A great Chai Latte is super easy to make at home, and even easier with this Chai Latte Mix! Made from warming spices, just add water and milk every time you want to warm up this season.
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I've loved a good Chai Tea Latte ever since I saw the first season of Heroes and the cute Indian guy was drinking it all the time. All winter, every winter, at least a few times a week, for close to 15 years now - I'll make one using this exact Chai Mix.
This mix is adapted from a recipe I found online many years ago (not sure where), and I've since adjusted the spices to give exactly the taste I'm after. This Chai comes out pretty authentic, and far from the super sweet, syrupy, chai lattes on offer at most coffee shops.
Why you will love this recipe
- It's quick & easy to make - just mix together the spices and you are done
- Chai Latte in less than 5 minutes with this spice mix
- Sugar is optional - there's no sugar in the spice mix, so just add it to the beverage when you feel like a sweeter drink
- A great gift - for yourself or another chai lover in your life
- Keeps "forever" since we're only using dry spices
- Less sweet, more spicy!
- Dairy free - just choose what milk you want to use to serve it
What you need to make it
Ingredient notes & substitutions
- White sugar can be skipped for a sugar free version - or adjust the amount as desired. Made as written, this chai latte mix is just a little bit sweet.
- Black Assam tea can be swapped for another neutral black tea, or a chai spice flavored tea
- All spices should be finely ground
- Black pepper gives this a kick - reduce the amount for a less spicy version
Variations
- Fennel seeds or star anise can be added for a natural sweeter chai with a subtle licorice character
- Vanilla powder or real vanilla straight from the bean, to make a vanilla chai
Spices in Chai Tea
The spices used in a chai tea blend varies with the recipe, but some of the spices will always be present. These are:
- Cardamom: very fragrant and an important component of the distinct "chai flavor" (traditionally green cardamom pods are used, sometimes with ground cardamom added as well)
- Ginger: earthy and spicy. Sometimes fresh ginger is used instead of ground.
This recipe also uses the following spices:
- Cloves: aromatic and sweet
- Black pepper: spicy and helps deepen the flavor profile (sometimes white pepper is used instead)
- Mace: warming, woody, and similar to nutmeg, provides roundness
- Nutmeg: woody and nutty, provides roundness
- Cinnamon: sweet and fragrant
Other spices you might find in a chai spice mix are:
- Fennel seeds
- Star anise
- Vanilla
How to make it
- Place sugar and tea in a bowl
- Add the spices and mix well
Tips & tricks
- Mix up the spices and find your favorite version. Maybe you want prefer more or less of some spices?
- Don't boil the chai after adding the chai mix - this will hurt the flavor of the tea
- Store in a dry place in a jar with a tightly closed lid and it will keep its flavor for months. Even after that, all that happens is that the spices will loose a bit in flavor - you can still use it.
Recipe FAQ
It always has milk and spices - generally ginger, cloves, nutmeg, mace, black pepper and cardamom. Most versions also have black tea (traditionally a neutral Assam tea) and some versions include cinnamon. It almost always has sugar or a sweet syrup as well.
It generally does not have coffee, but there are some versions that do.
Yes, it does have caffeine as it is made with black tea. However, a very small amount of black tea is used for this recipe so it will be far less caffeine than in a cup of coffee.
To make it caffeine free, just skip the tea.
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Recipe
Ingredients
Chai Latte Mix (makes 30 cups)
- ¾ cup sugar optional
- ⅓ cup black Assam tea or other neutral or Chai flavored black tea
- 3 tablespoon ground ginger
- 2 tablespoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper reduce amount to make it less spicy
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon mace ground, or pounded with a mortar and pestle
Chai Latte (makes 1 cup)
- 2 teaspoon Chai Masala
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup milk
- 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
Chai Latte Mix (makes 30 cups)
- Mix together all the spices for the Chai Masala and store in an air-tight jar.¾ cup sugar, ⅓ cup black Assam tea, 3 tablespoon ground ginger, 2 tablespoon ground cardamom, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon ground cloves, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon mace
Chai Latte (makes 1 cup)
- Heat water and milk to a boil, then pour over the chai latte mix and cinnamon stick.1 cup water, ½ cup milk, 2 teaspoon Chai Masala
- Steep 5 minutes, then strain and serve.
Notes
Ingredient notes & substitutions
- All spices should be finely ground
- Black pepper gives this a kick - reduce the amount for a less spicy version, or use whole black pepper corns instead. You can also swap it for white pepper.
- Sugar can be excluded or the amount adjusted
- Black tea: Black Assam tea is the traditional choice, it's a neutral type of tea that works great as a base for all those spices. You can use other types of more neutral black teas as well - I've even made it with Earl Grey, with good results. You can also skip the tea, if you don't like it or prefer to make it caffeine free.
Tips & tricks
- Mix up the spices and find your favorite version. Maybe you prefer more or less of some spices?
- Don't boil the chai after adding the chai mix - this will hurt the flavor of the tea
- Store in a dry place in a jar with a tightly closed lid and it will keep its flavor for months. Even after that, all that happens is that the spices will loose a bit in flavor - you can still use it.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate and automatically calculated, and should only be viewed as an indication.
Connie Graham
I only have a question. Are the nutrition facts with or without the sugar? Thanks in advance ...
Emmeline Kemperyd
Hi Connie! The nutrition facts are without sugar as this is optional to add. With 1 tsp of sugar per cup an additional 16 kcal and 4.2 g of carbohydrates are added. I have added this information to the recipe card now for easy reference in the future. Thank you for reaching out!