As an added bonus, it’s cheaper and has no weird preservatives or additives. I love making it at home because I get to control the amount of spice and sweetness. You can simply taste as you go!
What is a Chai Latte?
Similar to a latte made with coffee, a chai latte is typically made with a tea concentrate and steamed milk. When I worked as a barista in college, the chai concentrate we used had enough sugar in it that it could sit on the counter for over a month without refrigeration. I wanted to figure out a healthier alternative to make at home to avoid that!
Does Chai have caffeine?
Chai lattes that are made with black tea do have some caffeine. In this particular recipe, you can make it with or without the tea– either way it will taste great! I personally don’t have the patience to wait for tea to brew, and then make a latte out of it, so this recipe gets its flavor from an easy combination of spices instead. If you make it without the tea, it’s a caffeine-free drink.
How to Make It
This recipe is quick and simple to make on the stove top, but if you want an extra-authentic drink that would come from a coffee house, you can use a milk frother to heat up the milk instead. Tip: My homemade almond milk and almond milk coffee creamer both make amazing foam in a milk frother.
I usually just whisk the milk and spices in a saucepan over the stove, so that I don’t have to get out any extra equipment. If you want to make this drink with tea, you’ll need to heat up the almond milk first, then use the hot milk to steep the tea bags for 3 to 5 minutes.
Once the tea is steeped, you can remove the tea bags and continue with the recipe by adding the spices and sweetener. I recommend using a plain black tea, rather than a chai tea bag, so that the drink isn’t too spicy. However you make it, I hope you’ll enjoy this easy and flavorful drink! It’s the perfect way to satisfy your sweet tooth when it’s chilly outside, and I have a feeling it would be delicious served over ice for a warmer day, too.
Recipe Notes:
Because this is a quick stove top recipe, you can adjust anything you like and taste as you go. If you need to use a zero calorie sweetener, just add it to your taste instead of using maple syrup. The same goes for the spices! I think Chai Lattes tend to have a lot of spice, but if you don’t care for as many, you can always start will less and just add more to taste as you go. If you prefer to use another milk, go for it. I think my homemade hemp milk would work great for this recipe, too, if you need a nut-free option. If you’d prefer a frozen version of this drink, be sure to try my Frozen Chai Latte smoothie. It tastes so much like a blended drink from Starbucks!
As always, if you try something different please leave a comment below so we can all benefit from your experience. — Reader Feedback: Do you have a favorite coffee house drink that needs a healthier makeover? Feel free to make any requests in the comments below! SaveSaveSaveSave
