Spiced Chai Latte Recipe

One of my favourite hobbies of all time is to curl up with a steaming hot mug of masala chai. There’s something so familiar and comforting about this classic that makes it an instant mood booster — it’s what hygge is all about (pronounced

, hygge is the Scandinavian concept of finding little pleasures in all things cozy). While I love the traditional simple cardamom-ginger tea that’s made in every Indian household, at times I crave something slightly fancier, and that’s when I turn to this spiced chai latte recipe.

A chai latte is essentially a dialled up version of your regular masala chai — with more spices and bigger flavour. Since I usually make this less frequently, when I do, I tend to go all out with foamy milk and whipped cream too. You can make this recipe with or without the bells and whistles, and it tastes delicious either way. The basic recipe for this requires you to make a chai latte concentrate with spices that you’ll find in your pantry. And the best part? It takes all of 5 minutes.

Spiced Chai Tea Latte (easy Homemade Mix)

I recommend using a good quality loose-leaf black Assam tea to make this recipe, but if you don’t have any loose tea on hand, you can substitute with tea bags too. Assam tea is the preferred choice for this recipe because of its strong, full-bodied flavour and beautiful colour. To make the chai concentrate, boil water with the black tea, whole and ground spices, and palm sugar — and breathe in the gorgeous spiced aroma that is sure to fill your kitchen! The spices that I’ve used here are totally customisable — add or subtract based on what you like, since no chai recipe is exactly the same.

Once the tea has infused and reduced slightly (about 3-5 minutes), take the mixture off the heat and add the vanilla extract. Adding the vanilla in the end helps to preserve its flavour which would otherwise get diluted with heat. After you’ve strained the solids out, what you get is chai concentrate. This can be stored in the refrigerator for upto a week, or frozen into ice cubes for 2-3 months! You can easily double or triple the recipe for a larger batch and store the concentrate if you’d like to have a chai latte everyday. And don’t just limit yourself to lattes: you can just as easily add the chai concentrate to smoothies, overnight oats or chia pudding for chai spiced sweetness.

To make a latte, you simply warm up the chai concentrate with a cup of milk of your choice — regular cow’s milk, almond milk, oat milk, or soy milk all work well. You can keep it simple and have it as it is, or top with foamed milk / whipped cream for a coffee-shop style treat. For an iced version (that will be delicious during warmer days), fill up a tall glass with ice and pour the chai concentrate in. Top with cold milk. Alternatively, you can also freeze the concentrate into ice cubes and pour milk over it to prevent your iced chai from getting watery. (Note: you’ll need extra sugar if you’re freezing the chai as it dilutes the sweetness). If you need an additional caffeine kick, add a shot of espresso to your latte to make what is popularly called a dirty chai latte. 

Vanilla Chai Tea Latte

I usually pour some warmed up milk and chai concentrate in my favourite Nitara mug, top with whipped cream, and sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon dust on top to make it pretty and fancy.

Is a brand specialising in stoneware handmade by local artisans, and I find their Scandi inspired mugs beautiful, sleek, and modern. It also makes for a gorgeous statement piece on your desk or bedside. I mean, is there anything more hygge than getting cozy with a gorgeous handmade ceramic mug filled with warm spiced tea?

So go on, make yourself a mug full of this chai latte, warm up in your cozy socks, and have a wonderful hygge night in!

The Best Homemade Chai Recipe {vegan} • Fit Mitten Kitchen

This post was created in partnership with Nitara, though all views expressed here are the author’s own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that help us create the content we do! 

Hi! My name is Vidushi – I work full time to write new content, take pictures, and curate everything you see on Sprig & Vine. I love food that is fresh, bright, and healthyish. Other favourite things include Instagram, cozy blankets, ice-cream, new cafés, traveling.Curl up with a blanket and this easy chai latte - it's just the thing to warm you up on brisk fall mornings and chilly winter evenings. This drink is sweet, creamy, and full of cozy spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves. It's also made completely from scratch! For an extra boost of caffeine, just add coffee to make it a dirty chai.

In the world of cozy beverages, does it get any cozier than a chai latte? A steaming cup of tea, creamy frothed milk, and a mix of warm spices - there is

Skinny Pumpkin Chai Latte Recipe

No cozier combination. I've had my fair share of good chai at coffee shops, but there's nothing more I want to do on a cold day than hunker down at home.

The best of both worlds? A comfy couch, a warm blanket, and this easy chai latte recipe. Throw in a spiced muffin or a thick slice of homemade pumpkin bread, and I can guarantee you won't be missing Starbucks anytime soon.

Most recipes call for cinnamon, ginger, clove, black peppercorn, cardamom, and star anise in this milk tea - I like to add vanilla to mine as well. Combined with your sweetener of choice, it makes a drink that's inherently comforting: perfectly sweet and creamy, with the naturally rich flavor of black tea amplified by fragrant warm spices.

Starbucks Pumpkin Chai Latte

Now that you have a basic idea of what traditional chai tea lattes consist of, let's take a closer look at the ingredients used in

Ground spices, presumably because they're more widely available and don't have to be infused like whole spices do. That being said, I feel that you need whole spices to make a perfect chai latte. Here's why:

As with all of my coffee and latté recipes, I prefer (and highly recommend) using whole milk in this chai recipe. It's creamy and naturally sweet, and its neutral flavor blends well with both coffee and tea. While not as creamy, 2% milk will also work!

Pumpkin Spice Iced Chai Latte

If you prefer to use non-dairy milk, I'd suggest using whatever your go-to is for lattes - many people like almond milk, although I personally prefer oat milk.

I like honey in this recipe, but brown sugar and maple syrup are all also great options for sweetening a chai latte. Their warm undertones compliment the spiced tea well and contribute to the overall flavor rather than merely adding sweetness.

While you can use any variety of black tea to make a chai latte, Darjeeling and Assam teas tend to be the most widely recommended. I often use Ceylon tea as well. If your options are limited, you can usually find English breakfast tea in most grocery stores, and this will work just fine.

Spiced Chai Honey Latte

True tea lovers will tell you that loose leaf tea is the superior choice for a more full-bodied flavor, but I typically make this recipe with tea bags for simplicity's sake. Do your research when purchasing - even tea bags can be high quality if sourced well.

If you decide to use loose leaf tea, I'd suggest starting with about 2 teaspoons of tea per latte, and adjusting as needed to suit your personal taste.

The key to a flavorful chai latte begins with infusing a chai spice blend into hot water. To do this, combine water, cinnamon sticks, star anise (chopped), cardamom pods (split), cloves, ginger root, a vanilla bean (split), and black peppercorns in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil on the stove over medium-high heat.

Vegan Chai Latte

Then, remove the saucepan from the heat, cover it, and let it steep for 1 hour. Strain the spices from the water using a fine-mesh strainer, reserving the liquid to use as your chai concentrate.

Place the chai concentrate back in a medium saucepan and bring to a near boil (about 205ºF-210ºF) over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, prep two mugs with 1-2 tea bags each, depending on how strong you like your tea.

Note: To use loose leaf tea, add the tea leaves directly to the saucepan after warming the concentrate. Let them steep in the saucepan and then strain them out.

Chill Chai Latte

Meanwhile, froth the milk and honey (or other sweetener) together in a milk frother. Remove the tea bags from the mugs and top each cup with an equal amount of hot milk before serving.

For an iced chai latte (perfect for those hot summer months!) follow the same steps above to heat the concentrate and brew the tea. Then, chill the chai tea concentrate in the refrigerator until it's cooled completely.

Once cool, you can use it right away or store it for up to a week. Assemble your iced lattes

Homemade Chai Green Tea Spiced Latte