What exactly is a chai latte? It’s a delicious blend of strong black tea infused with warming spices — cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, ginger and star anise — combined with steamed milk and a velvety foam. The perfect balance of sweet and spicy. Originating from India, this comforting drink has become a global café favourite.
Below you’ll find two versions: a healthy chai latte with no added sugar, and a Starbucks-style chai latte for when you want an indulgent treat!
Healthy Chai Latte (serves 1 mug)
- 1 tablespoon loose black tea
- 1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
- 200 ml (20 cl) water
- 100 ml (10 cl) semi-skimmed milk
- 1 black peppercorn (yes, really — it adds depth!)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ¼ tsp ground ginger (use sparingly — ginger can easily overpower other flavours)
- 4 cardamom pods
- 1 clove
- 1 star anise
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, bring the water and milk to the boil together with the peppercorn, cinnamon stick, ginger, cardamom pods, star anise and clove. Simmer for a few minutes.
- Reduce the heat slightly, add the loose black tea and leave to steep for a few moments — don’t over-brew or it will become bitter.
- Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into your mug.
- Sweeten with brown sugar if desired (sugar helps fix the aromas — raw cane sugar works wonderfully here).
Starbucks-Style Chai Latte
For the indulgent Starbucks-inspired version with extra foam and sweetness, use a chai concentrate (available in most supermarkets or online) and steam your milk with a milk frother until you get a rich, thick foam. Pour the chai concentrate over ice for an iced version, or heat it through for a hot latte. Top with a generous amount of foam and a dusting of cinnamon.
बोन अप्पेतित! (Bon appétit in Hindi!) ☕🇮🇳
What spices do you love to add to your chai latte? Share your recipe in the comments — we’d love to hear your variations!
Discover all our other Asian recipes here!