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Copycat Starbucks Chai Tea Latte Recipe

If you’re reading this, you’re likely a big fan of the Starbucks chai latte, that deliciously fragrant and spicy drink made from tea and milk. This is the perfect drink for a crisp fall day and is super popular at Starbucks locations everywhere.

But did you know that you can make a homemade version of this delicious drink at home with simple ingredients? Read on for an easy Starbucks copycat recipe you can whip up any time you have a craving for this mixture of spiced tea and frothy milk, for a fraction of the cost.

Starbucks’ Chai Tea Latte

Most people in the U.S. have their first chai latte experience in a coffee house like Starbucks.

This is how Starbucks makes their version:

Black tea infused with cinnamon, clove, and other warming spices is combined with steamed milk and topped with foam for the perfect balance of sweet and spicy. An iconic chai cup.

Starbucks Website

Starbucks Chai Latte Ingredients

What is in a Starbucks chai tea latte? The Starbucks website lists the full ingredients as: milk, water, and chai tea concentrate.

It’s the different spices in the chai tea concentrate that makes this drink special and provides the strong chai flavor.

  • Black tea
  • Cardamom
  • Black pepper
  • Ginger
  • Cinnamon
  • Cloves
  • Star Anise
  • Sugar
  • Honey
  • Ginger juice
  • Vanilla
  • Citric acid
  • Natural flavors

Starbucks used to use Tazo chai concentrate, but they’ve since switched to another brand.

Nutrition Information for the Starbucks’ Chai Tea Latte

For a 16 fl oz regular chai tea latte, made with 2% milk, Starbucks lists these figures:

  • Calories: 240
  • Calories from fat: 40
  • 4.5 grams of fat
  • 42 grams of sugar
  • 8 grams of protein
  • 95 mg of caffeine

While the chai tea latte Starbucks makes is fine, I like to make my own because then I can control the amount of sugar, type of milk I use, and the overall fat and calorie count of the drink. And it’s a whole lot cheaper to make one at home.

chai tea latte in a white cup with masala spices.
This copycat Starbucks chai tea latte recipe is easy to make at home.

This post may contain affiliate links. My full disclosure policy is sort of boring, but you can find it here.

What’s In A Chai Tea Latte?

But what is chai tea anyway? Aside from a sweet, deliciously fragrant way to warm up a cold afternoon that is.

The fragrant drink we’ve come to know and love in the U.S. is made from black tea, milk, spices and sweetened with sugar.

The drink originated in India hundreds of years ago but just started to gain traction in the U.S. in the 1990s.

The western version of chai usually has a lighter and sweeter taste than the Indian version.

What does Chai Mean?

Chai is actually the Hindi word for tea, which is derived from cha, the Chinese word for tea. So if you say “chai tea”, you’re saying “tea-tea”.

So next time you’re in line at Starbucks and the man in front of orders a chai tea latte, you’ll know that he actually just ordered a tea tea latte and you can softly snicker to yourself at your newfound knowledge.

Chai Pronunciation

The word chai is pronounced in one syllable and rhymes with the word “sky”.

(Not like the three-syllable “acai”, which I still can’t remember how to pronounce correctly…)

Easy Chai Tea Latte Recipe

This easy recipe uses chai tea bags which have all the spices already mixed so it’s a super-easy way to get that delicious Starbucks chai tea latte taste in just a few minutes.

Tazo tea has an amazing selection of products that can help you make a great chai latte depending on how much work you want to put in:

TAZO Tea Bags, Black Tea, Stocking Stuffers, Regenerative Organic Chai Tea, 16 Count (Pack of 6)

This recipe is as simple as making your tea, frothing your milk of choice and adding a sprinkle of extra cinnamon and nutmeg.

Why not make up a batch of chai tea concentrate to keep on hand for whenever the craving strikes you? Check out my easy homemade homemade chai concentrate recipe you can make with tea bags.

chai tea latte on a green placemat with spices

Easy Chai Tea Latte (Just Like Starbucks)

Yield: 1 Serving
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

This super easy recipe for a Starbucks copycat Chai Tea Latte is too easy not to make yourself anytime you want a fragrant delicious chai latte at home.

Ingredients

  • Chai Tea Bag
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 1/2 cup milk of your choice
  • 1 Tb brown sugar (or sweetener of choice)
  • Dash of cinnamon and nutmeg

Instructions

  1. Add tea bag to a large mug, pour over boiling water and allow to steep for 5 minutes. Remove tea bag.
  2. Stir in sweetener.
  3. Meanwhile, warm milk on the stove or in the microwave until hot. Using a handheld frother, french press, or immersion blender, froth milk until light and foamy.
  4. Pour frothed milk over brewed tea, sprinkle with a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg.
  5. Enjoy!

Notes

You can change things up by varying the type and amount of sweetener you use: cane sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, simple syrup, etc.

Use your choice of milk: whole, skim, 2%, plant based milk, coffee creamer, etc.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1 Serving Size: 12 Ounces
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 120

Nutrition information assumes the use of 2% milk and 1 tablespoon brown sugar.

Customizing Your Starbucks Copycat Chai Tea Latte

I love making my own copycat version of this popular drink because I can really change up the taste by varying the kind of milk, the type of sweetener, and even add extra spices if I feel like it.

What kinds of milk work in a chai tea latte?

Whether you are a dairy fan or stick to plant-based milk, give these variations a try:

  • Dairy milk (whole, 2%, 1%, skim)
  • Soy milk
  • Coconut milk
  • Oat milk (I find this makes the creamiest of the plant-based milks)
  • Almond milk
  • Cashew milk
  • Sweet cream cold foam if you want to get fancy
  • Any favorite milk of choice

What kind of sweetener works in a chai tea latte?

Just like the type of milk, you can change up how much sugar, and what type of sweetener you add so it’s just perfect for your taste. I think the strong chai flavors really stand up to the darker sweeteners like brown sugar.

Other Chai Tea Latte Variations

Once you have the basic recipe down, the sky’s pretty much the limit when it comes to making variations. Here are some to try:

  • Iced Chai Latte: Make your tea, chill, and pour over ice cubes along with cold milk. Delicious on a warm day.
  • Dirty Chai Tea Latte: Add a shot of espresso to the ingredients.
  • Iced Dirty Chai Latte: Make an iced chai latte with a shot of cold espresso.

Even Easier Chai Tea Latte with Concentrates

If you’re not concerned with the amount of calories and fat in your drink, use a concentrate. More expensive, but super easy. Just add equal parts milk and concentrate. You can make them hot or iced. (I love making an iced vanilla chai tea latte on a hot afternoon!) Perfect for the time starved latte fan.

TAZO BLACK TEA CHAI LATTE CLASSIC 32 OZ

Tazo Chai Organic Tea Latte Concentrate 32-ounce Boxes Pack of 3

What Makes Chai Tea Spicy?

Since chai just means tea, what makes chai tea so spicy and fragrant?

What we usually refer to as chai in the U.S. is actually masala chai.

Masala is what gives chai tea its spiciness.

What is Masala?

Masala is a generic term meaning spice. It can also refer to a mixture of spices blended into a powder or a paste and used in Indian cooking.

Masalas can vary from hot like garam masala (a mixture of pepper, cumin, cloves, bay leaves…) to fragrant and spicy like the mixture used to make chai.

Interestingly, you can make individual teas out of most of the ingredients in masala, like bay leaf tea.

The spices in chai masala are usually green cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, ground cloves, ground ginger, and black peppercorn

Tazo Classic Chai Black Tea K-Cup® Pods 10 ct

Chai Spices

The spices you’ll find in chai vary widely depending on where you live.

Indian Chai Spices

The traditional Indian masala chai mixture starts with a base of green cardamom pods and ground ginger, with the addition of any number of these spices:

  • star anise
  • cinnamon
  • fennel seeds
  • nutmeg
  • cloves
  • cardamom seeds
  • ginger root
  • honey
  • vanilla
  • black peppercorns

In India, the spice mix can vary from region to region, and even family to family, but usually includes green cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, ground cloves, ground ginger, and black peppercorn.

U.S Chai Spices

Just like in India, the spices in chai tea vary, but most include:

  • Cardamom
  • Ginger
  • Cinnamon
  • Cloves

MORE TO SIP ON: Chai Tea Latte Mix Recipe for Gifts

Chai Tea Latte Benefits

Because this fragrant drink is a mixture of many different elements that have been proven to have health benefits, chai tea is also good for you.

Heart Health Benefits

The cinnamon in your chai tea latte benefits your heart by reducing levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides.

Lowers Blood Sugar Levels

The ginger and cinnamon combo in a chai tea benefits your blood sugar levels, but only if you stay away from the super sweet versions because added sugar can quickly wipe out any blood sugar lowering benefits.

Helps with Nausea

The ginger in chai tea benefits those who suffer from nausea and is especially effective for pregnant women.

I love it when something that tastes great also does great things for my health!

MORE TO SIP ON: How to Make An Iced Matcha Green Tea Latte

chai tea latte on a green placemat with spices

Chai Tea Latte Caffeine

Most chai contains caffeine because it’s made from black tea. But chai tea latte caffeine is only about one-third that of coffee (if made with a black tea base).

A typical 8-ounce cup of chai has about 26 mg of caffeine, compared to about 90 mg in the same amount of black coffee.

Chai Tea Latte Calories

The calories in a chai tea latte depend on which type of milk you use and how sweet you like your drink.

For instance, a grande Starbucks chai tea latte made from whole milk has 270 calories (gasp!).

One of the reasons I like to make mine at home is because you can vary the sweetness as well as which type of milk you use which directly affects the chai tea latte calories.

My recipe only has 79 calories and tastes just as delicious!

If you love tea as much as I do, pin this to your favorite tea-loving Pinterest board and pass it on for others to enjoy! Pinkies up!

chai tea latte in a white stoneware mug

Other Copycat Starbucks Recipes

If you love a good Starbucks copycat recipe, I have tried a ton. Here are my all time Starbucks drinks you can make even better than the Starbucks’ version, and save so much money !

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