Description
A budget-friendly, homemade version of the popular Starbucks iced chai latte that costs under $0.50 per serving. This recipe uses pantry staples like black tea, whole spices, and milk to create a creamy, spiced drink in about 12 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3–4 black tea bags (Assam or Ceylon preferred)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 cup whole milk (or oat/almond milk)
- 1–2 tablespoons granulated sugar (or simple syrup)
- 1 cup ice
Instructions
- Fill a small saucepan with 1/2 cup water and add cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and cloves. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes to extract spice flavors.
- Turn off heat and add tea bags. Steep for 3-5 minutes (5 minutes recommended for strong flavor). Remove tea bags and squeeze to extract liquid.
- While the tea is still hot, stir in sugar until completely dissolved. Alternatively, stir in simple syrup.
- Heat the milk in the microwave or on the stove until hot but not boiling. Froth the milk using a whisk, handheld frother, or by pouring between two pitchers.
- Fill a tall glass with ice cubes.
- Pour the sweetened chai tea over the ice.
- Slowly pour the hot, frothed milk over the tea.
- Stir gently and serve immediately.
Notes
Do not boil the milk as it can alter the texture and taste. If using loose leaf tea, use about 1 tablespoon per cup and strain well. Cloves are potent; use sparingly to avoid a medicinal taste. The chai concentrate (tea + spices + sugar) can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days for meal prep. Do not pre-mix with milk.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 minutes
- Category: Beverage
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tall glass
- Calories: 135
- Sugar: 18
- Sodium: 50
- Fat: 3
- Saturated Fat: 2
- Carbohydrates: 20
- Protein: 4
Keywords: iced chai latte, copycat starbucks, budget recipes, chai tea, homemade latte, cheap drinks, iced coffee alternative, vegan chai