Chai Latte Recipe: How to Make It at Home (3 Ways + Dirty Chai)

A chai latte is spiced black tea steeped strong, sweetened, and finished with steamed milk — the tea world’s equivalent of a latte. It’s creamy, warmly spiced, and substantially lower in caffeine than an espresso drink. This guide shows three methods to make it at home, plus the dirty chai upgrade that home baristas prefer.

What Is a Chai Latte?

A chai latte is a tea latte made from chai — black tea brewed with warming spices like cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and black pepper — combined with steamed and frothed milk. “Chai” simply means “tea” in Hindi; “masala chai” means spiced tea. The Western café version (Starbucks popularized it in 1994) adds extra sweetener and uses a concentrate.

Key facts:

• No espresso in a classic chai latte (the dirty chai version adds espresso — see below)
• Spices come from whole or ground: cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, black pepper, star anise
• Caffeine: ~40–70mg per serving (roughly half a single espresso shot)
• Starbucks chai latte uses Oregon Chai concentrate (not brewed tea)

The 3 Methods

Method 1: From-Scratch Chai Concentrate (Best)

This method makes a 500ml concentrate you refrigerate and use over several days — like having a café in your kitchen.

Spice blend (makes 2 cups / 500ml concentrate):

• 2 cups (500ml) water
• 3 tsp loose leaf Assam or Darjeeling black tea (or 3 bags)
• 6 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 1 cinnamon stick (7–8 cm)
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated (or ½ tsp ground)
• ¼ tsp black pepper, cracked
• Optional: 1 star anise, 2–3 fennel seeds

Instructions:

1. Lightly crush cardamom pods with the flat of a knife — open them to release seeds.
2. Combine all spices and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
3. Add tea. Simmer gently for 8–10 minutes (do not boil hard — this makes the tea bitter).
4. Remove from heat. Add sweetener while warm: 2–3 tbsp honey or brown sugar to taste.
5. Strain through a fine mesh sieve. Cool and refrigerate up to 7 days.

To make one serving: Combine 60ml concentrate + 60ml hot water, then add 240ml steamed milk.

Spice Ratios Explained

Start with less of everything except cardamom. Adjust to taste on the second batch.

Method 2: Concentrate Shortcut

Good commercial concentrates use real spices and brewed tea — not artificial flavoring. The four worth knowing:

Method: Mix equal parts concentrate and milk. Heat or steam. The 1:1 ratio gives a mild chai; 2:1 concentrate:milk gives café-strength flavor.

Method 3: Tea Bag (Quickest)

1. Steep 1 chai tea bag (Yogi Chai, Celestial Seasonings, or Twinings) in 120ml of water just off the boil for 5 minutes. Don’t cut it short.
2. Remove bag. Do not squeeze — squeezing extracts harsh tannins.
3. Add 1–2 tsp sweetener. Stir.
4. Steam 240ml milk to 65°C (150°F). Add to chai.

Tip: For more authentic chai flavor from a bag, use 2 bags and steep 4–5 minutes. Single-bag chai is weak.

Milk Steaming for Chai

Chai latte texture sits between a cappuccino and a flat white — you want velvety foam with medium body, not stiff cappuccino peaks.

• Target temperature: 63–68°C (145–155°F)
• Milk position: Steam wand just below the surface for the first 10 seconds (to introduce air), then submerge for the remaining time
• Best milks for chai:

Iced Chai Latte

1. Brew chai concentrate (or steep tea bag double-strength for 6 minutes).
2. Let cool 5 minutes.
3. Fill a 16 oz glass with ice.
4. Add 120ml concentrate + sweetener.
5. Top with 180ml cold milk — no frothing needed. Stir gently.

For cold foam on top: Froth 60ml oat milk cold with a handheld frother for 30 seconds and spoon on top.

Dirty Chai Latte (With Espresso)

A dirty chai is a chai latte with one or two espresso shots added — the home barista’s go-to hybrid.

Why it works: The bitterness of espresso cuts through the sweetness of the spiced chai. Cardamom and cinnamon complement dark roast espresso particularly well.

Recipe:

1. Pull 1 double espresso shot (or brew 60ml strong moka pot coffee).
2. Brew 120ml chai (any method above).
3. Combine espresso + chai.
4. Add steamed milk.
5. Sweeten to taste — you’ll likely need less sweetener because espresso adds bitterness balance.

Caffeine note: A dirty chai with a double shot has approximately 150–175mg caffeine (60–70mg from chai + 90–120mg from espresso). Comparable to a regular double-shot latte.

We have a full Dirty Chai Latte guide with ratios, variations (iced dirty chai, double dirty, oat milk dirty chai), and Starbucks copycat instructions.

Starbucks Chai Latte Copycat

Starbucks uses Oregon Chai concentrate (Tazo branded) — a sweet, cinnamon-forward concentrate with natural spice flavors.

Starbucks’s chai is pre-mixed concentrate — no separate water component. Sweetness is built into the concentrate.

To replicate the Starbucks version: Use Oregon Chai Original Concentrate at a 1:2 ratio with oat milk or whole milk, steamed to 65°C. One pump of vanilla syrup (or 1 tsp vanilla extract) gives the exact Starbucks profile.

Caffeine in Chai Lattes

Chai Latte Variations

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a chai latte made of? A chai latte contains brewed chai (black tea + warming spices: cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, black pepper) plus steamed milk and sweetener. Most coffee shops use a pre-made chai concentrate. The spices vary by region — Indian masala chai uses more ginger and cardamom; American versions tend to be sweeter with more cinnamon.

Does a chai latte have coffee in it? A classic chai latte has no coffee — the caffeine comes from black tea (~40–70mg). A dirty chai latte adds espresso, giving it 110–175mg total caffeine depending on the number of shots. If you’re ordering at a café and want the coffee version, specify “dirty chai.”

Is chai latte healthier than coffee? It depends on what you mean. A plain chai latte has less caffeine than a coffee-based latte (40–70mg vs 120–150mg), which suits those sensitive to caffeine. However, commercial chai concentrates are high in sugar — a Starbucks Grande Chai Latte has 42g of sugar. A homemade chai with honey or monk fruit sweetener is significantly lower. The spices (ginger, cinnamon, cardamom) have anti-inflammatory properties at higher doses than what’s in a cup, so health claims about chai lattes specifically should be viewed cautiously.

Can chai tea lower cortisol? Black tea has some research support for lowering cortisol compared to caffeinated alternatives. A 2007 University College London study found black tea drinkers had 47% lower cortisol response after stress than those drinking a caffeine-matched placebo. However, a chai latte with added sugar may offset any benefit. The evidence is moderate and specific to black tea, not chai spices in particular.

Related: Dirty Chai Latte | Iced Chai Latte | Cardamom Latte | London Fog Latte | What Is a Latte?