Start your morning with this Golden Chai Latte. It is made with black tea, whole spices, and a hint of turmeric for a sweet and spicy morning drink filled with health benefits and fantastic flavor.
Remember a couple of months back I told you that I was off coffee as a health experiment? Well, two months in and I'm still going strong. Unfortunately, I can't report that my health concerns have completely cleared up, but I have seen significant improvement. However, that improvement is not what's kept me off coffee. I have stayed off coffee for these past two months because I am less anxious, less stressed, and less irritable. And on top of all that, I've been saving A LOT of money that would have previously gone to coffee.
It's hard to argue with all that. As so, I started drinking decaf chai lattes in the morning.
Last week, I put a spin on my regular spicy chai latte and added a little gold in the form of turmeric. Honestly, now that I have my daily golden chai lattes, I crave coffee no more.
What is a Golden Chai Latte?
You've probably noticed golden milk and golden lattes popping up EVERYWHERE. Golden milk - milk infused with turmeric - has become widely popular in the past year.
Why are people doing this? Well, not only does it create a beverage that is divinely golden in color, turmeric has incredible health benefits. It is mostly known for its anti-inflammatory effect and powerful in antioxidants, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Health Benefits of Turmeric
Turmeric has been known to:
- Improve brain function
- Lower risk of heart disease
- Prevent (and perhaps treat) cancer
- Fights depression
- Delay aging
So, with its subtle flavor, beautiful color, and incredible benefits, why wouldn't you add a little gold to your milk?
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Tea – Traditionally chai is made from black tea. For a caffeine-free alternative, I choose Rooibos.
- Non-Dairy Milk – My preference is soy because the flavors blend well with the spices of chai. Additionally, soy milk is one of the best non-dairy milk for frothing. Other recommendations are hemp, cashew, or oat.
- Maple Syrup – I use this as a sweetener. You can swap it for agave syrup, coconut sugar, monk sugar, or omit it altogether. Check out my guide to vegan sugars and alternative sugar replacements.
- Spices – My go-to spices are turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, cloves, peppercorn, nutmeg. Sometimes, I’ll also add grated ginger into my tea (just throw it in with the spices) if I’m looking for a little extra zing. The spices are very flexible in this recipe, so mix and match as you please.
Recommended Equipment
First and foremost, you willl need something that can froth milk. A manual or electric milk frother, French press, or espresso machine all work.
You will also need a saucepot, Microplane (for grating spices), and fine mesh strainer. (<<affiliate links)
Check out the full list of my recommended kitchen tools and gadgets.
How to Make a Golden Chai Latte
Step One: Choose Your Spices
Once we’ve picked out our tea – it’s an important decision, my friends – we can start making our chai tea latte. In addition to tea, I like to use whole spices that get steeped with tea for a full-flavored experience.
My go-to spices are:
- Cinnamon
- Cardamom
- Star Anise
- Cloves
- Peppercorn
- Nutmeg
- Turmeric
- Freshly Ground Ginger
The spices are very flexible in this recipe, so mix and match as you please.
Step Two: Boil and Steep
With your tea and spices picked out, the next step is to boil and steep them in 1 cup of water. You are essentially making a chai tea concentrate. If you know you will be drinking a lot of chai teas this fall and want to be efficient, double or triple the batch and store your chai tea concentrate in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Once your tea and spices have steeped for 5 minutes, pour them through a fine-mesh strainer so that just the concentrate remains.
Step Three: Froth the Milk
To get a nice frothy foam on our milk, I heat it up to a scald, that’s just before boiling point.
Transfer the milk to your milk frother and give it a few pumps until it's rich and foamy. You can also use a manual or electric milk frother, French press, or espresso machine. Whatever you have on hand. (<<affiliate links)
Serving And Storing
Serve your latte immediately with an oatmeal date scone or vegan blueberry muffin. To serve, pour the chai concentrate into the bottom of a mug. Top with frothed milk and sprinkle with ground cinnamon and star anise.
Pro Tip: If you know you will be drinking a lot of chai, double or triple the batch for the chai tea concentrate. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Tips And Tricks
- A great chai latte is a balance of spices. Experiment with the spices in this recipe to find the perfect combination for you.
- I highly recommend getting a milk frother. However, if you have a French press, those work great for frothing milk. Just pour your warm milk into the French press. Pump it up and down a few times and you’ll have delicious latte-quality frothed milk!
- Top your vegan latte with some star anise and sprinkled cinnamon for a beautiful morning beverage.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of milk goes best with your Chai Tea Latte?
My preference is soy because the flavors blend well with the spices of chai. Additionally, soy milk is one of the best non-dairy milk for frothing. However, if you don’t like soy my other recommendations are hemp, cashew, or oat both for flavor and texture.
Sure! This spice blend is just a recommendation. This recipe is highly versatile. Experiment with the spices in this recipe to find the perfect combination for you.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
More Homemade Latte Recipes
Golden Chai Latte
Ingredients
- 1 cups water
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 Star Anise
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger root coarsely chopped
- 1 whole nutmeg
- 2 cardamom pods
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon whole cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon black peppercorn
- 2 black tea bags
- 2 cups non-dairy milk I prefer soy
Instructions
- In a medium pot combine water with all the spices. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add tea bags, cover again, and remove from heat completely allowing the tea to steep for 5 minutes. Carefully pour hot water through a strainer, dividing it equally into two mugs so that just the tea concentrate remains.
- In the same saucepan, bring heat milk to scald (just before boiling point) then remove from heat. Transfer milk to your milk frother and pump up and down a few times until your milk is light a frothy. Tap the frother a few times on the counter to let the milk settle a bit.
- Top off each mug with milk. Sprinkle with cinnamon, garnish with a couple star anise (optional) and enjoy immediately!
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
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