Homemade Pumpkin Chai Latte
Total Time
10 minutes
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Rating
4.9 out of 5 stars
(55)
Ingredients
1 drink
- 1 tea bag of spiced chai or decaf spiced rooibos chai
- ½ cup plain, unsweetened almond milk or milk of choice*
- 2 tablespoons real pumpkin purée
- 1 tablespoon real maple syrup or honey
- ¼ teaspoon pumpkin spice blend (or ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger, dash of nutmeg, dash of cloves)
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Tiny dash of salt
- ½ teaspoon arrowroot starch or cornstarch (optional, makes the latte super creamy)
- Optional garnishes: 1 cinnamon stick or star of anise, coconut whipped cream** or real whipped cream
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Preparation
Step 1
In a small saucepan, bring ½ cup water to a gentle boil. Remove the water from heat, add the tea bag, and let it steep for 4 minutes. Before removing the tea bag, squeeze any water remaining out by pressing the tea bag against the side of the pan with the back of a spoon.
Step 2
Add the almond milk, pumpkin purée, maple syrup, pumpkin spice blend, vanilla, and salt to the pan. Whisk in the optional arrowroot starch or cornstarch. Pour the mixture into a stand blender and blend for a minute or two, until the components are blended together and the drink is nice and creamy. (You can alternatively use an immersion blender, but I had much better results with my stand blender.)
Step 3
Pour the mixture back into your pan and gently rewarm on the stove, then pour it into a mug. Top with optional whipped coconut cream and/or garnish with a cinnamon stick or star of anise.
Step 4
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Chef's notes
This recipe is designed for unsweetened milk, like almond milk or cashew milk. If you’re using cow’s milk or sweetened almond milk, you might prefer less maple syrup. If you’re using whole milk, your drink might be plenty creamy without starch.
It’s easy to add more sweetness if you’d like. Whisk in more maple syrup by the teaspoon until you’re satisfied.
Spices and tea bags vary in potency. It’s important to squeeze the water from your tea bag to extract all the flavor. If you taste your latte and it’s not spicy enough, whisk in another 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of pumpkin spice or ground cinnamon.
Any quality chai tea bag will do. I like to use Numi or Yogi brand teas when I make this drink.
Toppings are optional. For a creamy, rich topping, add whipped cream. For more spice, add a cinnamon stick or star of anise.
