Warm and spicy chai tea latte is a comforting drink. It’s a blend of black tea, spices, milk, and a touch of sweetener that is inexpensive and easy to make at home. Skip the coffee shop and put on an (instant) pot of tea any time you like.
Suitable for Gluten Free and Vegetarian diets. Post includes Weight Watchers points.
Table of Contents
What is Chai Latte?
Chai tea is made by steeping black tea with spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and star anise. Once brewed, the mixture is then sweetened and combined with steamed milk.
Since you may not have a milk steamer at home, this instant pot recipe gives you the same flavor without the expense of buying a milk steamer. This drink is also sometimes called Masala Chai.
Chai Tea Latte Recipe
So, friends, the Starbucks addiction is real. I might be guilty of driving up and down for all of their delicious drinks. But with this easy-to-make at-home latte recipe, you can make it on the stovetop, in the Instant Pot, and in the slow cooker.
Now you can enjoy a mugful any time you want, and all at a fraction of the cost of a coffee house drink. Be sure to check out our FAQs for tips on making this on the stove or in a slow cooker.
And here are two of my other favorites this Copycat Starbucks Pink Drink and this Starbucks Passion Tea Lemonade.
Why Make This Recipe
- Customizable – Prefer more ginger and less cinnamon? Want to add a touch of black pepper? No problem! This recipe is customizable.
- Inexpensive – You can probably make a whole batch of this chai tea latte for less than you can purchase a single cup at a coffee shop.
- Perfect for sharing – One batch is enough for two servings, but you can easily double, triple, or quadruple this recipe.
Ingredient Notes
All pantry staples and your favorite tea make this drink come together super easily.
- Tea – I use black tea, but mostly I make this with caffeine-free rooibos tea.
- Milk – Use any milk you prefer. If you want this to be vegan, then use a plant-based milk.
- Spices – The chai gets its spicy taste from the ginger, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and cardamom. Add more or less of these to your taste. Try adding nutmeg or black pepper, or try a spice blend like pumpkin pie spice.
- Water – You can’t have tea without the water.
- Optional Sweetener – Add any sweetener you like to suit your taste. Don’t go overboard on the sweetener. The recipe calls for 3 tablespoons, and you should adjust that to your tastes, but you don’t want this to be an overly sweet drink.
How To Make This
It’s such a simple recipe that you’ll wonder why you never made it at home before. Get the complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.
- Add water and spices to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Then, turn off the heat and allow the spices to steep in the water for about 4-5 minutes.
- Then turn the heat back on and add in the tea bags and any sweetener if you want. Bring to a slight boil and then switch off again. Let the tea bags and spices steep for another 5 minutes.
- While the tea is steeping, warm up the milk in another saucepan until it begins to steam (but not boil). If you want it foamy, then whisk it or use a handheld milk frother.
- Carefully stir most of the milk into the tea concentrate and then top with the foam before serving.
Make In The Instant Pot
Get the complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.
- Set the Instant Pot to sauté and heat 2 cups of water.
- When hot, add the black tea bags and steep for 4-5 minutes.
- Remove the tea bags, add spices, and cook for 8-10 minutes.
- Switch off the Instant Pot and then stir in the milk and sweetener.
- Garnish as desired before serving.
Bintu’s Tips And Variations
- Top your chai tea latte with cinnamon whipped cream. To make the whipped cream, beat together ½ cup of heavy cream, 1 tablespoon of confectioners’ sugar, and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon until light and fluffy.
- Make it extra fancy and sprinkle the top with a dusting of cinnamon.
- Try it cold. Pour the mixture over a tall glass of ice for a tasty iced treat.
- Use the tea you have on hand. You may need to experiment with the number of tea bags you use.
- Freeze leftover chai tea (without the cream) in ice cube trays and use it to flavor your milk as needed.
Storage
- Prep Ahead – Make this tea base in advance by steeping the water, tea, spices, and sweetener as directed. Allow the mixture to cool and store it in the refrigerator for several days. When ready to enjoy a single cup of chai, just pour half of the mixture into a mug and reheat. Top with ¼ cup of milk and garnish with whipped cream.
- Store – Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for several days and reheated at your convenience.
FAQs
Using the slow cooker is a great way to make this recipe for a crowd when you double or triple the recipe. Combine all of the ingredients and cook on low for four hours. Keep mugs and a ladle close by so you can sip on tea all day long.
Loose-leaf tea is so delicious, and you can certainly use it in this recipe. Because this recipe doesn’t require straining, we recommend that you use a strainer ball or tie the loose tea in some cheesecloth to save time. If you don’t, you will want to strain the tea before drinking.
Serving Suggestions
These are great with these easy Churros, these Stuffed Croissants Breakfast Boats, and so good for breakfast with these Peanut Butter Baked Oats.
More Recipes You May Like
Weight Watchers Points
There are 4 Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving of this.
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Did you make this recipe? Then I would love to hear how it turned out. Please leave a comment and star rating below. And I really appreciate you sharing this recipe with your family and friends. Enjoy every mouthful 😊🍲 – Bintu
Get The Chai Latte Recipe:
Chai Tea Latte
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 black tea bags
- 2 cups (500ml) ml water
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 4 cloves
- 1 star anise
- pinch cardamom
- ½ cup (125 ml) milk
- 3 tablespoons sweetener of choice (optional) such as honey, maple syrup, or agave
Instructions
To Make on the Stovetop:
- Add water and spices to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Then, turn off the heat and allow the spices to steep in the water for about 4-5 minutes.
- Turn the heat back on and add in the tea bags and any sweetener if you want. Bring to a slight boil and then switch off again. Let the tea bags and spices steep for another 5 minutes.
- While the tea is steeping, warm up the milk in another saucepan until it begins to steam (but not boil). If you want it foamy, then whisk it or use a handheld milk frother.
- Carefully stir most of the milk into the tea concentrate and then top with the foam, before serving.
To Make in the Instant Pot:
- Set the Instant Pot to sauté and heat 2 cups of water.
- When hot, add the black tea bags and steep for 4-5 minutes.
- Remove the tea bags, add spices and cook for 8-10 minutes.
- Turn off the Instant Pot, then stir in the milk and sweetener (if using).
- Garnish as desired before serving.
Notes
- Top your chai tea latte with cinnamon whipped cream. To make the whipped cream, beat together ½ cup of heavy cream, 1 tablespoon of confectioners’ sugar, and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon until light and fluffy.
- Make it extra fancy and sprinkle the top with a dusting of cinnamon.
- Try it cold. Pour the mixture over a tall glass of ice for a tasty iced treat.
- Use the tea you have on hand. You may need to experiment with the number of tea bags you use.
- Freeze leftover chai tea (without the cream) in ice cube trays and use it to flavor your milk as needed.
- There are 4 Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving of this.
- Storage – Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for several days and reheated at your convenience.
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