Are you looking for the perfect summertime beverage, one that's both delicious and refreshing?
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, including 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 the spiciness with creaminess, allowing each ingredient's unique flavors to shine through.
When 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 discuss the various 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 available on the market, so which one 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 as other milks might, and will help enhance your latte flavors!
For those seeking an alternative to their iced chai latte, almond milk can also be a suitable option.
Almond milk imparts a nutty flavor that pairs nicely with the spiciness of the tea leaves used in 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 featuring distinct spices, including cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, black peppercorns, cloves, and ginger.
You can make it as strong as you like, resulting in a bold flavor with more body than other varieties, which makes it the ideal base for 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, along with 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, making it 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 to your liking, unlike when making it at home.
Tip: Check out this recipe to make homemade chai that can be used for this iced chai latte!
How to make an iced chai latte at home
Now that you know how to make the chai base, you may wonder 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.
Here is the full iced chai latte recipe:
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, consider 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?
At Starbucks, an iced chai latte is basically three things: chai tea concentrate, milk, and ice.
The concentrate is a sweetened black tea base with warming spices (such as cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom), resulting in a creamy, spiced, and noticeably sweet drink.
If you want it less sweet, an easy tweak is to ask for fewer pumps of chai concentrate or choose a milk that pairs better with spice (oat milk is great for this).
How much caffeine is in an iced chai latte?
An iced chai latte isn't caffeine-free, because chai is made with black tea.
The amount you receive depends on your chai base and how strong you make it.
Homemade concentrates can vary significantly depending on steep time, tea type, and the ratio you use when pouring into your drink.
As a reference point, here's what Starbucks lists for an iced chai latte. (Numbers can vary by country and recipe updates, so treat this as a ballpark.)
| Cup size | Caffeine content | Calories |
| Tall | 39 mg | 132 calories |
| Grande | 52 mg | 180 calories |
| Venti | 66 mg | 209 calories |
The caffeine jumps up fast if you turn it into a dirty iced chai latte.
A single espresso shot adds roughly another one espresso's worth of caffeine, and a doppio adds about twice that.
Tip: If you want to learn more about the caffeine content in chai lattes, you can check out this in-depth article.
Conclusion
An iced chai latte is one of those coffee-shop drinks that's surprisingly easy to make once you've got chai ready to go.
Start with a simple combination (chai + milk + ice), then adjust the ratio until it tastes right to you.
More chai makes it bolder and spicier, more milk makes it softer and creamier.
And if you want the dirty chai vibe, add a shot of espresso and give it a good stir so the flavors blend together.
