Chai Latte from Scratch
A delicious chai latte made from scratch using a blend of tea and spices.
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups milk any kind
- Optional garnish: ground cinnamon
Chai Concentrate
- 2 ½ cups water
- 2 tablespoons Assam loose tea
- 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.High quality water will make your tea taste better so 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.
- The chai concentrate can be used to make iced chai lattes in the summer.
- 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 6 tea bags.
- Chai made from scratch is so much better than store bought since you control what goes into it so customize it however you like!
- Any milk can be used, but whole milk will have the creamiest texture.
Nutrition
Calories: 385 | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 101mg | Potassium: 314mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 1122IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 254mg | Iron: 1mg