Easy Vanilla Chai Tea Latte Recipe (Iced or Hot)

Our vanilla chai tea recipe makes a creamy, sweet, spiced blend of vanilla and masala chai with frothed milk. Cafes also call this drink a vanilla chai latte or simply vanilla chai, with the main distinction being whether the milk is frothed.

It doesn't matter how you like your vanilla chai: with added milk, frothed milk, or topped with whipped cream. With our recipe and easy customisations, you're guaranteed a perfect cup of chai every time.

Just like how we figured out what's inside our favourite bubble tea, we've found the perfect mix for our vanilla spiced tea, too. Our version surpasses most store-bought versions since you can customise the ingredients. Make our recipe as sweet or creamy as you like.

We'll show you how to customise our vanilla chai tea recipe using different types of milk and our favourite cooking hacks to save time.

Jump to:

• What is vanilla chai made of?
• Vanilla Chai Tea Latte Ingredients
• Vanilla Chai Tea Latte Recipe (Iced)
• Cooking Tips
• Vanilla Chai Latte Ingredient Replacement
• Vanilla Chai Tea Calories

What is vanilla chai made of?

A vanilla spiced latte blends black tea, vanilla extract, chai spices, milk and sugar. The last two ingredients, milk and sugar, are added to make the drink creamy.

The overall iconic flavour results from a mix of spices, which, when blended and steeped, produces a fragrant and delicious taste.

Vanilla Chai Vs Chai

The difference between these two variations is that the vanilla chai tea latte includes vanilla, whilst chai does not. Vanilla chai mixes black tea, vanilla extract or syrup, milk, and spices such as cinnamon and ginger. It is sweet and milky with an overall fragrant flavour.

However, Indian spiced tea is made with black tea and various spices—typically cinnamon, cardamom, fennel seeds, black peppercorn, ginger, and cloves. Honey is sometimes added to make the drink sweeter. Both drinks can be served hot or cold.

Vanilla Chai Tea Latte Ingredients

You need chai spice, sugar, vanilla extract, and milk to make vanilla chai tea at home.

We will use our homemade chai spice mix for our vanilla chai tea recipe, but you can always make the spiced drink with 2 tea bags instead. Alternatively, you can try our dirty chai recipe if you prefer to make this drink with coffee and leave out the extract. 

Cooking Tips

So you're ready to make a nice cup of this fragrant beverage. But before you do, heed our cooking tips below.

How To Avoid Scorching The Milk

Add warm milk over low heat, less than 150 Fahrenheit (around 70 degrees Celcius). The milk proteins scorch very quickly, so stir while you heat.

Alternatively, you could place the milk in the microwave oven for no more than 5 minutes at the lowest heat. Then, continue heating the milk in intervals until you get it to the temperature you want.

Good Alternatives To Using Dairy Milk

While we recommend using full-fat milk or half-and-half, as it makes the drink creamy, some people might be lactose intolerant or on a vegan diet. So, oat milk or soya milk are great dairy alternatives. 

How To Make Vanilla Chai Tea Latte Creamier

Use full-cream dairy milk to make your vanilla chai tea with milk creamier. You can search for flavoured dairy milk, which will also enhance the sweetness of your drink.

Otherwise, opt for half and half, which has half cream and half milk. For vegans, try using oat milk. Oat milk is a tad sweeter than other plant-based milk and has a rich, smooth flavour. 

Vanilla Chai Latte Ingredient Replacement

Here are some of our favourite ingredient substitutes to use in our vanilla chai latte recipe.

Vanilla extract

The most fragrant and tasty vanilla spiced latte is brewed with pure beans. The beans are easily stored in a jar and can be used whole or split. However, preparing the beans is messy and takes a lot of time because you must chop and scrape the seeds away. Not to mention, vanilla beans also cost a lot of money.

Therefore, we still prefer using vanilla extract in our chai latte. It's handy and a more common substitute. It also tastes less sweet while still giving off a fragrant scent.

However, another alternative is using a syrup. Many cafes use it because it's cheaper, but we find it too sweet for our taste.

Chai Tea Bags

Making a vanilla chai tea latte with tea bags is a convenient, quick fix for our cravings. However, we don't think that using tea bags gives the best taste. Plus, it can be expensive when you're making a large batch.

That's why we think making your chai spice mix is the best. You get to choose your favourite spices based on your taste. For example, we love adding more cardamom for more subtle notes.

If you're set on using tea bags, we recommend adding more milk and sweetener to enhance the flavour. We like to cut open the tea bags and mix the leaves with a vanilla sweetener for a stronger taste.

Another quick alternative we've seen is using a powder mix, a concentrate of ground dried vanilla beans, milk powder, unsweetened tea powder, and dried spices. This is a hit-or-miss method, and so far, we've not found one we really like.

Vanilla Chai Tea Calories

An estimated 200 calories are in a 1 cup of our vanilla spiced tea.

We would love to see your yummy creation if you've tried our recipe. Follow us on Instagram @honestfoodtalks and tag us if you've attempted to make our vanilla chai tea latte.