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You didn’t think I’d leave you with only one amazing option this fall, did you?
I know we are still overly obsessed (in the very best way) with our homemade pumpkin spice latte and rightfully so. A homemade pumpkin spice latte is clearly the drink that’s meant to be enjoyed multiple times (maybe even daily?) as the leaves begin to change (which I know nothing about…Florida gal) and sweaters are worn.
I’m not asking you to abandon the pumpkin today, rather maybe add some variety? Think of this as a delicious change to keep things from getting boring (side note: homemade pumpkin spice latte would never make it to the boring list). Trust me, friend, I know you’re going to love filling your favorite mug with warm chai spices, organic black tea, and perfectly frothy raw milk. See, delicious change and welcomed variety! Nothing to worry about.
Today, while the tea is warm and the milk is frothy, let’s just sip, savoring the new season upon us. There are seasons in life when chatter abounds and other seasons when the cool mornings and warm mugs filled with homemade treats are meant for quiet enjoyment in the good company of trusted friends.
Pull up a chair, let’s sip away! You’re going to love the refreshing change (we can get back to the pumpkin tomorrow) this homemade chai tea latte brings to this season of life.

Homemade Chai Tea Latte
Pull up a chair, let’s sip away! You’re going to love the refreshing change this homemade chai tea latte brings to this season of life.
Ingredients
Chai Tea
- 2 cups water
- 2 black tea bags
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 2 TB pure maple syrup
Latte
- 1/2 cup chai tea recipe above
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1 TB pure maple syrup
- pinch ground cinnamon
Instructions
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For the chai tea: In a medium-sized saucepan, bring the water and spices to a boil. Whisk the spices in the water. Once the water reaches a boil, turn off the heat and allow the spices to steep in the water for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, turn the heat back on and add the black tea bag and maple syrup. Return to a slight boil (the goal is a hot liquid for steeping). Once boiling, turn off the heat. Allow the tea bags to steep in the water and spices for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags and strain the tea through a fine mesh strainer. Reserve 1/2 cup of chai tea for the latte. Store the rest of the chai tea in the fridge up to two weeks for freshness.
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For the latte: In a medium-size saucepan, bring the milk, maple syrup, and pinch of cinnamon to a slight boil (the sides of the milk will begin to bubble), stirring often. Once the sides of the milk begin to bubble, remove the pan from heat. Using an immersion blender (this is the trick to a frothy homemade latte), blend the milk until it's frothy.
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Pour 1/2 cup of chai tea in a mug. Slowly add the warm, frothy milk to the tea. Sprinkle the top of the chai latte with an extra pinch of cinnamon, if desired.
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Serve warm.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Shake and strain the extra chai tea after refrigeration as some leftover spices can settle at the bottom of the jar.
To make this recipe dairy-free, use canned coconut milk (shake first before opening) instead of whole milk.
Pumpkin Chai Latte Version: You can make a pumpkin chai latte by whisking 2-3 tablespoons of pumpkin puree into the milk as it warms.
More Fall Recipes You May Like:
This is awesome! My mom’s favorite Starbucks drink and now we can make it at home!
Awesome, Medha! She’ll love the homemade version!!
I make my chai latte by putting the tea bag in a mug of milk (I use soy) and then I heat it in the microwave for about 90 seconds. When the milk is hot and the tea is brewed I add some sugar and some honey.
Sounds great, Sarah!
That’s a fantastic recipe, but you shouldn’t call it chai latte.
I’m glad you enjoyed my Chai Latte, Delly.
the word “chai” means tea and the word “latte” means milk so she is not wrong to call her beverage a chai latte. what americans call chai tea latte is an indian “chai masala”, which translates to mixed spice tea
I tried your chaï tea latte with cashew milk…so good thank you for the recipe better than Starbucks
Thank you so much! That means a lot. Thanks for rating and commenting!
LS Team.
Round 2 is looking good….I think maybe I’ll just stop eating and exist on nothing but your lattes for the remainder of the fall? 😉
Lol. What a perfect plan!! And since there’s raw milk in these lattes I’m sure they are technically a health food ;).
Just pinned this. It looks amazing and I can’t wait to try this with coconut milk. I love all these warm fall-inspired beverages you’ve been sharing! I’ll definitely be sharing this via social media!
Thank you so much, Kelly. Even with the super warm Florida weather I’ve been in the mood for warm fall drinks :). Enjoy!!
WOW. So I’ve never had tea in my life, saw the pictures, had to try it. It was delicious! I am now converted. All these years I have been missing out. Thanks for this
Hey Meagan, I’m so glad you loved the chai latte!! You’re so welcome :).
This looks so good. FYI, friends of mine from India told me once that Chai means tea. So, Chai Tea is like saying Tea Tea.
Thank you, Ginger. You are absolutely correct. Chai means “tea”, but since so many in the U.S. know this drink as “chai tea” (thanks, Starbucks ;)), I decided to include “tea” in the title.
This looks absolutely perfect! Do you use cardamom pods or ground cardamom? I can’t wait to try it 🙂
I had the most wonderful chai tea latte on a recent trip to Colorado. Since then, I’ve been trying to recreate the flavor and texture at home, but with little success. That is, until I found your recipe! Thank you for sharing. I love the recipe and the photos are beautiful!
Nicole, What an amazing compliment… Thank you so much! I’m so happy you loved the recipe and that it recreated the same flavor and texture as the chai latte you enjoyed in Colorado. 🙂
So delicious! Not very spicy put you can always adjust the spice levels.
I’m so glad you like it, Veronica :)!
I wonder how long I can keep this in the fridge until it goes bad?
Hey Sofie, The chai concentrate will last a couple of weeks in the refrigerator.
Love the recipe for the chai latte, Kristin. Can’t wait to try it!
Thank you. Enjoy!
This is, without a doubt, the BEST chai latte recipe I’ve found(and I’ve tried probably half a dozen). The spices are super strong, the tea-to-milk ratio is perfect, and I love being able to store the extra tea base for later. This also works well iced with cold instead of steamed milk 🙂
Hey Anna, Thank you so much for your incredible endorsement of this latte recipe! I’m so glad you like it.
Can I sub 2 percent for the whole milk, Kristin?
Hi Celestial, Yes, you can.
Thanks so much for this recipe. I’ve tried many other chai latte recipes, authentic and not, and this is hands down, the best! Absolutely love it. Love the fact that it makes extra so you can keep the tea in the fridge and just add the milk etc on the stove as needed. Grabbed the zucchini muffin recipe while I was at it…looks fab. Now a subscriber 🙂 You rock!
Thank you so much, Sonja. I’m so glad you’re enjoying the latte! I just made zucchini muffins this morning–they are soooo good! 🙂
Can I substitute pure maple syrup with any sugar?
Hey Frankie, Yes, you can :). The latte will be sweeter, so you may need to decrease the sugar a bit.
Hi there! Love a good chai tea latte. Do you have suggestions on how to make this recipe iced?
Hey Liza, You can add cold milk to the chai concentrate (after it’s been chilled). Enjoy!!
Hi There! Would herb tea work instead of black tea?
Hey Deneen, I believe so :). Enjoy!!
Vanilla rooibos taste great with this recipe, Deneen.
Okay, I’ve made this twice, and twice I’ve gotten this gelatinous goop that is really hard to strain. Am I supposed to get that? Am I supposed to strain that out? Or is that part of the chai tea? Or am I doing something completely wrong?
Hey Debra, Gelatinous goop doesn’t sound right. Is the gloop coming from the tea or the milk?
If it’s the milk, the problem may be due to boiling. This issue can be solved by warming the milk and turning off the heat before it reaches a boiling point. If it’s the tea, I’m not sure what would be causing the gloop.
I got the gelatinous goop too but it was from the seasonings mixed with the water after boiling.
I got that gloop as well, I just tossed it after straining. I think it’s the maple syrup. I noticed it after I put the syrup in the pot, and it stayed that way for straining. The beverage was amazing though! One coming right up for breakfast!
Was eager to make this recipe; however, I got the gloop as well and the taste was bland. The gloop happened after adding the syrup..Maybe I’m comparing it to Starbucks.
I got the goop too. It comes from too much water boiling off during the steeping. Use a little more water and cover the pot, that fixes it. 🙂
The gloop made this inedible. Off to find a better recipe.
Sorry to hear that, Dona. I’m surprised to hear that a gloop made the entire drink inedible. A recipe that uses whole spices, or just using a chai tea bag and combining it with steamed milk, may be what you’re looking for.
Hi! This recipe sounds so good and I can’t wait to try! How much does this recipe make?
Hey Morgan, The concentrate will make enough for 2 drinks. The milk (“latte” part in the recipe) will make enough for one drink.
Would it be possible to substitute the cardamom? I can’t seem to find any at my local stores.
Hey Lucy, The cardamom really creates the classic Chai Latte flavor in this drink, so it can’t be substituted. It’s a great baking spice, too, so ordering online might be a possibility.
You can get all the ingredients at Mountain Rose Herbs. They even make a chai tea mix, already mixed with the spices….AND a caffein free version called firefly chai. They are a GREAT company. I live in Eugene, where they call home, don’t work for them or have any affiliation, but go there almost weekly for my weekly order! Great people, friendly and so helpful!