Tea Sommelier’s Chai Latte from Scratch
on Feb 06, 2026
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Chai latte from scratch with homemade whipped cream is perfect for those cold winter days and nights. You’ll never want to go back to store-bought chai after making this!
Chai Latte from Scratch
Masala chai is a spiced tea drink common in India. Masala chai means mixed-spice tea. In the U.S., we shorten masala chai to just chai, which means tea. (So it’s incorrect to say ‘chai tea’ since that’s saying ‘tea tea.’)
Chai is made by brewing black tea with Indian spices. There is no universal chai spice blend that everyone uses. However, you’ll taste some overlapping flavors like cardamom, ginger, star anise, cloves, and cinnamon with each version.
To make chai from scratch, I created my own chai spice blend using a bunch of different spices.
Note from Jee
The first time I had homemade chai, I was blown away by how good it was. It was made by my friend’s mother-in-law, who’s Indian. She had her own blend that she always has on hand and with spoonful of it with some Lipton tea bags, she had made me a delicious chai latte in minutes. I asked her for the recipe and since she just eyeballs it and throws in whatever spices she has around, I was left with a list of ingredients and nothing else.
That chai haunted me for days and I made it my mission to recreate it. This chai latte recipe took me 2 weeks of nonstop testing and tasting but I DID IT. I absolutely love it and I hope you do too!
Ingredients
- Assam black tea: Indian black tea like Assam, is the best tea to use in a chai latte. Assam tea with its full-bodied and strong flavor can hold up to the flavors from the spices.
- Spices: Cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, whole cloves, star anise, black peppercorns, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, ground cinnamon
- Vanilla extract
- Brown sugar
- Milk: Any milk can be used, but whole milk will have the creamiest texture.
- Heavy cream
- Sugar
- Water: Use filtered water if possible.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make chai concentrate.
Crush or chop star anise, cloves, and cardamom pods so that the flavors can be infused better. In a saucepan, add all ingredients for chai concentrate except the vanilla extract. The vanilla extract will get added later.
Step 2: On low heat, simmer the tea and spices. Stir occasionally.
Step 3: Strain out tea and spice solids using a mesh strainer.
Step 4: Add vanilla extract.
The chai concentrate is now done!
Step 5: Heat milk.
Bring milk to simmer on the stovetop. When you see little bubbles form along the edges, take it off the heat. Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t boil.
Step 6: Make whipped cream.
There are a few ways to make whipped cream and the easiest I’ve found is using a handheld milk frother in a tall container to whisk the heavy cream and sugar together. I like to make the cream with soft peaks and not too stiff so it lays on top of the chai latte better, spreading out on top.
Step 7: Pour chai concentrate into a mug. Add the hot milk, leaving room on top for the whipped cream.
This recipe makes 4 servings so divide each part (chai concentrate, milk, whipped cream) into 4 cups.
Step 8: Spoon on the whipped cream. Optional: Garnish with ground cinnamon and a whole star anise.
Tea Sommelier’s Tip
Since there are so many spices and flavors combined together, you don’t need to use the highest quality black tea. Feel free to use tea sachets or tea bags instead of loose tea.
Expert Tips
- The chai concentrate can be made ahead of time and can be heated for chai lattes throughout the week.
- Use whole spices whenever possible since it’ll produce a richer depth of flavor than ground spices. Use ground spices if it’s the only option.
- I’m using loose tea but you can use tea sachets or tea bags instead. Instead of 2 tablespoons loose tea, use 4 tea sachets or tea bags.
- Store chai concentrate in an airtight container, like a jar, in the refrigerator. Use it within 4 days for the best flavor and freshness.
Related
- Starbucks Chai Tea Latte
- Iced Chai Latte
- Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte
- London Fog Drink (Earl Grey Tea Latte)
- Chamomile Tea Latte
If you tried this Chai Latte recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating and let me know how you like it in the comments below.
Chai Latte from Scratch
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups milk, any kind
- Optional garnish: ground cinnamon
Chai Concentrate
- 2 ½ cups water
- 2 tablespoons Assam loose tea, (or 4 tea sachets or tea bags)
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise , (optional: 1 more for garnish)
- 10 cardamom pods
- 10 whole cloves
- 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
MAKE CHAI CONCENTRATE
- Crush and roughly chop star anise, cloves, and cardamom pods.
- In a saucepan, add all ingredients for chai concentrate except for the vanilla extract.Use filtered water if you can.
- Simmer on low for 10 minutes.
Stir occasionally. - Strain out tea and spice solids. Add vanilla extract.
HEAT MILK
- Simmer milk on low on the stovetop until you see little bubbles form along the edges. Turn off heat.
MAKE WHIPPED CREAM
- Whip together heavy cream and sugar.Use a handheld milk frother to whip heavy cream and sugar until soft peaks form. Whisk the ingredients in a tall container so you're not making a mess.
ASSEMBLE DRINK
- Into a mug, pour in the chai concentrate, then milk, and top with whipped cream.This recipe makes 4 servings so divide each part (chai concentrate, milk, whipped cream) into 4 cups.OPTIONAL: Garnish with ground cinnamon and a whole star anise.
Notes
- This recipe makes a chai concentrate so you can make it ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator.
- Store chai concentrate in an airtight container, like a jar, in the refrigerator. Use it within 4 days for the best flavor and freshness.
- Since there are so many spices and flavors combined together, you don’t need to use the highest quality black tea. Feel free to use tea sachets or tea bags instead of loose tea.
- Use whole spices whenever possible since it’ll produce a richer depth of flavor than ground spices. Use ground spices if it’s the only option.
- Any milk can be used, but whole milk will have the creamiest texture.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’ve been making the chai over and over. And here’s my two cents.
It’s a great base recipe. Definitely try following the recipe to the T the first time then adapt as you like. To me these modifications leveled up my chai game. Ps. All personal preference 🙂
I omit Anis because I truly don’t like it, and also reduced the nutmeg by half. Up the black peppercorns because I like my chai spicy. Once I tried to make with powdered everything and the end result was grainy, definitely use the whole spices. I once did with Earl Grey and although absolutely delicious I thought the citrus was a little overpowering. I most often use coconut sugar, tastes great. I leave the tea out and simmer until it starts to reduce, it’s so syrup-y and very aromatic, I can taste all the spices. Then I add my Assam tea, boil for just a minute, turn off the heat and let it steep for 10-15 min.
I think that’s all. I really love it. So much that I make it weekly.
PSA Trader Joe’s now sell Organic Assam Black Tea bags.
Hi, Jee. My husband & mom in law love chai tea. I enjoy making it for them. I only have vanilla chai tea bags (individual serving) onhand and no milk frother.
How many individual tea bags would you recommend for this recipe (per serving) , and would it be ok to froth this in a blender?
Thank you and be well,
Ari
Hi Ari, I would do 1 tea bag per 8 ounce serving. If you’re using a big cup, go with 2 tea bags. And yes, you can make froth in the blender but you’ll get a lot of big bubbles.
If I am wanting to make a single serving chai latte(one tea bag), how much water and milk should I use?
Hi Jennifer, I would just steep the chai tea bag in a cup of milk and skip the water. Heat milk on the stovetop with the chai tea bag together until the milk is comes to a simmer.
I am so excited to try this recipe! I drink a lot of Chai Lattes and have been looking for a good homemade version to replace what I use. I wanted to see if the calories listed in the nutrition info is for the entire recipe (which I think was 4 servings?) or one serving? Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi Barbara, the nutritiion is for one serving!
A+Mazing!! I’m going to make an Earl Grey chai. Do you have recommendations? I drink “Supreme” every day, but do you recommend A more traditional earl grey tea base? Thanks!!
Hi! This recipe sounds delicious. Question for you: If I wanted to add turmeric, how much do you think would be a good amount? I’ve had it recently and wanted to try and recreate it at home .
Hi Shawna, start with 1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric and see how it tastes and add more if needed.
Hi! Is vanilla extract required for this recipe or can it be optional? My family uses vanilla extract a lot so it runs out quickly and when I need it it’s usually already gone haha
Hi Sarah, you can take it out if you don’t have any!
I loved this recipe, it was delicious. I was wondering where you got those beautiful glass mugs because they make all of your drinks look amazing. Thank you for the amazing recipe.
I loved this recipe. I was wondering if you could tell me where you got those awesome glass mugs. They make all of your recipes so beautiful. Thank you for the recipe
Hi Natalie, the glass mugs are called Cantina mugs and they’re from CB2: https://www.cb2.com/cantina-glass-mug/s190268
Best chai I have ever tasted!