Frothy Chai Tea Latte Recipe
Chai or chai tea is a popular drink in India, where this delicious hot beverage is often made by boiling tea leaves with milk and adding sugar and spices. My chai tea recipe is a bit of a twist because instead of whole cow’s milk, I use coconut milk.
In addition, instead of refined white sugar, I use honey or maple syrup, and instead of including tea, I keep this chai caffeine-free. (Yet it’s ready for the addition of tea if you’d like. Traditionally, chai includes black tea.)
This chai tea recipe is so tasty. Rather than being filled with toxic chemicals and artificial sweeteners and flavors, this drink is loaded with chai tea benefits thanks to its antioxidants, real spices and zero refined sugars.
It’s easy to make and extremely delicious. So, go on, give this hot, creamy, fragrant beverage a try.
What Is Chai?
Chai tea, chai latte, chai tea latte — no matter what you call it, chai is a popular beverage these days.
Tea lattes are a variation on caffè lattes. Like caffè lattes, they are typically made with steamed milk, but instead of including coffee or espresso, a tea latte is made with tea.
However, this chai tea latte recipe is caffeine-free so you don’t have to worry at all about an unpleasant caffeine overdose.
So what is chai? “Chai” is the Hindi word for “tea,” which was derived from “cha.” Cha is the Chinese word for “tea.”
So what is chai tea? It’s essentially “tea tea” that is made customarily in India, where it’s commonly called masala chai.
The spices that go into chai can vary from region to region or even household to household, just like garam masala. Some of the spices most commonly included in a chai include cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and black peppercorn.
So wait, does chai tea have caffeine, and how much caffeine does chai tea have? Chai tea only has caffeine if a caffeine source is included in its making.
Typically, it does include caffeinated black tea, but it doesn’t have to. As I said, this chai recipe is completely free of caffeine, which makes it a great choice for kids as well as adults!
The benefits of chai tea comes from its many health-boosting ingredients. For example, all of the spices are loaded with antioxidants, which are known to play an important role in the prevention of so many chronic diseases.
How to Make This Chai Tea Recipe
How to make chai tea is really quick and simple. Basically, all you have to do is heat up the milk and then combine all of the ingredients in a blender.
The same goes for chai lattes that include black tea. Simply steep the tea and add to the blender.
The first step in this recipe is to put the coconut milk into a small pot and warm it up over medium heat.
Add the warmed coconut milk to a high-powered blender.
Add the honey or maple syrup.
Add the date and spices to the blender. Blend on high until well-combined.
Pour and enjoy. Your chai is complete!
PrintFrothy Chai Tea Latte Recipe
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 3 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Chai tea is a popular drink in India and is often made by boiling tea leaves with milk and adding sugar and spices. Try my chai tea recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 1 date, pitted
- ½–1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon cardamom
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
- In a small pot, over medium heat, warm the coconut milk.
- Add the warmed coconut milk to a high-powered blender.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the blender and blend on high until well-combined.
- Pour and enjoy!
Notes
- As noted, this is a caffeine-free version. If you want to make traditional chai tea with caffeine, you can include black tea.
- You can use another natural sweetener, such as stevia, in place of honey or maple syrup if you prefer.
- Don’t be afraid to adjust the spice measurements based on your taste preferences.
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Category: Beverages
- Method: Stovetop/Blender
- Cuisine: Indian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 395
- Sugar: 11.1g
- Sodium: 25mg
- Fat: 38.2g
- Saturated Fat: 33.8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4.4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 15.9g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 3.8g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: chai tea recipe, chai tea latte recipe, chai tea, chai latte, chai tea latte
Excellent chai replacement for when I don’t want caffeine! Two alterations I have made with good success:
1- I mixed this up and then froze it in ice cube trays for use in smoothies
2- I made this with 1/2 almond and 1/2 coconut milk for preference- still delicious!
Also- I omitted the additional sweetener- the date give such a caramelly sweet note, I found the extra unnecessary.
Looks Yummy, haven’t tried yet. I would probably make with Stevia instead f honey since I am considered pre-diabetic. I am grateful for a non-Dairy version as I’m allergic to milk. Thanks so much! 💕
Looks Yummy, haven’t tried yet. I would probably make with Stevia instead f honey since I am considered pre-diabetic.
Thanks for the recipe, sounds goo, I’ll give it a go
How much black pepper? His article on the benefits of chai said the best recipes have black pepper for digestion.
Sounds delicious, can’t wait to try it!
Thank you Dr. Axe! I was searching to see if I could have organic teas while fasting. I recieved a bad mammogram, and Lymes sx’s x 4 years, so in urgent need of healing. 3 days in of fasting, and my organic herbal teas came, And I couldn’t refuse! Am I compromising my fasting benefits? Im breaking from my supplements, and Vitamin C as well, wondering if that is best this week also. Awaiting my Dr. Linus Pauling book, that I witnessed work for my mother, all seeing her tumors disappear with high doses of vitamin C, selenium, A, beta carotene, and E. Also witnessed all tumors (17 of them) quickly return when the funds ran out, and the vitamins stopped. She was only 34, I was 16. So I want to do this right! My question is, should I stick to the water fast, or can I have a hot cup of herbal tea a few times a day with stevia? I was also wondering if you have an office, And do you you still see patients? I am so appreciative of your holistic knowledge,, offering so much information on so many possible conditions, as I try to figure out what is wrong with me, and what happened 4 years ago that caused me to physically, and mentally change from the energetic happy go lucky adventurous person Ive always been to suddenly someone I don’t even recognize that never leaves the house, and sleeps 18 hours a day. My guess is Lymes, as the doctors don’t know, only wanting to prescribe me antidepressants that don’t work. I’m leaving my E mail, and would like to know if you still treat 1:1. (Cannot find the info online) My faith is high, and Im praying and getting baptised, as I have never been, even though I’ve had a lifelong relationship with Yeshuah. Thank you again for your dedication, God bless you and your family. ♥️
Thank you!
Is the coconut in a can or in the refrigerator section of the grocery store. Do I buy sweetened or unsweetened coconut milk?
They have both cold and canned. Cold comes in sweetened and non sweet. Its your choice depending if the sweet is not too sweet for you. When buying canned watch out for “Lite” or lower fat content – depending on your desired content.
I just tried this and it’s delicious. Thanks!
If I wanted to make a larger batch of the spice mix, what would the measurements look like? And then how much would I use of that for individual use?
Hi Molly- here is how I sized up to keep it in the pantry:
8 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
2 tsp cardamom
1 tsp clove
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp black pepper
Use 1 tsp spice blend for 2c milk
I also dropped the ratio down on the clove and nutmeg per my personal preference. If you want it as the recipe is written, it would be 2 tsp each of clove and nutmeg. Hope this helps!
Writing this as my husband and I enjoy hot mugs of this wonderful chai! I increased the cardamom and ginger to 1/2 tsp each, added 1/4 tsp ground black pepper (it adds a depth and a warmth that will surprise you —you don’t even realize it’s pepper), and about 12 fennel seeds as many chai recipes call for fennel or star anise…and fennel is what I have on hand. I heated a 13 oz can of lite coconut milk, put that with the date and spices in the vitamix and — out came this incredible chai! It didn’t need any extra sweetener to our taste. This will be our go-to recipe from now on. Thank you, Dr. Axe!
2 questions:
When you say coconut milk are you talking about the cans?
You use a lot of almond flour. I’m allergic to almonds. What can I use in place of it?
Thank you
Its amazing… just made it and I’m loving it! Thank you
I make a very similar latte – tumeric latte – which has a taste which grows on you. I add all the spices into either coconut or almond milk and heat up. I add some honey or maple syrup on serving. It’s my night-cap drink and helps me to get to sleep.
Hi, Dr.Axe
So its a tea..but without tea?
I like to try with matcha ..
I cant wait to try this. I am a huge herbal tea drinker, i haven’t had coffee since i got pregnant. Can i add another date instead of using a sweetener such as the honey or syrup? I am currently pregnant (in my 3rd trimester) and my midwife said dates are good to consume to help with labor…
Oh my God. I love all the ingredients in this recipe. Being a coffee junky, cant wait to give this a try.
Thx for sharing. L♡ve your page!
Looking forward to trying this! Can I use almond milk instead of coconut milk?
I’m so excited to try this!!! I’ve loved Chai ever since I had it made fresh for me in India! And I’ve always wanted a healthy version of it! (Not the American over sweet version of it that they have at “popular chain coffee shops” that will remain nameless… ;)
Hi Halleli, I can’t wait for you to try this. Let me know what you think!