Everything About Starbucks Iced Chai Latte
Coffee is mostly the go-to beverage for a majority of people across the world. However, iced Chai has attracted the fancy in the last few years. This combination of smooth, creamy, and sweet delicacy with some comforting spices, including black pepper, ginger, cloves, and cardamom, hits differently with every single sip.
Though various cafes and coffee houses have now invented their own spin on an iced chai latte, Starbucks offers the best, creamiest, and most delicious.
Nevertheless, its not always an easy task to visit Starbucks to enjoy an elegant beverage. So we are here with a copycat recipe for you to prepare right in your kitchen and enjoy regardless and whenever.
Along with the recipe, this article also illustrates the iced chai lattes variations, health benefits, and calorie contents.
Selecting Spices For Chai Latte
Spices are what make masala chai the drink we love. When it comes to which spices are essential, very few can agree and Id argue that that is a very good thing indeed. The spices you choose will make a chai perfectly suited to your tastes.
Sheela spent New Years Eve in India, drinking masala chai, and reported In India, masala chai is definitely not as heavily spiced as it is here. Id get one almost every day from the inns we were staying in or little cafes, and theyd often be spiced with just cardamom, just ginger, or maybe a little bit of both. It completely changed my opinion of masala chai for the better because I just loved that you could really taste the tea and the spice rather than all the dozens of spices thrown in overpowering everything.
These are the five spices that are essential to making a warming chai latte.
The bulk bin is your best friend for making chai lattes regularly at home, as you can easily find whole spices that are fresher and less expensive than those sitting on the shelf.
More of chai spices: The 5 Spices You Need for Homemade Chai
Sweetening Chai Lattes
I have a terrible sweet tooth, but find that a too-sweet chai latte masks the spices. You can use granulated sugar for sweetening, but I recommend brown sugar or even maple syrup, as their caramel notes accentuate chais spices rather than hide them. Add your sweetener to the warm tea base after steeping but before straining.
What Is A Chai Tea Latte Made Of
Starbucks and other coffee houses use a mix of chai concentrate and milk. Chai concentrate is made by combining black tea with spices, usually ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and peppercorns, along with some form of sweetener.
If you want to give this a try and make an authentic cup of Indian Masala Chai, go check out this recipe.
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Homemade Chai Tea Latte Recipe
A hot homemade chai tea latte really hits the spot in cooler months
To celebrate the warm, earthy, yumminess of Fall, heres my homemade chai tea latte recipe. Its also great on its own without the tea to make a warming caffeine-free drink.
This homemade chai tea latte tastes just like the one at Starbucks, but its WAY healthier. Plus, you get to control the amount of sugar in it and the quality of ingredients.
Each of these spices is packed full of nutrition and anti-inflammatory properties, so you can drink up guilt-free.
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Make Your Own Chai Concentrate
Heat 2 cups of water and the spices in a small saucepan over medium heat on the stove top. Let the ingredients simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and add 2 tea bags and maple syrup .
After another 5 minutes, pour the concentrate through a fine mesh strainer and into a heat-safe jar. Allow the concentrate to cool at room temperature , then place in the fridge.
Time-Saving Tip: Short on time? Buy a chai concentrate or chai tea bags from the store. Store-bought concentrates and pre-mixed tea bags lack the strong flavor profile that youll get from this homemade concentrate, but they will give you the chai experience if youre short on time.
Use this same concentrate to make a hot latte, if desired, just warm the concentrate and follow this hot tea recipe.
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What Does Chai Taste Like
It tastes like tea spiced with fiery ginger and black pepper, sweetened with cinnamon and maybe some nutmeg with fragrant herbal notes of cardamom. It can be spicer with more ginger and pepper or less spicy with more cinnamon and nutmeg.
Altogether, its a robust and flavorful experience. It hits all the right notes and adds a warming sensation.
How To Make A Healthier Latte
One of the reasons your favorite drinks arent really good for you is that they are very high in sugar. If you want to make it a bit healthier, you can cut the sugar content.
Or, you can experiment with sweeteners like stevia to see how you like the taste. Why not try half and half to start and go from there.
You can also choose to use dairy-free milk like almond milk or even soy milk to cut the fat content. My daughter is gluten intolerant and frequently uses almond milk in her recipes.
Make sure that when you add the pumpkin, you choose puree and not pie filling. You can either use fresh puree or canned whichever is easiest for you.
Tools / equipment needed for this recipe
I find that using a blender is the easiest way to make this recipe smooth. But, if you dont have one, you can use a whisk to mix the ingredients by hand.
- A drizzle of chocolate syrup
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Cinnamon Oatmilk Chai Tea Latte
Cinnamon, oats and chai. If this drink sounds like comfort in a cup, thats because it is. Its also dairy-free.
Heres a few ways to create this delicious flavor trio.
How to order this drink: There are a few ways to order this latte, hot or iced since you can add-in cinnamon with cinnamon dolce syrup and/or cinnamon powder on top. Order a hot or iced chai tea latte with oatmilk and add-in cinnamon dolce syrup if desired and/or top the latte with cinnamon powder. For the iced version you may want to add a topping of vanilla cold foam dusted with cinnamon powder.
How Starbucks Makes Iced Chai Latte
There are 3 ingredients in a Starbucks Iced Chai Latte:
- Chai concentrate,
They fill about of the cup with chai concentrate, then pour a cup of milk and fill the rest with ice.
Now, if you try to copy this, with most chai concentrates youll get a very weak iced chai latte. Starbucks chai concentrate is not for sale, and most concentrates ask for a 1:1 concentrate to milk ratio.
Dont try to copy the proportions above with 1:1 store-bought or this homemade chai concentrate.
Starbucks also uses triple filtered water for theirs, but I doubt everyone can triple filter their water . If you can, use filtered water for making ice.
Dont have a filter? Boil the water for 5 minutes and wait for it to cool, or leave a jar with water sitting in the counter overnight. That gets rid of the chlorine and makes a better-tasting ice.
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What Makes This Recipe So Good
I shared my internet-famous, reader-favorite homemade chai tea latte recipe in 2014. The recipe starts with a homemade chai tea concentrate thats made from simple pantry spices, black tea bags, and water. Warm milk is added to the concentrate to make a classic latte. Its the perfect drink for fall and winter.
By summer, Im all about iced everything: iced coffee, iced tea, and homemade popsicles. Summer time in Florida is no joke when a warm day reaches 100+ degrees.
A couple of years ago, I took my famous hot latte and turned it into a new recipe: a refreshing iced chai. Its super easy to make either a hot or iced drink. Its just a matter of chilling or warming the homemade chai concentrate, which Ill show you how to make today, and then adding cold or hot milk and ice cubes.
What makes this iced chai latte AMAZINGis the from-scratch chai concentrate.
Pre-made concentrates or pre-mixed chai tea bags from grocery store never have the same great flavor as a fresh concentrate. By making the homemade version, which takes just 10 minutes and lasts up to 2 weeks in the fridge, youre guaranteed to make a delicious drink every time!
How To Make Starbucks Chai Tea Latte Iced
This recipe makes a 16oz iced latte, which is the size of a grande Starbucks chai latte.
You can easily adjust it to make any size you want though.
When using Tazo Classic Chai Latte Concentrate, just add equal amounts of concentrate and the milk of your choice.
Most store-bought chai concentrates are the same – a 1:1 ratio of concentrate and milk.
Full ingredients and instructions are available in the recipe card below, but here is a quick rundown.
And thats it.
A coffee shop quality drink at home in a minute for a fraction of the price.
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Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte
You shouldnt get on your bike to Starbucks just yet because you need to hand over the recipe to the barista.
Theres a possibility you wont find the ingredients at a few Starbuck locations. When you order Chai Frappuccino, simply replace the milk with apple juice.
This may seem like a strange combination, but I promise the spices of chai and apple juice are amazing together!
Top the beverage with cinnamon, caramel sauce, whipped cream, and chestnut praline sprinkles. Voila! Your Apple Pie Frappuccino is ready.
Replace milk with steamed apple juice if you prefer a hot chai drink.
Homemade Chai Tea Latte
If you already love the traditional Indian chai tea latte recipe, this delicious spicy and sweet drink. Then you won’t be able to resist this copycat Starbucks iced chai tea latte version.
The iced chai latte is a very popular drink for its slightly spicy chai tea flavor and is served with ice cubes. It is made of black tea concentrate infused with masala chai spices like cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and cloves.
The warm spices are sweetened with natural sugar such as maple syrup or honey to which we also add milk, such as dairy milk or plant-based milk, which brings a creamy and softer texture.
The iced chai latte is very easy to make at home and as good as the one you can buy in coffee shops. First of all, we prepare a chai tea concentrate with chai tea bags or black tea bags with some spices.
Then serve it in a tall glass of ice cubes or in a chai latte frappe with crushed ice. And in addition to the multiple benefits of spices for the body, it is perfect for refreshing during the hot summer days.
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Starbucks Chapple Tea Latte: Sizes Nutrition Caffeine Diary Content & Calories
What sizes are available?
Starbucks Chapple tea latte is available in four sizes kids , short , tall , a Grande , and a Venti . It is essential to know that this drinks caffeine content and nutritional facts depend on the size of the drink you order it in. Additionally, the Chapple tea latte has relatively high calories, so I recommend you go for a Venti while ordering it. You can stick to a tall as you will get some caffeine to boost your energy while maintaining the calorie intake low.
Nutritional facts
As mentioned above, the Chapple tea latte has relatively high calories and thus should not be a daily drink. And even on those rare occasions, going for a reasonably small size will save you from consuming all those calories.
| Calories |
Caffeine information
If all you are looking for is an energy boost from this latte, you will get that, as it has some caffeine content. Chai concentrate has some caffeine content, though not as much as caffeine found in coffee. A 16-ounce serving of the Chapple tea latte has 95 mg of caffeine. This serving is made with four pumps of chai concentrate. The different sizes of this latte are made with a different number of pumps of the chai tea concentrate, meaning the caffeine content will vary across the sizes.
Dairy content
Is A Chai Latte Healthy
There are health benefits associated with the spices used in a chai latte recipe, as well as the black tea.
However, pre-packaged chai concentrates, used in coffee houses and sold in stores, usually have a lot of sugar added.
Controlling the sugar content is one reason I like to make my own homemade chai concentrate.
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Starbucks Iced Chai With Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam Is The Perfect Fall Drink Recipe This Easy Starbucks Copycat Recipe Is So Simple To Make At Home And Will Save You Lots Of Trips To The Coffee Shop
This Starbucks Iced Chai with Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam is your new fall drink. If you love chai tea, then you will love this fall version! If you havent had the pumpkin cream cold foam from Starbucks yet, then prepare to be obsessed. This is like fall in a glass. Spicy chai topped with a dense cold foam, with just a hit of pumpkin flavor.
Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew
In 2016, Starbucks launched its Cold Brew coffees in more than 2,800 stores in the United States and Canada. The drink brews for 20 hours to get the right mix of flavor. Cold Brew isn’t technically an iced coffee, as it’s steeped with cold water as opposed to being brewed with hot water and poured over ice. However, it is, of course, served cold and usually with ice, so it earns a fair spot on this list. The original Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew is a Starbucks staple with Vanilla Syrup and Vanilla Sweet Cream to add a hint of sweetness to the drink.
Search for Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew on Google, and you’ll find plenty of copycat recipes to enjoy at home, indicating its viral popularity. Grocery stores also carry the Starbucks Discoveries version that you can keep in your refrigerator. Some Target reviewers mention that it tastes more like a Chick-Fil-A cold brew coffee, but others exclaim their love for the premade drink. One reviewer on Target says, “This is my favorite store-bought iced coffee. It’s not a fully stocked fridge without one of these!”
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Iced Chai With Strawberry Cream Cold Foam
A chai tea latte topped with a lightly pink-hued strawberry cream may not be the first chai modification that comes to mind, but it works.
Perhaps this fruity chai combination is one you have to sample before ordering.
How to order this drink: Iced Chai Tea Latte + Strawberry Sweet Cream Cold Foam
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Faqs About This Iced Chai Latte Starbucks Copycat Recipe
-What brand of tea do you use?
I use the Tazo chai tea brand tea bags. You can use any type of chai tea that you prefer. If youd like you can also buy the Tazo chai concentrate and just add milk for an easier recipe.
-Is this sweetened?
No, its unsweet. Feel free to add sugar or vanilla syrup to your drink. I used a sweetened vanilla almond milk.
-Is this a coffee drink?
Nope! Its black tea! In fact chai means tea.
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How To Make Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea Latte
Stir together 2 cups milk, 2 chai tea bags, 2 tablespoon pumpkin puree, 2 tablespoon dark brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice in a saucepan.
Note If you like stronger tea flavor, then double up the tea bags!
Heat the mixture over medium-low heat for 5-6 minutes.
Discard the tea bags and add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to the pan and stir well.
Froth the mixture using an electric frother, a handheld electric or manual frother, or a French press.
Pour into two cups and serve hot.
Starbucks Latte Hacks To Upgrade Your Coffee Runs
Starbucks brings the variety to your coffee run with new seasonal menus each year, but when you want to change it up even more or hack a classic latte when its out of season thats when you need to get creative. Between swapping in oat milk for your PSL or adding cold foam to any chilly drink, there are so many ways you can change up a latte. When your steamed milk and espresso need a little something extra, its always good to have some simple Starbucks latte hacks up your sleeve. If youre ready to upgrade your latte, make sure to try these seriously sweet creations on your next coffee run.
Theres no shortage of secret menu drinks to choose from, but sometimes the best hacks are the simplest. Take Starbucks go-to coffee order, a Grande Nonfat Caramel Latte, to the menu for a limited time to celebrate the re-recording of her 2012 album Red. The promotional drink is long gone from the Starbucks menu, but the simple latte hack remains. To order the Caramel Latte, all you have to do is order the drink by name in stores or by hacking a Caffè Latte in the Starbucks App. But thats not the only way you can customize your latte with so many sweet syrup combos and exciting extras to choose from, you can switch up your Starbucks order every time and never run out of options. Here are just a few of the possible latte modifications hacks at Starbucks worth trying.
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