Dirty Chai Latte

This recipe is: dairy freeegg freevegan

Subtly sweet and laced with caffeine, the dirty chai latte is made with homemade chai concentrate, freshly brewed espresso and the steamed milk of your choice. Making this dairy free latte at home will save you countless trips to the coffee shop and save you some money, too.

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Close up of a dirty chai latte with a star anise garnish.

Why you’ll love this dirty chai latte

  • If you’ve ever ordered a chai latte at your favorite coffee shop, you know just how sweet they can be. The chai concentrate I use in this recipe is a little bit less sweet, but you can always add extra sweetener when making it if you prefer.
  • Making this coffee drink at home allows you to customize it to your taste, and use whatever dairy free milk you want – with no risk of cross contamination or mix ups at the store. You can even make your concentrate with caffeine free tea and espresso.
  • Not to mention, those coffee shop trips add up and making some at home can save you so much time and money. Even with the initial cost of the spices required, which I know can be pricey, you’ll save a ton.
  • If you like this but are looking for something iced, give this iced brown sugar latte a try, I think you’ll love it!
Chai syrup being poured into a coffee cup.

Here’s what you’ll need to make it

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Ingredients & Substitutions

Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.

  • Chai spices – The spices listed are what’s traditionally found in chai. If you can’t find one or two, you should be ok, but I don’t recommend changing them.
  • Espresso – If you don’t have an espresso machine, you can use instant espresso or even strongly brewed coffee for this recipe.
  • Dairy free milk – If you are making this drink with dairy free milk, you’ll find that different milks are better or worse at frothing. If you can be flexible with your choice, I find that nutpods froth really well, and so do barista style oat milks. Use what’s best for you though.
Steamed dairy free milk being poured into a coffee.

How to make a dirty chai latte with chai syrup

Make the concentrate. Combine the water and spices in a large saucepan. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the brown sugar and simmer until it dissolves.

Then, remove the pot from the burner and add the tea bags. Allow the tea to steep for at least 15 minutes, but ideally until the syrup comes to room temperature. Then, transfer to a mason jar or other bottle for storage.

Brew your espresso. You can do this however you normally would. I like to use a Nespresso machine, but you can also do it with a stovetop espresso maker (or even instant espresso).

A bottle of chai syrup.

Steam the milk. For each shot of espresso, I like to use about 1/2 cup of milk. Heat the milk to about 140˚F, using a milk frother. Keep in mind that dairy free milks don’t always create foam, so just do your best to get a little if you can.

Mix the latte. Add 1/4 – 1/2 cup of chai concentrate to your mug with the espresso and top with steamed milk. If you want to, garnish the latte with freshly grated nutmeg before serving.

Hands holding a clear coffee cup with tea.

frequently asked questions: Dirty Chai Latte

What non-dairy milk is best in chai latte?

Nutpods brand is my favorite non-dairy milk for achieving a nice frothy latte. If you don’t have that specific brand available to you, try purchasing a barista style oat milk. All dairy free milks will froth differently so it might take some trial and error to find your favorite.

More chai spiced recipes you should try

More hot, dairy free beverages you will love

A chai latte with a star anise garnishing the foam.
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Dirty Chai Latte

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Description

Subtly sweet and laced with caffeine, the dirty chai latte is made with homemade chai concentrate, freshly brewed espresso and the steamed milk of your choice. Making this dairy free latte at home will save you countless trips to the coffee shop and save you some money, too.

Ingredients

Scale

For the chai syrup:

  • 4 cups water
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 4 teaspoons minced ginger
  • 4 cinnamon sticks
  • 14 cardamom pods, crushed
  • 10 whole peppercorns
  • 6 all spice berries
  • 8 whole cloves
  • 2 star anise
  • 1 vanilla bean
  • 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • 6 black tea bags

For the dirty chai latte:

  • 1 shot brewed espresso
  • 1/4 cup chai syrup
  • 1/2 cup dairy free milk
  • Grated nutmeg, for garnish

Instructions

To make the chai syrup:

  1. Bring the water to a boil. Add sugar and spices. Allow the syrup to simmer for 15 minutes, or until sugar dissolves.
  2. Remove from heat and add tea bags. Steep for 15 minutes.
  3. Strain into a container for storage. Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the dirty chai latte:

  1. Combine the brewed espresso and chai concentrate in a mug.
  2. Steam the milk to 140-145˚F and add to the mug, spooning any foam on top of the milk.
  3. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Category: Beverages
  • Method: Mixing
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 120
  • Sugar: 28 g
  • Sodium: 93.9 mg
  • Fat: 1.4 g
  • Saturated Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 28.8 g
  • Fiber: 0 g
  • Protein: 0.8 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! You can leave a rating or review in the comment section below. Ratings and reviews help this site grow and help others who make the recipe in the future!

Melissa Belanger is the founder and food-obsessed visionary behind Simply Whisked, where she creates dairy free recipes with simple ingredients. She lives in Wisconsin with her milk-allergic husband and two kids. Melissa's experience in developing dairy free recipes is unparalleled and she strives to make dairy-free living accessible and enjoyable. In addition to running Simply Whisked, Melissa also manages two other publications: Another Cocktail Blog, a cocktail recipe website, and The Pasta Twins, a joint venture with her twin sister.

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4 Comments

  1. I really want to try this, but I don’t see the chai concentrate recipe. It just has the instructions for making the latte.

    Thanks for all your amazing recipes!

    Reply

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