This truly is the best Chai Latte Recipe I have ever tried. Use chai tea bags to make this drink even easier to make at home!
Our daughter Morgan first introduced me to chai lattes. We had been to a breakfast fundraiser that my husband had been working at (the first Saturday of every month), when she asked me to go get coffee with her afterwards.

So we stopped at our local coffee shop and we each ordered a hot dirty chai latte. Oh. My. Goodness! This drink was warm, soothing to my tummy, and the spices were just perfect without being overwhelming.
Chai Latte quickly became my favorite “special treat drink”. And now it’s a drink I make at home and we drink quite frequently.
FAQs About Chai Lattes
Before we get to my recipe for the best Chai Latte, let’s take a look at some questions you might have.
What is Chai?
Chai is a type of spiced black tea historically from India. It contains a variety of spices, most commonly, cinnamon, cardamon, black pepper, ginger, cloves, and star anise. You’ll find varieties of chai tea with other seasonings too, such as vanilla.
Do Chai Lattes contain caffeine?
Yes. Since chai lattes are made with black tea, they will have caffeine in them. Of course, you can also buy caffeine-free black tea.

Do Chai Lattes contain sugar?
Chai lattes usually contain some type of sweetener – most typically honey or brown sugar. The nice thing about making your own chai lattes is that you can control how sweet and what type of sweetener you use. Just keep in mind that the sweetener you use may slightly change the taste of your chai latte.
What type of milk or dairy is used in a chai latte?
When I make my chai latte at home, I use Half and Half. I believe Starbucks typically uses 2% milk. You can also use non-dairy products such as almond or soy milk. So the choice is yours!


Chai Latte
You can not only save money by making your Chai Latte at home, but you can truly make a better than Starbucks Chai Latte by making it yourself!
Ingredients
- 1 chai tea bags
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cups milk, warm
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- ground cinnamon and nutmeg, optional
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil. Remove from heat. Add in tea bags and steep for 7 minutes. Remove tea bags.
- Using a frother or immersion blender, froth the warm milk until it is foamy.
- Place brown sugar in coffee mug. Pour tea over the brown sugar and stir to combine.
- Pour frothed milk to fill cup. Stir to combine.
- Sprinkle ground cinnamon and nutmeg over top as garnishment, if desired.
Notes
I use my Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System coffee maker to brew my tea. It comes with a tea basket and tea menu options. I use two tea bags and select the XL or travel mug size to brew enough tea for two cups or two servings (one for me and one for my husband).
My Ninja coffee maker is also equipped with a built-in frother. I warm the milk for 1 minute in the microwave and then use the built-in frother to make my milk nice and foamy.
Dirty Chai Latte
I like to make Dirty Chai Lattes, too. A dirty chai is simply a chai latte with espresso added. You can use the Ninja to make espress-like coffee, but I also have a De'Longhi Espresso Machine. So I brew the espresso while the tea is brewing/seeping in my coffee maker. My espresso machine also has a built-in frother. This frother actually warms the milk as it froths it. If you LOVE espresso, I HIGHLY recommend thjs De-Longhi Espresso Machine.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 112Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 66mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 2gSugar: 13gProtein: 4g
More Recipe Ideas
If you enjoyed this “Better than Starbucks” Chai Latte recipe, you might also like these recipes from The Birch Cottage blog:
- How to Clean a Cast Iron Skillet
- Iced Coffee Recipe for the Ninja Coffee Bar
- Zucchini Muffins with Cranberries, Walnuts, & White Chocolate Chips
Til next time…

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