✔ Updated · new homemade chai concentrate, Starbucks-style ratio + iced version
This copycat Starbucks chai tea latte starts with my homemade chai concentrate: black tea simmered with cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and cloves, sweetened with brown sugar and honey. Mix it with frothy steamed milk and it tastes like the café version, at home.
At a glance
The one tip that matters: Steep the tea for only 5 minutes. The spices can simmer, but over-steeped black tea tastes bitter.
Why You'll Love This Chai Latte
- Real whole spices: a warm, peppery chai flavor you can't get from a tea bag alone.
- Make-ahead concentrate: a jar keeps for a week, so a latte takes 2 minutes.
- Your sweetness, your milk: dial the sugar up or down and use any milk you like.
What Makes a Starbucks-Style Chai Latte
The café chai latte is about half sweet, spiced tea concentrate and half steamed milk. That's why a tea bag dunked in milk never tastes quite right: you need a strong, sweet concentrate to stand up to the milk.
My concentrate uses whole spices simmered first, then black tea steeped briefly so it stays smooth. It's a little less sweet than the café version, so taste and add more brown sugar if you like it sweeter. If you love cozy café drinks, try my Starbucks London Fog or cinnamon dolce latte next.
Step-by-Step Photos
Here's how it comes together. Exact amounts, times and temperatures are in the recipe card below.
Tips for Success
- Toast the spices first. A minute or two in a dry pan wakes up the cinnamon and cardamom. I can smell when they're ready, and the whole kitchen smells like fall.
- Crack the cardamom. Press the pods with the flat of a knife so the seeds inside can flavor the water. Whole pods give much less flavor.
- Keep the milk below a boil. Around 150°F gives the sweetest, silkiest foam. Boiled milk tastes flat and the foam collapses.
- Adjust the ratio. Half concentrate and half milk tastes closest to the café drink to me. Like it milder? Use 1/3 cup concentrate to 3/4 cup milk.
- Try a dirty chai. Add a shot of espresso or 1/4 cup strong coffee to any latte. It's my pick for a slow Saturday morning.
Copycat Starbucks Chai Tea Latte
4
lattes5
minutes20
minutes230
kcal25
minutesA copycat-style Starbucks chai tea latte: a homemade black tea concentrate simmered with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger and pepper, sweetened with brown sugar and honey, then mixed about half and half with steamed, frothy milk.
Ingredients
- For the Chai Concentrate (makes about 2 cups)
3 cups water
2 cinnamon sticks
8 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
6 whole cloves
1 inch fresh ginger, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 star anise (optional)
6 black tea bags (or 2 tablespoons loose black tea)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- For Each Latte
1/2 cup chai concentrate
3/4 cup 2% or whole milk (or oat milk)
pinch ground cinnamon, for dusting
Directions
- Make the Chai Concentrate
- Put the cinnamon sticks, cardamom, cloves, ginger, peppercorns and star anise in a medium saucepan. Toast over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Add the water, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes so the spices flavor the water.
- Turn off the heat, add the tea bags and steep for 5 minutes. Don’t go longer or the tea turns bitter.
- Strain the concentrate through a fine sieve into a jar or pitcher, pressing lightly on the spices. Stir in the brown sugar, honey and vanilla until dissolved. You should have about 2 cups.
- Make the Latte
- Heat 3/4 cup milk per latte in a small saucepan or the microwave until steaming, about 150°F, without letting it boil. Froth it with a handheld frother, a whisk or by shaking it in a lidded jar.
- Warm 1/2 cup chai concentrate in a mug, pour in the hot milk, holding back the foam with a spoon, then spoon the foam on top.
- Dust with a pinch of cinnamon and serve. For an iced chai, stir 1/2 cup cold concentrate with 1/2 cup cold milk over a glass of ice.
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Easy Variations
- Iced chai: 1/2 cup cold concentrate, 1/2 cup cold milk, lots of ice.
- Dirty chai: add a shot of espresso to the hot or iced latte.
- Vanilla chai: stir in 1 to 2 teaspoons of my Starbucks-style vanilla syrup.
- Pumpkin chai: whisk 1 tablespoon pumpkin puree and a pinch of pumpkin pie spice into the milk as it heats. For the full fall drink, see my pumpkin spice latte.
- Lighter: use skim or unsweetened almond milk and halve the brown sugar.
- More copycats: browse all my Starbucks recipes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is in a Starbucks chai tea latte?
The café drink is a sweetened black tea concentrate flavored with spices like cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and cloves, mixed with steamed milk and topped with foam. This copycat makes the concentrate from scratch with whole spices, brown sugar and honey.
Does a chai tea latte have caffeine?
Yes, because chai is made with black tea. A homemade latte with 1/2 cup of this concentrate has roughly 40 to 50 mg of caffeine, about half of a cup of coffee. For a caffeine-free version, use decaf black tea or rooibos tea bags.
How long does homemade chai concentrate last?
Keep it in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 7 days. Shake or stir before using, since some spice sediment settles at the bottom. You can also freeze it in ice cube trays for up to 3 months and use the cubes for iced chai.
Can I make a chai latte with oat or almond milk?
Yes. Oat milk froths best and gives a creamy, café-style texture. Almond and soy milk work too. Heat plant milk gently, because it can separate if it gets too hot.
How do I make an iced chai tea latte?
Fill a glass with ice, add 1/2 cup cold chai concentrate and top with 1/2 cup cold milk. Stir and taste; add a little more concentrate for a stronger, spicier drink. For a treat, top it with vanilla sweet cream cold foam.
