• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Masala and Chai

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • How-to
  • About
  • Contact
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • Recipes
    • How-to
    • About
    • Contact
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Masala & Chai » Recipes » Starbucks Dupes

    Published: Nov 3, 2022 by Shweta Garg · This post may contain affiliate links

    Chai Latte (Starbucks Dupe)

    11 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    Jump to Recipe
    two irish coffee mugs with foamy chai tea lattes with whole cinnamon sticks and cardamom pods.

    Enjoy a homemade Starbucks dupe of the famous Chai Tea Latte with just 2 ingredients and 5 minutes of your time! Learn to make your own Chai Concentrate and you'll have a batch of this latte ready at a whim to last the whole week at a fraction of the cost.

    two irish coffee mugs with foamy chai tea lattes with whole cinnamon sticks and cardamom pods.

    Let me start this post by saying yes!! I vehemently disagree with the fact that this drink is named "Chai Tea" and hate when people say it. I am fully aware that this is redundant, and we will talk about it in a later section regarding what a Chai Tea Latte really is.

    If you looked at your monthly expenses and went "uff... I'm spending a lot of money at coffee shops" then yeah, I feel you on that one. Realizing I was spending $12-15/day, or close to $200/month, on buying coffee made me change my habits reaaal quick. That's a whole ticket to Disney!!

    Truly nothing is more comforting than an Iced Chai Latte during the summer or a hot version in the fall and winter. Here's a quick guide to a homemade Chai Latte, iced or hot!

    You can make a fresh batch of Chai Concentrate to last you the full week in about 20 minutes and froth the milk for a latte at a fraction of the cost!

    Jump to:
    • Why this Recipe?
    • What is a Chai Latte?
    • Ingredients - Notes and Substitutions
    • How to make Chai Concentrate
    • How to make a Chai Latte at Home
    • More Starbucks Dupes to try
    • Recipe

    Why this Recipe?

    A homemade Chai Latte has many benefits! Here are some of my favorites worth mentioning:

    1. It's cheaper. A Starbucks Grande Chai Tea Latte would cost me $6.15 in New York City. The cost adds up significantly if you're buying one a day. If you make the make the chai concentrate at home, you can make a Chai Latte at home for ~$1 depending on the price of ingredients in your area.
    2. If you have the chai concentrate prepped or purchased it pre-made, all you need to do is steam or froth the milk and you have your morning and afternoon pick-me-up ready within 5 minutes.
    3. You can control the sugar added and milk to meet dietary restrictions.

    What is a Chai Latte?

    Let's start with the fact that chai means "tea" in Hindi, so chai tea translates to "tea tea". Yikes.

    The Chai Tea Latte was introduced at Starbucks in the United States by Teavana's Oprah Chai Tea at Starbucks in 2014 as a way of "elevating the tea experience," drawing inspiration from Masala Chai.

    Masala Chai requires a bit of technique when simmering the spices, evaporating the milk, and aerating the chai. This results in a complex, well balanced, rich, and creamy flavor and texture.

    Chai Tea has spun itself into its own drink in the U.S. While it began as an attempt of introducing Masala Chai to Americans, I now think of it as a rendition of the original. Now, Chai Tea typically refers to a drink with frothy steamed milk and a black tea concentrate simmered with sharp spices like ginger and cinnamon.

    When a coffee shop has Chai or a Chai Latte on their menu, it's usually referring to a drink made with a chai concentrate and steamed milk.

    Ingredients - Notes and Substitutions

    Starbucks uses the following ingredients to make their Chai Tea Latte:

    Milk, Water, Chai Tea Concentrate [an infusion of (water, black tea, cardamom, black pepper, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, natural flavors, star anise), sugar, honey, ginger juice, natural flavors, vanilla, citric acid].

    For our homemade Chai Latte, we only need two ingredients!

    Ingredients for a Chai Tea Latte with labels.

    For the Chai Concentrate, you can easily make it at home with my homemade Chai Concentrate recipe which will be a 1:1 of concentrate to milk. Some benefits to making it at home are:

    • control over flavor
    • control the amount of sugar (easier for "skinny" or "sugar free" chai lattes)
    • make large batches
    • it's cheaper
    • no preservatives

    Or you can purchase a pre-made concentrate like from Tazo, which is what Starbucks uses. One thing to pay attention to is the ratio of concentrate to milk that is specified on the bottled concentrate. Most pre-made chai concentrates are a 1:1 of chai to milk, but it's worth checking the instructions.

    I will note that the pre-made concentrates are far more expensive that making it at home. At the same time, it's also cheaper than buying a Chai Latte at a coffee shop everyday!

    In terms of milk, Starbucks uses 2% milk that is steamed hot to create milk foam. You can use any milk you want, including plant-based milks. For plant-based milks, you'll want to consider purchasing the "barista edition" so that it foams as you'd expect it to.

    How to make Chai Concentrate

    If you're not buying a pre-bottled chai concentrate, here's a brief walkthrough on how to make your own chai concentrate. I have a much more detailed homemade Chai Concentrate recipe that helps you customize it and make a small or large batch!

    chai ingredients on a wooden bread board

    Crush the spices. Use a mortar and pestle to lightly crush the spices to release their oils. Use the flat edge of a knife to smash them instead of a mortar and pestle. You can also use Chai Masala instead of whole spices.

    Dry roast the spices and extract flavor. To really bloom the spices, add them to the pot on low to medium heat and dry roast them for about a minute until they're fragrant.

    Continuously mix them around so they don't burn. Then, add the water and bring it a rolling boil to allow the spices to infuse with the water.

    If you're using Chai Masala, skip the dry roast and add the spices directly into the boiling water.

    boiling black tea in water in a pot

    Steep the tea. Add black tea leaves or tea bags into the spice-infused water and boil it for about 5 minutes, giving it a stir every once in a while.

    Then, remove the pot from heat and let the tea and spices steep for a minimum of 15 minutes. Add the sugar and stir until it's dissolved.

    Pro Tip: You can substitute the sugar for an artificial sweetener, honey, or maple syrup.

    bottle of chai concentrate with a wood lid on a brass platter

    Bottle the concentrate. Sanitize the bottle and its lid in boiling water before use. Once the chai concentrate has cooled, use a fine mesh sieve to transfer it to the bottle. Refrigerate for up to 5 days.

    How to make a Chai Latte at Home

    With the chai concentrate either prepared or purchased, the only thing to do here is to steam or froth the milk.

    Collage of Frothing Milk in a Nespresso Aeroccino with numbered instruction labels.

    If you're making an Iced Chai Latte, use the cold foam setting on the Aeroccino or an electric frother until the chilled milk is frothy and foamy.

    If it's a hot Chai Latte, warm up the milk in a saucepan on the stove or in the microwave to 170°F. Use an electric frother or immersion blender until the milk is frothy and foamy. Alternatively, use the hot setting on the Aeroccino.

    pouring milk into a irish coffee mug with chai concentrate.

    Pour the chai concentrate into a tall glass of choice. If it's an Iced Chai Latte, add some ice as well.

    Then, pour the milk into the glass. Spoon the foam over the concentrate. Sprinkle a bit of ground cinnamon over the foam and you're ready to enjoy!

    I've also been told that the Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam is delicious with the Chai Latte!

    one irish coffee mug in a plate with cinnamon sticks and a syrup pourer filled with chai concentrate.

    More Starbucks Dupes to try

    • two glasses of coffee with cold foam on top of one.
      Cold Foam
    • a glass of chocolate cream cold brew on a wooden board with chocolate pieces
      Chocolate Cream Cold Brew (Starbucks Dupe)
    • a glass filled with cold brew and sweet cream cold foam cascading down the glass topped with cocoa powder
      Irish Cream Cold Brew (Starbucks Dupe)
    • sweet cream cold foam cold brew in a glass on a plate
      Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam

    I love seeing when you share my recipes! Tag me on Instagram @masalaandchai so I can enjoy them virtually with you! You can also find me on Pinterest, Facebook, Tik Tok, and YouTube.

    I'd love to know what you thought of this recipe! Don't forget to leave a comment and ⭐️ star rating below!

    Recipe

    two irish coffee mugs with foamy chai tea lattes with whole cinnamon sticks and cardamom pods.

    Chai Latte (Starbucks Dupe)

    Enjoy a homemade Starbucks dupe of the famous Chai Tea Latte with just 2 ingredients and 5 minutes of your time! Learn to make your own Chai Concentrate and you'll have a batch of this latte ready at a whim to last the whole week at a fraction of the cost.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Rate
    Course: Drinks
    Cuisine: American
    Cook Time: 5 minutes
    Total Time: 5 minutes
    Servings: 1 chai latte
    Calories: 200kcal
    Author: Shweta Garg

    Equipment

    • Electric Frother
    • Aeroccino
    • Tall Glasses

    Ingredients
      

    • 8 oz chai concentrate
    • 8 oz milk, of choice*
    • ground cinnamon, for sprinkling

    Instructions

    • For an Iced Chai Latte -
      Add the chai concentrate into the glass with ice. Add the milk into a separate glass and use an electric frother or Aeroccino on the cold foam setting until frothy. Pour the foamy milk over the chai concentrate and enjoy.
    • For a warm Chai Latte -
      Add the chai concentrate into the glass. Add hot milk into a separate glass and use an electric frother or Aeroccino on the hot foam setting until frothy. Pour the foamy milk over the chai concentrate and enjoy.

    Notes

    If you're using a plant-based milk, be sure to grab the "barista edition" so that it foams as expected.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 16oz | Calories: 200kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 93mg | Potassium: 424mg | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 367IU | Calcium: 279mg | Iron: 0.1mg
    Did you make this recipe?Tag @masalaandchai and #masalaandchai in your post and stories on Instagram!

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    ABOUT SHWETA

    Shweta at the Glenfinnan Viaduct in Scotland

    I’m Shweta, a self taught recipe developer and food photographer living in New York City. I’m a full time cloud consultant who also enjoys eating out at restaurants, discovering and supporting small business, and cozying up with a cup of chai.

    Popular Recipes

    • sweet cream cold foam cold brew in a glass on a plate
      Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam
    • masala chai cups in a platter with sugar, parle g, and cardamom
      Masala Chai
    • chicken 65 in a skillet with appetizer picks and garnishes
      Chicken 65
    • bottle of chai concentrate with a wood lid on a brass platter
      Chai Concentrate

    FEATURED ON

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    cook with me on instagram

    Join our growing community of 10,000+ talented home cooks!

    @masalaandchai →
    NY Eater, Buzzfeed, Parade, AMNY, Food & Wine, Food Network, The Feed Feed, The Kitchn.

    CONNECT WITH ME

    • About
    • Contact
    • Links
    • Press

    INDIAN COOKING

    FREE EBOOK

    Subscribe to receive the latest recipes and a free guide to Indian cooking essentials!

    You’ve successfully signed up! Check your email for details.

    Copyright © 2023 Masala and Chai, LLC

    All recipes and photos on Masala and Chai are copyrighted and require permission before use. Contact Masala and Chai, LLC for permission.
    Review our Accessibility and Disclosure statements.

    11 shares
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Reddit
    • WhatsApp
    • Yummly
    • Tumblr
    • Email