What Ingredients Do I Need And How To Make Vanilla Chai Latte
- Chai Tea Bag use your favorite chai tea bag. For a stronger chai flavor, you can brew two bags.
- Sweetener to keep this recipe sugar-free, we use a monkfruit erythritol blend. It is low carb, keto friendly and has 0 calories. Feel free to use your preferred sweetener, regular cane sugar, honey or maple syrup.
- Vanilla Extract adds a very strong vanilla flavor. You can use regular vanilla extract as well as Mexican vanilla or vanilla syrup.
- Half and Half half milk and half cream. If you do have access to half and half you can make your own, use milk, heavy cream, coconut milk, almond milk, oat milk, or your preferred milk alternative.
- Ice if you feel the ice waters down your drink too much, use 2 bags of chai tea.
- Whipped Cream optional for extra creaminess.
The instructions are to steep tea for 3-6 minutes, add sweetener and vanilla extract and stir to dissolve. Fill ice to the top of the glass and pour in half and half or preferred milk alternative. Enjoy!
Another way to make this delicious drink is to use concentrated tea found in many supermarkets.
The Best Tea For Chai Latte
Loose-leaf black tea is best for brewing chai for lattes. Ideally, it is made with an Assam or Ceylon tea, but English Breakfast or other black tea blends work wonderfully too. Loose-leaf tea is generally of a higher quality than bags, with large pieces and less dust, which can lead to bitter or tannic tea. Since we have to strain out the spices before making our chai latte anyway, bagged tea would be no time-saver here.
That being said, if bagged black tea is all you have on hand or is one you particularly love, then by all means, use it! Youll want six bags for each batch of chai.
Some things are harder than theylook. Take, for example, the perfect tea latte. Even if youre a wiz with thecoffee equivalent, making a mouthwatering tea version can be tricky whats the best tea? The right amount of loose leaf?The perfect steep time?
Guess no more. Were here to show you just how it should be done. Craving an iced latte instead? We got you. Head over to our Iced Latte post for insider tips on the best brews and techniques for the ice cold version.
Ready for something warm and insanely satisfying? Read on to find out how to make a tea latte at home.
The best teas for a tea latte:
Best Black Tea For Chai Latte
Since the base of chai is black tea, its best to use a strong and robust type such as Assam or Darjeeling. As for tea bags vs. tea leaves either one will work! Im using tea bags for this specific recipe out of convenience, because thats what I normally have on hand.
But in general, loose leaf teas will produce a much more full-bodied tea. Just be sure to look for smaller leaves that are partially broken. Theyll infuse much easier when simmering in the pot.
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Using True Tea Leaves
Most chai lattes that are brewed using true teas, use black tea varietals. Assam, Darjeeling, and Keemun are the most popular black tea types. You can use loose leaf teas or tea bags if you prefer. Loose leaf teas are generally better when it comes to health benefits. That’s because loose teas contain larger and more complete leaves than tea bags alternatives. You’ll get more of the antioxidants and healthy compounds of tea leaves using loose leaf teas. If you must use tea bags, look for sachets that allow the tea leaves to expand and infuse flavor better than small, constricted tea bags.
Whats The Best Way To Drink Chai
Chai is meant to be made into a lattein fact, saying chai tea latte is doubly redundant, because a traditional Indian masala chai always includes milk and sweetener. You could, in theory, drink this homemade chai tea straight, but the silkiness from milk and added sweetener really rounds out the true chai flavor youre looking for.
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How To Make Iced Chai Tea Latte Starbucks At Home References
How To Make Iced Chai Tea Latte Starbucks At Home. 1 cup triple filtered ice 1/3 cup highly concentrated chai 1 cup 2% milk
A 12 ounce chai latte at starbucks, without customization, is made with sweetened chai tea concentrate and steamed 2% milk. A dirty chai tea latte is a normal chai tea latte plus espresso.
How Do You Use Chai Concentrate
Chai concentrate is the base for a chai latte.
You cant make a chai latte without a chai concentrate.
Because making a chai concentrate can be time consuming, it is of course better to have it ready in the fridge for whenever you feel like having a cup of latte at home.
In this post Im going to show you exactly how to make a chai concentrate from tea bags.
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Starbucks Skinny Chai Tea Latte
What can you add to Starbucks Iced Chai Tea?
Vanilla syrup, brown sugar syrup, cinnamon dolce and pumpkin spice sauce are delicious added to Starbucks Chai Tea Latte drinks. You can also add-in a plant-based milk instead of dairy or add a topping like vanilla sweet cream or pumpkin cream cold foam.
What ingredients are in a Starbucks chai?
A Starbucks chai tea latte has two components, chai concentrate and milk. For a hot chai latte, chai syrup, hot water and steamed milk are combined. An iced chai gets cold milk and ice. The main ingredients in Starbucks chai concentrate are black tea, cardamom, black pepper, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, natural flavors, star anise, sugar, honey, ginger juice, and vanilla.
How many pumps of chai are in each size latte?
The number of pumps of syrup in a Starbucks chai depends on the size cup. A hot short, tall, grande and venti get 2, 3, 4 and 5 pumps respectively. An iced chai sizes tall, grande, venti have 3, 4 and 6 pumps of chai.
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To Make The Chai Tea:
- In a medium saucepan on medium-high heat, add the water and bring to a boil for 1-2 minutes. Add the tea bags and let it boil for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and let everything steep for 5-6 minutes.
- Once fully steeped, remove tea bags and whisk in cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, allspice, cardamom, ground cloves, and black pepper until dissolved and combined. Let cool completely.
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How To Make A Tea Latte At Home
Have you ever wondered if you can combine the creamy taste and frothy milk from a cafe latte with your favorite tea? Yup! You can! Theyre called tea lattes! And youre in luck because were going to share our insider barista tips with you about how to make a tea latte that rivals the pricey ones youd find in a fancy cafe right from your own kitchen!
Tea lattes are so versatile and delicious, you can customize them to any taste you want! Were avid coffee lovers but tea lattes offer a versatile and incomparable taste that we adore!. With hundreds of different teas to choose from, the possibilities for tea lattes are endless! To get you started on concocting your own tea lattes like a pro were covering all the basics, including:
- What is a tea latte?
- Which types of tea make the best tea latte?
- The best tools and essential ingredients to make a perfect tea latte
- Can you froth milk for a tea latte?
- Essential tools to make a tea latte
- How does Starbucks make its latte?
- Our 3 favorite tea latte recipes
- Can I make iced tea lattes?
- How can I make a tea latte at home?
Common Questions About Making A Chai Tea Latte
What is a chai latte made of?
Chai lattes are usually made with water, milk, and black tea with chai spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, ginger, cloves, and star anise. Most chai tea bags will some variation of those spices in it so as long as you get that type of tea, you should be good. Sometimes chai tea bags will have additional flavors in it such as vanilla listed.
Do chai lattes have caffeine in them?
Yes, chai lattes have caffeine in them since they are made with black tea leaves.
How much sugar is in a chai tea latte?
Usually chai tea lattes from places like Starbucks are pretty sweet but if you make it home, you can adjust the amount of sugar in the drink. If you want just a lightly sweetened tea then only use about 1-2 teaspoons honey, adding more to taste. Alternatively, you can use a different sweetener that fits into your diet better than honey but fair warning, that may effect the taste.
Are chai lattes dairy-free?
This chai tea latte recipe can be made dairy-free by using a dairy-free milk such as
These will each impact the taste a bit so I usually try to use the most neutral tasting non-dairy milk. Depending on which milk you choose, it may or may not froth well. So far, I have only tested frothing soy milk and it worked great using an immersion blender.
Are chai lattes vegan?
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Iced Chai Lattes Recipe
You know that I love my coffee, but sometimes I like to mix this up with chai. I love the warming and sweet flavors of all of those spices.
This iced chi latte is a great way to cool down and wake up, and its so easy to make at home. Skip that Starbucks line, and treat yourself to one of these in comfort!
Be sure to try my Spiked Chai and Chai Tea Milkshake too!
Chai Concentrate From Tea Bags
This is my favorite method because chai tea bags are easy to find and have a long shelf life. You can also use as much of any sweetener of choice or make a sugar free chai latte. You can easily whip up a small or large batch of the concentrate and you only need 2 ingredients, chai and water. I steep 2 tea bags in about ½ cup of boiling water for about 8 minutes. Sweeten with honey, sugar, brown sugar, stevia, monk fruit, Splenda, etc.
Chai concentrate to milk ratio: 1:1
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How Do You Make Chai Tea Latte From Scratch
FRESHTIP | Since vanilla beans have become so expensive, easily substitute 3 teaspoons of vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste.
FRESHTIP | Spray the measuring cup with a little bit of spray oil, your honey will slide right out.
If you get impatient , gently pull back the coffee filter and allow the mixture to go through the sieve, gently rocking it back and forth.
Refrigerate any unused portion until ready to use, lasts up to 7 days refrigerated.
When ready, pour out desired amount and warm on stovetop or my favorite way is to place in a frother and heat until silky smooth, with a lovely head of frothed milk.
Are Chai Lattes Healthy
That totally depends on the ingredients that are used! I would not consider a Starbucks iced chai a health food since its pretty high in sugar . But as far as the ingredients go, theyre actually pretty simple.
To make a healthier version of an iced chai tea latte at home, I like to start with an organic chai tea. That way you can avoid harsh pesticides. Then I sweeten it with maple syrup instead of sugar, and I reduce the amount to 1 teaspoon per serving so its not so much sugar. To finish it off, I use grass-fed cream and milk.
My homemade version has about 9 grams of sugar per serving.
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The Matter Of Chai Concentrate With Starbucks Copycat Chai Tea Latte
One of the biggest barriers to recreating a near-perfect Starbucks chai tea latte is the chai concentrate. This is the base of the drink, containing both black tea and spices. In most cases, it is found in liquid form.
Now, store bought chai concentrate is readily available. There are also a lot of different brands to choose from, the most common one being Tazo chai concentrate. The problem, though, is that these chai concentrates Tazo chai concentrate included are quite diluted.
The Starbucks chai concentrate is very strong and you are unlikely to find anything quite like it in the store. As a result, the Starbucks chai tea latte has a more powerful flavor that is noticeable even with the addition of milk. This is true even when ice is added with the Starbucks iced chai latte,
With regular store bought concentrate, much of the flavor is lost when you add milk or any other ingredients to the drink. Fortunately, there are a few options for overcoming this problem:
S To Make The Perfect Chai Tea Latte
Step 1: Heat milk in microwave-safe milk pitcher or measuring cup for 60-90 seconds so its warm, not boiling. Or heat on the stove in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally then remove from heat once simmering and pour into pitcher or mug.
Step 2: Take your hand-held milk frother and submerge whisk just below the top of the milk, then press the power button.
Step 3: Move frother upwards so that the whisk is half in the milk and half in the air for a couple of seconds to aerate the milk, and then submerge whisk fully, about half way down, never touching the bottom.
Step 4: Slant the milk pitcher and the frother slightly, about 25 degrees.
Step 5: Move frother slightly off from center and move up and down a bit, but staying away from the bottom of mug and top of milk.
Step 6: Stop frothing when large bubbles start to disappear. The whole frothing business should take less than 30 seconds.
Step 7: Pour beautiful micro-foam and milk over brewed tea. Check out our tips on how to brew tea.
Step 8: Not sure how much tea and how much milk to use. We recommend a ½ a mug of tea to ½ milk/froth. Adjust the amounts of tea vs. milk to fit your taste to get to your perfect chai tea latte.
Step 9: Sweeten to taste.
Step 10: Sit back and enjoy.
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What Kind Of Milk Can I Use To Make A Chai Tea Latte
You can use any kind of milk you like in a chai tea latte. The higher the fat content in milk, the more froth you will get. I was trying to recreate the same drink I ordered at Starbucks for this recipe, so that is why I chose skim milk.
I would tell anyone trying this for the first time to use the milk they enjoy the most. You can always try it other ways, but start off with the milk you would normally drink. I use an electric milk frother to make the process easy. The one I use comes with different attachments you can use in the mixer. Depending on how you like your milk frothed will determine which attachment to use.
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Can I Freeze Chai Tea Concentrate
You might choose to make large batches of chai concentrate on a day when you have the time.
This of course will be very cost and time effective for you, as you will be able to prepare large quantities using the least amount of ingredients, energy and time.
When making up a big amount of chai concentrate, it is handy to know you can freeze it.
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Dirty Chai Latte Ingredients:
For a DIY dirty chai, the ingredients are pretty similar. But I switched up a couple of ingredients to make it even better.
Youll need:
Hot Water: Youll need boiling water to brew the tea, and hot water to brew the coffee.
A Chai Tea Bag: See notes at the bottom of this post for how to substitute loose leaf tea and chai tea concentrate.
Coffee Beans: You can also use ground coffee. I dont own a burr grinder yet, so I just used the grinder at my grocery store set to espresso.
Maple Syrup: I think maple syrup is lovely in a dirty chai latte, but see notes for substitution ideas.
Half and Half: Now, I like to use half and half instead of milk because it makes the latte creamier. Since youre using water for the tea and the coffee, thats quite a bit of water in the drink.So the added cream ensures that its nice and rich.
Can we chat about half & half for a minute?
I love Kalona SuperNatural half and half for making creamy, dreamy lattes.
Not only does it taste yummy, it has some awesome health benefits as well:
- Its made with certified organic milk from pasture-grazed cows. You can read about why milk from pastured-grazed cows is nutritionally superior in my Kalona SuperNatural butter review post.
- Since its batch pasteurized to just 145° F, its pretty much the next best thing to raw milk!
- Its non-homogenized, which is a rare find, even for organic half & half!
I find that its the perfect amount of creaminess for homemade lattes .