Dirty Chai Latte

Love chai tea, but miss that extra caffeine boost coffee brings? Just add espresso! This Dirty Chai Latte takes a classic chai tea latte with all the fragrant spices and steamed milk and adds a shot or two of espresso for the perfect morning wakeup! I show you how to make the hot drink with both chai tea bags and chai concentrate.

Jump to:

• ☕️ What is a dirty chai latte?
• ❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
• 🫖 Tea bags of chai concentrate?
• 🗒 Ingredients
• 👩‍🍳 How to make a dirty chai latte with tea bags
• 🧃 How to make dirty chai latte with concentrate
• 🎉 Variations on recipe
• 🥛 Can I use a different kind of milk?
• 🛩️ What is a red eye chai?
• ⚡️ How much caffeine is in this?
• 🍵 More hot drinks for cold weather
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Though I'm a coffee drinker through and through, I've always had a sweet spot in my heart for chai tea.

There's something about the warm spices coming together to create a harmonious balance of flavors that is both soothing and invigorating. My first sip of a chai tea latte never fails to put a smile on my face.

But still. I love my coffee and I often miss it when I'm drinking a chai latte. Not even just for the caffeine, but for that extra robust flavor.

Luckily for me, it's super easy to make a dirty chai tea latte at home!

☕️ What is a dirty chai latte?

A typical masala chai is made with brewed black tea and a combination of warming spices often including cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, and black pepper.

When turning chai tea into a latte, it's combined with steamed milk and froth.

So, what makes a dirty chai latte different than a regular chai latte? Espresso!

If you order a "dirty chai latte" in a coffee shop, the barista will know to add a shot of espresso to it. But of course, you can also opt for two or three shots if you prefer!

These lattes may be referred to as a filthy chai latte, a java chai, or a double dirty chai latte.

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

You'll love this dirty chai tea latte recipe because it's so easy to make at home and to customize to your own tastes.

It's perfect for when you want a comforting and cozy drink that will also give you a little caffeine boost.

I'll show you how to make the chai espresso latte two ways: with chai concentrate (how Starbucks does it) and with chai tea bags (how I most prefer it). And I'll share several variations for how you can put your own twist on it!

🫖 Tea bags of chai concentrate?

The first decision you'll need to make is whether to make the dirty chai latte with tea bags or with a chai tea concentrate.

I personally like it best with chai tea bags (you could also use loose tea if you prefer) because then I can control the amount of sugar that goes into the drink.

However, if you like the way the drink tastes when you order it at Starbucks, you may want to use the concentrate. A chai concentrate packs in a lot of flavor and also contains sugar.

I'll show you how to make the drink both ways!

If you want to make a more "from scratch" dirty chai, you can make your own chai tea or a homemade chai tea concentrate!

🗒 Ingredients

If you're making the drink with tea bags, here's what you need:

• Chai tea bags: I like Teavana's chai tea bags.
• Water
• Strong espresso
• 2 % milk: or the dairy/non-dairy alternative of your choice
• Simple syrup, granulated sugar, brown sugar, honey, or agave
• Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, or cardamom: for topping

If you're making the drink with concentrate here's what you need:

• Chai tea concentrate: I think the Tazo brand is closest to what Starbucks uses, but you can use the concentrate of your choice.
• Water
• 2% milk: or the dairy/non-dairy alternative of your choice
• Strong espresso
• Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, or cardamom: for topping

👩‍🍳 How to make a dirty chai latte with tea bags

If you are making the latte with tea bags, the first thing you'll need to do is brew a cup of chai tea.

I use ½ cup of boiling water and 2 chai tea bags. You can stick to one bag if you prefer, but I like the chai flavor to be nice and strong.

If you prefer a super creamy latte, you can skip the water and use all steamed milk. Starbucks does use water, but some people will order chai tea lattes with "no water."

Add the espresso to the brewed tea. I usually add 2 shots of espresso, which equates to about 2 ounces.

Remember, since you're using tea bags, your drink won't have any sugar in it, so you'll want to add some here if you like a little sweetness in your chai lattes.

You can add however much sweetener you want, but I recommend about 2 teaspoons of granulated sugar or 1 teaspoon of simple syrup.

You can also use honey, agave, or maple syrup if you prefer, but remember that they might change the flavor of the drink a bit.

Brown sugar would help deepen the flavor of the espresso chai and add a little touch of molasses flavor.

Now you'll want to steam about ½ cup of your milk and froth the remaining ¼ cup.

I steam the milk in a heat-proof container in my microwave and froth it in an electric frother on my countertop.

Pour the steamed milk into the latte and top it off with the froth.

Sprinkle on some cinnamon, nutmeg or cardamom over the froth.

🧃 How to make dirty chai latte with concentrate

Making a dirty chai latte with a concentrate is pretty similar to making it with tea bags, except you don't need to add any sweetener to the drink since it's already included.

Simply pour about ½ cup (4 ounces) of chai concentrate into a heat-proof glass and add ½ cup (4 ounces) of boiling water and about ¼ cup (2 ounces) of brewed espresso.

Again, you can substitute the water with steamed milk if you prefer a super creamy latte.

Steam ½ cup (4 ounces) of milk and froth the remaining ¼ cup (2 ounces) of milk.

Pour steamed milk into glass and top of with froth and a sprinkle of cinnamon, nutmeg, or cardamom.

No matter how you make the drink, it should be filled with warming spices, the robust flavor of espresso, and a bit of creaminess. Basically, heaven!

Keep in mind that all chai tea bags and concentrates will be a little bit different (as are everyone's personal preferences!), so you may need to adjust the amounts of each in this drink after tasting it.

🎉 Variations on recipe

I've shown you the basic recipe for making a basic dirty chai latte. But there is so much you can do to make it your own.

Not only can you add more or less chai concentrate and/or sweetener, but you can also add lots of different fun flavors to your drink.

Here are some ideas:

• Make an iced dirty chai latte: Once you brew your tea, let it cool and then combine it with cold milk, sweetener, and espresso shots over ice. You could also use cold brew instead of a shot of espresso.

• Add the syrup flavor of your choice: You can make the chai latte any flavor you want with flavored syrups. I like caramel, vanilla, or cinnamon dolce.

• For an extra creamy latte, you can skip adding water to your tea bags and concentrate and use steamed milk instead. If you order a chai latte at Starbucks, it does come with water, but you can also order one with "no water."

• Make a chocolate dirty chai latte: Add a little chocolate syrup or cocoa powder for a chocolate chai.

• Make it pumpkin flavored: Mix in pumpkin syrup or pumpkin pie spice for a fun autumn drink.

• Make a coconut dirty chai: Instead of dairy milk, use coconut milk to add creaminess and a little tropical flavor.

• Turn your dirty masala chai into an affogato: a dirty chai over vanilla ice cream? Sounds like heaven to me! Use these basic instructions for a homemade affogato.

• Make it decaf: If you love the flavor espresso adds, but don't actually want much caffeine, you can certainly use decaf espresso for your shots. You can also use decaf chai concentrate and decaf chai tea bags if you prefer.

🥛 Can I use a different kind of milk?

Yes! I made this latte with 2% milk because that's how Starbucks makes it, but much like at Starbucks, you can substitute with your favorite milk or even a dairy-free milk.

Soy milk, almond milk, oat milk, cashew milk or coconut milk would all work well, though some will froth better than others.

Use a plant-based milk if you want a vegan chai latte.

If you want an extra creamy drink, you can use whole milk. And if you want a lighter drink, you can use skim milk.

🛩️ What is a red eye chai?

You may have heard of a "red eye chai" before and wondered what it was. Some people refer to dirty chais as red eye chais, but it's actually not a latte (unless you call it a red eye chai latte).

A typical red eye chai refers to brewed chai tea with a shot of espresso in it. There's no milk involved.

⚡️ How much caffeine is in this?

The caffeine content in your latte will depend on what chai tea or concentrate you're using, as well as what espresso you use.

According to Starbucks, there are 95 mg of caffeine in their chai latte and 150 mg in a shot (1.5 oz in this case) of their espresso.

🍵 More hot drinks for cold weather

Looking for more warm and cozy drinks to enjoy in the fall and winter? Here are some of my favorite hot drinks, both with and without coffee!

I hope this dirty chai latte brings a little extra comfort and coziness into your fall and winter. It will make you want to snuggle up on the couch with a blanket and a good book!

What's your favorite way to enjoy masala chai?

📖 Recipe