This chai latte is a delicious drink made uber famous by none other than Starbucks. It’s so popular it even comes in box form found in most supermarkets. However, there are questionable natural flavored ingredients floating through there, not to mention a staggering 34 grams of sugar in under 1 cup!
The Ultimate “Set It and Forget It” Instant Pot Chai Latte
Making chai in the Instant Pot allows the spices to undergo a “deep steep” under pressure, pulling out flavors that a quick 5-minute stovetop simmer simply can't reach. It's hands-off, consistent, and makes your entire house smell like a spice market in the best way possible.
Chai lattes are usually made with water, milk, and black tea with chai spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, ginger, cloves, and star anise. So there’s no reason you can’t make your own at home.
This recipe uses the ease of the Instant Pot, but keep in mind this same recipe can easily be replicated on stove top or in a crockpot.
When is the Best Time to Brew Chai?
While there's never a bad time for chai, this recipe shines in these specific moments:
- The Sunday Prep: Make a large batch of the spiced tea base on Sunday night. Store it in the fridge and just add hot milk for a 60-second latte on busy weekday mornings.
- Rainy Afternoons: It's the ultimate warm drink for when you're curled up with a book.
- Hosting Brunch: It's much more impressive (and flavorful) to serve homemade spiced chai than to pull out tea bags.
- Post-Dinner: The ginger and cardamom in authentic chai are excellent for digestion after a heavy meal.
How to Make Chai Latte at home:
Full printable recipe is below
- Using the saute function on the IP, heat the water.
- Once hot, place 4 black tea bags in.
- Add cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, ginger and cardomom.
- Add the milk and heat through.
It is generally better to brew the tea and spices in water first, then add the milk at the end. Milk can sometimes scorch on the bottom or foam up into the sealing ring.
You can keep this chai latte in the fridge for up to 7 days.
Absolutely! Just use one bag for every one cup of water. However, for the most robust flavor, a strong loose-leaf Assam or Ceylon black tea is recommended.
SIMPLE Instant Pot Chai Latte
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 20 min
- Yield: 1 Latte 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
Description
Why go out and spend $7 on a Chai Latte when you can make them at home at a fraction of the cost?
Ingredients
- 3 Black tea bags
- 2 Cups water
- ½ Cup milk
- 2 Cinnamon sticks
- ¼ Tsp ground ginger
- 4 Cloves
- 1 Star anise
- Pinch of cardamom
- 3 Tbsp honey, maple syrup or agave
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- See instant pot on sauté.
- Heat the water and once it's hot to the touch, add the tea bags. Steep for 4 minutes. Remove and discard the tea bags.
- Add the spices and cook for 10 minutes so the spices bloom. Add the milk and sweetener and stir to combine.
- Serve into glasses topped with cinnamon whipped cream.
Cinnamon Whipped Cream:
- Beat ½ cup heavy cream with 1 Tbsp confectioners sugar and 1 Tsp cinnamon until stiff peaks form.
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