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.
Hi, it is imperative the black tea? I have a vegan restaurant and many of my clients dont like to drink caffeine, so, I do it without black tea, I think it is delicioous, please tell me your opinion
Rebecca Torre, I use decaf loose black tea to make my afternoon chai!
How long would you say the concentrate lasts in the fridge?
Hi Alisha, I would say about 4-5 days in the fridge.
My kitchen smells amazing right now!!! Can you give a suggestion for using this concentrate to make dirty Chai?
Hi Roxy, I KNOW, I LOVE the way my kitchen smells after making chai! For dirty chai, try adding 1/3 cup of concentrate to your coffee.
Thanks, Indian chai drinker! I've noticed my photography has really improved since I started this blog.
Appreciate the edit. I'll have to give vanilla a try some time and see how it tastes, thanks for the idea! Also agree with Hannah that your photography really draws the viewer in, I love the stylized look of the captioned photo at the top of the post.
Hi Indian chai drinker,
Thanks for the correction! Just made the edit change. As for the vanilla extract, I added that in since I thought it added a fuller flavor to the chai. I was looking to create my own chai blend, not so much to keep it completely authentic.
Hi Hannah, I agree, homemade chai is the best! Thanks for the compliments on the post!
Homemade chai really is the best and yours looks so delicious! Love your photography and style!
FYI. There is no such language as "Indian". Chai is the hindi word for Tea. Hindi is one of the main languages of India (there are over 20). Chai is also the word for tea in several other Indian languages. But not all. Love the idea of the post, but this just really irked me. Thank you though for reminding folks that saying "chai tea" is redundant. Another thing that really irks me! Finally, vanilla extract really doesn't seem to fit in chai, if you want it to be authentic. If authenticity is not a primary goal, then no worries, enjoy.
Hi Greensummer,
Yes, getting everything needed to make this was the hardest challenge! A bonus to making this is that it fills your entire place up with the scent of chai.
Good Morning ! :)thank you for posting this. oh, i like the part where you wrote " Full of flavor with the milk and sugar mellowing out any harsh spice notes" Will try it as soon I can complete all the ingredients. Hmmm.. smells so good ! 🙂