Chai Spiced Cacao
This chai spiced cacao is a warm, satisfying drink made with cacao powder, plant milk, honey, and a fragrant blend of chai spices. Rich and creamy with plenty of warm spice, it’s a cozy alternative to traditional hot chocolate and a great drink to settle in with on a chilly evening.
A steamy mug of chai cacao is like a warm hug
I love making this drink when I want to slow down and sip on something a little special. A mug of chai spiced cacao, a big blanket, and a good movie feels like such an easy way to settle in and treat myself well. It’s warm, familiar, and deeply satisfying.
This recipe takes a little time to make, but it is well worth the effort. Chai isn’t a single fixed blend, and the spices used to make it can vary by culture, region, and even family. The milk based, gently sweetened chai teas popular in India helped introduce chai flavors around the world. Here, those warm, aromatic spices pair beautifully with cacao to create a spiced cacao drink that is rich, adaptable, and full of character.
If you love bringing homemade beverages to the table as much as I do, be sure to try my classic brandy hot toddy, iced coffee made with a French press, and homemade herbal mocktails too.
Recipe ingredients
- Plant milk: Choose a creamy, neutral flavored plant milk to give the chai cacao a smooth, full bodied base. Cashew milk works particularly well because its naturally creamy texture gives the drink more body. Oat milk is another good choice, and you can use homemade oat milk if you prefer to make your own.
- Cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, and black pepper: Use fresh, good quality ground spices for the strongest aroma and most developed chai flavor. Cinnamon brings warmth and subtle sweetness, cardamom adds its distinctive fragrant character, ginger contributes a warming bite, cloves add depth, and black pepper provides the gentle heat that rounds out the spice blend.
- Star anise: Whole star anise infuses the drink with its characteristic sweet, licorice like flavor and adds another layer of complexity to the chai spices. Choose whole stars that are intact and strongly aromatic rather than broken pieces that have been sitting in the pantry for a long time.
- Cacao powder: Choose unsweetened cacao powder so you can control the sweetness of the finished drink. Cacao provides the deep chocolate flavor that distinguishes this drink from traditional chai and pairs particularly well with the warm spices.
- Honey: Honey sweetens the cacao while adding more flavor than a neutral sweetener. Choose a mild flavored honey so its character complements the cacao and spices. For a vegan chai cacao, replace the honey with your preferred plant based sweetener.
- Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor. Vanilla brings the cacao, warm spices, and sweetness together while enhancing the chocolate notes and giving the finished drink a more rounded flavor.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
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How to make chai spiced cacao
Step 1: Pour the plant milk into a saucepan and add the cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, black pepper, and star anise. Warm over medium low heat until the milk is steaming but not boiling. Reduce the heat to low and steep the spices for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 2: Remove the saucepan from the heat. Line a strainer with a coffee filter or clean flour sack towel and strain the milk to remove the star anise, ground spices, and sediment. Return the strained milk to the saucepan.
Step 3: Place the cacao powder in a small bowl and whisk in a small amount of the warm infused milk to form a smooth paste. Add the cacao mixture to the saucepan and whisk until it is completely incorporated into the milk.
Step 4: Whisk in the honey until it is fully dissolved. Return the saucepan to low heat and gently warm the chai cacao to a pleasant drinking temperature without allowing it to boil.
Step 5: Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Pour the chai cacao into mugs and serve warm.
Top tips
- Keep the spices moving: Give the milk an occasional gentle stir while the spices infuse. Ground spices naturally settle, and stirring keeps them distributed through the milk for a more even infusion.
- Taste before adding more honey: The bitterness of cacao and sweetness of plant milk vary by brand and variety. Taste the finished drink once the flavors have come together, then add more honey only if it needs it.
- Froth before serving: For a lighter, café style texture, froth the finished chai cacao just before pouring it into the mugs. A handheld frother works well, or vigorously whisk the hot beverage until a layer of foam forms on top.
- Make it more indulgent: Top each mug with a dollop of fresh whipped cream and a light sprinkle of ground cinnamon. The whipped cream adds richness while the cinnamon ties the topping back to the warm chai spices in the drink.
- Warm the mugs: Fill the serving mugs with hot water while you prepare the chai cacao, then empty and dry them before pouring. Warm mugs help keep the drink at a pleasant temperature longer after serving.
Serve
Chai cacao makes a cozy addition to breakfast or brunch, and its warm spices pair especially well with homemade baked goods. Serve a mug alongside old fashioned skillet cinnamon rolls or homemade pecan rolls for a rich pairing, or lean into fall flavors with apple cider donuts from scratch, rustic pumpkin cranberry scones, or homemade pumpkin crumb muffins.
For something a little less sweet, pair it with homemade buttermilk biscuits or New York style bagels from scratch. Rustic maple walnut scones, homemade peanut butter scones, and old-fashioned carrot muffins are also great choices when you want an easy baked treat to enjoy with a warm cup.
And for a leisurely weekend breakfast or afternoon break, try chai cacao with baked blueberry bostock. The buttery toasted bread and almond flavor are a particularly nice match for the chocolate and warm chai spices in the drink.
Other recipes you’ll love
If you loved this from scratch spicy cacao drink, give these other great beverage recipes a try too!
Sparkling Blueberry Lemonade with Honey
Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Soda (Classic Soda Fountain Method)
How To Make Fruit Kvass
Fresh Squeezed Lemonade
Homemade Arnold Palmer
Homemade Orangeade with Fresh Squeezed Oranges
Chai Spiced Cacao
Ingredients
- 2 cups plant milk unsweetened
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse grind black pepper
- 3 anise stars
- 3 tablespoons cacao powder
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pour the plant milk into a saucepan. Add the cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, black pepper, and star anise.
- Warm over medium low heat until the milk is steaming but not boiling. Reduce the heat to low and steep for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from the heat. Line a strainer with a coffee filter or clean flour sack towel and strain the milk to remove the spices and sediment. Return the infused milk to the saucepan.
- Whisk the cacao powder with a small amount of the warm infused milk until smooth. Add it to the saucepan and whisk until completely incorporated.
- Add the honey and whisk until dissolved. Warm over low heat until the chai cacao reaches your preferred drinking temperature without allowing it to boil.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Pour into mugs and serve warm.
Notes
- Any creamy, neutral flavored plant milk can be used. Cashew milk gives the chai cacao a particularly creamy texture, while oat milk is another good option.
- For a vegan version, replace the honey with your preferred plant based sweetener.
- The amount of honey can be increased to taste, as the bitterness of cacao and sweetness of plant milk vary.
- For a frothy chai cacao, use a handheld frother or whisk vigorously just before serving.
- For a more indulgent drink, top with a dollop of whipped cream and a light sprinkle of ground cinnamon.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I hope you love this chai spiced cacao — it’s the perfect cozy drink with a warming blend of spices and rich chocolate! If you try the recipe, I’d be thrilled to hear how it turns out for you — please leave a review and let me know your thoughts! If you have any questions or need any tips while making it, don’t hesitate to ask in the comments below. I’m here to help and can’t wait to hear how your chai spiced cacao turns out!