Chaider Recipe Featuring Chai And Cider!

Chaider is a delightfully warm seasonal drink that pairs apple cider with chai tea! It’s easy to make and extra delicious topped with whipped cream and cinnamon.

What is a chaider, you ask? It’s a deliciously warm beverage that mixed chai tea with apple cider. You add a few other ingredients like cloves and cinnamon sticks to make it extra cozy.

But, first – let’s talk about chai! I’m not an expert on tea by any means but this Food & Wine article gives a really great outline on the history of chai. Here are some of my favorite points about the flavor of chai.

• Typically, the base of chai is a black tea. Assam is the most commonly used in chai because of it’s strong, full-bodied flavor.
• Traditional chai almost always has whole milk in it, as it brings out the delicious flavors.
• You might think of chai and immediately think of the spices! There can be a variety of spices to make chai, but the most commonly used are cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, star anise, and cloves.

If you need some ideas on what to pair with your chai or chaider, I’ve got you covered. Because of all the delicious warm flavors in this drink, there are a lot of yummy bread and dessert options.

These pumpkin donut holes would be incredible or this gingerbread roll cake. Or what about these mini cheesecakes and delightful brownies.

Now that you know all about the chai and what to pair with your chaider, how about we talk about what you need and how to make one! It’s super easy peasy and super delicious.

Here are all the ingredients you need for a chaider and also one you might not need but could absolutely add to it for happy hour.

• Tazo Tea Chai Tea Latte. We used the box chai tea latte from Tazo. This is the same one they use at Starbucks. There are other brands out there that are probably delightful but we used Tazo for this recipe and it’s widely available at most grocery stores.
• Apple Cider. Don’t use apple juice, you want that earthy flavor and texture from apple cider for this drink.
• Cloves + Cinnamon. The extra cloves and cinnamon sticks add just a little extra deliciousness to the chaider. But, you will want to strain the drink after you make it with a fine mesh stainer so you don’t get any of the ground spices in your drink.
• Whipped Cream or Cool Whip. Either one is delicious! We had cool-whip on hand so I use that on top but some fresh whipped cream would also be delicious.
• Bourbon. Okay, I didn’t add this in the recipe but totally optional for an afternoon happy hour! This would be amazing to drink cozied up with some Christmas movies.

Chaider is a delightful beverage and especially cozy during those frigid winter months. But, just in case you run out of apple cider and you want to try something else, here are a few additional drink recipes to keep you warm.

• Boozy Pumpkin Spice Latte. The only way to make a PSL better is to add some booze. Okay, that’s not the only way but it’s a delicious way to enjoy it.
• Raspberry Mocha Latte. I drink this ALL year round. It’s seriously so good and a combo you might not think about right away.
• Lucky Charms Latte. Okay, we have a few coffee recipes on the blog if you couldn’t tell. This is SUCH a fun one and a unique way to use Lucky Charms cereal.