friends when they come by your home for celebrations or just to enjoy by the fire on a wet or snowy day.

Often chai is made with black tea, but I wanted to share how to make chai without caffeine, and this year I’m also adding some nourishing and immune boosting herbs to my chai blend.

Here’s a chai recipe for you to start with if you have been wanting to learn. I recommend playing with amounts and types of herbs until you get the blend that’s perfect for you.

Immune-Building Autumn Chai Recipe

• 3 ½ cups boiling water
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• 1 whole nutmeg, chopped
• 1 tablespoon cardamom seed pods
• 1 tablespoon astragalus root
• ½ tsp. whole cloves
• ¼ tsp. black peppercorns
• ½ tsp. anise seeds
• ½ tsp. whole allspice
• ½ tsp. Echinacea root
• Need herbs? Visit Mountain Rose Herbs.

Simmer the spices in your chai recipe in the water for about 15 minutes. (If you’d like to add black tea, add 1/8 cup after removing from the heat and steep for not more than 3 minutes.

Strain out the herbs, add warmed milk (I suggest at least ¼ cup) and honey to taste.

I hope you enjoyed learning how to make chai. Enjoy!

Written by Rosalee de la Forêt

Rosalee de la Forêt is an herbalist and author of the bestselling book Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients Into Foods & Remedies That Heal and co-author of Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine. She’s a registered herbalist with the American Herbalists Guild. Explore Rosalee's website and podcast. All content and photos in this article are © Rosalee de la Forêt.