I recently gave up my morning coffee, but I didn’t want to give up the ritual — the grinding, the frothing, the big mug in hand. Enter this homemade oat milk chai latte. With a blend of black tea, warm spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and a touch of maple syrup, this easy chai latte recipe creates a rich, cozy, and slightly sweet latte that’s perfect for sipping at home.
Homemade Chai Latte Recipe
I recently quit drinking coffee, and the thing I missed most was the ritual — grinding the beans, frothing the milk, and sitting down every morning with my oat milk latte in a big cozy mug. Luckily, this homemade oat milk chai latte recipe gives me the same comfort (and caffeine!) without the coffee.
Each chai tea latte has about 50 mg of caffeine — less than coffee, but still the perfect morning pick-me-up. Made with black tea and a blend of warm spices, this easy chai latte with oat milk has such a rich, cozy flavor, especially with frothy milk on top. Skip the $6 coffee shop version and make your chai latte at home! Hosting brunch? Serve these lattes with homemade scones or coffee cake muffins for a real treat!
Chai Tea Concentrate Ingredients
- Black tea bags, I use English breakfast, or you can use 8 grams of loose tea leaves.
- Spices: grab ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom and cloves from your spice rack.
- Maple syrup: for a touch of natural sweetness (or use honey)
- Milk: For the latte you need milk. You can pick any kind you want but I love oat milk for my chai lattes.
How to Make a Chai Latte at Home
I’m going to walk you through the full steps, from making the concentrate to the finished latte.
In a medium saucepan, whisk together water and spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add tea bags and maple syrup. Stir to submerge the tea bags, then bring back to a gentle boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Strain the mixture into a bowl using a fine-mesh strainer, pressing the tea bags to release any extra liquid. Note: If you use loose tea, it’s a little messier, but still strain it the same way.
If you’re having a latte right away, pour 1/2 cup of the hot concentrate into a mug. Store the rest in a jar in the fridge. If it’s coming out of the refrigerator, heat the concentrate up in the microwave for 30–45 seconds.
Warm 2/3 cup oat milk (or any milk) with a pinch of cinnamon in a small saucepan or microwave. Froth the milk using a frother, immersion blender, or fork (you will need to do some vigorous whisking but it works!).
Pour the frothed milk over the chai concentrate.
Sprinkle a little cinnamon on top. Enjoy your homemade chai latte!
How to Store Chai Concentrate
I double this recipe which makes me enough for a week (one latte daily). After I make the concentrate, I pour it into a glass mason jar, cover and place in the refrigerator. It’s good in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. When ready to use it, I give it a little shake and then pour out 1/2 cup per latte.
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Creamy Chai Latte (Oat Milk!)
PrintIngredients
Chai Concentrate:
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 4 black tea bags I use English breakfast tea bags. If using loose black tea leaves this equals 8 grams.
- 1 1/2 teaspoons maple syrup
Oat Chai Latte:
- 1/2 cup homemade chai concentrate from recipe above, heated up
- 3/4 cup oat milk or your favorite type of milk
- ground cinnamon
Instructions
To make the chai concentrate:
- In a medium-sized saucepan, add water, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground cardamon and ground cloves, whisking them all together. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low, letting it simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add tea bags and maple syrup into the saucepan, stirring to fully submerge the tea. Bring to a light boil again and then reduce the heat to low, letting it simmer for 10 minutes.
- Place a fine mesh strainer above a bowl, and pour the mixture into the bowl, gently pressing down on the tea bags to remove any additional concentrate in them.
- If you’re going to make a latte right now, pour 1/2 cup concentrate into a mug. Pour remaining concentrate into a glass jar and store in refrigerator, good for 2 weeks.
To make a chai latte:
- Pour 1/2 cup chai concentrate into a mug. Heat it up in the microwave if it’s coming out of the refrigerator, I usually do 30-45 seconds.
- Add 3/4 cup oat milk (or milk of your choice) and a pinch of cinnamon in a small saucepan or microwave to warm it up. After it's heated up, use an immersion blender or milk frother and blend until it’s frothy, like a latte. You can also use a fork, you just need to whisk it pretty hard to froth the milk.
- Pour frothed milk into the mug on top of the chai concentrate. Sprinkle a little bit more cinnamon on top.
- Serve and enjoy your homemade chai latte!
To make a iced chai latte:
- Pour 1/2 cup of homemade chai concentrate into a glass, then fill it with ice. Add 3/4 cup of oat milk (or your preferred milk) over the ice and stir to combine. If you like it sweeter, mix in a little extra maple syrup. Sprinkle a pinch of ground cinnamon on top for extra flavor, then give it one last stir. Insert a straw and enjoy your refreshing iced chai latte!
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