There’s no need to go to Starbucks for your daily grande iced chai latte any longer. This is the perfect substitute and way less expensive. Sprinkle the top with a bit of cinnamon or nutmeg and your tongue won’t be able to tell which season it is.
For a special fall drink, try my Iced Chai Tea Latte with Pumpkin Cold Foam. To learn more about chai, visit my Beginner’s Guide to Chai Tea.
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 7 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 12 minutes
- 🍽️ Servings: 1 latte
- ⚡ Calories: about 350kcal
- 🧋 Flavor Profile: Creamy, lightly sweet and warmly spiced
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, one saucepan
Quick Answer
To make a Starbucks iced chai tea latte at home, bring 1/2 cup of water to a boil and steep 2 chai tea bags for 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the tea bags, add 1 1/2 cups of milk and 2 tablespoons of honey, and warm for 2 to 3 minutes. Froth if you like, pour over a glass filled with ice, and top with a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg.
Jump to:
- Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Iced Chai Latte
- Key Ingredients
- Variations & Substitutions
- How to Make a Starbucks Iced Chai Tea Latte
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas & Suggestions
- Iced Chai Tea Latte FAQs
- Other Recommended Tea Recipes
- Starbucks Iced Chai Tea Latte Copycat
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique
- A long, strong steep. Steeping 2 tea bags in just 1/2 cup of water for 7 to 10 minutes makes a concentrated chai that stands up to milk and ice.
- Warm the milk with the tea. Heating them together blends the spices into every sip.
- Honey for sweetness. It gives a fuller flavor than plain sugar.
- Froth for a cafe feel. A quick blend with a frother makes it light and creamy.
- Pour over plenty of ice so it chills fast without tasting watered down.
Why You’ll Love This Iced Chai Latte
- It tastes like the coffee shop, for much less.
- Just five ingredients you probably have already.
- Hot or iced, it works both ways.
- Make a big batch. Brew a gallon, let it cool, and keep it in the fridge for lattes all week.
- Easy to customize with dairy free milk or your own homemade chai spice mix.
Key Ingredients
- Chai tea bags: I use Tazo Chai Teabags, which taste very close to Starbucks.
- Water: Just enough to steep a strong chai.
- Milk: Use whole milk or your favorite dairy free brand.
- Honey: Gives a more complex flavor than sugar.
- Cinnamon or nutmeg: Adds warmth to your drink.
See the recipe card below for exact quantities and full instructions.
Variations & Substitutions
- Hot chai latte: Follow the steps until the end, but pour the heated tea right into a mug instead of over ice. Don’t forget the sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg.
- Other sweeteners: Use the same amount of brown sugar or agave, or stevia or any sugar substitute.
- Chai concentrate: Replace the tea bags with 1/2 cup of Tazo Chai Concentrate and omit the honey. The concentrate has more sugar.
- Homemade concentrate: Combine black tea with cinnamon, cardamom, whole black peppercorns, ginger, star anise, and other spices.
- Dirty chai: Add a shot of espresso for my dirty chai latte.
- Chai smoothie: Blend it up in my chai smoothie with protein.
How to Make a Starbucks Iced Chai Tea Latte
- In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the tea bags and steep for 7 to 10 minutes so it’s nice and strong.
- Remove the tea bags and add the milk and honey. Reduce the heat to medium and warm for another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Using a frother or immersion blender, blend until frothy. This step is optional.
- Pour into cups filled with ice and serve topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- No frother? A hand whisk works too.
- Use a strong black tea. English Breakfast is a great choice if you are adding your own spices. More in my Beginner’s Guide to Black Tea.
- Storage: Let the heated mixture cool, pour it into an airtight jar with a lid, and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Chai ice cubes: Freeze the chai in ice cube trays, then store the cubes in a freezer bag. Melt a few over ice, or add them to warm milk for a ready made chai latte. Wondering how long tea keeps? Read does brewed tea go bad.
- Bags or loose? Here is my take on bagged vs loose tea.
- Helpful tools: A handheld Frother.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
An iced chai latte is lovely with something warm and spiced. Try it with my pumpkin scones, cinnamon chip scones, copycat Starbucks cranberry orange scones, or a square of pumpkin cheesecake brownies.
Love coffee shop drinks at home? Try my Starbucks iced matcha latte, caramel brulee latte, lavender latte, oat milk matcha latte, butterfly pea latte, or cold brew iced tea.
Iced Chai Tea Latte FAQs
Starbucks makes it with milk, ice, and a chai concentrate made from black tea and spices such as cardamom, black pepper, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and star anise, sweetened with sugar and honey.
Yes. Chai is made with black tea, which is caffeinated.
A strong black tea like English Breakfast works well if you add your own spices. A chai tea like Tazo already has the spices blended in.
Yes. Use almond milk or any dairy free milk. It will change the flavor just a bit.
Yes. Use 1/2 cup of Tazo chai concentrate in place of the tea bags and leave out the honey, since the concentrate is already sweetened.
Store the cooled chai in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze it in ice cube trays for later.
Starbucks Iced Chai Tea Latte Copycat
Ingredients
- 2 Chai Tea Bags
- 1/2 Cup Water
- 1 1/2 Cup Milk or Dairy Free Blend.
- 2 Tablespoons Honey
- 1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon Or Nutmeg
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add in teabags and steep for 7 – 10 minutes.
- Add in the milk and honey, reducing the heat to medium and warming the milk.
- Using a frother or immersion blender, blend until frothy (optional).
- Transfer to glass mugs and serve topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg .
