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This iced chai latte tastes like the kind you’d purchase at a coffee shop! You can make this homemade chai concentrate in minutes and enjoy affordable iced lattes all week.
If you love the Starbucks iced chai tea latte, you’ll love this drink. It uses a simple blend of spices you probably already have, and there’s no special equipment needed.
It’s the perfect drink to keep on hand during the warmer summer months when you’re not as likely to enjoy a warm chai latte.
Ingredients You’ll Need
These pantry ingredients create a delicious chai flavor. If you’d like to add even more spice, feel free to add a pinch of ground star anise, cardamom, or nutmeg, and you can also add up to a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Try a pinch of black pepper to boost the spice level, too.
Traditional recipes usually call for boiling whole spices together, like cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and cardamom pods, to create a simple syrup mixture.
The easy recipe below is for those who might not want to go through that effort. Just shake it all together in minutes!
How to Make an Iced Chai Latte
1. Brew the tea.
Arrange 4 black tea bags in a large mug or measuring cup, and pour 1 cup of boiling water over them. Let the tea steep for 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Mix the spices.
In a 16-ounce mason jar, add the maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. When the tea is done brewing, remove the tea bags and pour the strongly brewed tea into the mason jar with the syrup and spices.
Use a whisk to mix everything together, or secure a lid on the jar and shake well. This is your chai tea concentrate!
3. Assemble.
Add roughly 1 1/2 cups of ice cubes to a glass, then pour 3/4 cup of your favorite milk over the ice.
Shake the concentrate well in the jar each time you’re ready to use it, then pour a 1/4 cup of the concentrate into the iced milk. (It makes beautiful swirls this way!)
Stir well and enjoy! If you need a sweeter or spicier flavor, add more chai concentrate as you see fit.
Variation: Make a dirty chai latte by adding a shot of espresso or a serving of cold brew into your glass. You can make it fancier by adding a dollop of foam or whipped cream on top, too.
Storage Tips: Store the leftover concentrate in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. This recipe makes roughly 5 servings as written, but you can double or triple it if needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
I use a black tea (English breakfast or Darjeeling) for this recipe, rather than a chai tea bag so that the tea flavor won’t compete with the added spices. If you want to use a masala chai or other spiced tea, you may want to cut back dramatically on the spices in this recipe so your latte doesn’t become overwhelmingly spicy.
Yes, this drink does contain some caffeine if you use black tea. Use a deaf tea or herbal tea if you’d prefer a non-caffeinated drink. Or you can simply use extra milk as the base instead of tea.
I serve this with almond milk or oat milk, but regular milk or other non-dairy milks will work. For a creamier dairy-free drink, try using coconut milk.
Swap the maple syrup for honey if you don’t need a vegan recipe. In that case, I’d start with just a 1/4 cup of honey since it has a stronger flavor than maple syrup.
Yes, I tested this recipe in a mason jar and in a blender. I was hoping the blender might help the spices break down even more (so you won’t see spices floating in your drink). However, the blended version isn’t significantly different than the shaken version, so pick whichever method you prefer for mixing.
Looking for more tasty drink recipes? Try my Easy Mocktail, Basil Lemonade, or Adrenal Cocktail for more refreshing ideas.
Ingredients
Chai Tea Concentrate
- 4 black tea bags
- 1 cup boiled water
- 6 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
For Serving
- 3/4 cup milk of choice (per serving)
- 1 1/2 cups ice
Instructions
- Place the 4 tea bags in a large mug or measuring cup, then pour the boiled water over them. Let the tea steep for 3 to 5 minutes, then remove the bags.
- While the tea is steeping, add the maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves to a 16-ounce mason jar with a lid. Use a whisk to stir them together, or secure the lid on the jar and shake well. Add the tea and shake again to complete the chai tea concentrate.
- When you're ready to make a serving, add ice and 3/4 cup of milk to a glass. Pour a 1/4 cup of the chai concentrate (shake well before measuring each time!) over the milk, then stir. You can add a little more concentrate for a sweeter and spicier flavor, or add more milk to dilute the flavor. The choice is up to you!
- Store the concentrate in the airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this iced chai latte recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below, letting me know how you like it.
I used 1 tablespoon honey per serving and have instead used 4 teaspoons loose leaf black tea and 2 tablespoons loose chai seasonings. It turned out really good and not too sweet. Thank you for the recipe. 🙂
Simple, easy prep, and oh so delicious. I like it as an iced chai latte, but it’s really good with just plain old hot water.
SUPER excited to have found this recipe!! Cannot wait to try it! My only question is, why does the concentrate have to be refrigerated? Maple syrup doesn’t need to be so I’m wondering if I could leave it put but sealed? Thank you! 🙂
It’s because of the tea added to the concentrate. I’ve seen a brewed cup of tea start to mold in just 24 hours, so I wouldn’t leave it out for too long. But I hope you enjoy the flavor! You can also just make a batch of chai latte by the cup using this recipe: https://detoxinista.com/chai-latte/
I love Chai tea!! This recipe is so simple, uses ingredients that most will have already, and yields a delicious and refreshing drink. I recommend making the recipe as written then tinkering with it to your taste. I like a spicy Chai, so I will try Megan’s recommendation to add other spices to change up the taste and use a little less maple syrup in my next batch. Thank you for an easy and inexpensive way to answer our cravings!!
I love this recipe but would like to ask if there was something i could add to it that would give it more bite (meaning is there a way to make it more like the Tazo concentrate liquid). Can i add something to it to make it spicer?
Ginger and cloves tend to add a spicy flavor, so you can increase those in this recipe for more spice.
I really enjoyed the tea. My only negative was that my cinnamon seemed to remain grainy. Any suggestions?
I almost never leave comments, but this iced chai latte deserves all 5 stars! Wow! I won’t need to go to Starbucks for the rest of the summer. Thank you for taking the time to make this so delicious.
I’ve been buying the Tazo chai tea concentrate for a while but I was out. I don’t drink coffee so chai is my part of my daily routine. I was super skeptical, but figured I’d give it a try. I also didn’t have powdered ginger, so I subbed for fresh pinched ginger. THIS RECIPE IS FREAKING AMAZING! The last time I had chai tea this hood was at an Indian restaurant where they made it themselves. THANK YOU for sharing this recipe, I’m hooked!
Love it! I didn’t have black tea so substituted an Adirondack tea that I got in New York. I have yet to find any of your recipes that I don’t like. My last two months of dinners have all come from No Excuses Detox ❤️