Copycat Starbucks Chai Tea Latte Recipe (Hot or Iced, 5 Minutes)

This copycat Starbucks chai tea latte recipe is made with Tazo chai concentrate, steamed milk, and a sprinkle of cinnamon — ready in 5 minutes hot or iced, for a fraction of the $6 Starbucks price tag.

 A grande Starbucks chai tea latte is $5.75 in most cities. It takes 4 minutes to make at home. These two facts cannot coexist peacefully in my life.

A chai tea latte is a spiced black tea concentrate combined with steamed, frothy milk — warming, lightly sweet, and somehow one of the most comforting drinks ever invented. The Starbucks version uses Tazo chai concentrate, and so does this recipe. No steeping spices for 20 minutes. No homemade concentrate. Just concentrate, milk, frother, done.

Hot version for winter mornings. Iced version for literally right now. Both are covered below.

Love Starbucks copycat drinks? Also try my Starbucks Sweet Cream Cold Foam and my Copycat Iced Caramel Macchiato.

Ingredients You’ll Need

(Full measurements are in the recipe card below.)

• Tazo Chai Concentrate — this is what Starbucks uses and it’s available at most grocery stores, Target, and Walmart. It’s already sweetened and perfectly spiced — no extra spices needed. The classic ratio is 1 part concentrate to 1 part milk for a strong, coffee shop-style chai. For a lighter version, use 1 part concentrate to 2 parts milk.
• Milk — 2% milk is what Starbucks uses and gives the creamiest, most authentic result. Oat milk is the best dairy-free alternative — it froths beautifully and has a natural sweetness that pairs perfectly with chai. Almond, soy, and coconut milk all work too.
• Honey or vanilla syrup (optional) — Tazo concentrate is already sweetened so you may not need anything extra. Taste first and add a drizzle of honey or vanilla syrup only if you want it sweeter.
• Cinnamon — for the finish. A light dusting over the foam is the signature Starbucks presentation. Don’t skip it — it takes 2 seconds and makes it look like you know what you’re doing.

How to Make a Hot Starbucks Chai Tea Latte

Finish. Dust lightly with cinnamon and serve immediately.

Heat the concentrate. Pour the Tazo chai concentrate into a small saucepan over medium heat. Warm until steaming — don’t let it boil or it can turn bitter. About 2–3 minutes.

Heat and froth the milk. In a separate small saucepan, warm the milk over medium heat until steaming (around 150°F — hot but not boiling). Remove from heat and froth using a handheld milk frother for 20–30 seconds until thick and creamy. No frother? Shake the warm milk vigorously in a sealed jar for 30–45 seconds — works surprisingly well.

Combine. Pour the hot chai concentrate into your mug first, then pour the frothed milk on top so the foam sits beautifully on the surface.

How to Make an Iced Chai Tea Latte

This is the summer version and honestly might be better than the hot one.

1. Fill a tall glass with ice.
2. Pour the Tazo chai concentrate over the ice — about half the glass.
3. Top with cold milk of your choice — oat milk is especially good over ice.
4. Stir gently and dust with cinnamon.
5. Optional: top with a spoonful of homemade Sweet Cream Cold Foam for a next-level iced chai.

That’s it. No heating, no frothing, no effort. Just a very good iced drink in 2 minutes.

Don’t let the milk boil. The ideal milk temperature for chai is 140–155°F. At a rolling boil the milk can scorch and turn slightly bitter. Steaming hot is perfect — boiling is too far.

Froth the milk separately. Don’t heat the concentrate and milk together — you lose the layered foam effect that makes a chai latte look (and taste) like a coffee shop drink. Heat separately, combine in the mug.

Taste before adding sweetener. Tazo concentrate is already sweetened. Most people don’t need any extra. Taste first — add honey or vanilla syrup only if you actually want it sweeter.

Variations

1. Dirty chai — add a shot of espresso or strong brewed coffee to the concentrate before adding the milk. Spicy, caffeinated, genuinely excellent. This is the move for people who need more than tea-level caffeine.
2. Skinny chai latte — use unsweetened Tazo concentrate (if available) and non-fat milk or almond milk. Significantly fewer calories, same great flavor.
3. Pumpkin spice chai — add a spoonful of pumpkin puree and a pinch of pumpkin pie spice to the concentrate before heating. Fall in a mug.
4. Brown sugar chai — stir in a tablespoon of brown sugar syrup (equal parts brown sugar and water, simmered until dissolved). Rich and caramel-forward.
5. Vanilla chai — add a splash of vanilla syrup or vanilla extract. Rounds out the spice and makes it taste more dessert-like.

Store leftover Tazo chai concentrate in its original bottle in the fridge — it keeps for up to 2 weeks once opened. Make a batch of this every Sunday and you have coffee shop chai every morning until the weekend. Frothed milk doesn’t store — always froth fresh.

More Copycat Starbucks Recipes

• Copycat Skinny Vanilla Latte
• 30 Homemade Starbucks Copycat Recipes
• Starbucks Iced Sugar Cookie Latte
• Starbucks Spinach Feta Wrap
• Copycat Starbucks Egg White Bites

If you tried this Starbucks chai tea latte recipe, I’d love to hear how it went! Leave a comment and star rating below — and tag me on Instagram @basicswithbails or save it for later on Pinterest using #basicswithbails.