Homemade Chai Latte from Scratch

Chai latte from scratch with whipped cream is perfect for those cold winter days and nights. You’ll never go back to store-bought chai after making this one!

Chai Latte

Just like how barley tea is a staple in Korean kitchens, masala chai is a spiced tea drink common in India.

Chai translates to tea. (So it’s incorrect to say ‘chai tea’ since that’s saying ‘tea tea.’) A chai latte is composed of black tea, milk, spices, and sweetened with sugar.

To make chai from scratch, I took the flavors and spices that are common in a masala chai (in the US, it’s shortened to just chai) and added a creamy layer by adding whipped cream.

There is no universal chai spice blend, so no two are really the same, but you’ll taste some overlapping flavors like cardamom, ginger, star anise, cloves, and cinnamon.

I created my own chai spice blend by trying a whole bunch of different flavor combinations. After two weeks of testing, and consuming two cups of chai per day, I came up with my final chai recipe, which I must say, is pretty darn tasty.

RELATED: Iced Chai Latte

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Best Tea for Chai Latte

Indian black tea is the best tea to use in a chai latte recipe. Assam and Darjeeling are the most popular and well known of Indian black teas.

But really, you can use any black tea, even Lipton tea bags. Since there are so many spices and flavors combined together, you don’t need to use the highest quality black tea.

Is there Coffee in a Chai Latte?

There’s no coffee in a chai latte. 

If you want coffee AND chai together, there’s the Dirty Chai Latte. A Dirty Chai Latte is a chai latte with a shot of espresso.

Is there Caffeine in a Chai Latte?

Yes, there is caffeine in a chai latte. Chai latte is made with black tea, which has caffeine.

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Chai Latte Spices

I didn’t want one strong spice to dominate since I hate chai that’s way too spicy with ginger or cloves. I think my chai is really well balanced in flavor.

In order to get that perfect balance of spices, I ended up adding in a LOT of them. So when you look at the ingredients, don’t get too overwhelmed since each one adds so much to it tasting so great.

Here are some spices that are commonly used in making chai:

• Cardamom is the most common ingredient in a chai, so of course that’s in my chai latte.
• Ginger
• Star anise
• Cloves
• Cinnamon
• Pepper
• Nutmeg

I added vanilla extract to mine to round out the flavor.

I don’t use a lot of ground spices for this chai latte. Instead, I used whole spices (then crushed them) since it has a richer depth of flavor. Also, whole spices tend to be less expensive than ground.

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Chai Concentrate

You may not want to get all these different spices for ONE drink but that’s where the chai concentrate comes in.

Make a couple of batches of chai without the milk and store it in the fridge so that you can make a chai latte in a couple of minutes by adding hot milk and whipped cream. (The whipped cream you can also make ahead of time.)

The spices have a shelf life of 2-4 years but I usually finish them in a year by making the chai concentrate for iced chai lattes in the summer and hot chai lattes in the winter.

No more buying too-sweet or too-spicy chai concentrates from the supermarket. By making it from scratch, you can adjust the sweetness or take out any spices you really don’t like.

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How to Make a Chai Latte

• Make the chai concentrate 
  Steep star anise, cardamom pods, cloves, brown sugar, and black tea in water for 10 minutes. Strain out the spices and tea. Add vanilla extract.
• Heat the milk
  Simmer milk on stovetop making sure it doesn’t boil.
• Make whipped cream
  Blend together heavy cream and powdered sugar until it starts to thicken.
• Assemble the drink
  Pour chai concentrate followed by milk and topped with whipped cream.

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Chai Latte Step-by-Step with Photos

I start with the chai concentrate for this chai latte recipe. This can be made ahead of time and into multiple batches to heat up for chai lattes throughout the week.

Crush or chop the star anise, cardamom pods, and cloves. This will release more of the flavor faster.

Brew together spices, brown sugar, and the black tea in water. Simmer on low for 10 minutes.

Take it off the heat and filter out the spices using a mesh strainer.

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The last part of the chai concentrate is to add the vanilla extract. It’s too delicate to add with everything else over heat on the stovetop.

The chai concentrate is done!

You can let it cool a bit then store it in the refrigerator in a covered container. It’ll keep for about a week.

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While the chai is simmering, make the whipped cream which adds a sweet touch to the chai latte.

You don’t NEED to make a cream layer, but I love it.

To make the whipped cream, I use an immersion blender on low for a few seconds, combining the heavy cream and powdered sugar.

RELATED: Rooibos Latte

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.

Set aside.

The next part is warming up the milk. I used my latte maker to froth the milk a little but you definitely don’t need to froth milk for this recipe since we’re adding the whipped cream layer which will sit on top of the drink.

Make sure to simmer the milk and to not let it burn by preventing it from boiling.

RELATED: How to Froth Milk

All the parts are ready to be brought together for this delicious drink. 

Pour half a cup of hot chai concentrate into a mug.

Fill the cup with hot milk, leaving some room on top for the whipped cream.

Spoon the whipped cream and garnish the drink with some cinnamon or top it with a star anise.

RELATED: How to Make Tea Properly

Chai Latte

Yield: Makes 4 servings

A delicious chai latte made from scratch.

Print

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups milk (any kind)
• Optional garnishes: Ground cinnamon and star anise

Chai Concentrate

• 2 1/2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons (6 tea bags) Assam black tea
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 star anise
• 10 cardamom pods
• 10 whole cloves
• 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns

Whipped Cream

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Crush and roughly chop star anise, cloves, and cardamom pods.
2. In a saucepan, add all ingredients for chai concentrate except for the vanilla extract.
3. On low heat, simmer for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
4. While chai concentrate is on simmer, make the whipped cream. Combine heavy cream and powdered sugar in a tall container. Using an immersion blender, pulse on low until soft peaks form. Don't whip until it gets too stiff by checking consistency after a couple of short pulses. Set aside.
5. Warm up milk in a latte maker or by simmering on the stovetop making sure it doesn't boil. After heating the milk, turn off heat and set aside.
6. Back to the chai concentrate. Strain out and discard the tea leaves (or tea bags) and spices.
7. Add the vanilla extract to chai concentrate.
8. Assemble the chai latte by pouring the hot chai concentrate, filling the mug halfway. Add the hot milk leaving room for the whipped cream. Top off with a layer of whipped cream. Garnish with a star anise and a sprinkling of ground cinnamon.