Chai Tea Lattes are a warm, spiced drink. It is the perfect beverage for when you are feeling under the weather. This is because of its many beneficial spices. Chai Tea Lattes will often contain cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, ginger, and cardamom.
These superfoods will help you to feel better in no time. They also blend to create a deliciously aromatic drink. While the spices in chai tea give it a kick, the creamy whole milk of the latte gives this drink a dreamy taste.
Starbucks Chai Tea is made from their special blend of chai tea concentrate. This blend tastes incredibly warm and inviting. Starbucks’ chai tea concentrate can be purchased from their store or directly from your barista if they have enough in stock.
This means that you can brew your very own Starbucks Chai Tea Latte right in your own home. But why stop there? Try out all of these Chai Tea variations and see which you prefer!
Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea Latte
This seasonal drink seems to create a frenzy every time it is re-introduced to Starbucks’ menu. There is a good reason for the Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea Latte Craze every autumn. It is delicious!
The Chai Tea Latte already uses all of the traditional spices that are in pumpkin pie, so adding pumpkin spice to the mix just makes sense. This addicting drink is often described as the perfect autumn drink, but I disagree.
I think the Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea Latte is the perfect drink for year-round coffee drinking. Although autumn will always hold a special place in my heart, this drink is too good to limit its consumption to once per year.
Starbucks likes to keep a tight leash on its best-selling holiday drinks, but it is not hard to make a Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea Latte at home any time of the year.
Ingredients
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup Starbucks Chai Tea concentrate
- 1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- Whipped cream (optional)
Instructions
- In a large cup, mix the Starbucks Chai Tea Concentrate with the pumpkin pie spice.
- Using a steam wand, aerate the whole milk until it gains the consistency of a latte.
- Combine the chai tea and the steamed milk. Add whipped cream and enjoy.
Hot Brewed Teavana Chai Tea
The hot brewed Teavana Chai Tea may seem just like the Chai Tea Latte at a first glance, but they are very different drinks. While the Chai Tea Latte is brewed from a chai tea concentrate and mixed with steamed milk, the Teavana Chai Tea is not.
The Teavana Chai Tea is made with a regular tea bag. It is one of the many delicious, brewed tea options that Starbucks carries. This black tea is spiced with all the flavors of the chai tea concentrate, but it resembles a regular tea more than it does a tea latte.
The Hot Brewed Teavana Chai Tea is perfect for people who find the Chai Tea Latte too sweet. It is the healthier option because it can be sweetened with honey or stevia and tastes great without milk. This hot brewed tea is as easy to make at home as any other brewed tea.
Ingredients
- ½ tsp allspice
- ½ tsp cardamom
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp cloves
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 3 black tea bags
- 3 cups hot water
- Honey or stevia to taste
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, simmer all the spices in the water for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add the black tea bags. Allow to steep for 4 minutes.
- Strain the water and add honey or stevia to taste.
Chai Frappuccino
Chai Frappuccinos are a Starbucks signature drink. As far as I am aware, this drink is unique to Starbucks and cannot be found anywhere else. Starbucks combines the warm, spiced tea of the chai blend with the creamy sweetness of a frappuccino. Although they are not the most popular drink at Starbucks, chai frappuccinos are a perfect treat.
A Starbucks Chai Frappuccino contains the same chai tea concentrate that their renowned lattes do. This concentrate is blended with whole milk and a creme base syrup. It is topped with whipped cream and ground cinnamon to create an aesthetically pleasing Starbucks order.
The Chai Frappuccino is a lot sweeter than the Chai Tea Latte because of the added syrups that contribute to making a Frappuccino a Frappuccino. This blended drink is a little different than the others, however.
Because the Chai Frappuccino uses the chai tea concentrate as a flavoring instead of just syrups, it has a thinner consistency than other Frappuccinos. Although it is naturally not as thick as other Frappuccinos, you can always ask your barista to add more ice. This will give it a better texture.
The Chai Frappuccino is an easy drink to make at home with a blender. It is perfect for cooling off after a long, hot day and makes for a great Instagram post, too!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup chai tea concentrate
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 ½ cups ice
- 3 tablespoons simple syrup
- Ground cinnamon
- Whipped cream
Instructions
- In a blender, combine the chai tea concentrate, whole milk, ice, and simple syrup.
- Pour the blend into a large cup and top with whipped cream and ground cinnamon.
Dirty Chai Tea Latte
A dirty chai tea latte is a fun variation of the classic chai tea latte. It is a popular way to add more caffeine to this spiced drink. A dirty Chai Tea Latte consists of a regular Chai Tea Latte: chai tea concentrated and steamed whole milk but adds espresso.
The amount of espresso added is up to the individual. There is no “standard” recipe for this drink since it is from Starbucks’ secret menu, but it is most common to only add one shot. The Chai Tea Latte is already a very flavorful drink, so adding too many espresso shots can ruin the flavor.
The dirty Chai Tea Latte can be a great morning pick me up. It is the perfect drink for people who love the caffeine that comes with espresso but are not big fans of the taste. If you are making this drink at home and don’t have access to an espresso machine, there is no need to worry.
This delicious drink can be made with regular coffee as well, but I recommend you brew it extra strong. Dirty Chai Tea Lattes are fun and easy to make from the comfort of your own kitchen.
Ingredients
- 1 espresso shot or ¼ cup strong coffee
- ½ cup chai tea concentrate
- 1 cup whole milk
Instructions
- Using a steam wand, aerate the whole milk until thick.
- In a large cup, combine the chai tea concentrate and the steamed milk.
- Add the espresso or coffee and stir until well distributed. Enjoy.
Vanilla Chai Tea Latte
A Vanilla Chai Tea Latte is another Chai Tea Latte variation that stays true to the original. It is similar to a regular Chai Tea Latte but adds vanilla syrup to bring this spiced drink to the next level.
The Vanilla Chai Tea Latte is much sweeter than the original and the vanilla adds a simple, yet aromatic flavor to the latte. Vanilla is a great syrup to add to any latte, but it really pops in a Chai Tea Latte.
Vanilla is not the only flavored syrup that tastes great in a Chai Tea Latte. Hazelnut syrup can be added to this spiced drink to create a nuttier flavor. The hazelnut can add even more warmth and sweetness to the original Chai Tea Latte.
Chai tea lattes are the perfect drink to experiment with because they work so well with so many flavors. The variations are seemingly endless. Start with this easy Vanilla Chai Tea Latte recipe.
Ingredients
- ½ cup chai tea concentrate
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or 2 pumps vanilla syrup
Instructions
- Use a steam wand to aerate the whole milk until it achieves a latte texture.
- Combine the chai tea concentrate and the whole milk in a large cup.
- Stir in the vanilla flavoring and enjoy.
Conclusion
Chai tea lattes are the perfect beverage for bad weather days. Or for when you are feeling under the weather, yourself. Some seasonal drinks such as the Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea Latte can only be ordered seasonally. That doesn’t mean that you have to wait to enjoy them. It is easy to make delicious Chai Tea Latte variations in your own home.
These easy-to-follow recipes mean that there is no need for a Starbucks run to enjoy a Starbucks quality Chai Tea Latte. Now you can make this creamy, spiced drink any time you want.