Homemade Chai Tea Latte
This Homemade Chai Tea Latte is made with a homemade chai spice blend (from scratch), is dairy-free and is lightly sweetened with maple syrup. It’s not only healthier than a store-bought chai latte but way tastier!
Like Starbucks Chai Latte, but better
With the colder weather here, there’s nothing I love more than enjoying a warm 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 a turmeric latte, a matcha latte 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 Tea Latte is dairy-free, vegan and made completely from scratch herbs, spices and tea. You can use either loose-leaf tea and strain the tea mixture, or use bagged tea. Both will work perfectly fine and create delicious latte!
Why you’ll love this chai tea latte recipe
- Easy to make. Once you learn how easy it is to make your own chai latte at home you’ll never need to go back to buying $6 chai lattes!
- Tastes better than Starbucks. Seriously. Plus it’s also cheaper and much healthier than buying your chai lattes.
- Cozy for Fall and Winter. When you need a warming cozy drink but don’t want a coffee, this chai latte is perfect. It also has a little caffeine boost to keep you energized.
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.
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.
Ingredients you’ll need
- Tea: you can use any type of black tea you like, or you can use oolong tea which has a smooth and creamy taste. You can also use tea bags or loose-leaf tea.
- Oat milk: I like oat milk because it has a creamy texture. You can use any type of milk you like.
- Spices: the blend of spices used for the chai latte are cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, allspice, cloves and nutmeg.
- Vanilla: this adds a delicious hint of vanilla flavour to the latte.
How to make a Homemade Chai Latte
Step 1
Heat the oat milk in a small pot on medium heat until it begins to bubble slightly.
Step 2
Add the spices and vanilla extract and gently whisk together to combine. Bring the mixture to a light boil, then remove it from the heat.
Step 3
Add the tea bags to the pot and let them steep for 2-3 minutes.
Step 4
Pour the chai lattes into mugs and top with some cinnamon. I also topped these ones with some dried rose petals.
Tips for making a perfect Chai Latte
- Use black tea. This is an important ingredient for a chai latte. Using green, white or herbal tea won’t make a proper chai latte.
- Homemade plant-based milk is best. Store-bought oat milk, almond milk etc tend to have very little nuts (or oats) in them and are mostly water. For a richer and creamier chai latte try making homemade plant milk. You can use this oat milk recipe. You can also make this recipe with canned coconut milk for an extra-rich latte.
- Like froth? Use your frother. If you’re a fan of a frothy latte, add some extra milk to a frother to pour on top of the chai latte!
Chai Tea Latte FAQ
Store-bought chai lattes tend to be loaded with sugar, but this homemade chai latte is healthy and refined sugar-free.
No, coffee is generally stronger than a chai latte. The average cup of coffee has about 100mg of caffeine, while the average cup of chai latte has about 50mg of caffeine.
More Chai spice recipes to try
If you tried this Homemade Chai Tea 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!
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Homemade Chai Latte
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 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
- 2 cups oat milk
- 2 black tea bags (I use oolong tea)
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8th tsp ground allspice
- 1/8th tsp clove
- 1/8th tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- maple syrup to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oat milk on medium heat in a small pot, then add the spices and vanilla and mix together, bringing it to a slight boil.
- Remove from heat and add the teabags, letting steep for 2-3 minutes.
- Add maple syrup if you like for sweetness.
- Pour the chai latte into 2 cups and top with more cinnamon.
Notes
If you like a frothy latte froth some additional milk to add on top.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 latte
- Calories: 130
- Sugar: 6g
- Fat: 4g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 12g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 2g
Absolutely love this Chai tea latte recipe,was just wondering if its possible to pre mix the the spices & store them? If so how much would you add at a time to the milk.
So happy you enjoyed it, Lianne! 🙂 You have definitely premix the spices and store them. I’d say you would need about 1 tsp of the prepared mix per serving.
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!