Turmeric Chai Latte Recipe – Homemade Chai Extract with Anti-Inflammatory Turmeric. Dairy or Non-Dairy. Make a Sweet, Exotic and Healing Beverage at Home.
This recipe was inspired by a turmeric chai latte I had at one of my favorite lunch spots. The concept is something I’ve been meaning to experiment with for some time, but I wasn’t entirely sure how to go about it. I love the chai spice mixture in my Coconut Chai Rice Pudding, but I wasn’t sure how to smoothly incorporate those spices into a latte. The answer was to create a tea concentrate that could be refrigerated and used anytime you have a latte craving. The flavor is sweet, exotic and just a little spicy. You can make it with your favorite milk or non-dairy milk substitute. I’m a big fan of coconut milk here, which gives the latte a rich flavor and foamy texture.
Chai is already exotic on it’s own, but the addition of turmeric and black pepper really kicks it up a notch. Lately I’ve been adding turmeric to everything, so it doesn’t seem so crazy that I’m finding a way to drink it as well. The slightly yellow color of this latte comes from the curcumin found in turmeric. Curcumin has significant anti-inflammatory properties that rival those found in ibuprofen. Unlike over-the-counter drugs, curcumin has no toxic effects. In addition, curcumin’s powerful antioxidant advantages have been shown to protect healthy cells, particularly those found in the colon, from cancer-causing agents. It can aid the body in destroying mutated cancer cells before they have a chance to spread to other areas. Pretty amazing, right? As if that weren’t enough, turmeric also helps to lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease. A reader tipped me off to the fact that adding black pepper to turmeric increases the health benefits, so I’ve added a pinch here and I believe it adds depth to the drink.
I’ve been enjoying this latte for a few months now, and figured it was high time I share it with you all. Not only is it fun to drink (who doesn’t love a good chai??), it’s nice knowing that I’m also doing something good for my body. I like this version even better than the one I used to get at the cafe down the road; coincidentally, they stopped making it several months ago. Thank goodness I now have this recipe in my kitchen arsenal! Just make sure you shake up that concentrate before you make the drink to get the full chai flavor. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
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Beauty shots and styling by Bethany Nauert.
Turmeric Chai Latte
Ingredients
Tea Concentrate Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups water
- 6 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 4 black tea bags
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
- Pinch black pepper
Latte Ingredients - Makes 1 Single Latte
- 3/4 cup coconut milk or the milk of your choice-- coconut and regular milk froth the best
- 3/4 teaspoon coconut sugar more or less to taste
- 1/4 cup tea concentrate
- 1/8 teaspoon turmeric
NOTES
Instructions
- To make the tea concentrate, combine all ingredients except for tea bags and vanilla in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil.
- Remove from heat and add the tea bags and vanilla. Let the mixture steep for at least 10 minutes.
- Pour through a fine mesh strainer. Put the concentrate into a sealable container and refrigerate until ready to use. This will keep for up to 7 days. Shake well before using.
- To make 1 latte, whisk together the coconut milk, coconut sugar and turmeric in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat just until the mixture bubbles around the edges of the pan. Remove from heat.
- Combine the warm milk mixture with 1/4 cup of the tea concentrate in a glass. Stir to combine. Garnish with ground cinnamon if desired. You can adjust the sweetness level by adding more or less sugar to taste; I prefer this only mildly sweet.
- Note: If you prefer a frothy latte, use a milk frother or transfer the milk mixture to a deep container and pulse with an immersion blender until frothy. Then combine with 1/4 cup of tea concentrate and serve.
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
Note: Nutrition facts above relate only to tea concentrate. Latte calories will vary based on your milk of choice and the amount of additional sweetener added.
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Cinnamon is an insoluble fiber that will absorb water. That’s what makes the slimy sludge you see when you pour the chai solution through the strainer. Probably using cinnamon sticks instead of powder would reduce the sludge factor. Doesn’t affect the taste though, still delicious!
My concentrate was startlingly “gummy”, or mucilaginous, similar to a vinegar “mother”. Is this normal? If so, any idea why? (S. Downing posted a similar comment, but doesn’t look like it’s been replied to, so posting here to show at least one other person had the same experience).
Is it necessary to use sugar at all? Is the sugar required for anything other than taste? I am thinking of trying this without any sugar but want to make sure there isn’t another reason one would use it. Thanks!
It’s not necessary but it adds a lot to the flavor. You can use whatever sweetener you prefer, or leave it out– but it really tastes best with at least a little sweetening. Enjoy!
A bit of maple syrup is the perfect sweetener for this!
Amazing! We just made our first batch of this chai recipe yesterday and love it. I can see I will have to curb my enthusiasm or I will be drinking it all day every day. Thank you so much. The spice proportions are spot on fabulous!
Just making my first batch, it alrwady smells delicious and really looking forward to it. Added crushed cardamon pods as had no ground….
How much Vanilla?
1 tsp
I substituted white sugar after running out of coconut, also cayenne for black. It gives it a nice bite. This is a great recipe and makes the kitchen smell heavenly!
I used 1/2 the amount of white sugar. It worked well.
The black pepper is important to absorb the beneficial elements of the Turmeric – so it’s best to stock up and incorporate it ?
My daughter just got back from New Zealand and raved about the Tumeric Chia Latte. I am excited to try it since I am a big proponent of Tumeric w/black pepper. I put this in my smoothie every morning, along with cinnamon 🙂
Thank you SO much for such a wonderful recipe!!! It’s magical!! My daughter and Zi can’t make enough of it. We buy the freshest spices and this makes it so good. We also started using almond cream. You buy it just like regular cream. We bought a little frothing device for $20 and whip up the almond cream. What fun. Thanks again!
This is great! I used maple syrup instead of coconut sugar, awesome!
This makes the absolutely best Chai lattes EVER!!! I will never need to buy another at a coffee stand!! thank you so much.
I didn’t read all the comments to this recipe, but I used agave instead of the coconut sugar, and used loose tea instead of bags. I’m trying it today with a star anise added.
Using the coconut milk made it so absolutely decadent!! Thank you so much for this recipe!! It’s exactly what I have been looking for!!
So happy to hear that Norma! 🙂
Hi other than improving appearance and texture is there any reason this needs to be strained? I feel like I’m throwing away a lot of flavour and goodness! I used whole cloves and fresh ginger and added a pinch of nutmeg. I also used less sugar, as a matter of taste. Thank you for the lovely recipe.
It’s for appearance and texture, mostly– the excess spices can render the drink “grainy.” Glad you enjoyed it!
Love IT!!
Hello! I loved the recipe so much I tried it this weekend…one issue though, and I’m hoping you or someone w/ more kitchen experience than me can help.
When I went to poor the final product through the strainer, I had very little clear liquid (1 cup) and a lot of gooey, almost pudding like substance where all the sugar and spices had banned together in an effort to bring down my Chai enjoyment.
Did I boil it to long/hot? Did I caramelize the sugar? I did leave it to steep for about 30 mins, b/c I was pulled away by a home project. Did I let it cool too long?
The final flavor was wonderful and I think will be better w/ coconut milk. I accidentally bought coconut water, but I did use it anyway. It was good for what it was (a coconut water chai “latte”), so the final product can only be amazing.
Thank you all in advance for your help! Super excited to have a professional chai latte using this recipe! 🙂
I love the turmeric recipes thank you.Have you ever tried Quinoa with raisins turmeric and coconut milk, sprinkle cinnamon on top and have it for breakfeast , so yummy and healthy too
Tumeric’s potency is increased over 1000% by combining it with black pepper.
I haven’t made this chai yet, but it looks delicious.
You could be onto something here – delicious & anti-inflammatory 🙂 Can you inject it into American politics?