This chai tea latte recipe brings that cozy coffee-shop flavor straight to your kitchen: bold spiced tea, creamy milk, and the sweetness level you actually want. I’m sharing the quick tea-bag method for busy mornings plus an optional homemade chai concentrate you can make once and use all week (perfect for easy iced chai tea latte days).
You’ll also get Starbucks-style notes so you can recreate that café vibe at home without ending up with a drink that tastes watery or bland.
Table of Contents
What Is a Chai Tea Latte?
A chai tea latte is brewed chai (spiced tea) mixed with milk and usually a little sweetener. “Chai” is built around warm spices like cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and cloves, and the milk turns it into a latte-style drink that tastes creamy and comforting.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Café-style at home with simple ingredients
- Includes hot + iced directions in one post
- Not watery (strong tea base + smart ratios)
- Make-ahead option (chai concentrate for quick lattes all week)
- Easy to customize for sweetness, milk choice, and spice level
Quick Overview
- Total time (quick method): about 10 minutes
- Difficulty: easy
- Makes: 1 drink (scale up easily)
Ingredients
Quick chai latte (fastest method)
- Chai tea bags (use 2 for bold flavor)
- Water (to brew the tea)
- Milk (dairy or non-dairy)
- Sweetener (maple syrup, honey, or brown sugar)
- Optional: vanilla extract (a tiny splash makes it taste extra café-like)
- Optional topping: ground cinnamon
If you love warm spice flavors, you’ll also want to browse these cinnamon recipes for more cozy ideas.
Chai concentrate (make-ahead option)
- Black tea bags (or loose black tea)
- Whole spices like cinnamon sticks, cardamom, cloves, ginger, and optional peppercorns
- Sweetener (added after simmering)
How to Make a Chai Tea Latte (Hot)
Step 1: Brew strong chai (so it won’t taste weak)
- Heat ½ cup water until very hot (just below boiling).
- Add 2 chai tea bags and steep 5–7 minutes. Cover the mug if you can to keep heat in.
- Remove tea bags. Stir in sweetener while the tea is still hot.
Why 2 tea bags? Once you add milk, the flavor dilutes quickly. Brewing stronger upfront gives you that café-style taste.
Step 2: Heat and froth the milk
- Warm ¾ cup milk until steaming (don’t boil).
- Froth with a handheld frother, blender, whisk, or jar-shake method.
Step 3: Combine
Pour the brewed chai into a mug, add the hot milk and foam, then dust with cinnamon if you like.
How to Make an Iced Chai Tea Latte
This iced chai tea latte recipe stays bold by using a stronger tea base and cooling it before adding ice.
- Brew chai with ½ cup hot water + 2 chai tea bags. Steep 7–10 minutes.
- Sweeten while hot, then cool completely (quick-chill in the freezer for a few minutes, or refrigerate).
- Fill a tall glass with ice.
- Pour in the cooled chai, then add ¾ cup cold milk.
- Stir and top with cinnamon or cold foam.
Iced tip: If your tea is still warm, it melts the ice fast and tastes watery. Cooling first makes a huge difference.
Optional: Homemade Chai Concentrate (Make Ahead)
If you want Starbucks-style convenience, homemade chai concentrate is the best upgrade. It’s stronger, smoother, and perfect for quick weekday lattes.
Concentrate ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 4–6 black tea bags
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 6–8 cardamom pods (lightly crushed)
- 6 cloves
- 1-inch fresh ginger (sliced)
- 6 peppercorns (optional)
- Sweetener to taste
Concentrate steps
- Simmer the water and spices 10 minutes (gentle simmer, not a rolling boil).
- Turn off the heat. Add tea bags and steep 5 minutes.
- Strain, then sweeten to taste.
- Cool and refrigerate.
How to use the concentrate
- Hot: ½ cup concentrate + ½–¾ cup hot milk
- Iced: ½ cup concentrate + ice + ½–¾ cup cold milk
Starbucks-Style Notes (Copycat Guidance)
A Starbucks-style chai latte is typically made with chai concentrate + milk (hot or iced). To get that coffee-shop vibe at home:
- Use the concentrate method above (closest match).
- Sweeten with simple syrup or brown sugar for that smooth café sweetness.
- Add a tiny splash of vanilla to round out the flavor.
Serving Ideas
Chai is even better with a little snack on the side—plus this section helps Pinterest users decide what to pair it with (more clicks and saves).
- Pair it with lemon sugar cookies for a bright, buttery match.
- Serve it with thumbprint cookies for a bakery-style snack plate.
- Want a no-fuss sweet bite? Try snowball truffles alongside your latte.
For another fun drink idea later, try a Sprite ice cream float.
Tips for the Best Flavor
- Steep longer for stronger chai (especially for iced).
- Sweeten while hot so it dissolves completely.
- Don’t boil milk (it can taste “cooked”).
- If it’s too spicy, add more milk. If it’s too mild, steep longer or use concentrate.
- For extra café texture, choose a milk that froths well (whole milk or barista-style oat milk).
Variations
- Dirty chai: add 1 espresso shot.
- Vanilla chai latte: add ¼ tsp vanilla extract.
- Brown sugar chai: sweeten with brown sugar or brown sugar syrup.
- Dairy-free: oat milk is especially creamy and froths well.
- Less caffeine: use decaf black tea or caffeine-free chai.
Storage & Make-Ahead
- Brewed tea: best within 24 hours (the flavor fades).
- Chai concentrate: store sealed in the fridge and use within 5–7 days for best flavor.
- FoodSafety.gov cold food storage charts
FAQs
Is chai tea latte the same as chai latte?
Yes—most people use the terms interchangeably. “Chai tea latte” just makes it extra clear it’s tea-based.
Does a chai tea latte have caffeine?
Usually yes, because it’s made with black tea. Use decaf tea if you want less caffeine.
Why does my iced chai taste watery?
Either the tea base wasn’t strong enough, or it wasn’t cooled before adding ice. Brew stronger and cool completely—or use chai concentrate.
What milk froths best?
Whole milk froths easily, but barista-style oat milk also creates great foam.
Conclusion
This chai tea latte recipe is creamy, cozy, and easy—hot or iced—with a simple make-ahead concentrate option so you can have café-style chai in minutes anytime. If you make it, start with the quick method, then try the concentrate once you want the strongest flavor and fastest weekday routine.
Chai Tea Latte Recipe (Hot + Iced, Café-Style)
Equipment
- Kettle or small saucepan
- Mug
- Measuring cup
- Milk frother, whisk, blender, or jar (for frothing)
- Tall glass (for iced chai)
- Fine-mesh strainer (for chai concentrate)
Ingredients
Quick Chai Latte (Fastest Method)
- 1/2 cup Water very hot, just below boiling
- 2 Chai tea bags use 2 for bold flavor
- 3/4 cup Milk dairy or non-dairy
- Sweetener maple syrup, honey, or brown sugar, to taste
- Vanilla extract optional, a tiny splash
- Ground cinnamon optional topping
Optional: Homemade Chai Concentrate (Make Ahead)
- 2 cups Water
- 4-6 Black tea bags
- 2 Cinnamon sticks
- 6-8 Cardamom pods lightly crushed
- 6 Cloves
- 1 inch Fresh ginger sliced
- 6 Peppercorns optional
- Sweetener to taste (add after simmering/straining)
Instructions
- Hot Chai Tea Latte
- Heat 1/2 cup water until very hot (just below boiling).
- Add 2 chai tea bags and steep for 5–7 minutes. Cover the mug to keep heat in, if possible.
- Remove tea bags and stir in sweetener while the tea is still hot.
- Warm 3/4 cup milk until steaming (do not boil), then froth using a handheld frother, blender, whisk, or jar-shake method.
- Pour brewed chai into a mug, add hot milk and foam, then dust with cinnamon if desired.
- Brew chai with 1/2 cup hot water + 2 chai tea bags. Steep 7–10 minutes for a stronger tea base.
- Sweeten while hot, then cool completely (quick-chill briefly or refrigerate).
- Fill a tall glass with ice.
- Pour in cooled chai, then add 3/4 cup cold milk.
- Stir and top with cinnamon or cold foam if desired.
- Simmer 2 cups water with cinnamon sticks, crushed cardamom pods, cloves, sliced ginger, and optional peppercorns for 10 minutes (gentle simmer).
- Turn off heat, add 4–6 black tea bags, and steep for 5 minutes.
- Strain, then sweeten to taste.
- Cool and refrigerate.
- To serve: use 1/2 cup concentrate plus 1/2–3/4 cup milk (hot or cold) and ice for iced lattes.