Tea-Free Chai Latte Recipe.
When I lived in Queenstown New Zealand, I worked at a restaurant called The Bathhouse. The Bathhouse is an incredible heritage site and restaurant located on the water with mountainous views all around.
They carried a chai mix for their chai lattes that was tea-free and caffeine-free. I often recommended this to many of our guests who ended up loving it.
I also drank tea-free chai lattes while I was on break. It is one of my favorite drinks!
Due to religious reasons, I do not drink black, green, or white tea, or coffee and since most Chai syrups and teas that I’ve seen in the USA are made with a black or green tea base I hadn’t had one for years.
That is, until last year when one day my husband mentioned that he loves Chai flavor as well.
I’m usually more motivated to make something when I know someone else in the family also likes something I like, so, I set out to create a recipe for a tea-free chai latte for us both.
I was looking for a chai liquid mix like we had at The Bathhouse restaurant but everything I found like that had a tea base.
Then I looked into making the spice myself. Chai is made with cardamom, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and sometimes nutmeg and vanilla. I felt that it would be too hard to make my own dry mix turn it into a tea bag and steep it to form a base. So while this is a legitimate option I wanted something a bit easier.
In my research, I stumbled upon chai-flavored Torani and Monin syrups that are both tea-free.
I ordered these and was surprised that they tasted amazing. They both have great flavor.
What I actually do is mix the two together to get the best chai flavor. This is unnecessary as they both taste good.
If I had to pick one over the other, I’d choose Torani but I do prefer 1/2 and 1/2.
I’ve made this latte multiple times over the past year and my family—even my kids love it!
It is so easy to make and only takes 3 minutes.
Ingredients for this Tea-Free Chai Latte Recipe
1 C Milk steamed—any variety works although whole milk makes a creamier latte.
1/2 C Milk foamed/frothed—any variety works although skim milk or even 2% will foam better/more.
1/4 C Chia Tea Spice Syrup Torani or the brand Monin. I like both of these syrups and often mix the two together to get the most flavorful chai latte. Either one is delicious though.
1/8 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon— for garnish. It adds a nice touch sprinkling the top but it isn’t just for looks. The cinnamon does add a nice flavor/smell as you sip your latte.
Water to heat your cup (optional).
Supply List for this Tea-Free Chai Latte Recipe
Milk Frother and Steamer—Make sure it can steam and froth. The Kidisle is the one I have although they’ve updated it to look different.
16oz Mug If you can’t drink 16oz of latte in one sitting, then this recipe could be halved or made for two.
Spoon
Optional- Powder shaker or a fine mesh strainer.
Directions on how to make this Tea-Free Chai Latte Recipe
To see how to make this watch the video on this page, print off the recipe card below, and/or continue reading.
1- Put 1 cup of milk into your frother and put it on a steam setting. I use whole milk for the steamed milk.
2- While your milk is steaming, put about 1 cup of water in your mug and put it in the microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds to warm up your mug. Once that is done, pour out the water and the mug will be hot and your steamed milk should be about ready.
3- Pour the steamed milk and 1/4 C of chia syrup into your mug, and stir.
4- Quickly add 1/2 C milk to the frother and put it on a high froth/foam setting. I learned this over years of making cappuccinos and lattes, the less fat content that is in milk the better it will foam. So, I use Skim milk. I usually just run the one cycle of foam with skim milk, but if you are using a higher fat content like 2% or whole milk and/or depending on the frother, you may need to run the high foam setting 1 and a half times. Just be careful not to run it too long as you can burn the milk.
5- This step is unnecessary but if you’d like a brown rim (you’ll only get a very light brown as this is tea-free and coffee-free) around your mug, then, use a spoon to hold back the majority of the foam while you let the thinner milk/foam pour into the middle of your mug.
Slowly let the rest of the foam pour into the mug. As you slowly add the foam to the latte the light-brown rim will rise on the edges and leave you with that characteristic look.
6-Sprinkle with ground cinnamon. I just use clean fingertips and a pinch of cinnamon to get a nice sprinkle. You can use a powder shaker or fine mesh strainer if you want. While this step may seem unnecessary and is optional, I do like the smell/flavor of the cinnamon while I sip the chai.
Enjoy!
Tea-Free Chai Latte Recipe
A delicious chai latte made without coffee or tea. Kid-friendly and caffeine-free. It is a delicious mix of spice and creaminess.
Ingredients
- 1 C Milk steamed—any variety works although whole milk makes a creamier latte.
- 1/2 C Milk foamed/frothed—any variety works although skim milk or even 2% will foam better/more.
- 1/4 C Chai Tea Spice Syrup Torani or the brand Monin. I like both of these syrups and often mix the two together to get the most flavorful chai latte. Either one is delicious though.
- 1/8 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon— for garnish. It adds a nice touch sprinkling the top but it isn't just for looks. The cinnamon does add a nice flavor/smell as you sip your latte.
- Water to heat your cup (optional).
Instructions
1- Put 1 cup of milk into your frother and put it on a steam setting. I use whole milk for the steamed milk.
2- While your milk is steaming, put about 1 cup of water in your mug and put it in the microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds to warm up your mug. Once that is done, pour out the water and the mug will be hot and your steamed milk should be about ready.
3- Pour the steamed milk and 1/4 C of chai syrup into your mug, and stir.
4- Quickly add 1/2 C milk to the frother and put it on a high froth/foam setting. I learned this over years of making cappuccinos and lattes, the less fat content that is in milk the better it will foam. So, I use Skim milk. I usually just run the one cycle of foam with skim milk, but if you are using a higher fat content like 2% or whole milk and/or depending on the frother, you may need to run the high foam setting 1 and a half times. Just be careful not to run it too long as you can burn the milk.
5- This step is unnecessary but if you'd like a brown rim (you'll only get a very light brown as this is tea-free and coffee-free) around your mug, then, use a spoon to hold back the majority of the foam while you let the thinner milk/foam pour into the middle of your mug.
Slowly let the rest of the foam pour into the mug. As you slowly add the foam to the latte the light-brown rim will rise on the edges and leave you with that characteristic look.
6-Sprinkle with ground cinnamon. I just use clean fingertips and a pinch of cinnamon to get a nice sprinkle. You can use a powder shaker or fine mesh strainer if you want. While this step may seem unnecessary and is optional, I do like the smell/flavor of the cinnamon while I sip the chai.
Notes
If you can't drink 16oz of latte in one sitting, then this recipe could be halved or made for two.
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