Chai Latte

Here’s how to make a chai latte at home…the easy way! This drink is creamy and cozy spiced with the perfect fluffy foam topping.

Are you a sucker for a good chai latte? Because guess what: you can easily make one at home! No need to run to your favorite coffee shop, or load on the sugars and artificial flavors of a grocery store carton. You can make an even better chai latte in the comfort of your own home. There’s something that’s uniquely beautiful about this drink: the intrigue of the warm spices, the twinge of bitterness of tea, the rich, fluffed milk froth that makes a mustache after each sip. Yes, this is the way that a chai latte should be. Here’s how to make it at home!

How to make a chai latte

A chai latte takes traditional masala chai, a milky spiced tea from India, and combines it with frothy steamed milk of a cafe latte. The mashup appears to be an American invention that was popularized by Starbucks in the 1990’s. It’s safe to say that many coffeehouse versions of a chai latte have little left of the traditional Indian inspiration: they’re often too sweet and overly spiced.

The recipe below for a chai latte is gently spiced and subtly sweet. It takes our masala chai recipe for milky tea with chai spices, then adds steamed milk for a frothy top. It’s just sweet enough and light instead of overly rich. Keep reading for all you need to know about how to make a chai latte….the easy way.

The chai spices you need

The word chai translates to “tea” in Hindi, so saying chai tea is technically like saying “tea tea.” The more correct term for the Indian tea blend is masala chai. The word masala refers to a blend of spices used in cooking. Just like the word curry, a Westernized reduction of a complex blend of Indian spices, the American concept of chai can oversimplify and appropriate a rich Indian cultural tradition.

Masala chai spices can include many different ingredients based on the cook, just like curry powder. Our Homemade Chai Spice mix uses common chai spices, but note there are many more used regionally in Indian blends. Here’s what you’ll need for the chai spices:

• Cinnamon
• Ginger
• Cardamom
• Black pepper
• Nutmeg
• Cloves
• Fennel seed

First, make the tea

Traditionally, chai spices are simmered whole to make masala chai. Since whole spices can be expensive and harder to find in America, this chai spice blend uses ground spices. Using ground spices is easier and also allows you to use the remainder of the mix for flavoring breads, cookies and muffins. Keep in mind that traditional Indian masala chai uses whole spices.

Once you’ve got the chai spices, all you need is the tea! You’ll need black tea for a chai tea latte. Use 1 bag of black tea, or 1 teaspoon loose leaf tea. Any type of black tea works! Of course, the better the tea, the better the chai latte. Simmer it with the chai spices and water. Then you’re ready for the most important part…

How to froth milk for a chai latte

The most important part of a chai latte: frothing the milk! This is the place where you’ll need a bit of technique. If it’s your first time frothing, we highly recommend reading How to Froth Milk before you start.Here are a few tips on how to get the perfect foam on a chai latte:

• The best milk for a chai latte? Use 2% milk (our favorite), or whole milk if you like a richer latte. Don’t use skim milk, as it doesn’t foam enough. Want vegan or dairy free? Go to Vegan Chai Latte.
• Heat the milk to 150 degrees (scalding). The temperature is important for the perfect frothy foam. Use a candy thermometer if you have one. Or, you can eyeball it: 150 degrees is hot to the touch with some small bubbles starting to form on the outside, but it’s not yet simmering.
• Use a French press or hand frother. You don’t need an espresso machine to make foam! We used our French press and it worked great. You can also use a hand frother, which works even better! If you don’t have any fancy gadgets, you can vigorously whisk the milk. For the French press, pump 100 times or 1 minute: this should result in beautiful, creamy and frothy foam!

Note: These tips work only for dairy milk. Head to our Vegan Chai Latte post for how to froth non-dairy milk.

The sweetener for this chai latte: maple syrup

This chai latte recipe is intentionally just sweet enough: it’s not a copycat Starbucks recipe that’s packed full of sugar. That said, it’s also sweet enough that it tells your taste buds that it’s a chai latte! Here are a few notes on the sweetener to use for a chai latte:

• Our favorite? Pure maple syrup. It has just the right caramel-flavored nuance (it doesn’t taste like maple, promise).
• Other natural options: honey or agave syrup. These natural sweeteners each have their own nuance and gentle sweetness.
• Or, use simple syrup. If you have a batch on hand for cocktails, it also works for lattes.

Serving your chai latte

And that’s it! Pour the milk and foam into your spiced tea and you’ve made it: your very own homemade chai latte! We like to add a little sprinkle of the chai spices on top to make it look fancy.

Want to make lattes to order throughout the week? You can also make a big batch of the spiced tea and refrigerate. When you’re craving a latte, warm up ¾ cup of the tea, then froth the ½ cup milk.

Variation 1: Dirty Chai Latte!

Our favorite variation on the chai latte? Dirty chai! The story goes that the dirty chai latte was invented accidentally in the 1990s in England, when a barista put a shot of espresso into a chai latte she was making for an American. He loved it, and the rest is history. Want to make it? Simply add 4 ounces espresso to the tea in this recipe, or go to the recipe for Dirty Chai Latte.

Variation 2: Iced Chai Latte!

Wait: we have another favorite variation on this tea latte: the sweetly refreshing Iced Chai Latte! This tasty spin on the classic couldn’t be easier: because it skips the frothed milk altogether. Yes, for an iced chai latte, all you need to do is make chai spiced concentrate, then add ice and milk when serving. It’s perfect for making ahead and drinking off of all week.

More lattes? Try the Perfect Tea Latte, Matcha Latte or Iced Matcha Latte, or an espresso-based Iced Latte!

This chai latte recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan, see Vegan Chai Latte.

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More cozy drinks

There are so many tasty cozy drinks for when the weather turns colder! Here are a few more cozy drinks we love:

• Mulled Cider or Hot Apple Cider The very best cozy drink! Infused with spices like cinnamon and cloves, you can make it in a slow cooker or on the stove.
• Pumpkin Spice Iced Coffee This pumpkin spice iced coffee is refreshing and cozy all at once.
• Apple Cider Sangria Here’s the ideal fall cocktail: apple cider sangria! This cozy drink pairs apple cider with red wine, orange and cinnamon.