I gave up my morning coffee for this homemade chai latte, and it’s become my favorite ritual. This easy chai concentrate is made with black tea, cinnamon, cardamom, and a touch of maple syrup, creating a perfectly spiced base for a creamy, frothy latte. The best part? Your kitchen will smell amazing while it brews!
Homemade Chai Latte Recipe
I recently quit drinking coffee. The problem I was most worried about was that I love the process of making coffee. I love grinding the beans. I love frothing the milk. I love sitting down every morning with my oat milk latte in my big mug. But no worries now as this homemade oat chai latte gives me both the comfort and the caffeine!
Each chai latte has about 50 mg of caffeine, less than a coffee latte, but still perfect for me to start my morning. Made with a mix of many spices, it has such a rich and warm taste, especially when there’s oat milk frothed on top. Save yourself $6 at the coffee shop and start making your own chai latte at home! Hosting brunch and making chai lattes for your friends? Serve them with homemade scones or coffee cake muffins for a real treat!
Note 1: I always double the recipe and keep the chai tea concentrate in a glass jar in the refrigerator so I have enough to last me all week. (7 lattes).
Note 2: You can use any type of milk when making the latte. I love oat chai lattes, so I always use oat milk, but you can use cow’s milk, almond or coconut milk!
Chai Tea Concentrate Ingredients
- Black tea bags, I use English breakfast, or you can use 8 grams of loose tea leaves.
- Water
- Ground Cinnamon
- Ground Ginger
- Ground Nutmeg
- Ground Cardamom
- Pumpkin Pie Spice, just want to call out that this does not make it taste “pumpkin” at all, it’s just a really comforting Fall spice that’s the perfect addition to this latte. If you don’t have it, you can skip it.
- Ground Cloves
- Maple Syrup, this uses very minimal sweetness. You can also use honey if you’d like.
- For the latte: Milk of your choice (I always make mine with oat milk), and a little extra cinnamon.
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 (not the maple syrup). 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!). Note: If you have a coffee machine with a built-in frother, you can also use that instead to heat up and froth the milk.
Pour the frothed milk over the chai concentrate.
Sprinkle a little cinnamon on top. Enjoy your homemade chai latte!
How to Store Chai Concentrate
As mentioned above, 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 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 with Homemade Concentrate
PrintIngredients
Chai Concentrate:
- 4 black tea bags I use English breakfast – OR 8 grams of loose black tea leaves
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 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 – cow's milk, almond, coconut, etc.
- ground cinnamon
Instructions
To make the chai concentrate:
- In a medium-sized saucepan, add water and spices (not maple syrup), whisking it 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. Note: If you have a coffee machine with a built-in frother, you can use that instead to heat up and 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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