Our chai latte recipe is a sweet, spiced-infused drink that's comforting and will warm you up. Even if you're not fond of spiced drinks, we guarantee our Indian spiced milk tea is worth trying. We've seen our friends and families fall in love with it repeatedly.
The use of natural spices can help improve digestion and wake you up. Instead of constantly stopping by Starbucks for this tea concoction, we decided to learn how to make chai latte. And we're glad to say we've finally mastered the art of making it using our improved chai latte recipe.
We found our perfect magical mix after playing with different spices and milk. However, we've included some alternative ingredient ratios to customise them easily. Our easy chai latte recipe also uses natural sweeteners, making it a healthier alternative to the ones you see in coffee shops.
You no longer have to go to Starbucks for a fancy chai latte. Instead, with just a few ingredients, you can effortlessly make an Indian spiced latte that's healthy and more fragrant at home.
Jump to:
- What Is A Chai Latte?
- Homemade Chai Latte Ingredients
- Homemade Chai Latte Recipe (Hot or Iced)
- How Long Does It Take To Steep Chai Latte?
- Using a Chai Syrup Concentrate
- How To Make Chai Latte With Tea Bags And Chai Concentrate
- Frothy Foam-Topped Chai Latte
- Chai Latte made with Different Milk
- Other Chai Latte Variations
- Does Chai Latte Have Caffeine?
- Chai Latte Calories
What Is A Chai Latte?
Chai latte is made of black tea, spices like cinnamon, ginger, peppercorns, and cardamom, and a sweet syrup served with steamed milk. Chai latte tastes sweet and creamy with a lasting warm spiciness. However, the aromatic spices used will vary from one coffee shop to another. Other than that, the drink usually has a frothy foam top. While most people enjoy it hot in a mug, many coffee shops also serve an iced chai latte.
Chai Latte Vs Masala Chai
This mildly spiced drink originated in India and was inspired by the famous masala chai, a traditional Indian beverage. The spiced milk tea appeared as an alternative that better suited the Western palate.
"Chai" is tea in Hindi, while "latte" is milk in Italian. Therefore, chai latte means tea with milk. Despite that, many people still need clarification on the two drinks. It is understandable, though, as there are only slight differences.
Both beverages have the same base ingredients, but the primary difference is the percentage of milk used and sweetness. Masala chai usually uses equal parts water and milk, though the recipe differs among households and restaurants. While Indian chai is usually one homogenous drink, Chai latte tends to have a milky foam at the top.
Indian chai is entirely prepared in the pot, while a chai latte separates the preparation into the tea portion and the foamy milk portion and then assembles it into a cup, just like a regular coffee latte. While a chai latte includes all of the above, regular masala chai is brewed with milk and optional sugar.
Therefore, chai latte has a similar spicy kick to Indian masala chai but has a rich, velvety texture and sweeter taste due to the caramelisation and milk content. In fact, this sweet and spicy flavour is what most people want when they order this drink.
Homemade Chai Latte Ingredients
You will need black tea, chai spices, milk, and sweetener to make our homemade chai latte recipe.
Black Tea
Black tea is the best choice for making chai latte because of its strong, malty flavour and rich aroma. We highly recommend using Assam, Darjeeling, or Ceylon tea. However, other black tea blends, such as English Breakfast, Earl Gray, and decaffeinated black tea, will work wonderfully, too.
We also recommend using tea leaves for a more full-bodied tea. They are generally higher quality than tea bags and will have a more robust, pronounced flavour. Tea bags might be more convenient, but you must still strain out the spices later. So, using tea bags won't help you save a lot of time when it comes to making the DIY chai latte.
Despite that, you can make chai latte with tea bags if that is all you have. You can also use ground spices that you mix well with the tea. If you don't mind the sediment, you won't have to strain the tea before serving.
Chai Spice
It is also essential to pick the right spices as they highly influence the taste and aroma of your tea. The common ones used in making chai latte are cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, black peppercorns, and cloves. While we have a detailed guide on making your chai spice mix, feel free to come up with your own. Our chai blend recipe uses:
- ginger (chopped)
- cardamom pods
- cinnamon stick
- whole cloves
- fennel seeds
- black peppercorns
- black tea
- vanilla extract
As a general rule, add a little more ginger to make your tea spicier or more cinnamon for a sweeter drink. We recommend only adding small pinches at a time for the ginger so you can slowly find the right mix to suit you.
While creating our recipe, black peppercorns increase the spiciness of the drink quite a bit. So, if you prefer a drink that is not so spicy, omit them.
If you want to add spices other than those we've recommended, try replacing or reducing the amount of the other chai spice ingredients. Too many spices can be overpowering.
Instead of creating your own spice blend, you can also use chai latte powder, an instant chai latte. Since it takes more time to prepare from scratch, some cafes use it to quickly brew the beverage on demand.
You can use chai latte powder if you're still trying to find the spice blend that works for you. However, a powder pack is not ideal if you want to have control over the flavour of your spiced milk tea.
Sweetener
When it comes to sweetening your Indian spiced milk tea, it is best to use a sweetener that won't overpower the spices. Therefore, we recommend using brown sugar syrup or maple syrup to sweeten the beverage. Their caramel notes will accentuate the drink's spices rather than hide them.
However, we avoid floral or strong-aroma sweeteners like honey and agave syrup. This is because the spices already provide many complex flavours and aromas. We don't recommend using Stevia, which adds a slightly odd taste.
Milk
Whole cow's milk is commonly used for this recipe for its thick and creamy texture. In India, traditional spiced milk tea is made with buffalo instead of cow's milk for religious reasons. However, full-fat cow's milk should achieve a similar creaminess to buffalo milk.
You can also use alternative kinds of milk instead of cow's milk. Oat milk is our favourite for this spiced drink because of its foaminess and velvet texture. However, we'll explain a few alternatives you can use later.
Homemade Chai Latte Recipe (Hot or Iced)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon black tea or 6 black tea bags
- 4 cup water
- 3 cup milk
- 6 teaspoon sugar
Chai Spice Mix
- 3 tablespoon ginger peeled and chopped
- 6-12 cardamom pods
- 1 cinnamon stick (crushed)
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Cooking Instructions
- Take all the chai spice ingredients (except ginger) and lightly smash them using a pestle and mortar. Then, add them to a pot or saucepan and lightly roast them for just 1 minute under medium-low heat.
- Pour water into the same pot, then add the tea leaves and ginger. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil. Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat a little bit and allow it to simmer gently for 10 minutes. Some spices and tea leaves may stick to the side of the pot, so make sure to stir occasionally.
- After 10 minutes, add the sugar and milk into the pot. Increase the heat again and bring it to a boil. When reaching boiling point, the mixture will foam up and expand, so lift the pot or reduce the heat so the mixture does not overflow and spill over. Reduce the heat to medium-low and allow it to simmer for another 10 minutes or until the mixture has reduced by about half its level.
- Strain the tea through a strainer and pour it into a pitcher or teapot. Discard the spices and tea leaves. Allow the tea to cool for at least 5 minutes or until cool to touch. If you prefer, stir in the vanilla extract and salt at this point. While optional, it will greatly enhance the flavour and aroma.
- (Optional) To create a foamy layer, heat the separated milk in the microwave for 1 to 1.5 minutes at 600W. Then, whisk it using an electric handheld whisk.
- Pour the Indian spiced tea into serving cups. Then, top it off with the frothed milk to create a foamy top layer.
Recipe Notes
- If you want to reduce sugar, you can omit sugar during brewing. Then, just stir the sugar directly in the serving cup. However, the brewing process helps caramelise the sugar to create an even more delicious sweetness. So, we do recommend this step.
- You can replace maple syrup with other sweeteners like honey or brown sugar.
- Avoid toasting the spices for too long. Otherwise, you may burn them, causing a bitter taste.
- Toasting them under low heat for under 1 minute is usually enough.
- If you want a foamy top layer of milk, then separate the milk to 3:1 parts. Add the 3 parts to the pot for brewing the chai, while the remaining 1 part is for frothing. You can also manually froth milk by shaking it vigorously in a jar and hand whisking it. Alternatively, you may use an electric milk frother or a frothing wand.
- To make an iced version, follow the same steps. Before serving, allow the Indian spiced milk tea to cool off completely. Then, add ice to the serving cup before pouring it over.
- To make a non-dairy chai latte, use non-dairy milk with more fat to create better foam and a thicker texture.
Nutrition
Calories have been calculated using an online calculator. Nutritional information offered on Honest Food Talks is for general information purposes and is only a rough estimate.
How Long Does It Take To Steep Chai Latte?
Making Indian spiced drinks takes patience. We recommend you steep the tea leaves twice, each for about 10 minutes.
The first steeping process involves brewing the spices and tea in water, which creates a deeply rich tea base. The second steeping process starts after we add milk and sweetener. As you steep, the milk thickens, and the sugar caramelises, creating a more velvety and rich drink.
Then, allow it to cool for at least 5 minutes. When it's hot, you cannot taste the flavour as much. Allow it to cool until it's just warm to the touch. Your patience will be rewarded.
You can get a stronger and more pronounced flavour if you want to steep it longer. However, it can also turn bitter quickly after this point. For a milder flavour, you can steep the tea leaves for a shorter. Feel free to experiment and find the best moment for you.
Using a Chai Syrup Concentrate
Places like Starbucks will use premade chai syrup to make their drinks as this saves time. However, Indian spiced syrup won't give you a flavourful drink compared to fresh spices. You also won't be able to control the sweetness of your spiced milk tea.
If you want to use a chai syrup, skip the spices and sweetener mentioned in our chai latte ingredients above.
How To Make Chai Latte With Tea Bags And Chai Concentrate
While we prefer making chai latte from scratch using tea leaves and our spice mix, we understand getting loose-leaf tea and fresh spices can take a lot of work. So here's our easy, quick method for making chai latte with tea bags and a premade chai concentrate.
If you're using Indian spiced concentrate, you can follow our main recipe steps but skip the toasting and brewing the spices. Instead, just go straight to brewing the tea with water. Then, when you add milk, add the Indian spiced concentrate together. The rest of the steps are the same.
Frothy Foam-Topped Chai Latte
To create a frothy foam top for our chai late, we heat milk in the microwave and then froth it using an electric handheld whisk.
For 1 cup, we heat ¼ cups of milk in the microwave for 1 minute at 600W. Then, we froth the milk using an electric handheld whisk for about 1 minute. We use this portion of the milk to top off the drink to create a foamy layer.
You can use the same method for dairy, oat and almond milk. Milk plays an essential role in making chai latte. Not only does it contribute to the consistency of the beverage, but the best part of it is the frothing. Therefore, using milk with more fat content is better for a better froth and creamier drink. But feel free to use thinner milk if you prefer a little less light and frothy tea.
Chai Latte made with Different Milk
You can enjoy your cup of iced chai latte with all kinds of milk. Apart from dairy milk, you can also make our chai latte recipe with plant-based milk. Here is the best plant-based or non-dairy milk for vegan or non-dairy chai latte.
Oat Chai Latte
Oat milk is naturally sweet due to its high carbohydrate content. However, it is still very neutral in taste, so it won't tone down the flavour of the spices. It is also thicker and creamier than dairy milk, so it is a little more complicated to work with and takes longer to froth. Therefore, we suggest getting a barista oat milk made for frothing for a more straightforward process.
Almond Milk
If you love a nutty flavour, almond milk is among the best options for making chai latte. We recommend using unsweetened almond milk alongside your sweet syrup.
However, one downside is that it doesn't froth well compared to oat or dairy.
Soy Chai Latte
Soy milk has a mild flavour adaptable to the chai spice flavours. So, rest assured it won't drastically affect the taste of the spiced tea. However, soy milk is thinner than most plant-based and dairy milk so it won't froth as well as those. Still, you can make a good foam with barista soy milk by heating it at about 120-130°F.
Personally, we don't think soy milk works well with chai latte. Its bean-like flavour doesn't complement the chai spices.
Coconut Milk
Coconut milk and chai spices make a delicious combination, as the spices make the milk taste more decadent. However, it does add a very distinctive coconut flavour and will be much thicker. We don't recommend using coconut milk to make chai latte unless you love coconut taste.
Manual frothing works best with coconut milk; you can even froth it by shaking it in a mason jar.
Cashew Milk
Like almond milk, cashew milk adds an earthy, sweet, and nutty flavour to your spice tea. However, cashew milk is denser than almond milk. It can create a slightly heavier texture for your chai latte. It can froth decently, too, but be careful as it may produce large bubbles when steamed, making your drink taste soapy. Due to that, we recommend steaming it at around 120-130°F or lower.
Hemp Milk
Hemp milk is nut-free, making it a good option for those with dairy and nut allergies. However, it has a slightly grassy taste and is not as creamy as other plant-based milk. Despite that, it can make a decent froth when you heat it before adding it to your drink. Otherwise, hemp milk can curdle if you add it cold to the chai latte.
Rice Milk
Rice has a pleasant and neutral taste that will allow the spices in the drink to shine. However, you can't froth rice milk well since it is very thin and has a low-fat content. There's no harm in using rice milk to make your chai latte, but it will water down your drink. Therefore, we suggest you go for it only if you prefer your spiced milk tea to be less creamy and frothy.
Flaxseed Milk
Flaxseed milk tastes like a combination of almond and oat milk but is less milky. It has a mild taste that pairs well with the chai spices. You'd want to get the one that contains Gellan Gum or a barista flax milk for an easier frothing process. Otherwise, the standard flaxseed milk might give you a less foamy top for your chai tea latte.
Other Chai Latte Variations
While delicious, you can also use it as a tasty base for other beverages, like bubble milk tea. Some cafes also add flavourings to the spiced milk tea, such as chocolate and mint. There are also many variations, including seasonal flavours like Eggnog and Pumpkin Spice chai latte.
A popular variation of this beverage is the Dirty Chai Latte, which includes 1-2 espresso shots. The espresso adds a slight bitterness to the drink and a caffeine punch. Some places also offer a Vanilla chai latte made with vanilla syrup.
Does Chai Latte Have Caffeine?
Caffeine is in chai latte as it contains black tea. A typical cup of chai latte can have around 70mg of caffeine, depending on the brew and cup size. Indian spiced latte is a healthier, less caffeinated drink than a regular cup of coffee, which has 120mg of caffeine. Therefore, we recommend it for those limiting their caffeine intake but still want to enjoy a hot drink that wakes them up.
However, the caffeine content in this spiced tea can vary depending on several factors. Firstly, the amount of caffeine depends on the brewing time. The longer the steeping time for the tea, the more caffeinated it will be. It also depends on the variation of tea leaves you use. Typically, spiced milk tea uses Indian black tea, which has high caffeine content.
So, you can consider using another decaffeinated black tea or Darjeeling to reduce the caffeine. However, this will alter the taste of your spiced milk tea.
Apart from that, the proportion of tea leaves to spices used in our chai latte recipe can also determine the amount of caffeine in the drink. Hence, reducing the steeping time or using fewer tea leaves can significantly reduce the caffeine content in your beverage.
Chai Latte Calories
A serving of Starbucks chai latte contains about 240 calories. However, our homemade chai latte has only 160 calories.
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