Homemade Chai Latte
This Homemade Chai Latte is made with a homemade chai spice blend (from scratch), is dairy-free and is sweetened with maple syrup. It’s not only healthier than a store-bought chai latte but way tastier!
Starbucks copycat, but better.
With the colder weather here, there’s nothing I love more than enjoying a warming drink in the afternoon. (And morning…and evening…)
But really, 3 o’clock in the afternoon has become sort of a ritual in my home where I take some time to prepare a warm drink to get me through that 3 pm slump. Sometimes it’s herbal tea, green tea, or if I’m feeling really burnt out even a coffee.
But lately, I’ve been enjoying taking the time to prepare something a little more *special,* This Homemade Chai Latte.
Generally, chai lattes you buy at a coffee shop are made with processed syrup (that’s loaded with sugar) and some milk.
This Starbucks Copycat Chai Latte is dairy-free, vegan and made completely from scratch herbs, spices & loose leaf tea. While bagged tea can seem like a quick & easy way to get your tea fix, loose leaf tea has a much richer flavour and offers an overall better tea-drinking experience. That being said, if bagged tea is what you have on hand, go for it. It’ll still taste great, promise. 🙂
This Homemade Chai Latte is
- Naturally dairy-free & vegan
- Sweetend with maple syrup
- Completely homemade
- Super Cozy
- Customizable
What type of tea should I use in a Chai Latte?
Chai Lattes are generally made with black tea. Black Tea leaves are fully oxidized which gives them their deep “black” colour and rich flavour. Black tea also has more caffeine than green tea or white tea, making it a great option for a little pick me up.
Some common types of tea to use for a Chai Latte include Assam or Darjeeling black teas.
For this recipe, I like to use oolong tea, which technically isn’t a black tea since it’s only partially oxidized. It falls somewhere between green and black tea. I find oolong tea has a soft and creamy taste and texture which pairs really well with the spices added to this Homemade Chai Latte.
Ingredients you’ll need
- Cardamom
- Cloves
- Peppercorns
- Star Anise
- Cinnamon
- Ginger powder
- Ntumeg
- Oolong tea (or black tea)
- Cashew milk
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
How to make a Homemade Chai Latte
- Make the Chai Tea mix
- Strain the mixture
- Froth the Cashew milk with vanilla and salt
- Mix together
Tips for making a perfect Chai Latte
Use black tea: For this recipe, I prepare a homemade chai mix using a blend of different spices and some oolong tea. You can use any type of black tea you love, or if you’re looking for a bit more of a quick fix, you can also just use a chai tea blend. One thing to note, if using a chai tea blend instead of the Chai mix below, you’ll want to double the amount of tea used, in order to create the same bold flavour.
Make a big batch of chai tea mix. You can prepare the chai tea mix in this recipe, strain it and store it in the fridge for a week. This way you’ll have Homemade Chai Tea mix on hand and just need to heat it up with some milk of choice!
Homemade plant-based milk is best. Store-bought cashew milk, almond milk etc tend to have very little nuts in them and are mostly water. For a richer and creamier chai latte try making homemade cashew milk. You can use this almond milk recipe and just substitute the almonds for cashews. You can also make this recipe with canned coconut milk for an extra-rich latte.
What’s the difference between a Chai Latte and Dirty Chai Latte?
The difference between these two drinks is that a dirty chai latte has a shot of espresso in it. If you’d like to make this recipe into a dirty chai latte, all you need to do is add a shot of espresso.
The chai mix will stay well in the fridge for up to two weeks if you’d like to prepare some extra, however, the cashew milk will only last about a week. I always recommend storing the cashew milk in the back of the fridge where it’s colder, rather than on the door to ensure that it will last longer.
More cozy drink recipes to try
If you tried this Homemade Chai Latte or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment/rating below! Be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook for even more deliciousness!
PrintHomemade Chai Latte
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Drink
- Method: Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Homemade Chai Latte is made completely from scratch and makes for a cozy dairy-free drink!
Ingredients
Chai mix
- 8 cardamom pods
- 8 whole cloves
- 8 peppercorns
- 2 cups water
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 star anise
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ginger powder
- 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 4 tsp loose leaf oolong tea
Latte
- 1 cup cashew milk (can sub any dairy-free milk)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Gently break the cardamom pods, cloves and peppercorns in a mortar & pestle just until lightly crushed to release the flavour.
- Add the crushed spices to a small pot with the rest of the chai mix ingredients, except for the oolong tea, and bring to a boil, whisking for 2-3 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium-high and let bubble for another 5 minutes. the mixture should begin to thicken just slightly.
- Add the oolong tea and let sit for 3-4 minutes, then remove from heat and strain the mixture.
- Heat the cashew milk with the vanilla and salt in a frother, pot, or microwave. (or you’re blender if it has a heating setting)
- Pour 1/2 cup of the chai latte mix into your cup and top with the hot cashew milk.
- Sprinkle with a dash of cinnamon and enjoy.
Notes
I like to use a heating frother to warm up the cashew milk.
Store any extra chai mix and cashew milk separately in the fridge.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 latte
- Calories: 130
- Sugar: 10g
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 3g
Keywords: homemade chai latte recipe, how to make a chai latte
Can you make this with other kinds of milk besides cashew milk?
Hi Abi, you can use any type of milk you like! either plant-based milk or dairy milk!
I’m sure this is a dumb question, but how do I get the chai mix out of my cup before drinking? Or do I put the chai mix into a tea ball strainer holder?
Hi Kathy, if you are talking about the bits & pieces of spices in the chai mix you can simply use a strainer to strain those out of the mix before serving. If you are using a loose leaf chai tea, you can use a tea ball strainer or mesh tea bags to steep the tea and then discard of the leave after you’re done steeping the tea!
I like this recipe…. One of my favorite beverage
I like how simple and amazing is the recipe! Thank you for sharing ?
★★★★★
Thank you very much Salome!
I’ve always wanted to know how to make my own Chai tea! And I’m so glad I have this recipe now 🙂 Thanks, Jess!!
★★★★★
Thanks so much Lucy!
Love this latte variation! So much healthier than a normal latte made with diary milk and coffee – I drink way too much coffee, so I can’t wait to try this latte!
★★★★★
Thanks Alyssa! It’s a great alternative to coffee that’s still energizing!
This latte looks SO cozy and delicious! Chai is my favorite thing to get when I’m at coffee shops, but I need to step up my latte game at home! 😉
Thanks so much Sarah! And you should definitely try making this one at home I promise it’s even better than anything from a coffee shop and all natural ingredients! (and even homemade cashew milk 🙂 )
What a delicious comforting drink Jess ! I love adaptogens! Dee xx
Thank you Dee! And same here! No better way to deal with stress!