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If you’re hoping for a chai latte that’s made without refined sugar or preservatives, this recipe is for you. I’ve been tweaking it over the years to make it as easy and foolproof as possible.
Once you try it, you’ll be sipping a drink that tastes as if it came from a coffee shop, without the hefty price tag. Try my protein latte recipe, pink drink, or pumpkin spice latte for even more coffee shop style drinks at home.
“This is the best Chai Latte I have ever had… fantastic!”
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love this Chai Latte Recipe
- No specialty ingredients. It’s made with ground spices, black tea bags, and your favorite milk.
- No refined sugar. Instead of white sugar, maple syrup serves as a natural sweetener. Unlike using a granulated sugar, you won’t have to wait for it to dissolve.
- You control the dairy. Whether you prefer cow’s milk, hemp milk, or almond milk, it’s easy to customize and make dairy-free, if needed.
- It’s affordable. The ground spices and maple syrup should last for months, so the only items you’ll need to restock regularly are tea and milk. It’s much cheaper than buying a chai latte at a coffee shop!
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Ingredients You’ll Need
- Black tea. You do not use chai tea bags to make chai lattes. Chai relies on regular black tea. Assam is the most common variety used, but any black tea will work, such as Darjeeling, English Breakfast, or Earl Grey.
- Milk. Any variety of milk will work in this recipe. I use almond milk to keep it dairy-free, but any milk you usually have on hand should work. (Except homemade oat milk, which doesn’t heat well.)
- Pantry Spices. I’m going to assume we don’t all keep whole cloves and cardamom pods in our pantries. (I know I don’t.) That’s why this recipe calls for ground spices. You can easily strain them out as you pour the mixture into your mug.
- Maple syrup. This natural sweetener pairs well with chai spices. If you’d rather use honey, I’d start with a little less, since it’s sweeter and can overpower the other spices.
How to Make a Chai Latte (Step by Step)
- Pour 1 cup of boiled water into a mug and add the two black tea bags. Let them steep for 3-5 minutes.
- Add 1 1/2 cups of milk to a small saucepan along with 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, and 1/8 teaspoon each of ground cloves and cardamom.
- Bring the milk to a boil over high heat. As soon as it begins to boil around the edges of the pan, whisk to combine the spices, then remove from the heat.
- Remove the tea bags from the boiled water and pour the brewed tea into the hot spiced milk.
- Sweeten the chai latte to taste with maple syrup. (I usually use 3 tablespoons per 2 servings.) Then pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove excess spices.
- The chai latte is ready to enjoy warm right away! Save the second serving for an iced chai latte the next day, if desired. (Or you can reheat it, too.)
Chai Latte Recipe FAQs
Chai has a sweet and spicy flavor that feels like a hug in a mug. It has a comforting taste, similar to the spices in apple cider, but without the fruity aspect.
Yes, chai made with black tea does contain caffeine. You can use decaf tea bags or omit them altogether for a caffeine-free version.
Because chai contains caffeine, it’s best to drink it at the same time as any other caffeinated beverage. (Not after 3 pm, in my case. Caffeine keeps me awake if I drink it too late!)
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If you try this chai latte recipe, please leave a comment and ⭐ star rating below to let me know how you like it. Thanks for visiting!
Easy Chai Latte
Ingredients
- 2 black tea bags (see notes)
- 1 ½ cups almond milk (or milk of choice)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon , or to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup (or sweetener of choice)
Instructions
- Place the two tea bags in a heat-safe mug and pour 1 cup of boiled water over them. Let them steep for 3 to 5 minutes while you proceed with the next step.
- Pour the almond milk into a small saucepan and add the cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and cardamom. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat, whisking often. When the milk around the edges of the pan starts to bubble, turn off the heat.
- Remove the tea bags and pour the brewed tea into the saucepan with the milk and spices. Add the maple syrup and whisk until well combined. Carefully taste test the latte (it's hot!) and make any adjustments you see fit. You can add more maple syrup for a sweeter flavor or an extra pinch of cloves for more spice.
- Use a fine-mesh strainer to catch any excess spices as you pour the chai latte into two mugs. Serve warm right away. I think this has the best flavor when it's not piping hot, so it's okay if it cools down slightly!
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Notes
Nutrition
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Omg it’s delicious thank you for the recipe
I just love a chai latte and gave this a try. Delicious! Only thing I would change is less ginger!
To make this a dirty chai, would I just make as directed then add 1 shot of espresso?
Yes, that sounds delicious!
I love chai tea, though neither my husband nor I can now have black tea or caffeine. Would a different tea work that is both a non-black tea and decaffeinated? Thank you.
Hi Zelda! You could use a decaf tea bag as an easy swap, or I’ve also made this without tea at all. (Just use an extra 1 cup of milk heated up with the spices to replace the tea.) I hope you enjoy it!
Thank you! Unfortunately, I can’t use even decaf black tea, as there are still oxalates. I will try no tea and extra plant-based milk for us. I can’t have dairy, and calcium helps with oxalates. What a pair hubby and I are.
The chai tea latte is absolutely delicious! And so much healthier than Starbucks!!
You could try rooibos tea, it’s naturally decaf and no oxalates.
That’s a great idea! Thank you.
This is wonderful! Perfect as written. I will be making it often! Thank you!
I’m going to try this, but it’s so warm here I’m having mine iced. I love chai
Absolutely delicious. This is the best Chai Latte recipe I’ve ever made!
Oh yay! So good! I mixed up a big batch of the spices in a little mason jar so I always have that ready to go, especially in the early morning before my brain is fully awake 😉
Thank you so much!
How much of your pre-mixed spice blend do you use for this?
Thank you for sharing your 5 star chai latte recipe, Megan. I used all the spices in the recipe except ground ginger (I did not have) and the chai latte tasted soo good!
I just made this with Earl Grey tea and it was SO delicious. Thank you for the recipe!