This chai tea latte features warming and comforting black tea. It is perfect for chilly days and is ready in less than 10 minutes.
At Starbucks I love to get the vanilla bean or Smores frappuccinos. This chai tea latte is another favorite. Why should coffee lovers have all the fun delicious creamy beverages? Tea is also a great drink to warm up with on chilly mornings! Growing up my family always drank more tea than coffee! It is still something I crave when the weather gets cold. A delicious alternative to just plain tea is a Chai tea latte. It is warm, sweet, and slightly spicy.
My favorite part is that no fancy equipment is required, to can make this recipe. We’ll just be using a standard drip coffee maker. If you want even more tea flavor use loose tea or break open the tea bags before placing them into the coffee pot.
Paying over 5.00 for a Starbucks Chai Tea Latte, no thank you! Make it cheaper at home! Bonus: You can drink it in your jammies!
Why I Love This Drink
- Perfect Sweetness: Brown sugar adds a deep flavor with notes of caramel without being cloying.
- Customizable: Easily customize with different spices, milk, or flavors.
- No Fancy Equipment: No fancy equipment is required just a coffee maker and a kettle.
What Is a Chai Tea Latte?
A chai tea latte is just tea infused with different spices and mixed with warm milk. I used cinnamon, ginger, and allspice. Others like to add black pepper, cloves, or cardamom. Chai literally means tea in Hindi. Who would have thought that when you order your Chai tea that you are actually saying tea twice?
Starbucks’ chai tea latte is said to include cardamom, black pepper, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and star anise.
I’m not a fan of cloves and think cardamom is too expensive. Use what you like, and what you have on hand!
This drink offers the perfect blend of sweetness and spice. It always warms me up on a cold day. In addition, it always makes me feel better when I’m battling a sore throat or a stuffy nose.
Ingredient Notes and Shopping Tips
- Tea: I like using black tea for flavor, but you can use another variety if you wish! Black tea does have caffeine in it, so just keep that in mind. Depending on the tea you use it will usually be under 50 MG compared to 100 MG in a typical cup of coffee.
- Milk: Starbucks uses 2% milk. The higher fat milk you use the creamier it will be. I prefer whole milk.
- Ground Ginger: Make sure all ground spices are 6-12 months old or less for optimal flavor. I like to mark the bottom of my spice jars with a sharpie with the date I opened them.
- Cinnamon: You can grind your own cinnamon using cinnamon sticks and a grater for a more powerful flavor. You can also use a cinnamon stick as a fun stirrer.
- Allspice: Contrary to popular belief allspice is not a blend of spices. It is a small peppercorn-sized spice that comes from the allspice tree. It has a warm slightly spicy flavor similar to cloves.
Yummy Variations
This recipe can be adapted to fit your tastes and dietary needs. Here are some of my favorites! I’d love to know which you like best.
- Skinny: Watching your calories? Use nonfat milk, fat-free whipped cream, and less brown sugar.
- Decaf: Caffeine give you the jitters? Use decaf black tea bags instead! I love enjoying these before bed. So relaxing and comforting.
- Iced: Let your tea come to room temperature and add ice before topping it with whipped cream. So delicious for hot summer days.
- Lazy: I feel you! If you don’t cook often, or are not a morning person you may not want to mess around with spices. Here’s an easy fix: substitute chai tea bags instead!
- Dairy-Free: Use your favorite nondairy milk, and use coconut whip if desired.
- Chai Cream Frapp: Add 1 cup of whole milk, ½ cup heavy cream, and 2 cups of ice. Then, blend it up!
- Pumpkin Chai: Add 2-3 tablespoons of pumpkin for a Fall treat. Watch out Pumpkin Spice Latte, you’ve got yourself a rival!
- Dirty Chai Tea Latte: Add 1-2 shots of espresso. Why choose one when you can have both.
How To Make a Chai Tea Latte
- Brew: First, take two bags of black tea and put them into the filter of your coffee pot.
- Spice It Up: Add one teaspoon of ground cinnamon, one half teaspoon ground ginger, and one-quarter teaspoon ground allspice to the tea. Pour two cups of cold water into your coffee pot, and brew.
- Warm Milk: Bring milk to a boil. Add one-quarter cup packed brown sugar and two tablespoons vanilla coffee creamer to a simmer. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved.
- Put It All Together: Pour milk into two mugs. Finally, stir in the brewed tea. If you’d like, you can top your tea with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Does a Chai Tea Latte Contain Coffee?
When I hear latte, I think of coffee, but that isn’t always the case! A Chai Tea Latte does not contain coffee. It features steamed milk, tea, and spices.
Tips and Tricks
- Make-Ahead: Brew tea up to a week in advance. This saves precious time on busy and sleepy mornings.
- Froth Without a Frother: Constantly whisk the milk mixture on the stove for a frothy effect.
- Chai Ice Cubes: Freeze extra chai tea in ice cubes trays to avoid watering down iced lattes.
- Use Your Coffee Pot: Brew tea in your coffee pot to easily make more than one serving at once. In addition, it makes it easy to use loose tea without an infuser.
- Clean Your Coffee Pot: Prevent coffee flavor from infusing into your tea by running a cycle with vinegar and hot water.
More Drinks To Try
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Chai Tea Latte
Ingredients
Instructions
- Place tea bags, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice into a coffee filter in a traditional drip coffeemaker. Add water and brew.
- Stir in tea.
- Top with whipped cream and cinnamon if desired.
Notes
- Tea: I like using black tea for flavor, but you can use another variety if you wish!
- Milk: Starbucks uses 2% milk. The higher fat milk you use the creamier it will be. I prefer whole milk.
- Ground Ginger: Make sure all ground spices are 6-12 months old or less for optimal flavor. I like to mark the bottom of my spice jars with a sharpie with the date I opened them.
- Cinnamon: You can grind your own cinnamon using cinnamon sticks and a grater for a more powerful flavor. You can also use a cinnamon stick as a fun stirrer.
- Make-Ahead: Brew tea up to a week in advance. This saves precious time on busy and sleepy mornings.
- Froth Without a Frother: Constantly whisk the milk mixture on the stove for a frothy effect.
- Chai Ice Cubes: Freeze extra chai tea in ice cubes trays to avoid watering down iced lattes.
- Use Your Coffee Pot: Brew tea in your coffee pot to easily make more than one serving at once. In addition, it makes it easy to use loose tea without an infuser.
- Clean Your Coffee Pot: Prevent coffee flavor from infusing into your tea by running a cycle with vinegar and hot water.
Nutrition
I love how easy it is to make! So delicious!
Mmmm…. this chai tea latte looks so inviting and tasty! Yum!
This chai tea latte couldn’t look any more perfect!
You weren’t kidding about this being easy! Perfect for a cozy morning.
My daughter and I love this chai tea latte! I love that it doesn’t take much time at all to make and so delicious! Definitely one of our favorites and ai can’t wait to make this again!
Love! So easy to make. I’m a huge tea fan. I actually substituted the whole milk with oat milk and it was still great.
This tea is so delicious! I like to drink it iced (with extra ice because I LOVE ice). Definitely a tasty treat. Perfect to enjoy with my favorite English cookies/biscuits (chocolate coated digestives).
This chai was soo good, that I had to go back and to use your about brewing it in advance, I am so excited to have another cup in the morning!