Homemade Chai Latte: 3 easy ways

Last Updated on January 12, 2025 by Michelle

I really love tea.

All kinds of tea. But chai lattes have a special place in my life. So much so that I make them several different ways, depending on what mood I’m in and how much time I have. These 3 different ways to make a homemade chai latte are all so simple and easy you’ll wonder why you ever spent $7 for a chai latte at the coffee shop.

So let’s make chai.

What kinds of milk can I use to make a chai latte?

Traditional chai is made with whole cow’s milk, and that’s my go-to. Full-fat cow’s milk offers a really rich, creamy, authentic taste. Although whole milk is ideal, other milks can definitely be used to make a good chai latte. There are lots of milks that can be used to make a delicious chai latte at home;

Whole cow’s milk. Ideally, authentic chai is made with full-fat cow’s milk for a creamy, rich flavor.
Low-fat cow’s milks. While it’s not traditional and obviously won’t be as creamy, lower fat milks can be used to make good chai lattes.
Soy milk is a good dairy-free option for a creamy chai latte. I’m told it also mixes really well with the spices of the chai without overpowering the flavor.
Oat milk has a rich, creamy flavor similar to whole cow’s milk that pairs really well with the rich chai spices.
Coconut milk has a sweet, coconut flavor that makes for a sweeter, subtly coconut-y chai latte.

How to make a good chai latte at home

Good chai all starts with good tea. In fact, for all 3 of the ways I’m going to show you, I highly recommend using a homemade loose leaf tea blend. You can find my recipe for my favorite chia tea blend here.

Even if you don’t want to make your own tea blend, ideally you should still use a loose leaf tea blend to be able to extract as much flavor from the tea and spices as possible. Pre-bagged tea blends just don’t quite have the same level of flavor and “umph” as loose leaf tea. My two favorite pre-mixed loose leaf chai tea blends are this one (economical bulk size), and this one (maple chai).

If you are using loose leaf tea (you are using loose leaf tea, right? Read why loose leaf tea is better than tea bags here), an easy way to ruin your chai latte experience is by not straining your tea well, leaving behind chunks that will inevitably ruin your day when you drink them. An easy way to avoid this is by using a fine mesh strainer to carefully strain your chai, or using a special fancy tea steeper like this one to strain the chai through (use code SOULYRESTED to save 10%).

My final tip for really yummy homemade chai lattes is to not be scared of really boiling your chai to get as much flavor as possible out of your tea and spices. Some people say your tea will get bitter if it boils or steeps too long, but I’ve just never had that issue. For the most part, the longer I’m able to steep my chai the more flavorful my latte is.

homemade chai latte in glass mug with cinnamon

Tips for making a flavorful chai latte

There’s not much worse that looking forward to a strong, flavorful, rich and creamy chai latte and instead getting a weak, watery, not-very-flavorful chai instead. There are a few simple tips you can use to keep that from happening and instead make the best homemade chai ever.

To summarize, here are my top tips for making the best homemade chai latte, ever:

Use a high-quality loose leaf tea, not tea bags. This will give you more flavorful chai.
Make sure to strain your tea well, using a loose leaf tea steeper or a fine mesh strainer. Nobody likes a chunky chai latte, amiright?
Don’t be afraid to boil your chai or steep it longer. Your tea won’t get bitter it will only get more flavorful.

Homemade chai latte technique #1 (chai concentrate)

Let’s talk about how to actually make chai. The first way, and my personal favorite when I have time and fridge space is to make a chai concentrate. This allows the tea to steep longer, creating a more flavorful and robust end result. This way I can have concentrate on hand for whenever the chai latte craving strikes. To make a latte you simply grab the concentrate from the fridge, mix it 50/50 with water, sweeten, and either heat it up or add ice. Easy-peasy.

Find my full recipe for how to make chai concentrate here.

Homemade chai latte technique #2 (single stovetop latte)

When I don’t have concentrate made and I still want a rich, flavorful chai latte and have 10+ minutes to make it, this is what I do.

In a small saucepan, heat 1 cup of water with 1 heaping tablespoon of your loose leaf chai tea blend. Let that come to a rapid boil, then turn it down and let it simmer for 5-6 minutes.
Slowly add 1 cup of whole milk, turn up the heat and bring back to a rapid boil, then remove from the heat and let sit steeping for another 5-6 minutes.
If you want a hot latte, reheat the chai after it’s done sitting. If you want iced, strain the tea from the chai, pour over ice, sweeten, and enjoy.
Kick back and enjoy your homemade chai latte.

Homemade chai latte technique #3 (the lazy chai latte)

Admittedly, this way of making chai is not only the laziest, but the least flavorful. It’s still delicious, but will give you less of that rich-and-creamy traditional latte flavor, but will allow you to be drinking a cozy chai drink in 3 minutes flat with no preparation at all.

In a mug with a loose leaf tea strainer, steep 1 tablespoon of chai tea blend, pouring boiling water into your mug until it’s about 3/4 (or a little more) of the way full.
Let that steep for about 3 minutes, then remove the tea strainer.
Add milk until it fills up your mug, sweeten, and enjoy.

loose leaf tea with strainer and mug

How to switch up a homemade chai latte

Although chai is great, sometimes you just want something different. With that in mind, here are lots of ways to switch up “normal” chai.

Add vanilla or maple extract for a different flavor.

Add a shot (or two) of espresso. Or add a strong shot of chicory (espresso alternative) that’s also caffeine-free but with all the flavor of espresso.

Or make it frappe-style by blending your normal chai latte with a frozen banana or ice.

Make it a protein powerhouse (and even more rich & flavorful) by adding chai protein powder to your latte.

Try adding cacao nibs to your chai tea blend to make it a chocolate chai latte. Delicious.

Finally, switch up the base of your chai tea blend. Rooibos-based chai is very different in flavor but with the same chai spiciness we all love. You could also try using Darjeeling as your base instead of normal black tea.