This hot chai chocolate combines the aromatic punch of a chai latte with the creaminess of a hot chocolate. Rich and flavorful, it’s a soothing drink perfect for snuggling up on a cold day. It takes less than 15 minutes to prepare, which means you’ll be sipping it out of a large mug in no time!
This spiced hot chocolate builds on the popular chai latte, which consists of frothed milk mixed with a chai mix paste. We made our chai spice blend from scratch and simmered in coconut milk drink. A touch of cocoa powder and a few squares of melted dark chocolate and there you have it: a chocolaty treat with an energizing, spicy kick.
Like Chai Latte, Chai Hot Chocolate is inspired by the classic Indian “Masala Chai”. masala means “mixture of spices”, while chai is the Hindi word for “tea”, derived from the Chinese word yeah (“Tea”). Masala chai, better known as chai tea, is one of India’s most popular beverages and a world famous hot beverage.
Chai tea is traditionally made by boiling water and milk with Assam black tea, sugar and a blend of spices. This spice mix, called Karha, usually contains cardamom, cloves, ginger, cinnamon and peppercorns. Some recipes also use other ingredients like star anise, fennel, nutmeg, vanilla, chili peppers, and even rose petals.
For our recipe, we chose the basic Karha mix and then add fennel seeds for extra flavor, but you can use star anise if you like. We infused all the spices and seeds in simmering milk using a cheesecloth bag and then removed before adding the cocoa and chocolate.
To make this flavorful chocolate dairy free and vegan, we used coconut milk drink instead of cow’s milk. It’s thicker than other plant-based alternatives like almond or soy milk, making the chocolate even creamier. Be sure to use the chilled drink and not the canned milk, which is more concentrated and higher in fat.