Homemade iced chai latte with optional pumpkin cold foam
Hot chai latte version
Ah, fall—the season of cozy blankets, apple picking, and fall drinks. While most people associate chai lattes with autumn, to be honest, it’s my top year round favorite drink. Unfortunately, not all chai lattes are created equal, and I’ve often found in cafes they are usually an afterthought. Determined to have the chai latte of my dreams, I took matters into my own and hands to create a homemade chai recipe that rivals any coffee shop that uses a store-bought concentrate.
Ingredients
quality of loose leaf black tea
mixture of spices: cloves, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, anise, allspice, black pepper
sweetener: pure maple syrup or honey
cold foam: heavy cream, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
Directions
Prepare the chai concentrate: This recipe is SO easy. Simmer your spices and tea in a small saucepan, let it cool.
Craft the pumpkin cold foam. See below for the full measurements but mix the cold foam ingredients and froth! That’s it.
Assemble your chai latte by mixing the chai concentrate with your milk of choice and top with pumpkin cold foam. Sure it’s a bit of work to make the chai concentrate and the cold foam but once you make them, they’ll both keep well in the fridge so an iced latte with take no time to make once you have those prepped!
Tips and Tricks
To steep the tea, I like to use the large tea filters like these ones which make it way easier to drain later without all the loose tea floating around.
When draining the tea and spice concentrate into a glass pitcher, I use either cheese cloth or 2 coffee filters to drain the mixture.
To make the pumpkin cold foam, use a hand frother or I use my Nespresso Aeroccino as it has a cold setting. Sometimes I do it in two batches so it doesn’t gum up the machine.
FAQ
Q: What if I don’t have loose leaf black tea?
A: You can use chai tea bags in a pinch but I find the flavor is so much better with loose leaf tea. Even better: visit a local tea shop! There’s one downtown in my city and it’s amazing the difference between quality tea and store-bought versions.
Q: How can I make a hot chai latte?
A: I don’t usually use the homemade concentrate for a hot latte version. Instead, I steep 2 teaspoons of loose leaf in a mug for about 4 minutes with just enough hot water to cover the tea. Then, I steam the milk and pour on top. Homemade hot chai latte, done!
Homemade Masala Chai Latte
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 4-6 tablespoons quality loose leaf tea (masala chai)
- 4 whole cloves or 1-2 teaspoons ground cloves (this is where your spice comes in so adjust according to preference)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1-2 whole cinnamon sticks
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (or 1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger)
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1-2 whole star anise
- 1/2 teaspoon course ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup or honey
- 1/2 cup chai concentrate
- 3/4 cup cold milk or milk alternative of choice
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
Instructions
- Prepare the chai concentrate. In a saucepan, bring the water and spices to a low boil. Whisk the spices in the water often.
- Once the water is boiling, add your tea and turn off the heat and let tea steep in the spice mixture for 5 minutes. Note: I use a compostable tea bag to hold the loose leaf tea together. It is also important to take note of the steeping times for your particular tea. If left too long, the tea can become bitter.
- After 5 minutes, turn the heat back on until it reaches a low boil. Then, remove the tea bag and add your sweetener.
- Strain the tea mixture into a pitcher/ storage container through a cheese cloth (or I use 2 coffee filters to coffee a mesh colander).
- Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks
- Mix all the cold foam ingredients together in a small jar.
- Froth using either a hand frother or I use my Nespresso frother on the cold setting.
- Fill glass with 1/2 cup chai concentrate and the rest of the glass with your milk of choice. Add ice.
- Top with pumpkin cold foam. Stir and enjoy!
Notes
Water: use filtered water as most of the tea concentrate is water.
Tea: I say 4-6 tablespoons depending on how strong you like your concentrate. If you don't have loose leaf, you can use around 6 tea bags in a pinch.
One last note: This recipe is inspired by masala chai which is a staple in Indian cuisine. My version is an adapted version and I'm not calling this a traditional chai. If you want an authentic chai, there are so many beautiful chai recipes created by Indian food bloggers.