Don’t you just love a hot drink on a cold day? One of my favorite specialty drinks is a Chai Tea Latte.
In the past I would buy the boxes of pre-made chai concentrate, but I could go through a box in just a couple days, and they are not cheap! So last year I started making my own chai tea concentrate at home and love being able to enjoy a chai latte at a much more affordable price!
Recently as the temperatures have cooled, I thought that I would have to abstain from this favorite drink because I gave up drinking milk while nursing Blair. Bummer!
Then the other day I realized I could use a dairy-free milk and it would probably be just as yummy. I was right, and now I’m excited to sip chai lattes on cold winter afternoons. (Okay, I don’t know if I’m really excited about the cold winter part, but I’m definitely excited about the chai part!)
Homemade Chai Tea Concentrate
- 4 cups of water
- 4-6 Chai tea bags, depending on how strong you like it (I use 5 bags)
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 tsp vanilla
First, you’ll have to find the type of chai tea that you like the most. For a long time I used Celestial Seasoning India Spice Chai, it’s not organic, and I don’t love the fact that it includes natural flavors, but it was the closest one I could find to the boxed chai. Recently, I tried Organic & Pure Cinnamon Chai with Rooibus Tea and it is my new favorite. Rooibus is a herbal tea with anit-oxident properties, and I love that it is naturally caffeine free.
Directions
• Place water and tea bags in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a low boil. Turn heat down to low/medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove tea bags and carefully squeeze them into the pan to get all the tea out.
• Stir in honey and vanilla while tea is still hot so the honey dissolves. Pour chai concentrate in a glass mason jar and store in the fridge. I’ve found it to keep well for at least 7-10 days, but it’s usually gone before that!
Chai Tea Latte
Mix 1/2 cup of Chai Tea Concentrate with 1/2 cup of milk, basically you want to use a 1:1 ratio of tea and milk. For dairy-free, use almond, coconut, or your prefered dairy-free milk. I’ve tried it with both coconut milk and almond milk, and prefer the almond. Coconut milk is a little too rich and thick for me.
You can either heat up your latte in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, or in the microwave for about one minute.
A Fancy Coffee House Inspired Latte
If you want to take it a step further and make a fancy coffee house inspired chai latte, just heat up your milk first, either in the microwave, or on the stove, and pour it into a jar with a tight fitting lid. I like to use one of my mason jar mugs with the handle.
After the milk is heated, place the lid tightly on the jar, and shake the jar vigerously while you heat up the chai concentrate, again, either in the saucepan or the microwave. Pour the chai into a mug and then pour the frothy milk on top. Stir gently so you don’t disturb the froth. If you’re feeling extra indulgent add a dollop of real whipped cream. Viola! Instant coffee-house worthy chai tea latte.
Mmmmm! Now I need to go make myself one and curl up with a good book! Too bad we don’t have a working fireplace, that’s the only thing that would make this even more enjoyable!
What’s your favorite hot drink on a cold afternoon?
Do you prefer coffee over tea? Check out my recipe for Homemade Vanilla Coffee Creamer.
Need a snack to go along with your Chai Latte? Try my Healthy Banana Muffins! And check out even more Dairy Free Snack Ideas.
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Linked to: Healthy 2Day Wednesday
This is my absolute favorite hot drink! Thanks for sharing. I pinned it.
Thanks for the Pin!
Hi,
You could make your own tea-spice – by grinding a combination of cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, fennel, clove, ginger – proportions to your taste. Or you could try just one or more of the ingredients together. My favorite is a combination of cardamom, clove and ginger, with extra ginger. Nothing like fresh ginger in your tea!
Hi Amritha,
Thanks for sharing your favorite combination with us!
Yes, my mom makes homemade chai from fresh spices and it is awesome, but I’m just a bit too lazy for that on a day-to-day basis!
Ooohh… I’m so glad you shared this recipe. I was just sitting here wishing I had a Chai Latte and bam, there you are with the recipe. How perfect on this cold day.
Lol Ariel, that’s awesome! So glad I could be there for you!
How ironic! I use Celestial Seasoning’s Indian Spice and last night I was thinking the same…about the “natural flavors.”
I’ll give your new fav a try! Thanks for the recommendation.
Those natural flavors are sneaky aren’t they? My issue is that I just don’t really know what it means!? I hope you love the Rooibus Chai, it is delicious! And I love that it’s caffeine free because I usually drink Chai in the afternoon or at night!
This looks absolutely delicious, Emily! Chai is my favorite hot drink! Pinned and shared!
Thanks Erin! It is super yummy!
Does chai tea have caffeine?
Willie, if you use regular chai tea bags made with black tea it will have caffeine in it, because black tea has caffeine. Chai tea is basically regular tea with a blend of spices added to it, it’s not a type of tea on it’s own. So, if you use chai tea bags made with a caffeine free tea, like the rooibus tea I mentioned, then it won’t have caffeine in it. I hope that makes sense, please let me know if you have any other questions!
Is that a typo when it says mix one CUP of chai concentrate with one cup of hot milk? You would be making a lot of chai latte. Do you mean one tablespoon of concentrate to one cup of milk? Just checking!!
Hi Alyssa,
It’s not a typo, but I did edit it to 1/2 cup of tea and 1/2 cup of milk. 1 cup of each would need a big mug!
Basically you want to use a 1:1 ratio of tea and milk. It’s tea concentrate, but it’s not that concentrated. Thanks for pointing that out.
~Emily
Like you, I was buying the concentrate. I’m excited to try this recipe. I’m a fairly new reader to your blog, and I love it. I’ve used your recipe for disinfectant wipes as well as a few others. You are my “go to” site for green living!
Thanks so much Reality Chick! That makes my day
One of my favorite ways to make a dairy free chai latte is with Trader Joe’s chai tea bags and their vanilla soy milk. I know some are hesitant about soy. I think vanilla almond milk would be good too!
Oh, I’ll have to check out the Trader Joe’s chai tea bags the next time I’m there. I love TJ’s and wish we had one in our town, instead I always stock up on my favorites whenever we’re in the Chicago area.
Looks delicious! Pinned it.
Thank you for sharing!
Sorry you had to go dairy free! You can do it
So thankful for the internet where dairy-free recipes and substitutes are so easy to find. I actually don’t like chai tea lattes (I’ve never liked milk in my tea), but I love just the plain chai tea. I use Yogi brand Chai Rooibos and it’s delicious with no natural flavors either. Perfect for this time of year!
Thanks Diana, I feel pretty fortunate because I haven’t had to cut out dairy all together, just milk. But, I’m still thankful for your list of snacks because I feel like I can never get enough to eat as a nursing mama!
That is nice that a little dairy is ok! I’m actually so glad I made that list since it made me really think through all my options–I still eat most of those things too. And I’m hoping I’m not making my ravenous appetite into a habit, or I’ll balloon when C. stops nursing!
Pinned this last night. Woke up thinking about Chai. Making right now! Thank you so much for posting!
Thanks for the Pin, Theresa! Hope you loved it!
Sounds great! I’m going to make some concentrate right now.
Hey! You said you aren’t crazy about the chai tea you use, right? Well, I use chai tea spice mix! Thanks for the post.
xoxo
This was really good! I added a bit more sweetener just cause I thought it needed it but other than that, did just as you said. Thanks for giving me another great winter drink! Since I stopped using bought drink mixes I’ve had a hard time finding enough options that are quick and easy to make.
OMG I love this recipe
thanks for sharing it! Now while I study I can enjoy a nice cup of a chai-tea latte.