This brown sugar oat milk chai latte is sweet, creamy, and spicy, and it is so addicting. This is a chai twist on the viral Starbucks’ brown sugar shaken espresso and as a tea latte.

It’s easy to make, especially if you buy chai concentrate, and it takes less than 5 minutes. You’ll have a delicious and easy drink ready in no time, and you’ll want to make it again and again once you’ve tried it.

Here’s how to make a homemade brown sugar oat milk chai latte!

What is Chai?

Chai, also called masala chai, is a delicious Indian sweetened and spiced milk tea. It’s one of the most popular beverages in India, and you’ll find it in any restaurant, road stall, and even at home.

Generally, chai is made from Assam black tea, sugar, milk, green cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, star anise, and cloves. Chai has a 1 to 1 ratio of milk to water, which makes it incredibly creamy. Not all spices are used, except cardamom (it’s always used), but you’ll find a variation of three in any chai.

Every household in India has its own chai recipe that is just a little different than everyone else’s. Some like to add other spices like black pepper and nutmeg. It’s really up to personal taste.

People use regular sugar for sweeteners, but some use jaggery, an unrefined palm sugar with a nice molasses taste. Usually, whole milk is used in chai since the extra fat helps make the chai smooth and flavorful.

Chai Tea Latte?

Chai comes from the Hindi word for ‘tea’, and masala in English means spices, so masala chai literally translates to spiced tea.

Chai tea means tea tea. So, if you want to ask for chai, just say chai! Chai tea is a Western way of saying chai (thanks to marketing).

But if you say chai tea, no one will take massive offense to it, and people will know what you’re talking about.

Also, a chai tea latte or chai latte is chai concentrate and milk, much like an iced latte made with espresso and milk. It’s a Western drink that appeals to new palettes, and you won’t find it in India.

What Does Chai Taste Like?

Depending on the spices added, chai can taste floral or spicy, but it’s usually a combination of both. You can add black pepper, ginger, nutmeg, or cloves, significantly altering the flavor profile.

Chai is also an aromatic, smooth, and sweet tea with a wonderful, almost velvet, silky smooth texture.

It has a very rich taste because much of the moisture from the milk has been boiled off, so it almost has an evaporated milk flavor. As a result, chai is super milky without losing any of the tea taste.

Hot chai is the classic way to serve it, and that’s when the spices and sweetness really shine, but iced chai is popular among young adults in Western countries, from iced chais and chai lattes.

While not as traditional, iced chai drinks have introduced millions to this staple Indian beverage.

How Do You Make Chai

To make chai traditionally, simmer the tea, water, milk, sugar, and spices in a pot and aerate it while it boils. Then, it’s ready to serve straight out of the pot.

Food Science Break: Aerating chai improves the flavor! It’s like decanting wine—when air is incorporated into chai, it forces the oxidation of bitter agents called tannins in tea. So, chai tastes less bitter afterward. Plus, it becomes more silky.

First, grind fresh spices using a mortar and pestle for the best flavor. Then, boil the spices in equal parts water and milk before adding tea and boiling it.

Once you’ve boiled the mixture a couple of times until the desired color and consistency, strain and enjoy!

Everyone has their own method of making chai, but they all generally follow a similar structure. Most variation comes from the spices added, tea used, and aeration method.

What is a Tea Latte?

As mentioned, a tea latte is a shot of tea concentrate and milk. You can make tea lattes with any tea, including jasmine, oolong, black tea, etc.

However, getting concentrated tea can be tricky since there are no extracting methods like espresso for tea.

Tea lattes are best with chai or matcha, which easily flavor large amounts of milk. Flavors from a green or oolong tea might get washed away by the milk.

To make concentrated teas, you either brew more tea leaves for a smaller quantity of water or boil brewed tea until most of the water evaporates. However, I don’t know if the latter method will taste different after being boiled…

What is Oat Milk?

Oat milk is processed oats and water that make a creamy, plant alternative to milk. It’s popular for its ultra-creamy texture and neutral taste, pairing perfectly with coffee, teas, or even by itself.

You can make oat milk at home or buy it from the grocery store with many brands like Oatly, Planet Oat, Califia Farms, and more.

However, premade oat milk has a lot of added sugars in it, more than the average person would think. For example, one serving of Oatly’s oat milk has 7 grams of added sugar.

Oat milk doesn’t taste sweet—the added sugars are a byproduct of oat processing from grain to milk. The sugar is maltose, which isn’t very sweet but increases blood sugar quickly when consumed.

Not all oat milk has added sugars, but it’s something to look for if you’re looking out for your blood sugar levels.

Is Tea Good with Oat Milk?

If you like creamy beverages, you’ll love oat milk with tea. Oat milk has a very creamy texture, so it’s perfect for making teas or coffees creamy without adding too much.

Oat milk doesn’t have a strong flavor either, so it’s a neutral vehicle for lighter tea flavors.

However, I think oat milk is best with strong teas like a black tea or chai, which benefit from creamy milk.

Tips

Here are some tips on how to make a great brown sugar oat milk chai latte at home:

• You can make chai concentrate at home by brewing chai without milk and then boiling the liquid until about half the water evaporates.
• Use a French press or handheld frother to froth oat milk! It’s fast and convenient to make extra frothy oat milk.
• To control sugar, make or buy unsweetened chai concentrate. You can always add sugar later, but you can’t remove it once you add it to your drink.
• You can always use preground spices if you don’t have fresh spices. The spice flavor won’t be as strong, though, and you might have to use double the amount for the same flavor.