How to Make Dirty Chai Latte

A Dirty Chai Latte is a popular drink served at coffee shops - it's a chai latte with a shot or two of espresso added. Curious about how to make a Dirty Chai Latte? You'll love this easy homemade version with a DIY shortcut plus some of my other favorite fall teas!

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Dirty Chai Latte

Y'all know I'm a huge tea fan and a Dirty Chai Latte is no different.  I love the rich and warm flavors in the drink including black tea, and chai spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, ginger, and cloves.  When you add the extra shot of coffee to it, it's an unbeatable morning drink.

I drink tea daily and love collecting different types and flavors. I routinely enjoy a cup of Tazo Awake English Breakfast tea in the morning and then switch to green or decaf throughout the day.  It is one of my favorite things and is such a part of my day-to-day life.  The Tazo Awake English Breakfast tea gives me a unique awakening feeling that's perfect for mornings.  I love it so much I even carry my own tea stash with me when I travel.  But when I really want to amp up my coffee and I need more caffeine I make this!

I know many of you are tea and coffee lovers too so I thought I'd share some of my other favorites for fall and the easiest way to make a DIY Dirty Chai Latte recipe at home.  Trust me this version is better than the coffee house barista or even Starbucks!

How to Make Dirty Chai Latte At Home - My Simple Trick!

I drink tea year-round but love finding cozier flavors of a Dirty Chai Latte this time of year.  Sweater and boot weather lends itself to the full, rich flavors of chai tea.  TAZO makes a perfect Chai Classic Black Tea that has a robust blend of black tea, cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, and spices.  Sometimes it's even called Masala Chai.  This is another favorite of mine I always have in the pantry.  It's a great way to mix it up if you are getting bored with your basic breakfast tea.

They also offer the same classic flavor in premade concentrate, which is perfect for making this drink without all the fuss.  It's such a great kitchen shortcut.  If you are wondering how to make a dirty chai latte at home... THIS IS IT!

I love the rich cinnamon and spice flavors in Chai for fall and winter.  It's a great way to mix it up from going all pumpkin all the time.

Difference between Chai Latte and Dirty Chai Latte?

The difference between a Chai Latte and Dirty Chai Latte is simply whether the shot of espresso is included.  The dirty version includes the shot and a plain does not.  Both of them have the same blend of black tea and spices like cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and vanilla.

What are the spices in Chai tea?

• Cinnamon
• Ginger
• Cardamom
• Black Pepper
• Nutmeg
• Cloves
• Fennel Seed

What Tea Do I Use?

There are lots of popular brands of tea that make a Chai tea that can create a Dirty Chai Latte at home but I love TAZO.  All their tea flavors including their Zen, Awake English Breakfast, and of course their Classic Chai Tea are so good.

If you can't find the spiced tea concentrate you can brew your own from their Chai tea bags like these.  And then add the blend of spices I listed above.

To make the chai tea without a packaged box of chai tea, you blend you simmer the spices with water and black tea on the stove.

Using this box is an amazing shortcut though.

Dirty Chai Latte Ingredients

So what's in a Dirty Chai Latte?

• TAZO Chai tea concentrate: The premade concentrate makes it super easy to make homemade drink.  If you don't have the concentrate brew black tea in water with the spices listed above.
• Milk: Use your favorite milk, including unflavored non-dairy or dairy-free milk.  For an extra rich treat use whole milk or half and half.
• Espresso: A shot of espresso is what makes a chai latte "dirty".  If you don't have an espresso machine you can use a strong coffee.
• Ice: Add ice to make an iced dirty chai latte.
• Stevia or another sweetener: Add sweetener according to your taste.  You can even use honey.

You can find TAZO Chai Tea Concentrate in most grocery stores or order it through Amazon. <--affiliate link.

Variations

• Make Your Own Chai Spice Tea: If you don't have the tea concentrate you can use a rich black tea, like TAZO.  Brew the tea on the stove and allow it to simmer with cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger.
• Make it Without an Espresso Machine: If you don't have an espresso maker you can substitute 5 ounces of brewed strong coffee.
• Make it Vegan: Make the recipe vegan or dairy-free by using almond milk, oat milk, soy milk, or cashew milk.
• Make it Iced Dirty Chai Latte: Cool your coffee and tea mixture and serve it over ice.
• Make it a Green Tea Dirty Chai: Substitute spice-infused green tea for the chai tea.
• Make it a Filthy Dirty Chai Latte: Use TWO shots of espresso instead of just one.
• Make it Decaf Dirty Chai Latte: To get the flavor without the huge caffeine boost, use decaffeinated black tea and decaffeinated strong coffee.

How do you make Dirty Chai Latte?

To make the Dirty Chai Latte recipe...

1. Add equal parts TAZO Chai Tea Concentrate and milk.
2. Next, add a shot of espresso to make it dirty. For a regular Chai Latte just leave out the espresso (which is what I'm doing during pregnancy!).
3. If you want it warm heat up the concentrate and milk on the stove or in the microwave, but if you like it cold shake the mixture with ice.  It's perfect with a touch of stevia too.
4. Top the mixture with an extra sprinkle of cinnamon.

You can also use a hand frother to make your frothed milk fluffy!  The best temperature for froth milk is 150 degrees, which is scalding hot.

How to Store:

Your Dirty Chai Latte is best enjoyed fresh, but you can store any leftovers of the chai tea and espresso mixture in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.  Add the milk when you are ready to serve it.

What's the caffeine content?

A Dirty Chai Latte has a hefty dose of caffeine from both the black tea and a shot of espresso.  Caffeine levels can vary from the specific tea and coffee you use, but it generally ranges around 160 milligrams of caffeine, vs 50-60 for a regular.

This Dirty Chai Latte is Better Than the Coffee Shop!

The finished Dirty Chai Latte tastes better than going out and saves you time and money.  Plus, my version is much lower in calories, around 100, and is much lower than a coffee shop.  It's the perfect drink for the new season!  The recipe for it is below.

Hopefully, it takes the guesswork out of how to make a classic coffee house drink.  Whether you use my shortcut or make it from scratch, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Other Fall Inspired Drinks You'll Enjoy...

• Easy Chai Tea Recipe
• Healthy Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
• Crock Pot Skinny Hot Chocolate

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment and a star rating ★ below. Make sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook too!

Dirty Chai Latte recipe

Julie Wunder

A Dirty Chai Latte is a popular drink served at coffee shops - it's a chai latte with a shot or two of espresso added. Curious about how to make a Dirty Chai Latte? You'll love this easy homemade version with a shortcut plus some of my other favorite fall teas!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 5 minutes mins

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Servings 1 serving

Calories 73 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 3 ounces TAZO Chai Tea Concentrate
• 3 ounces milk, or non-dairy milk
• 1 shot espresso
• stevia or sweetener of choice
• ice, optional

Instructions

 

• Pour equal parts of TAZO Chai Tea Concentrate and milk in a glass.  Add the shot of espresso, ice, and stir.
• To enjoy warm heat up the TAZO Chai Tea Concentrate and leave out the ice!

Notes

You can also use a frother to mix up your milk like at the coffee shop.

This is best served fresh, but leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.

Nutrition

Calories: 73kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 22mgSugar: 16g

Keyword chai latte, dirty chai latte, latte

Tried this recipe?Mention @Julie_Wunder or tag #RunninginaSkirt!

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