Homemade Chai Latte

Jump To Recipe ★★★★★ 3 reviews // posted Dec 13, 2021 by Jessica Hoffman

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!