Would you like to make your own spicy Chai Latte that’s at least as good as Starbuck’s? After many failures, I considered it impossible. That is if you’d like to do without the artificial flavoring in ready-made Chai syrups. But then I discovered this method and I’m here to tell you – it’s easy to make a perfect Chai Latte at home! Let me show you how.
How to make perfect Chai Latte at home
Ever since I held my first Chai Latte in my cold hands at Starbucks, I wanted to recreate it. I kept experimenting to replicate the taste at home but ran into some issues:
I started out with Chai tea bags and lots of milk. Way too watery to come even close to my coffee house favorite.
Next, I tried regular black tea with spices. Still too watery and too much effort for everyday life.
So I researched aroma free syrups but that would get quite expensive. And then it hit me – why not make my own syrup to add to hot milk?
Homemade syrup for perfect & easy Chai Latte
A search brought me to this recipe which I modified to make it even easier. And at last, it is possible to enjoy a creamy, spicy, aroma-free Chai Latte at home.
The basic steps couldn’t be easier:
- Brew super-strong tea with lots of spices by steeping for longer than usual.
- Strain and return to the pot.
- Add sugar or honey to turn it into a syrup.
- Store in your fridge for 3-4 weeks and enjoy easy, quick Chai Lattes.
The best part is that you get to decide what you put into your homemade Chai Latte syrup. And there’s even some wiggle-room: If there’s a spice you’re not very fond of, just omit it. And if you only have three cinnamon sticks left, then your Chai Latte experience won’t suffer.
A note on spices:
I prefer to order the necessary variety of spices online. Simply because I rarely have the energy to search a huge supermarket spice rack – which still doesn’t come with a search function… But you’ll get everything in a well-stocked store as well.
Chai Latte syrup made in the Instant Pot
If you have one of these sitting at home, you’ll no doubt grab every opportunity to use it. And as I’ve discovered, using the Instant Pot to make your homemade syrup is even easier! Because you don’t need to stick around as much.
This is how you do it:
- Add all of the ingredients to your instant pot, except the honey.
- Set to 5 minutes high pressure in MANUAL mode. This will take about 15 minutes, with the time required for pressure to build up.
- After the peep, quick-release the pressure.
- Remove tea bags and spices with a skimmer – or pour through a sieve and pour the liquid back into the pot.
- Stir in honey or sugar.
- To speed up this process, use SAUTÉ to accelerate the dissolving of the sugar.
- For a thicker Chai Latte syrup, let it reduce for 5 more minutes.
Chai Latte – an indulgence for ordinary days
If you love Chai, and Latte, and what happens if you put the two together, then you will love this recipe. It’s a nice change from coffee – and by using decaf tea bags, you can even enjoy this later in the day.
With this homemade Chai Latte syrup, you’ll be able to surprise your guest with a coffee house treat. And since it keeps for a while, it is another excellent homemade Christmas gift!!
So how about you go grab those ingredients and get started? Within the hour, you’ll be leaning back, enjoying a warm, beautifully spicey Chai Latte.
For a fraction of the cost.
Without having to leave your home.
And with all natural ingredients.
That definitely counts as self-care… 😉
And in the summer, try my iced latte recipes instead!
Chai Latte syrup
Make this simple Chai syrup once and enjoy many Chai Lattes in the weeks to come! No flavoring, and no watery taste.
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 18 tea bags black tea, regular or decaf
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 3 tsp whole cloves
- 4 star anise pods
- 2 vanilla pods, cut open lengthwise
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger in slices OR 1-2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tbsp cardamom capsules, crushed
- 1 1/2 tbsp black peppercorns
- 1 1/2 tbsp ground cloves
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- 1/4 tsp lemon juice or lime juice
- 1 cup honey or sugar
Instructions
On the stove-top
- Add water and tea bags to a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the tea bags with a skimmer and add the spices. Simmer again for about 30 minutes at low heat. Now, remove the larger spice with the skimmer and pour the concentrate through a sieve and back into the pot. Allow to cool a little, then add the honey or sugar. Stir until everything is dissolved. Pour into a bottle and keep in the fridge. It will last at least 3-4 weeks.
In the Instant Pot
- Add all ingredients except the honey into the instant pot, close the lid and set to MANUAL for 5 minutes. When it's done, release the pressure immediately, remove tea bags and spices with a skimmer (or pour through a sieve and put the liquid back into the pot). Finally, stir in honey or sugar. For a thicker syrup, boil on SAUTÉ to accelerate the dissolving of the sugar and let it reduce for about 5 minutes or until it has reached your desired consistency.
Regular pressure cooker
- Same procedure as for the Instant Pot, but at the highest setting bring the pot to high pressure and then reduce the heat level so that the pot maintains the highest pressure level for 3 minutes.
Making Chai Latte from concentrate
- Depending on the desired intensity, add 3-4 tablespoons to a cup of hot milk, then top with milk foam.
Notes
Use a mortar or the handle of a large knife to break up the cardamom capsules, until the small seeds are at least visible or come out.
In order not to destroy the healthy components of the honey, the concentrate should first be cooled to about body temperature before stirring in the honey. Feel free to use regular sugar, xylitol/erythritol or a mixture of these sweeteners.
As a shortcut with fewer ingredients, substitute a few of the tea bags with Chai tea bags and only add cinnamon sticks, star anise, and cloves.
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