“Starbucks” cherry chai from scratch

Last Updated on April 21, 2025 by Michelle

Truthfully, I’m not much of a Starbucks gal. But I am a make-your-own-versions-at-home gal. So I set out to crack the code on the Starbucks cherry chai recipe so we can all make them at home.

No artificial sweeteners and flavors.

No 60+ grams of sugar in ONE drink.

No fake syrups.

Just real ingredients. And really yummy drinks.

If a delicious, healthier, lower sugar cherry chai latte doesn’t make you happy, I don’t know what to tell ya.

Is Starbucks iced cherry chai unhealthy?

Everything we put into our bodies is a choice. If enjoying a Starbucks drink is your choice, who am I to stand in your way or make you feel bad about it? We all have our indulgences. In fact, even when I make an iced cherry chai latte at home I see it as a “treat” drink. But if you’re enjoying Starbucks drinks without knowing how bad they are for you, here’s a few reasons why Starbucks drinks are unhealthy:

• Very high in added sugar. Even if you order lower sugar options, the average Starbucks drink still contains 20-30+ grams of sugar.

• Low in nutrients. Generally speaking, Starbucks drinks tend to not only be high in sugar, but also void of any fiber, healthy fats, or protein.

• Highly processed ingredients, including artificial flavors and dyes, additives, gums, and more.

Add nutrients to a Starbucks cherry chai

If you’re looking to enjoy a fun drink but add some nutrition back in, here are some ways you can add more nutrition into your homemade Starbucks cherry chai latte:

–> Add protein powder. You could add vanilla or plain protein powder to your chai for an extra 20-30 grams of protein.

–> Alternatively, you could use a high-protein milk such as Fairlife in your cherry chai to up the protein.

–> Add colostrum or collogen to your cherry chai. Both full of nutritious vitamins and minerals. Bonus, collogen is good for healthy hair, skin and nails too.

–> Use natural sugars like maple syrup and/or coconut sugar to sweeten your drink. Maple syrup actually contains life-giving antioxidants, and coconut sugar contains lots of trace minerals your body craves. (Grab my complete Pantry Checklist here, with links & codes to all my favorites.)

–> Add adaptogens into your chai latte. Ashwagandha and maca root are both great options with minimal taste. Beet root powder is nutritious, and if mixed into the cold foam will also uplevel the bright red cherry color–naturally.

There are lots of simple and easy ways to add nutrients to your homemade Starbucks knockoff cherry chai latte. Let me know in the comments what your favorite is!

How much sugar is in a Starbucks iced cherry chai latte?

Starbucks drinks are known for containing huge amounts of sugar. In fact, it’s one of the main reasons I avoid Starbucks and prefer to make my own drinks at home. I’m not trying to get a sugar rush from one drink!! In fact, it’s recommended that adult males not consume more than 36 grams of sugar per day, and adult females not more than 25 grams!

Which means that even just a tall Starbucks iced cherry chai drink has twice the amount of sugar that an adult female should consume in one day. Yikes. We can do better!

For visual confirmation, here’s the amount of sugar per drink (based on size) in a single Starbucks iced cherry chai latte:

• Tall Starbucks iced cherry chai: 49 grams of sugar

• Grande Starbucks iced cherry chai: 61 grams of sugar

• Venti Starbucks iced cherry chai: 83 grams of sugar

Plus, it’s important to note that Starbucks only uses refined sugar in their syrups and sauces. These sugars offer nothing to your body in the way of nutrition. Natural sugars–while still sugar–actually offer your body nutrients like antioxidants and trace minerals.

How much sugar is in a homemade knockoff Starbucks iced cherry chai latte?

I’m so glad you asked.

The only added sugar in my homemade cherry chai latte is from the homemade cherry syrup. Factoring in the natural sugar from the cherries and the added sugar, my entire cherry syrup recipe contains 307 grams of sugar. It also makes 52 tablespoons worth, and with the recipe calling for two tablespoons of the cherry syrup, that’s only 11.8 grams of sugar per homemade cherry chai latte.

Now, if you’re like me and like to add a bit of sweetener to your chai as well (the recipe only calls for adding the sweetener from the cherry syrup for the cherry cold foam, so if you’re using homemade chai concentrate it won’t be sweetened), that will up the sugar just a tad. I like to add about one tablespoon of maple syrup to my chai, which has about 13 grams of sugar.

 

 

That means my homemade cherry chai latte contains a total of 24.8 grams of sugar. Still on the high side, but much better than 83 grams Starbucks has.

If you don’t add the extra maple syrup, your cherry chai latte will literally only have 11.8 grams of sugar. Not too bad.

It’s also helpful to note that my homemade version makes a 20 oz sized drink, and the Starbucks venti cherry chai latte is 24 oz. So my homemade version (even with the extra maple syrup) only has 30% of the sweetener that Starbucks has. Or, to put it another way, Starbucks iced cherry chai has 70% more sugar than the homemade version. I think I’ll stick with my homemade version, thank you.

How to make cherry cold foam for an iced cherry chai

Making cherry cold foam to top your chai latte with is very simple.

All you need is some heavy whipping cream and homemade cherry syrup (recipe below). Simply add 3 tablespoons of cream into a bowl or small jar/cup, add 2 tablespoons of the cherry syrup, and use a hand frother to whisk the cream mixture until it’s smooth and fluffy.

Boom. Homemade cherry cold foam for a homemade Starbucks iced cherry chai latte.

Do I have to use cherries to make a cherry chai?

Funny enough, no. Actually, you don’t need cherries to make a Starbucks cherry chai latte. In fact, raspberries happen to be my favorite fruit to use. In my opinion, the flavor of the raspberries pairs even better with chai flavors then cherry does. I like cherry chai as well, but I don’t often have frozen cherries on hand.

My favorite fruits to mix with chai:

• raspberries (all-around great pairing with chai)
• blueberries (blueberry chai latte, anyone?)
• blackberries (offer deep color and sweet berry flavor)
• or strawberries (such a classic spring/summer indulgence)

All great options and make a tasty pairing with the warm spices in chai.

How to make Iced cherry chai Starbucks copycat

For starters, you’re gonna need a good chai concentrate. If you want to make your own from scratch, I’ve got you. My homemade masala chai concentrate is awesome. It’s simple to make. And it stores in the fridge wonderfully, so you can easily mix up a cherry chai tea latte whenever the mood strikes. If you wanna get really fancy, you can even make your own masala chai tea blend to make your concentrate with.

Next, you need to choose a milk. I personally prefer whole cow’s milk for a rich, creamy flavor, but other good options are oat milk or almond milk. Technically any alternative milk will work.

If you’re making an iced cherry chai latte, you’ll need some ice and a fun glass. Obviously the fun glass is optional, but it makes the drink taste better. Am I right? If you need some new fun cups, these are my favorite affordable cups with lids.

Finally, you need some heavy whipping cream and your homemade cherry syrup. Truthfully, you can use any fruit to make the syrup. Raspberry is actually my favorite, but strawberries and blueberries are great options as well.

To recap, here’s everything you’ll need to make a Starbucks knockoff iced cherry chai latte:

1. A good chai concentrate
2. Your choice of milk
3. Ice
4. A fun glass to drink your cherry chai out of (optional, but is it really??)
5. homemade cherry syrup (recipe below)
6. heavy whipping cream

Copycat Starbucks drinks at home

If you’re looking to cut down on sugar, avoid harmful gums, dyes, and artificial flavors, and/or save money making drinks at home, I’m right there with you. There are lots of yummy ways to make knockoff starbucks drinks at home.

You can make your own lattes at home just like Starbucks.

Yummy chai can easily be made at home. Who needs Starbucks?

Healthy homemade Mocha Frappes made at home are as good as Starbucks.

Homemade Starbucks Pink Drinks are even a thing. Get my recipe in this Instagram Reel.

There are so many great options for making Starbucks dupes at home. Plus they’re lower sugar, don’t have artificial ingredients, and allow you to customize the drinks to better suit your taste.

Can I make a Starbucks iced cherry chai latte at home?

Yes. And I’m willing to bet you have most (if not all) the ingredients already.

Plus, the homemade version tastes even better than Starbucks (in my opinion).

In terms of equipment, you will need some sort of frother if you’re making the cherry cold foam. If you don’t already have one, they’re inexpensive and worth their weight in gold, if you ask me. I reach for mine at least a couple times a day. It’s also not optional to serve your Starbucks cherry chai latte dupe in a really fun cup. I love these glass cups with lids and straws. They seem to always be the perfect size for my drink, weather it’s kombucha, ice tea, or iced lattes. They, also, get used more than once a day around here. Ahem.

If you’re not making your own chai concentrate, look for lower sugar options if you’re looking to lower the amount of sugar in your cherry chai.

More like “Starbucks” cherry chai from scratch:

• Make your own DIY coke from scratch
• Healthy hot chocolate mix
• Homemade tea blend that tastes like coffee
• Mocha frappe (without coffee)!
• Grab my complete Pantry Checklist for links & codes to the best ingredients I try to keep stocked & ready for the best copy cat recipes.