Mushroom Chai Tea Slow Cooker Recipe
This cozy mushroom chai tea not only tastes delicious thanks to the addition of warming spices like ginger, clove, and cardamon, but it also has potential health benefits from the mushroom tea base. To extract the beneficial properties of the mushrooms, we decoct chaga and reishi (along with the spices) on low in a slow cooker for several hours.
Equipment
- 1 Slow cooker I have a 6-quart slow cooker, but adjust the recipe based the volume in quarts of your own slow cooker.
Ingredients
- 1-3 chaga chunks (about 1") per quart of water
- 1 dried reishi, sliced per quart water
- 3 inches fresh ginger, sliced per quart of water
- 2-3 cinnamon sticks
- 2-3 star anise pods
- 1 whole vanilla bean pod
- 1 tbsp cloves
- 1 tsp cardamom
- 1 tsp peppercorn
Instructions
- Determine how many quarts your slow cooker can hold and adjust the recipe based on the amount of water you will be adding.
- Combine ingredients in the slow cooker.
- Cover with water to fill line, or to the desired amount of water. A small amount of water will be lost to evaporation.
- Turn the slow cooker to highest setting and heat for at least two hours, but up to 24 hours. I often simmer the tea on high for a couple hours, and then reduce to warm for the day, and portion out tea with a soup ladle throughout the day.
- Add sweetener and milk as desired. I especially like maple syrup in my chai mushroom tea.
- To store, turn off the slow cooker and allow to cool. Strain out ingredients and store mushroom chai tea in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Notes
*For a caffeinated and more traditional chai, steep Darjeeling or another black tea in a cup of hot mushroom chai tea for 3-5 minutes, or until desired strength. Do not include black tea in the ingredients that go in the slow cooker, as it will be steeped too long.