Christmas Morning Chai Latte Recipe

This delicious Chai Latte is the perfect drink to sip while you enjoy Christmas morning. It is a subtle combination of black tea, spices and coconut sugar steeped into whole milk and topped with the best chai spiced whipped cream. This will quickly make it on the list of traditions you won’t want to miss!

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As a teenager and young adult, I used to love getting a Chai Tea Latte at a coffee shop in the winter. It was such a comforting, cozy drink whenever I wanted to mix it up from my normal coffee routine. After chai started becoming more popular, the instant powder mix version of this delicious drink hit the market. I tried a few different versions of the chai tea packets, but they were all so sugar-laden and overly sweet that I gave up on chai drinks for a while. Recently, I started experimenting with my own version of chai tea, and I have to say I think I nailed it. This chai recipe is subtly sweet, creamy without being too rich, and perfectly spiced. The best part? It is seriously SO easy peasy to make! Not to mention it is a fraction of the price of coffee shop chai which is an obvious win.

Chai vs. Masala Chai

Chai means “tea” in Hindi. Here in the United States, we think of chai as the spicy, creamy drink made popular by coffee shops a while back. But in India, chai just means tea. So saying “chai tea” is like saying “tea tea.” Chai in India is typically associated with milk tea because tea is most commonly made with milk in India. “Masala” refers to a blend of spices. So Masala Chai is just regular milk tea (chai) enhanced with spices during the cooking process. I learned from a friend who is from India that the proper way to make milk tea is with one part milk and one part water. I love this method because I find that tea steeps better in hot water than milk. So using this ratio of milk and water allows the tea flavor to fully infuse while also lending the creaminess from the milk that is expected in a chai latte.

Chai spice blends can be totally customized and adjusted with more or different spices to add more or less aroma to your spiced milk tea. However, the basic six spices most commonly found in masala chai are: cinnamon, cloves, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg and black pepper. If you want to get an intensely bold flavor, you can use whole spices like cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, fresh ginger, whole cardamom pods, whole nutmeg and whole black peppercorns. For simplicity’s sake, I chose to purchase ground spices and save myself the extra step. You can totally customize this blend to your liking! Feel free to leave out any spices that aren’t your cup of tea (see what I did there?), or add an extra shake of the ones you really love. Not only is this spice blend absolutely delicious, there are health benefits to each of these spices too!

Christmas Morning Chai Latte –

To make a Christmas Morning Chai Latte, begin my making the spice mix. This recipe for Christmas Morning Chai Spice Mix yields more of the mix than you will use for one latte recipe, so if you don’t want to have a jar of the extra spice mix on hand, I would suggest dividing the spice mix recipe before making it. I like to keep some stored in the cupboard so we can make chai lattes without measuring the spices every time. This mix will stay good in a sealed mason jar for at least a year.

Christmas Morning Chai Spice Mix –

Here is the recipe I use for my Christmas Morning Chai:

• 1 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground cloves
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Traditionally, masala chai is sweetened with cane sugar. However, I opted to use coconut sugar for a more subtle sweetness and a healthier alternative to cane sugar. Coconut sugar has a much lower glycemic index than cane sugar meaning it does not spike your blood sugar and insulin like cane sugar does. To make Christmas Morning Chai Spice Mix, just combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined. Or, you can add all of the ingredients to a mason jar, cover with a lid and shake it up. This spice mix can be stored in a sealed jar for up to year. Christmas Morning Chai Spice Mix also makes a great gift!! Read through to the bottom of this post for a FREE gift tag download!

How to make a Christmas Morning Chai Latte –

To make two servings of Christmas Morning Chai, bring 1 cup of whole milk mixed with 1 cup of water to a simmer in a small saucepan. When the milk is hot it will start to foam – watch it carefully! It boils over very easily. Stir it often to prevent the milk from burning on the bottom of the pan. After the milk is hot and simmering, remove from the heat and add 1 black tea bag or black tea leaves if you prefer loose leaf tea. Stir in 1 1/2 Tablespoons Chai Spice Mix and let it steep for 5 minutes. I prefer to use these organic black tea bags for my chai drinks.

While the tea is steeping, make the Chai Spiced Whipped Cream. To do this, add 1 cup of heavy whipping cream to a stand mixer with 2 Tablespoons Chai Spice Mix and mix with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed until the cream has fluffed up to the desired texture. Seriously, don’t skip this part. It is so delicious!

When the tea is done steeping, remove the tea bag and pour into a cute Christmas mug. If you used loose black tea leaves, strain through a mesh strainer as you pour it into the mug. Don’t forget to top with a generous scoop of Chai Spiced Whipped Cream! Sprinkle with a little shake of cinnamon and enjoy this drink on Christmas Eve or with your Christmas morning breakfast. The smell of chai tea drinks steeping while cinnamon rolls bake in the oven on Christmas morning is absolutely heavenly and something everyone needs to experience this holiday season.

Other Ideas for Chai Spice Mix –

Instead of black tea, try adding some of this spice mix to your hot chocolate!

Make an iced version of Christmas Morning Chai by combining the spice mix with the heated milk and water. After steeping, remove the tea bag and allow the drink to chill in the fridge for a couple of hours, or until cold. Serve over ice with a little vanilla extract or vanilla syrup. YUM!

This Chai Spice Mix makes a great Christmas gift! Package it in a jar with one of these cute labels! Paired with a cute Christmas mug- what a perfect, easy gift!

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