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Homemade Chai Latte

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Homemade Chai Latte Recipe using ground spices

My daughter formed an addiction to Chai Lattes while studying on campus. I decided I could probably make a pot of tea for the price she was paying for one cup at the overpriced coffee store. Especially since latte is just Italian for milk and I can buy a half gallon of organic milk for the price of one of her store bought teas!

The ingredients are similar to other homemade Chai tea recipes, but I use a different technique that allows you to use ground spices without leaving a sludge at the bottom of your cup. I have tailored the spices to suit the tastes of my family. They prefer that I use a heavy hand with the cinnamon and a very light hand with the cloves. Adjust the spices and the sugar to your personal preferences.

The Chai Latte recipe is below, but here is a pictorial of the method I used:

In a medium sized pot, heat the milk, water, and the spices together until they begin to boil. Stir regularly to prevent the milk from scalding or forming a skin. Remove from heat as soon as the liquid begins to boil. November 2010 217

Add the tea bags. Place the pot over a low heat and allow the tea bags to steep  for 5 minutes. November 2010 219
Place a colander over a container. Then line the colander with a thin cloth. I prefer a flour sack cloth.

Strain the tea through the thin cloth.

strain the homemade chai tea through cheesecloth

Remove the tea bags and squeeze any liquid out of them. November 2010 226
Return the strained tea to the pot and add the honey or sugar. Heat over a low fire until the honey or sugar is completely dissolved. Serve immediately.

Homemade Chai Latte
 
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How to make your own Chai Latte using ground spices. The results are frugal and delicious!
Author:
Recipe type: Tea
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 3 cups water
  • 3 cups milk
  • 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
  • pinch white pepper
  • 6 black tea bags (I used Lipton)
  • ⅓ - ½ cup honey or sugar
Directions
  1. In a medium sized pot, heat the milk, water, and the spices together until they begin to boil. Stir regularly to prevent the milk from scalding or forming a skin. Remove from heat as soon as the liquid begins to boil.
  2. Add the tea bags. Place the pot over a low heat and allow the tea bags to steep for 5 minutes. Place a colander over a container. Then line the colander with a thin cloth.
  3. Strain the tea through the thin cloth.
  4. Remove the tea bags and squeeze any liquid out of them.
  5. Return the strained tea to the pot and add the honey or sugar. Heat over a low fire until the honey or sugar is completely dissolved. Serve immediately.
Notes
Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat and mix well (especially if you used honey as it likes to settle on the bottom) before serving.

 

Feel free to share a link to your favorite homemade coffee, teas, and cocoas. Warm drinks are consumed in large quantities at our house in the winter!

About Alea Milham

Alea Milham is the owner of Premeditated Leftovers and the author of Prep-Ahead Meals from Scatch. She shares her tips for saving money and time while reducing waste in her home. Her favorite hobby, gardening, is a frugal source of organic produce for her recipes. She believes it is possible to live fully and eat well while spending less.

Comments

  3. Melynda says

    December 18, 2010 at 1:20 pm

    Great technique Alea, and a pot of this on Christmas morning would be a nice substitute for those non-coffee people. Thanks.

    Reply

  4. Melodie says

    December 19, 2010 at 4:10 am

    Yum! This is perfect for this time of year. And I love homemade chai too – which reminds me I haven't had any all season! Ack! I'm seriously missing out!

    Reply

  5. 21st Century Housewife© says

    December 19, 2010 at 7:45 pm

    Your Chai Tea sounds delicious, and I like the idea of being able to adjust the seasonings to taste as well.

    Reply

  8. Kim says

    September 24, 2012 at 8:09 am

    I love the simplicity of this recipe. I did not have a towel or cheese cloth I could strain with so I used coffee filters, just requires a little more work. Also, I didn’t have cardamom so I used ground allspice. I also didn’t have white pepper so I used a small pinch of coriander. I used 4 chai tea bags. LOVE IT! It was a bit strong for me so I added a teaspoon of vanilla syrup. That made all the difference in the world!

    Reply

  10. Pauline Wiles says

    October 20, 2012 at 10:11 am

    I confess I inhabit the middle ground on chai tea; Trader Joes do a powder mix which is pretty good, especially when frothed up with a little battery powered whizzer. But I like the look of the other chai recipes which are linked from this page!

    Reply

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Welcome. I'm Alea!

On Premeditated Leftovers I share simple recipes made with whole foods, practical shopping tips, time saving techniques, and meal planning strategies. I also share tips for minimizing food waste, so more of the food that is purchased ends up on the table.

While volunteering as a budget counselor, I realized that food is the element of most people’s budgets where they have the greatest control. I set out to develop low-cost recipes from scratch to prove it’s possible to create delicious meals on a limited budget. Eating well while spending less is about more than just creating recipes using inexpensive ingredients; it’s about creatively combining ingredients so you don’t feel deprived and are inspired to stick to your budget.