Dirty Chai Latte
The Dirty Chai Latte is a drink that’s gained popularity over the years. This Dirty Chai Latte Starbucks copycat recipe is vegan, simple to make using whole spices, and delicious. Plus, it costs a fraction of the price when it’s homemade.
Why This Dirty Chai Latte Recipe Is So Good
- What is a Dirty Chai? – If you aren’t yet familiar with this amazing drink, you are in for a treat! Making a chai latte “dirty” means that we’ll add espresso or coffee to it, giving it another layer of flavor and some extra buzz.
- Homemade Coffeeshop Drink – While we love heading to the coffee shop, it can consume a lot of time and money! We have been working to create some of our favorite coffeeshop drink recipes at home like turmeric coffee, iced pumpkin spice latte, and oat milk latte.
- Delicious Warm or Cold – This is a drink that can be enjoyed year-round. Whether you prefer it warm and cozy, or over ice while you bask in the sun, we’ve got you covered. The recipe below is perfect if you love it warm, and for a chilled version, check out this Iced Chai Tea Latte recipe.
- Just Like the Starbucks Version, only Vegan – You can order a dirty chai latte at Starbucks, BUT it’s not vegan. They use honey in it. But when you make a Dirty Chai Latte at home, you can make it vegan!
Tips And Tricks For Making Dirty Chai Latte
If you aren’t used to working with whole spices, you might be wondering what the best way to crush them is. Here are a few easy options:
- Use a Mortar and Pestle – This is a traditional heavy-duty tool used to crush spices by pressing them and breaking them up. It’s a very efficient tool for crushing small amounts of spices, and also works well for crushing garlic and spices for savory recipes.
- A Spice Grinder – This wouldn’t be my first choice, but it does a great job of breaking the spices into small pieces quickly. Some people keep a small coffee grinder for this purpose, just don’t use your spice grinder to grind coffee too. The flavors will mix!
- Smash Them – Put your whole spices into a sturdy plastic zipper bag. Place the bag on a cutting board, and go at it with a small heavy frying pan, a flat meat mallet, or a rolling pin. This method is pretty fun actually.
Use a frothing tool to get a more authentic experience. Your options range from inexpensive to very expensive, so choose a tool that matches your budget. I like to use a handheld milk frothing wand that costs about $15. An immersion blender can froth milk too.
You can choose to enjoy your vegan chai latte immediately, or store it, without adding the milk, in an airtight container (I suggest a glass jar) in the fridge for up to a week. When you’re ready, add the milk and espresso and enjoy hot or iced.
Or make chai tea ice cubes with any leftovers. These can be added to cold brew coffee to add lots of sweet, spicy flavor.
More Cozy Drink Recipes
I just found a recipe for Brown Butter Chai Spice Crinkle Cookies that sound incredible and that I HAVE to try.
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a quick review & star rating ★ below. Your comment and/or rating helps other readers!
Dirty Chai Latte
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups nondairy milk
- 2 bags of black tea
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 8 whole cardamom pods
- 4 cloves
- 2-3 star anise
- 4 peppercorns
- 2-3 slices ginger
- 1-2 T maple syrup
- 1 shot espresso or strong brewed coffee
Instructions
- First crush the cardamom pods, cloves, star anise, and, peppercorns. Place the crushed spices in a small pot with 2 cups of water, ginger, cinnamon sticks and, black tea.
- Bring to a boil and turn the heat off. Immediately take out the black tea bags because they can get bitter. Let stand for at least 20 minutes for several hours.
- Pour the mixture through a strainer to separate the grounds from the chai.
- Assemble the iced chai latte: Place a few ice cubes in a glass then add ½ cup of the chai mixture together with ½ cup of vegetable milk, a shot of espresso, and one tablespoon of maple syrup. Stir to combine adding more maple syrup or milk, if desired.
Notes
