Dirty Chai Latte
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.
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.
Get ready to fall in love with chilly weather and shorter days with fresh new recipes for autumn!
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).
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.
frequently asked questions: Dirty 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
- Chai spice cake
- Chai spiced pancakes
- Almond chai oatmeal
- Dirty chai yogurt parfait (not dairy free but easily swapped)
More hot, dairy free beverages you will love
Dirty Chai Latte
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.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 latte 1x
Ingredients
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:
- Bring the water to a boil. Add sugar and spices. Allow the syrup to simmer for 15 minutes, or until sugar dissolves.
- Remove from heat and add tea bags. Steep for 15 minutes.
- Strain into a container for storage. Refrigerate until ready to use.
For the dirty chai latte:
- Combine the brewed espresso and chai concentrate in a mug.
- Steam the milk to 140-145˚F and add to the mug, spooning any foam on top of the milk.
- Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.
- 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
Keywords: dirty chai latte, chai latte with espresso, dairy free chai latte, dairy free dirty chai latte, dairy free latte, dirty chai latte recipe, dirty chai recipe
Published: June 15, 2022. Updated: January 30, 2023.
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