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Home » Winter Recipes

The BEST Dirty Chai Recipe

Published: Jan 18, 2024 · Modified: May 30, 2024 by Holly Michelle · This post may contain affiliate links

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If you're looking for a delicious new way to start off your morning, look no further! This is the BEST Dirty Chai Recipe that you will ever need! It's sweet, but yet perfectly balanced from the espresso. This drink will make a morning person out of anyone!

What is a Dirty Chai drink?

A dirty chai is a chai drink with a shot of espresso added in. It's the perfect balance of sweetness between the chai and the espresso. Depending on where you go, they could add one or two shots of espresso to the chai, so make sure you ask!

I didn't fall in love with dirty chai's until last year, when I went to this one breakfast spot that had the most delicious dirty chai I've ever tried! There was more of a spice to the espresso instead of regular espresso which was heightened by all of the spices in the chai.

To make my dirty chai extra delicious, I make a chai sugar combining brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Then I add this chai sugar to the espresso before I brew it! It creates the most flavorful chai espresso ever! If you don't know if you'll like a dirty chai, or you haven't liked them in the past, try this, and I'm positive you'll love it!

Chia Sugar

The chai sugar is without a doubt the star of this show! I add a little spoonful of the chai sugar to the espresso powder before I brew the espresso and it is life changing!

By heating up the chai sugar with the espresso, it wakes up all of the spices creating this beautiful warm, spicy and aromatic espresso that pairs perfectly with the chai tea concentrate.

This chai sugar is made up of brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. This is a great sugar to just keep on hand in your pantry, especially if you're a chai-lover like myself!?It's great to sprinkle over oatmeal, add to cookies, top off your regular coffee, it's just a great sugar to have on hand!

Tips and Tricks

I used an espresso maker that you put on the stove to brew my espresso. We just got this for Christmas so I'm still playing around with how it works!

If you don't have an espresso maker, I used the specialty 4-ounce brew that my coffee machine had on it to brew the espresso. So you could really use whatever coffee maker you have around!

I know some die-hard espresso enthusiasts will disagree with that but this is a safe place so you can use whatever you need!

Other Recipes to Love:

Chai Coffee Cake - This Chai Coffee Cake has all the warm and spicy flavors of chai mixed into a light, soft cake with a brown sugar crumble! Have your chai and eat it too with this easy and delicious coffee cake!

Chai Crumble Muffins - Soft, crumbly muffins filled with the delicious flavors of a classic chai! These Chai Crumble Muffins will make your morning 100 times better! Even if it’s a Monday!

Chai Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream - These Chai Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream are a warm and spicy cupcake dream! With all the spicy flavors of chai combined in a soft cupcake with smooth and creamy buttercream, these cupcakes are the new flavor of fall!

Ingredient List:

  • Espresso
  • Chai Concentrate
  • Milk
  • Creamer
  • Brown Sugar
  • Cinnamon
  • Ginger
  • Cloves
  • Nutmeg

Just a few ingredients away from making the BEST Dirty Chai Recipe! It's such a flavorful dirty chai that you get those warm spicy flavors of chai in every single sip!

If you need a fun way to start out your morning, this is perfect for you!

Cheers!

-Holly Michelle

Dirty Chai Recipe

Holly Michelle
This is the BEST Dirty Chai Recipe that you will ever need! It's sweet, but yet perfectly balanced from the espresso.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Total Time 5 minutes mins
Course Drinks
Cuisine American
Servings 1 Drink

Ingredients
  

  • ¼ cup Espresso
  • ½ cup Chai Concentrate
  • ½ cup Milk
  • 1 tablespoon Creamer of Choice
  • 2 teaspoons Chia Sugar

Chai Sugar:

  • 2 tablespoons Brown Sugar
  • 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon Ginger
  • ½ teaspoon Cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg

Instructions
 

  • Before you brew your espresso, add 2 teaspoons of the chia sugar to the espresso powder.
    2 teaspoons Chia Sugar
  • After the espresso is done, pour as much espresso as you want into a glass*.
    ¼ cup Espresso
  • Then pour in chai concentrate and milk.
    ½ cup Milk, ½ cup Chai Concentrate
  • Stir everything together, then add a tablespoon or so of your favorite creamer**.
    1 tablespoon Creamer of Choice
  • Add ice and enjoy!

Chai Sugar:

  • In a bowl, stir together brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg.
    2 tablespoons Brown Sugar, 2 teaspoons Cinnamon, 1 teaspoon Ginger, ½ teaspoon Cloves, ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
  • Cover and store in an airtight container!

Notes

*I usually do about half the espresso that I brew and then I save the other half for the next day! But this is totally up to you!
**This part is optional if you don't want to add any creamer you don't have to! I like that it adds a little bit more creaminess to the drink and a touch more sweetness! You could leave it out if you wanted.
Keyword cafe espresso, chai drinks, chai flavor, chai spice, chai tea, chai tea muffins, dirty chai, dirty chai recipe, espresso drink, espresso recipes

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Hi there!

I’m Holly, a chai tea lover, runner, and most importantly an avid dessert lover! I'm the founder, recipe developer, and food photographer for The Little Holly That Could. If you're ready for a sweet little treat, dive on in!

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