This Low Calorie Chai Latte recipe is a combination of a homemade spiced chai concentrate with unsweetened almond milk for a creamy treat with a fraction of the calories. Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon for an extra touch of warm spices.
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This low calorie chai latte is a twist on the classic chai latte, but without the added calories and sugar found in traditional recipes.
It all starts with a homemade chai concentrate that's infused with a blend of spices, including cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and ginger. You can find the ingredients at any of your local grocery stores.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
This delicious chai tea latte is is just as delicious as anything you would order at your favorite coffee house. It's perfect for a cold day! You can adjust the amount of spice in your own chai concentrate. You can also add a shot of espresso to this popular drink.
This version of chai latte is made with fewer calories than a regular chai tea latte. The recipe is straightforward, with clear instructions for making both the chai concentrate and latte.
Ingredients You Need
Chai Tea Concentrate:
- Water: The base of the chai concentrate.
- Black tea bags: Provides the traditional tea flavor and caffeine content in the chai latte.
- Cinnamon stick: Adds a warm and sweet-spicy flavor to the chai, complementing the other spices.
- Cloves: Has a deep, earthy, and slightly sweet flavor to the chai.
- Cardamom pods: Provide a fragrant, citrusy, and slightly herbal note to the chai. Lightly crushing them releases their aromatic oils.
- Fresh ginger: Adds a zesty and slightly spicy kick to the chai.
- Granulated sweetener: Used to sweeten the chai concentrate, but the amount of sugar can be adjusted to your taste. Use your favorite sugar substitute.
Latte:
- Unsweetened almond milk: A low-calorie alternative to dairy milk that still provides creaminess to the latte. You can also use your favorite type of milk.
- Chai concentrate: The homemade chai concentrate infused with spices and tea, forms the flavorful base of the latte.
- Ground cinnamon: This is an optional garnish.
Step By Step Photos
Boil water with tea bags. Add spices.
Mix hot milk with chai concentrate.
How To Make DIY Chai Tea Latte
Step 1. Prepare chai concentrate: Boil water with tea bags, spices, and sweetener. Simmer for 5-7 minutes, then strain and sweeten to taste.
Step 2. Make chai latte: Heat unsweetened almond milk until hot. Mix ¼ cup chai concentrate with hot milk.
Step 3. Garnish and serve: Optionally sprinkle with ground cinnamon.
NOTE: You can print the FULL recipe with all ingredients & detailed instructions below!
Tips
- Feel free to experiment with the spices in the chai spices. You can increase or decrease the amounts of cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and ginger to achieve your preferred flavor profile. You can even consider adding star anise and black peppercorns, which are also a great option for adding different flavors to your homemade chai latte.
- This recipe uses black tea bags, but you can explore different types of black tea, such as Darjeeling, Assam, Earl Grey or Chai tea bags.
- If you're looking for sugar alternatives, you can use honey, maple syrup, or a calorie-free sweetener like stevia or monk fruit instead of granulated sugar.
- This recipe uses unsweetened almond milk, but you can also use other non-dairy milks or low-fat milk alternatives like soy milk, coconut milk, oat milk, cashew milk, or skim milk, depending on your dietary preferences and restrictions.
Frequently Asked Questions About Low Calorie Chai Latte
To make an iced chai latte, follow the recipe to prepare the chai concentrate and heat the almond milk. Allow both to cool. Then, fill a glass with ice cubes, add the chai concentrate, and top it off with the cooled almond milk. You can also sweeten it further if desired.
Yes, you can use a milk frother to froth the almond milk, creating a creamy foam for your chai latte. Froth the milk before combining it with the chai concentrate.
It's best to enjoy your chai latte freshly made, but if you have leftover chai latte that you'd like to refrigerate, transfer it to a sealed container and store it in the refrigerator. Consume it within 24 hours for the best taste and texture.
Chai lattes are not typically frozen because the texture and flavor may change upon thawing. However, you can freeze the chai concentrate and almond milk separately and mix them fresh when you're ready to enjoy a chai latte.
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Low Calorie Chai Latte
Special Equipment
Ingredients
For Chai Concentrate
- 2 cups water
- 2 black tea bags
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4-5 whole cloves
- 4-5 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
- 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced
- 1-2 tablespoons granulated sweetener
For Latte
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- ¼ cup chai concentrate from above
- A dash of ground cinnamon, for garnish optional
Instructions
- In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil.
- Once boiling, add the tea bags, cinnamon stick, cloves, crushed cardamom pods and ginger.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover, and let the mixture simmer for about 5-7 minutes. You can adjust the simmering time to your preferred chai strength. Longer simmering time results in a stronger chai flavor.
- Remove the saucepan from heat and let it cool for a few minutes.
- Strain the chai concentrate into a clean container, discarding the tea bags and spices.
- Add your sweetener to the chai concentrate, adjusting the sweetness to your liking. Stir until it's fully dissolved. Keep in mind that you can always add more sweetness later, so start with less if you're unsure.
- Heat the unsweetened almond milk in a microwave or on the stovetop until it's hot but not boiling.
- In a mug, combine ¼ cup of the prepared chai concentrate with the hot almond milk. Adjust the ratio of concentrate to milk based on your taste preference. You can use more chai concentrate for a stronger flavor.
- Stir well to combine the chai concentrate and milk.
- Sprinkle a dash of ground cinnamon on top, optional.
Notes
- Feel free to experiment with the spices in the chai spices. You can increase or decrease the amounts of cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and ginger to achieve your preferred flavor profile. You can even consider adding star anise and black peppercorns, which are also a great option for adding different flavors to your homemade chai latte.
- This recipe uses black tea bags, but you can explore different types of black tea, such as Darjeeling, Assam, Earl Grey or Chai tea bags.
- If you're looking for sugar alternatives, you can use honey, maple syrup, or a calorie-free sweetener like stevia or monk fruit instead of granulated sugar.
- This recipe uses unsweetened almond milk, but you can also use other non-dairy milks or low-fat milk alternatives like soy milk, coconut milk, oat milk, cashew milk, or skim milk, depending on your dietary preferences and restrictions.
- Storing: It's best to enjoy your chai latte freshly made, but if you have leftovers that you'd like to refrigerate, transfer it to a sealed container and store it in the refrigerator. Consume it within 24 hours for the best taste and texture.
- Freezing: Chai lattes are not typically frozen because the texture and flavor may change upon thawing. However, you can freeze the chai concentrate and almond milk separately and mix them fresh when you're ready to enjoy a chai latte.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Toni Dash
Thank you so much for the recipe! I love how easy this is to make!
Chris Collins
I never realised how easy it was to make chai spice mix! I have everything on hand so will whip up a batch tomorrow 🙂
Katie
Such a great idea! Can't wait to try this.
Michelle
So perfect, and I want to put it in everything. So much better than pumpkin pie spice 😉