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This London Fog drink is a delicious tea latte, and makes an excellent alternative to coffee if you’re trying to cut back on caffeine. This recipe is a little healthier than the version from Starbucks, made without refined sugar or cream.
What is a London Fog?
London Fog is a drink made with Earl Grey tea, steamed milk, and sugar. Starbucks makes it by adding vanilla syrup to the drink, so I’ve included a splash of vanilla in my version, too.
How Much Caffeine is in a London Fog?
The caffeine in a London Fog will vary based on the type of tea you use. The average 8 oz. cup of Earl Grey tea has roughly 45-50mg of caffeine, but there are decaf versions available if you’d prefer a caffeine-free drink.
Keep in mind that the longer you brew the tea, the more caffeine it will have. According to this chart, Earl Grey tea can have anywhere from 14mg of caffeine (when brewed for just 1 minute) to 47mg (when brewed for 5 minutes.)
What does a London Fog taste like?
If you love the flavor of Earl Grey tea, you’ll love the taste of a London Fog. It tastes like a sweet vanilla latte, with savory hints of floral black tea swirled through it.
Earl Grey tea gets its signature flavor from the addition of bergamot, which is a bitter citrus fruit found all over Europe. Thanks to its complex bitter & floral flavor, I find it to be a satisfying alternative to coffee.
How to Make a Healthy London Fog Drink
Similar to my Instant Vegan Latte (which is made with coffee), you can make a healthy London Fog using dates as a sweetener and a spoonful of almond butter for creaminess. It might sound strange adding these two ingredients to your tea, but when you blend them together they become a magical latte!
What I love about this method is that you don’t need to buy a special non-dairy creamer, or even make your own homemade almond milk. Those would just dilute the flavor of this drink, anyway. You get maximum flavor by adding the sweetness and creaminess directly to the tea. No extra liquid needed!
Ingredients
- 1 to 2 Earl Grey tea bags
- 2 Medjool dates , pitted
- 1 teaspoon almond butter (or cashew butter)
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare the Earl Grey tea by pouring 8 to 12 ounces of boiling water over the tea bags in a mug. I like to use 2 tea bags for an extra-strong tea flavor, but you can use just 1 bag if you prefer a more mild drink. Cover the mug with a tea saucer, to lock in the heat.
- After the tea has brewed for 3 to 5 minutes, remove the tea bags and pour the hot tea into a blender. Add in the dates, almond butter, and vanilla, and blend until very smooth and creamy.
- If you have a powerful blender, like the Vitamix, you can pour the mixture directly into your mug and drink it right away, as the dates should be totally pulverized. If you are using a regular blender, I recommend holding a fine mesh strainer over your mug as you pour the blended mixture into your cup, so the strainer will catch any stray pieces of dates. (You don't want chunks in your drink!)
- Serve the hot tea latte right away and enjoy.
Video
Nutrition
Per cup: Calories: 166, Fat: 2g, Carbohydrates: 37g, Fiber: 3g, Protein: 1g
Recipe Notes:
- If you don’t have dates on hand, feel free to use another natural sweetener, such as honey or maple syrup to taste. I use two dates in this recipe to create the sweetness I remember in the original drink, but feel free to use only 1 date, if you prefer something less-sweet.
- If you don’t want to use almond butter, you can experiment with any other nut butter, or try a spoonful of coconut cream for another non-dairy alternative. Just keep in mind that substitutions will change the flavor a bit.
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Reader Feedback: Have you ever tried a London Fog before? Let me know what you think about this version in the comments below!
Creamy and delicious! My new favorite hot drink.
I’m in love with this drink. I took a break from coffee for 3 weeks and loved this healthy alternative. It has replaced my morning coffee drink. I just ran out of dates and can’t wait for my new thrive market shipment to arrive so I can make this tea. Thank you for an amazing recipe.
Megan – what nontoxic teapot do you recommend? Thank you.
Very good and frothy! I tried two dates but will cut back to one next time. I also think the almond flavor was a little strong so I will try less next time. Overall, very delicious!
My current go to drink! Not sure why it took me so long to try this one, but I LOVE it and make it for anyone who comes over. Another hit!
My bf and I are addicted to these now. I seriously go to bed excited that I get to have one in the morning! I’ve found I prefer using ground almonds instead of almond butter – it could just be the almond butter I was using, but it overpowered everything. Thanks so much for this recipe! (I also tried making it was cookie butter instead of the dates and almond butter… I’m basically just blending everything into tea now and seeing what happens…lol)
I recently messaged you about trying to find a healthy replacement for Diet Coke, my addiction! I prefer sweet to bitter tastes, but remembered seeing you post about this drink. I decided to give it a try today. I used one tea bag, rather than two, thinking that may cut down on the bitter taste. It was delicious! Thank you!
Sure this drink tastes good, but it is definitely not even close to making a London fog. It would be better if you called it something else so you don’t pull a Starbucks and start making fake drinks that are named after real drinks, which just confuses everyone and annoys baristas. There are many ways to make healthy, lactose free London dogs that don’t involve abandoning the entire recipe altogether.
So good!!!! I had earmarked this recipe for quite some time and really glad I finally made it today. It’s perfect for a cold day and I bet it would be amazing over ice in the summer. Such a delicious treat with some caffeine! Definitely going to add it onto my regular drink rotation. Thank you!
We make this and enjoy it very much. I’ve also used with with sweet and spicy tea from the good earth, delicious this way too.
This is one of my favorite at home drinks to make! Especially when the weather gets cold!
I’m so glad you love it, Anna. I’m sipping on one right now, too! 🙂