Are you looking for the perfect summertime beverage, one that’s both delicious and cool?
If so, then an iced chai latte might be just what you need! This flavorful combination of heartwarming spices and creamy sweetness can quickly become your go-to coffee shop favorite.
Learn more about this classic drink as well as how to make it in the comfort of your home with this quick guide on iced chai lattes today!
What is an iced chai latte?
An iced chai latte is a popular beverage made by combining chai concentrate, milk, and ice. Chai is made with a blend of spices such as cardamom, ginger, black pepper, cinnamon, and other herbs steeped in hot water with black tea.
The combination of spices creates a flavorful beverage that balances out the spiciness with creaminess while allowing each ingredient’s unique flavors to shine through.
Combined with milk, this results in a creamy and flavorful drink traditionally served hot.
However, for this refreshing recipe, the chai is served cold with enough ice for easy sipping on a hot summer day.
Which ingredients are needed for this recipe
To make an iced chai latte at home, you’ll need the following three components:
- Chai concentrate
- Whole milk
- Ice cubes
There are many ways you can customize this drink. I’ll discuss the different kinds of milk you can use below.
After that, I’ll also talk about the different chai concentrates you can use.
What is the best milk to use?
When making a perfect iced chai latte, the type of milk you use can make or break your drink.
There are many types of milk out there on the market, so which is best? I recommend using oat or whole milk for an iced chai latte.
Oat milk has a creamy texture and sweetness, making it ideal for lattes as it helps create cafe-style foam.
It won’t water down your tea like other milk might and will help enhance your latte flavors!
Oat milk is typically low in fat and calories while being rich in vitamins and minerals, perfect if you want to keep your drink healthy yet tasty.
It’s also dairy-free, so anyone with allergies can enjoy this delicious concoction without any worries!
Whole milk has more fat than low-fat or skimmed milk, which can help make your drink extra smooth and yummy.
Additionally, whole milk’s natural sweetness complements chai’s rich flavors perfectly.
For those looking for an alternative option for their iced chai latte, almond milk could also work well.
Almond milk gives off a nutty flavor that pairs nicely with the spiciness from the tea leaves used when making homemade chai concentrate – instantly elevating each sip!
Which chai is best used for this recipe?
There are a few types of chai that can be used to make an iced chai latte. The most popular is a homemade version.
This is a black tea blend with distinct spices like cardamom, cinnamon, star anis, black peppercorns, clove, and ginger.
You can make it as strong as you like, so it has a bold flavor with more body than other varieties, which makes it the ideal base for making an iced latte.
The spices look like this when making it at home:
Another great choice for making an iced chai latte is Tazo’s Chai Tea Latte Concentrate:
It contains black tea combined with spicy notes from cinnamon, cloves, and ginger, plus sweet hints of vanilla flavor to create a perfectly balanced sweetness for your recipe.
The great thing about using concentrate is that you don’t need to worry about measuring out all the individual ingredients, so it’s incredibly easy to whip up in no time at all!
I find that using a pre-made chai concentrate will be less enjoyable. The flavor is less strong, and you cannot adjust the spices you like more, which you can when making it at home.
Check out this recipe to make homemade chai that can be used for this iced chai latte!
How do you make an iced chai latte at home?
So, now that you know how to make the chai base, you might be wondering how to turn it into a refreshing drink.
Well, you only need to follow a few simple steps to make this refreshing drink at home, or have a look further down for the complete recipe:
- Fill a glass with ice.
- Pour the chai base into the glass.
- Add whole milk and stir to combine.
As you can see from the easy steps listed above, making the iced chai latte is quick and easy.
It’s best to make a bigger batch of chai, so you can easily make this drink in the coming days.
Easy Iced Chai Latte
With this easy chai latte recipe, you can make a refreshing and caffeinated drink in just five minutes!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (0.12 l) homemade chai
- 1/2 cup (0.12 l) of whole milk
- Ice cubes
Instructions
- Start by filling a tall glass with ice cubes. I usually fill my glass to about half.
- Pour the homemade chai into the glass. Make sure your chai is cooled completely for that refreshing taste.
- Next, slowly pour the whole milk into the glass.
- You can stir the combine the flavors, or leave the layers as is.
- Serve with a straw and enjoy as soon as possible!
Notes
- You can play around with the amount depending on your taste using a chai concentrate. I'd start with 1/4 cup (0.06 l) of concentrate.
- Add a single or double espresso shot to your finished drink to make a dirty iced chai latte. Make sure the espresso coffee is cooled for the best flavor.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 88Sugar: 10g
How do you make a dirty iced chai latte?
Making a dirty iced chai latte is a great way to indulge in the bold flavors of chai tea without having to pre-make any cold brew.
A dirty chai latte is essentially a regular iced chai latte with added espresso shots for more of a caffeine kick:
Depending on the flavor and caffeine content you’re looking for, you can add a single or double espresso to your iced chai latte.
I recommend starting with a single espresso shot to create a well-balanced dirty iced chai latte.
If you’re a fan of robust coffee flavors, you can go with a doppio espresso (double espresso).
Make sure to stir your drink to combine all the flavors and enjoy it while it’s cold!
How does Starbucks make its iced chai latte?
When it comes to iced chai lattes at Starbucks, the process starts with milk. Starbucks uses either 2% or whole milk, depending on your preference.
Then, ice is added to the cup, and the cold milk is poured over it. After that comes the key ingredient – chai tea concentrate!
This concentrate includes elements such as black tea, water, sugar, and spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger to make a creamy texture before serving up your delicious iced chai latte!
How much caffeine is in an iced chai latte?
A homemade iced chai latte contains around 50mg of caffeine per serving, as chai is made with black tea.
However, this can change when you can buy an iced chai latte at a coffee shop. Chai lattes have around 25 to 60mg of caffeine per serving.
As an iced chai latte is made the same way as the hot version, the amount of caffeine will stay roughly the same.
The amount of caffeine will increase when you make a dirty iced chai latte, as an espresso shot will increase the caffeine by 64mg.
If you want to learn more about the caffeine content in chai lattes, you can check out this in-depth article.
How much caffeine is in Starbucks’ iced chai latte?
Because Starbucks uses a different chai concentrate, the caffeine levels in their version is a little different.
Have a look below for an overview of each cup size available:
| Cup size | Caffeine content | Number of calories |
| Tall (12 fl oz) | 70mg | 180 calories |
| Grande (16 fl oz) | 95mg | 240 calories |
| Venti (24 fl oz) | 145mg | 350 calories |
As you can see from the table listed above, the iced chai lattes have quite a bit of caffeine in them.
Especially when comparing this to a regular cup of coffee, which contains between 80-100mg of caffeine per 8 oz (0.24 l) serving.
Conclusion
You can adjust the recipe to your taste when making an iced chai latte from scratch.
Plus, you’ll have complete control over the beverage’s strength.
You can choose to make it with a traditional or decaffeinated tea as well as varying amounts of sugar and spices- so everyone can enjoy an iced chai latte that is just right for them!
And if you really want a kick, opt for the dirty version where espresso is the star. Enjoy your homemade iced chai latte, no matter what spin you put on it!
