Dirty Chai Latte

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Learn how to make a dirty chai latte from home with no barista training required! Masala chai is infused with bold coffee and creamy milk, creating a rich, perfectly spiced, and energizing drink that will invigorate your senses!

❤️ Why you’ll love this recipe

• Energy-boosting: If you need a little oomph to get through the morning or afternoon slump, black tea and espresso provide a healthy dose of caffeine.
• Versatile: Serve your dirty chai latte warm or cold, depending on the season or mood you’re in.
• Balanced: This chai masala is the perfect blend of spices. It’s not too spicy, and it’s also not too overly sweet like some concentrates or pre-made mixes.
• Dairy-free: While chai is traditionally made with whole milk, plant-based milk offers a lighter option for those who don’t tolerate dairy very well.
• Budget-friendly: Home-making a beverage like this is much cheaper than purchasing it at popular coffee shops.

☕️ What is a dirty chai latte?

A dirty chai latte is a combination of multiple drink preparations all mixed into one flavorsome concoction.

Traditionally, Indian chai is made from tea, a blend of spices, and milk. Masala chai (tea with spices) is one of the most famous preparations, but there are other types of chai such as adrak (ginger) chai, elaichi (cardamom) chai, Kashmiri pink chai, or Bombay chai.

Technically speaking, a chai latte is not really a “thing” so to speak. However, it became more popular to say this when chai spread to the west.

While not the most endearing term, the “dirty” component is an espresso shot. This addition creates intense, bitter, and bold coffee notes.

This drink has also been called other names such as red eye chai, espresso chai, java chai, or filthy chai latte.

🍂 Best tea for chai lattes

The best tea to use for chai lattes is strong, dark, and robust black tea. Some of the most common choices include Assam, Darjeeling, or English Breakfast. You can even try making your own blend for unique flavor elements.

We prefer to use loose-leaf black tea, but you can definitely use tea bags if that’s what you have on hand.

📜 History

The base of a dirty chai latte, masala chai, stems from an Ayurvedic drink originally created thousands of years ago. When the British began cultivating tea in India around 1838, chai wallahs infused it with milk and various spices.

While masala chai has a long and winding history in India, the dirty chai latte popped into existence relatively recently in England.

Apparently, the drink was “accidentally” created sometime in the 90s. A barista was making a chai latte for an American, but mistakenly added a shot of espresso. Surprisingly, the customer couldn’t get enough and began spreading the word about how delicious this new drink was.

🌱 Is a dirty chai latte vegan?

Dirty chai lattes are famed for their frothy steamed milk, which is typically whole or 2% cow’s milk. However, it’s incredibly easy to make a dairy-free version. Personally, we love the rich and creamy consistency of soy milk in our lattes.

A couple of other favorites are coconut milk and oat milk. If you can find the barista version, it’ll yield the best results.

🛒 Ingredients & substitutions

• Black tea: Use Assam, Darjeeling, or English breakfast for the most robust flavor. Both loose-leaf and tea bags work. Look for brands like Lipton Yellow Label, and Taj Mahal, and PG Tips.
• Spice blend: For this recipe, we used fresh ginger, green cardamom pods, Ceylon cinnamon, black peppercorns, star anise pods, and whole cloves. Whichever blend you use, it’s best to use whole spices over powdered.
• Plant milk: For the creamiest results, opt for soy milk, coconut milk, or oat milk. If you have a barista blend available, that will yield an even richer texture.
• Coffee: To stand up to the chai, the coffee needs to be bold. An espresso shot, moka pot, or AeroPress coffee are your best options.
• Sweetener: While jaggery (similar to piloncillo) is a common sweetener in India, maple syrup and agave are great options as well. You can also use coconut sugar or cane sugar.

For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to our recipe card.

📝 Instructions

Step 1: Bring the water to boil in a saucepan. In the meantime, crush the cardamom, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, and star anise in a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder.

Step 2: Add the crushed spices, grated ginger, and black tea to the boiling water, then lower the heat to simmer for a few minutes, or until fragrant.

Step 3: In the meantime, prepare the coffee (espresso, moka pot, or AeroPress) and divide it between mugs.

Step 4: Pour the milk into the simmering masala chai, and bring the mixture to a boil again. Remove the saucepan from heat until the bubbles disappear, then transfer it back to the heat and bring it to a boil once more.

Step 5: Alternatively, use a ladle to scoop and pour the mixture from a height back into the pot repeatedly until it is frothy on top (similar to how chai wallahs do it).

Step 6: Remove the saucepan from the heat again, and pour the chai through a fine-mesh strainer directly into the mugs of coffee.

Step 7: Sweeten with maple syrup, agave, jaggery, coconut sugar, or cane sugar to taste and top with extra foamed milk. Happy drinking!

If you have questions about making a dirty chai latte, check out our FAQs or leave a comment down below!

🍫 What to serve with chai

We often serve dirty chai lattes with a tasty vegan treat like one of these:

• Vegan churros: Crispy churros served with chocolate sauce.
• Mazapan: A popular Mexican candy made from ground peanuts.
• Gorditas de azucar: A cross between a pancake and scone.
• 3-Ingredient chocolate: Easy-to-make vegan chocolate with endless customizations.

🌡️ Storage & reheating

If you find yourself with more chai latte than you can finish, follow these storage tips:

• Fridge: It’s best to store the tea separately from the coffee in an airtight jar or container. Keep it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, and make fresh coffee each time.
• Freezer: Try freezing the leftover tea in ice cube trays to use in your next recipe.
• Reheating: If you don’t want an iced latte, heat the tea in a pot over low until warm. Heat and froth the milk separately, and make your coffee fresh.

♻️ Variations

• Go decaf: If you’re sensitive to caffeine, try using decaf coffee and tea.
• Mix different spices: Use different combinations and measurements of ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, fennel, rose, mint, lemongrass, tulsi, saffron, black pepper, cloves, and star anise.
• Adjust the milk: Add more or less milk depending on your taste preferences. A common ratio is 2:1 water to milk, but a 1:1 ratio will yield a richer drink.
• Use tea only: Skip the coffee and enjoy a non-dirty chai latte (aka chai).
• Add a double shot: If you’re really in need of a pick-me-up, try an extra dirty chai with two shots of espresso or strong coffee.
• Make a chocolate chai: Swap out the coffee and tea for cocoa and make a cozy hot chocolate infused with spice.

🧑‍🍳 Top tips

• Use fresh coffee: It’s not just important to use strong coffee. Ensure the beans are freshly ground and prepared for the best-tasting drink.
• Strain it: Don’t forget to strain the tea and spices so your chai latte is silky smooth.
• Pull the chai: Make sure you use a ladle to pull the chai or double-boil it for a light and airy consistency.
• Use whole spices: Powdered spices don’t provide the same intensity of aroma and flavor as crushed whole spices. Opt for whole over powdered whenever possible.

💬 FAQ

🍴 More drink recipes

If you enjoyed this dirty chai latte recipe, be sure to check out some more drinks like these:

• Champurrado: A Mexican drink featuring chocolate, masa, and piloncillo.
• Taro Milk Tea: Purple bubble tea made with taro root and plant milk.
• Rompope: A Mexican version of eggnog made dairy and egg-free.
• Agua de Jamaica: Lightly sweetened iced hibiscus flower tea.
• Iced Apple Crisp Oatmilk Shaken Espresso: A festive autumn pick-me-up.