Homemade Chai Latte
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What I Love About My Chai Latte
A few years ago, my stomach was apparently not done playing cruel tricks on me because I could no longer drink coffee. For someone who was about 80% caffeine, that was a hard thing to process. So I switched to chai lattes but I hated those at coffee chains (it does not taste like tea at all). I started making my own chai lattes and over the last 5 years, I’ve perfected it.
- Bold, balanced spice. Every sip tastes of cardamom, cinnamon, and ginger first, then cloves and star anise, with a gentle peppery warmth at the end.
- The spice mix is adjustable. If you don’t like cloves or anise, simply don’t add it. If you want to add a little turmeric, add a few slices of turmeric root. If you want to adjust spice, add a little more or less peppercorns and/or ginger.
- You can actually taste the tea. I keep the sweetness light so the black tea and spices shine, and you can always stir a little more sugar into your mug.
- Ready when you are. When you have a batch of concentrate in the fridge, a fresh latte is just a pour and a quick reheat away.
- Hot, iced, or dirty. With the same concentrate, you can have a steaming latte on a chilly morning, an iced chai in the afternoon, or a dirty chai with a shot of espresso.
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What Is a Chai Latte?
In Hindi (and in Russian actually), chai simply means tea, and masala chai is the traditional spiced tea made with black tea, whole spices, milk (or sweetened condensed milk), and sugar. A chai latte is that spiced tea with a bigger pour of milk, usually frothed. So “chai tea latte” really translates to “tea tea latte,” which is why I just call it a chai latte.
What Spices are In Chai?
For the most authentic, aromatic, and texturally pleasant results, you’ll want to use whole spices! More common spices in Chai are cardamom, cinnamon, fresh ginger, cloves, fennel seeds, allspice, black peppercorns, and star anise. Many coffee shops also add nutmeg, turmeric, and basically every spice in the baking aisle.
Every person has their own preference, so you may want to play around and discover what you like the best. Below is the recipe for my preferred combination. The essential spices that you should include are cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, and black peppercorns. I love to add aromatic whole cloves and star anise too!
Ingredients for Chai Tea Latte
Every spice in this concentrate goes in whole for a cleaner, more aromatic chai. It strains out perfectly smooth, with no gritty bits at the bottom of the mug. I do not recommend ground spices!
- Loose leaf black tea: A strong black tea like Assam is my favorite for chai, and English breakfast works well too. For caffeine free, use African rooibos.
- Green cardamom pods: Make sure you buy green pods, not brown. Cardamom is in the same family as ginger, and the two taste wonderful together.
- Cinnamon sticks: With whole sticks, you get a clean, sweet cinnamon flavor, and they strain out easily.
- Fresh ginger: I use fresh ginger root for its bright, spicy bite. I don’t bother peeling it, just make sure it’s clean.
- Black peppercorns: Chai should have some heat, so whole peppercorns go in for a subtle kick. You can use a combination of different peppercorns, if you’d like. (Just beware of pink peppercorn as it’s not a true peppercorns and can trigger nut allergies.)
- Whole cloves: You only need a tablespoon for that deep, spiced aroma chai is known for. Note that cloves are strong. You can omit it if you dislike it.
- Star anise: Expect a soft, sweet licorice note from this one. Use 1, 2, or 3 stars depending on how much you like it. You can omit anise if you dislike it (or the liquorice flavor).
- Allspice: like with all other spices, make sure to use whole allspice berries, not ground.
- Sugar: You can use brown sugar for a more rich molasses flavor, white granulated sugar, or turbinado. Sugar substitutes work too, but each one has a different sweetness level, so start small and taste.
- Milk: Use whole milk or any dairy-free milk you like. Some dairy-free milks taste different once heated, so pick one you enjoy warm.
How To Make Homemade Chai
- Crush the spices. Muddle and crush the cardamom pods, black peppercorns, allspice and cloves in a small bowl with a spice muddler. Thinly slice the ginger.
- Heat the water. Pour the water into a large pot and set it over medium heat. Add the cinnamon sticks, sliced ginger, star anise, and crushed spices. Let everything come to a boil. (It will take a few minutes.)
- Add the sugar and tea. Once the water comes to a boil, add the sugar and loose leaf tea, give it a stir, and turn off the heat. Taste and add more sugar if needed, keeping in mind that you will be adding milk to each mug.
- Steep. Let the chai sit off the heat for about 30 minutes to steep.
- Strain. Pour the concentrate through a fine mesh strainer into a large jar or heat-proof pitcher with a lid. Let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate.
- Make the latte. Reheat as much concentrate as you need, leaving room in the mug for milk. Froth or heat the milk and pour it into the hot chai.
PRO TIP: I like my chai strong, so I use about 6 ounces of concentrate to 2 ounces of whole milk. For a milder cup, start with 4 ounces of concentrate to 2 ounces of milk and adjust from there.
How to Froth Milk Without a Frother
Heat the milk until hot but not simmering, about 150°F, then use any of these methods:
- Mason jar: Fill a jar halfway with the warm milk, screw the lid on tight, and shake hard for 20 to 30 seconds. (Remember this works best with whole milk and half and half.)
- French press: Pump the plunger quickly for about 30 seconds until the milk looks foamy, then tap the press on the counter to pop any big bubbles.
- Whisk: Whisk the warm milk vigorously right in the pot. You will get less foam with looser bubbles, but it still works.
Ways to Enjoy Your Chai
- Iced chai latte: Pour cold concentrate and cold milk over a tall glass of ice.
- Dirty chai latte: Stir 1 shot of espresso into an 8 to 12-ounce chai latte.
- Pumpkin spice chai: My pumpkin spice syrup is great in chai, and there are two ways to add it:
- To individual servings: Make the concentrate with no sugar, then stir the syrup into each mug to taste.
- To the whole batch: Start with 1/3 cup of syrup and add a little more until it reaches your desired sweetness.
- Chai for grown-ups: For an evening treat, try my chai cocktail with vodka, Kahlúa, and crème de cacao.
- Cinnamon on top: Dust a pinch of ground cinnamon over the foam right before serving.
- Something to dunk: Serve it with a slice of pumpkin bread or a baked apple donut for an afternoon treat.
How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat Chai Latte
- Store: in a jar or pitcher with a lid in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 weeks. Keep the concentrate without milk and pour off just what you need.
- Reheat: larger amount, you can reheat in a small saucepan over medium heat until steaming. For individual portions, use the microwave until hot, then add the milk.
- Can I freeze it? Freeze the concentrate in large freezer cube trays, then transfer the cubes to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Drop the cubes into a glass and let it melt for iced chai, or melt them in a saucepan for a hot latte.
Chai Latte Recipe FAQs
This recipe is for 2 servings, but feel free to double and triple the recipe for the tea concentrate and store it in the refrigerator without milk. This is the easiest way to make your self some chai latte in the morning or afternoon.
To make a cup from the concentrate, simply heat up tea and then mix with steamed or hot milk. Or, you can skip the heating and make yourself an iced chai latte, and pour the tea mix and milk over ice.
There are two reasons why you want to use whole spice and not ground. Whole spice hold more aroma and flavor than ground spice and that comes through into the tea concentrate. When spices are ground, they start to loose a lot of their potency. Also ground spices spend years in the bottles and loose potency as well. So for the best bold and aromatic spice flavor, use whole spices.
Another reason is simply texture. No-one wants to sip on their drink and get mouthfuls of grain and pieces of spices. You will not be able to strain off the ground spices completely, if not at all depending on how fine it is.
The black tea in a chai latte does have caffeine. For a caffeine-free chai latte, use rooibos tea, or use decaf black tea for just a trace of caffeine.
Tea bags work just fine here. Count about 1 tea bag for every teaspoon of loose leaf tea, so 3/4 cup of loose tea equals about 36 black tea bags. Steep and strain them the same way.
Whole milk gives you the richest, creamiest chai latte and froths beautifully, and 2% works well too. Skim milk, oat milk, and other dairy-free milks work just fine in this recipe, though oat and almond milk take a little more effort to froth. For a more rich chai, you can use half and half, just less of it.
Bitterness usually comes from boiling the tea leaves too hard. That’s why I add the tea only after the water boils and turn the heat off right away. If the concentrate still tastes too strong for you, add more milk and a little more sweetness to your mug.
Cozy Up with More Deliciously Warm Drinks
- Homemade Apple Cider
- Best Homemade Hot Chocolate
- Peppermint White Hot Chocolate
- Peppermint Hot Chocolate
- Irish Coffee
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Chai Latte Recipe
Ingredients
For The Concentrate:
- 2.5 quarts water
- 2 inch fresh ginger root sliced
- 6-7 2-inch cinnamon sticks
- 2-3 whole anise stars
- 2 Tbsp green cardamom pods
- 1-1 1/2 Tbsp black peppercorns
- 1 Tbsp whole cloves
- 1/2 Tbsp whole allspice
- 3/4-1 cup loose leaf black tea
- 1/3-1/2 cup sugar more or less to taste
For Chai Latte:
- whole milk per cup or alternative milk
Instructions
Chai Concentrate:
- Crush cardamom pods, peppercorns, and cloves in a small bowl with a spice muddler or use a mortar and pestle.
- Add water to a pot and set it over medium heat.
- Add cinnamon sticks, sliced ginger root, and star anise to the pot. Add crushed spices to the pot as well.
- Let the water come to a gentle boil and then add sugar and loose leaf tea.
- Stir and turn the heat off. Taste to make sure it's sweet enough (remember, you will be adding milk to each mug). Let the mixture sit there and steep for about 30 minutes.
- Once steeped, carefully strain it through a fine mesh strainer into a large jar or a heat-proof pitcher with a lid.
- Let the tea concentrate cool to room temperature and refrigerate. Keep it in the refrigerator for up to a week and simply pour off the desired amount when needed.
To Make Chai Latte:
- Reheat the desired amount of chai and make sure to leave enough room in the mug for milk. Froth or simply heat up some milk and combine it with the heated chai concentrate.
Iced Chai Latte:
- You can also make iced chai latte by combining the cold tea concentrate with cold milk over ice.
Milk to Chai Ratio in Chai Latte:
- As far as the chai concentrate to milk ratio, you can play around with your own to see what you prefer. Personally, I like my chai strong, so I use about 6 oz. of chai to 2 oz. of whole milk. (You can start with 4 oz. to 2 oz. to see how you like it.)
Dirty Chai Latte:
- Dirty Chai Latte simply means adding espresso. Depending on how much you are making, prepare 1 or 2 shots of espresso and stir it into the prepared Chai Latte. For an 8-12 oz. Chai Latte, you can add 1 shot of espresso.
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Notes
- Nutrition Note: the nutritional information is calculated for the chai concentrate. Nutritional information will vary widely based on type of milk, amount of milk, type of sugar, and amount of sugar.
- Caffeine Free Option: if you need to make caffeine free chai, use African rooibos tea. It’s strong, great in chai, and completely caffeine free.
Nutrition
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All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
Great recipe!