Perfect Vegan Chai Latte

Here’s how to make a vegan chai latte that’s as good as coffee! There’s a secret to the perfect foam topping with non-dairy milk.

A good chai latte doesn’t need cow’s milk. Meet the perfect Vegan chai latte! It’s spicy warm and cosy, slightly creamy with a fluffy mousse filling. And frankly, it’s an achievement! Non-dairy milk can behave more like water than milk. So this vegan latte: it’s a revelation! It’s just sweet enough with the perfect intrigue of chai spices. It’s much lighter than a typical latte so you don’t feel like you’re eating a bowl of ice cream. Here’s the trick to making a vegan chai latte!

How to make a vegan chai latte: the secret!

What is a chai latte anyway? Chai Latte is a cultural fusion: it combines traditional masala chai, a spiced milk tea from India, with the frothed froth of a café latte. It became popular at second-wave coffee shops (read: Starbucks) in the 1990s. Most coffee shop versions of chai have little left over from traditional Indian tea, making it too sweet with too much spice.

This vegan chai latte is just sweet enough and lightly flavored with a blend of chai spices. Better yet, you can get that beautifully frothy top! Most vegan chai latte recipes simply add coconut whipped cream as a fake mousse. But this recipe really works! The secret? oat milk.

Which milk is the best for a vegan latte?

We’ve done the research so you don’t have to! Which milk is the best for a vegan latte? Regular oat milk. Here’s why:

• Oat milk is the best milk for frothing. It’s creamy enough that you can whip it up using traditional methods. (Almond milk doesn’t hold.)
• Oat milk has the best neutral taste. It has a slightly sweet but neutral flavor that’s closer to cow’s milk than other alternatives. Coconut milk and soy milk can work for a latte, but they have stronger flavors.

Increasingly easier to find, oat milk is a more popular non-dairy milk. Be sure to buy unsweetened oat milk: it tastes best. We also add sweeteners…

The sweetness for a vegan chai latte: maple syrup

This chai latte recipe is just sweet enough on purpose: it’s not a savory Starbucks recipe loaded with sugar! But don’t worry: it’s sweet enough to tell your taste buds it’s a chai latte! Here are some pointers on which sweetener to use in a chai latte:

• The best: pure maple syrup. It has just the right amount of caramel (it doesn’t taste like maple, I promise).
• Alternative: agave syrup. If you have it on hand, agave also adds a sweet sweetness.
• Optional: simple syrup. Do you have any on hand for cocktails? This also works with slats.

Homemade chai spice mix

Word chai means “tea” in Hindi, so technically chai tea is the same as “tea-tea”. The most correct term for Indian tea blend is Chai masala. Word masala refers to a spice mixture used in cooking. Much like the word curry, a Westernized reduction of a complex blend of Indian spices, the word chai can oversimplify and appropriate a rich Indian cultural tradition.

Masala chai spices can contain many different ingredients depending on the chef, just like curry powder. This homemade chai spice blend uses common chai spices, but note that many more are used regionally in Indian blends. What you need for the chai spices:

• Cinammon
• Ginger
• cardamom
• Black pepper
• nutmeg
• cloves
• fennel seeds

Traditionally, whole spices are cooked with water and tea to make masala chai: like whole cinnamon sticks and cloves. This chai spice blend is a shortcut of ground spices you may already have in your pantry. This makes the process quicker and easier, and also allows you to use the leftover spice mix for baked goods like cookies and muffins.

How to froth milk for a vegan chai latte

Here’s the thing: Frothing milk for vegan chai is a little different than using cow’s milk. The main difference? You can froth the oat milk over it. It’s true: If you froth too much, it will deflate. Note that the foam will not be as creamy as with 2% milk or cow’s milk because the milk contains less fat. Here’s what you should know about frothing plant-based milk:

• Heat milk to 150 degrees (scalding). The temperature is important for the perfect froth. Use a candy thermometer if you have one. Or look at it: 150 degrees feels warm, a few small bubbles form on the outside, but it’s not simmering yet.
• Use a French press, handheld frother, or whisk. We used our french press and it worked great. You can also use a hand frother (we use this) which is even better!. If you don’t have fancy equipment, you can vigorously whip milk.
• If you’re using a French press, don’t overdo it! With our French Press, we only needed 25 pumps (compared to 100 pumps for 2% milk). Pump or froth until you see it become foamy. If you exceed this point, the foam will deflate.

Fancy a normal latte with cow’s milk? We have that too. Go to Perfect Chai Latte.

Serve your vegan chai latte

And that’s it! Prepare your masala chai (see below) and then stir in this frothed milk. Got a nice vegan chai latte with me real Foam thanks to oat milk! You don’t have to prepare extra vegan whipped cream. As a finishing touch, we like to throw in a sprinkling of chai spice.

*Want to make vegan chai lattes to order all week long? Prepare a large amount of spiced tea and cool it down. If you fancy a latte, heat ¾ cup of tea and then froth ½ cup of milk.

This recipe is…

Vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based and dairy-free.

More enjoyable drinks

Here are some other vegan drinks that are perfect for chilly weather! Be sure to try: