This Dairy-Free Chai Latte is a healthy alternative to your favorite expensive coffeehouse drink. This simple budget-friendly latte is beautifully spiced with the right amount of sweetness. It’s refined sugar free and the perfect vegan chai tea to enjoy at home!
Need a budget-friendly Chai Tea Latte recipe?!
As tempting as it is to hit the coffee shop every morning for your tasty, hot beverage of choice, that particular habit can get you into debt pretty quickly. If you are like me, you also have teenagers who like to go along. Drinks for a family of four can run you close to $20! This at-home alternative is not only more affordable, it is also made with wholesome, all-natural ingredients.
Spice up your Vegan Chai Tea Latte!
To make your own dairy-free chai latte, start by stirring together a simple aromatic spice blend. Technically you are making a masala chai latte or tea with mixed spices, as chai alone simply means tea. For the masala then, you will need spices including cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, allspice, black pepper, and nutmeg. My chai latte recipe calls for ground spices, but you can certainly use whole spices or grind your own. Source the spices in bulk as some of them can be expensive at the grocery store. Even so, after the initial investment in spices, you will get many chai lattes for the price of just one expensive coffeehouse drink.
Once you have mixed the spices together, keep the spice blend in an airtight container to use as desired. To make chai lattes for two, brew the spice mix in hot water along with a black tea (like orange pekoe) according to the recipe. I suggest tea bags for convenience but you can also use loose tea. If you are sensitive to caffeine like I am, you can use decaf black tea. The recipe also calls for unsweetened vanilla almond milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and toppings of cinnamon and coconut whipped cream.
I find this chai latte recipe to be a nice balance of spicy and sweet, but you can adjust the spices freely to suit your own taste. You can also use more or less maple syrup to adjust the sweetness. I recommend topping your latte with coconut whipped cream. Do I even need to explain why?
This Dairy-Free, Vegan Chai Latte is a great pick-me-up for a slow morning or treat when you are on the run. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. For more easy, plant-based recipes for the whole family, visit me over at Woman in Real Life. Bring a chai latte and we’ll have a chat!
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tbsp ground cardamom
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 2 cups water
- 1 tbsp chai spice mix
- 2 tea bags (black tea such as orange pekoe)
- 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 2 to 3 tbsp maple syrup (to taste)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- Cinnamon
- Coconut whipped cream (optional)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together the spices until well mixed.
- Whisk water and spice mix together in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low, add tea bags, and steep for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in almond milk, maple syrup, and vanilla and heat gently, being careful not to boil.
- Remove tea bags.
- Pour into two mugs through a fine mesh strainer.
- Top with coconut whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Notes
Home Chef Tip: Double the chai spice mix recipe and store in an airtight container to use in lattes, muffins, and breads.
We hope you love this Dairy-Free Chai Latte recipe from SoFabFood Home Chef, Joann from Woman in Real Life (try her Vegan Hot Chocolate!), as much as we do. If you love this drink recipe, stop by our Drink Section to find more like it. For daily recipe inspiration, subscribe to our newsletter, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Pinterest. Enjoy!
Leave a Reply