Iced Chai Tea Latte
This refreshing iced chai latte recipe is made with tea, chai seasonings, and non-dairy creamy milk. It’s a refreshing and flavorful drink that can be served hot or cold. But once you’ve tried chai iced, you’ll see why it’s the best!
Join my obsession with vegan Chai. Or expand it to include this Chocolate Chai Cake and Chai Tea Muffins.
I love this summertime cold chai tea latte that brings the favorite winter flavors with a fresh and zesty summertime twist! I’m picky about my chai. I finally decided to just make my own homemade chai concentrate! Making iced chai tea latte with tea bags is easy and creates a refreshing drink I turn to all summer long!
What Makes This Recipe Shine?
- Chai spices are combined with tea bags and water to create a flavorful chai tea concentrate, meaning you can create a quick glass within minutes
- Use whole spices or see substitutions below for using ground spices, keeping this recipe easy to make and accessible
- Adding creamy plant-based milk makes this iced tea rich, delicious, and filling, too!
Trivia
Chai was first invented over 5,000 years ago in which country? Scroll to the bottom of this post for the answer!
Key Ingredients
You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe, including substitution ideas:
- Water — You may need to use filtered water if your water has any flavor to it.
- Spices — You’ll need a nutmeg pod, a cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, whole allspice pods, star anise seeds,
- Ginger — You’ll need a one-inch piece of peeled and chopped ginger. Substitute ground ginger.
- Turmeric – I recommend a 1-inch piece of fresh turmeric peeled and chopped. Substitute ground turmeric.
- Tea bags — You can use regular or caffeine-free black tea bags or green tea bags.
- Sweetener — This is optional, but you can add agave, maple syrup, or non-calorie sweetener such as stevia.
- Dairy-free milk — Use your favorite plant-based milk or my favorite, soy milk, pecan milk, or cashew milk.
How to Make Iced Chai Tea Latte
Make your summer better by making this homemade iced chai latte recipe! Sure, you can heat the teas with the spices in a saucepan, but I really love my cold brew teas. That means all you have to do is pour the water into a lidded jar, such as a large mason jar.
Step One: Make the Chai Tea Concentrate
We’re going to make a tea concentrate as the base.
- Press the nutmeg bean to gently open it. Add the pieces to water, along with the cinnamon stick.
- Repeat this process with the cardamom and allspice pods.
- Add the star anise seeds to the water.
- Use the backside of a spoon to peel the skin off the ginger and turmeric root, then chop and add to the water.
- Add the tea — using either green tea or black tea bags (either regular or decaf).
- Place the lid on the jar and either refrigerate or place it in the sun to let it “simmer.” I was enjoying some chai tea after the jar sat in the sun for only 20 to 25 minutes.
If you choose to refrigerate your tea, it might take a little longer. I also continued refilling the jar with fresh water, up to 5 times!
Quick Fix Tip
Don’t have time to make your chai tea from scratch? That’s ok! Use your favorite chai tea bags to make the chai tea concentrate! There are a number of great chai tea bags you can use, including some that are decaf!
Serving Suggestions
When you’re ready serve, place ice in your glass, pour about 3/4 of the way with tea. Add a little sweetener if you’d like, but even using unsweetened soy milk, I found this to have a nice, subtly sweet flavor.
So, if you choose to add sweetener, you don’t need a lot. Then fill up the glass with some creamy plant-based milk of your choice.
Plant-based Milk Options
One thing that makes this summertime vegan iced chai tea so delicious is the creamy plant-based milk poured over the tea concentrate and ice. If you’re not certain which type of vegan milk to use, here are my favorites:
- Soy Milk — I find unsweetened soy milk to be the best milk to add to any of my teas, whether serving them hot or cold. Soy milk is creamy and it has a nice boost of protein, too.
- Coconut Milk — This will make a rich latte, which is a nice treat. Always stir coconut milk first.
- Pecan Milk — This is another creamy option. Pecan milk has a bit of cinnamon flavor to it, too.
- Cashew Milk — As you can tell, creamy is the secret ingredient and cashew milk has this down!
- Vegan Creamer — There are a number of vegan creamers on the market these days, including some that have sweetness in the mix. So, pick your favorite and pour it into this tasty iced tea. It’s delicious!
Use a dairy-free, vanilla-flavored creamer to make a vanilla iced chai!
Buying Chai Seasonings
I’ve come to the conclusion that in order to get my vegan iced chai tea exactly as I want it, it should be made from scratch. The question is, where to get chai seasonings?
It’s not that hard. Here are some great options:
- Local farmer’s market, many of which have booths that sell whole spices
- Asian markets are a great place to buy spices
- Health food stores like Sprouts, Natural Grocers, or Whole Foods
Are Iced Chai Tea Lattes Healthy?
Iced chai recipes are not merely delicious, they’re also healthy when made without added sugars. The spices in chai tea offer a lot of nutrition.
Here are some highlights of the amazing nutritional elements offered by these spices:
- Turmeric contains manganese and phosphorus
- Cinnamon offers calcium and iron
- Cardamom is related to ginger and offers potassium and calcium
- Ginger has a unique flavor and provides potassium and phosphorous
- Green Tea contains Vitamin A and Vitamin C.
- All of these spices, like nutmeg, star anise, ginger, cinnamon, and more, add phytonutrients to your diet, so it’s great to get more of them every day
But look, this iced chai tea is not just about nutrition. It’s also delicious too. I’ve been going back for glass after glass of this drink every day.
Reader Reviews
★★★★★
Stella
I drink this vegan latte every single day! Sometimes I add vanilla extract too. Love it!
Beverage Favorites
If you love this iced chai tea latte, here are some more refreshing beverages to try:
Trivia Answer
Chai is believed to have first originated 5,000 years ago in what is now modern-day India.
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Iced Chai Tea Latte
Ingredients
- 3 cups water plus additional for refills
- 1 nutmeg pod*
- ½ cinnamon stick
- 2 teaspoons cardamom pods*
- 1 teaspoon whole allspice pods*
- 1 teaspoon star anise seeds*
- 1 inch piece of fresh ginger peeled and chopped
- 1 inch piece of fresh turmeric peeled and chopped
- 3 green or black tea bags
- Optional: 1 – 3 tablespoons agave, maple syrup, or non-calorie sweetener such as stevia
- 2 cups dairy-free milk of choice
Instructions
- Pour the water into a lidded jar, such as a large mason jar.
- Place the nutmeg bean on a cutting board and use a nutcracker to gently press it open. Once open break it into chunks and place in the water.
- Place the cinnamon stick in the water.
- Gently press the cardamom pods with the nutcracker or the bottom of a cup to gently press them to open up a little. Add to the water. Repeat with the allspice pods.
- Add the star anise seeds to the water.
- Use the backside of a spoon to peel the skin off the ginger. Chop into chunks and add to the water.
- Use the backside of a spoon to peel the skin off the turmeric root. Chop into chunks and add to the water.
- Add the tea bags. Place the lid on the jar and either refrigerate or place in the sun to let simmer. I was enjoying a glass of Iced Chai Tea after the jar sat in the sun for only 20-25 minutes. If you choose to refrigerate your tea, it might take a little longer. I also continued refilling the jar with fresh water, up to 5 times!**
- Optional: add sweetener of choice. I find just a small drizzle of maple syrup or agave is great. Or you can use a non-calorie sweetener like stevia or monkfruit.
- When you're ready serve, fill up a glass with ice. Pour the tea concentrate about half way up the glass. Add the milk until you get the right consistency. Add sweetener of your choice.
Recommended Equipment
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Notes
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This was a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. See our full disclosure for more information.
I drink this vegan latte every single day! Sometimes I add vanilla extract too. Love it!
Looks so refreshing! This will be a perfect pair to any dessert.