Iced Dirty Chai Latte

This iced dirty chai latte with vanilla cold foam comes together so quickly by steeping chai tea bags combined with espresso, milk and vanilla syrup. Plus the vanilla cold foam with cinnamon on top elevates this dirty chai latte to another level of goodness. Just like this iced dirty matcha tea latte this chai latte will give you that extra caffeine boost.

Why you'll love this drink

This chai drink is cozy and the perfect pick-me up drink. The combination of aromatic spiced flavors from the chai tea and sweetness from vanilla syrup combined with freshly brewed espresso and topped with vanilla cold foam makes it the most delicious drink.

Do you like the Starbucks Iced Chai Latte? then you need to make this at home for half the price. To make it a regular chai latte just omit the espresso shot. You can definitely make your own chai tea from from scratch, but If you're like me and like going the quick route then steeping chai tea bags in hot water is the way to go.

Dirty chai vs Chai latte

Both drinks are delicious and cozy. The difference is the amount of caffeine between both drinks. A regular chai latte has some caffeine from the chai tea, but is very minimal. Whereas, if you are looking for a caffeine boost then the added espresso shots in the dirty chai latte will give you that pick-me up.

Dirty chai latte Ingredients and tools you'll need

• Chai tea - 2 tea bags of strongly brewed chai tea
• espresso - for that caffeine boost - 1 or 2 shots of freshly brewed espresso. I personally like 2 shots of espresso.
• oat milk - for some creaminess. Oat milk or any milk of choice works great
• vanilla syrup - for sweetness but cane sugar or sweetener of choice works great.
• ice cubes - to make it into an iced dirty chai latte
• vanilla cinnamon cold foam - combination of heavy cream, milk, vanilla syrup plus ground cinnamon.
• Espresso machine ( I use this one), you can use Nespresso, Moka pot, a French press or Aeropress portable espresso maker too.
• Tools for the cold foam - hand frother, (my personal favorite) blender, mason jar with a lid or electric hand mixer

How to make an iced dirty chai tea latte

Scroll down to recipe card for full recipe

Start by steeping the chai (flavored black tea) tea bags in half cup of hot water. You can either boil some water or quickly microwave the water for 90 seconds - add tea bags and set aside to steep for five minutes. Next brew one or two shots of espresso. Two shots of expresso definitely is the way to go for that caffeine boost.

In a tall glass add ice cubes, chai tea, espresso and vanilla syrup. Pour in oat milk or milk of choice and give it a stir. Your iced dirty chai latte can be done here, but to elevate this drink add vanilla cold foam with cinnamon on top. (so delicious!)

How to make vanilla cold foam

In a small glass add 2 tablespoon of milk, 2 tablespoon of heavy cream, 1 tablespoon of vanilla syrup and ⅛ teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Froth using a handheld frother or electric hand mixer for about 30 seconds or until the consistency has a foamy thick texture. Lastly, pour the sweet vanilla cold foam with cinnamon over the iced dirty chai latte and sprinkle more cinnamon on top and enjoy!

Variations

Sweetener - You can use any sweetener of choice but I love the combination of vanilla syrup with chai and espresso. Store bought vanilla syrup does the trick. Other favorite sweeteners I like using are cane sugar and brown brown sugar

Cold foam milk variations - You can substitute milk of choice here. I personally like to use heavy cream for a thicker consistency combined with oat milk. The use of both milks gives it that very frothy finish without being overly stiff like whipped cream. If you don't have heavy cream you can also use only half and half, or nut creamers of choice. Don't want to use two type of milks? extra creamy nut milk work great here too or barista milks. Just use 2-4 oz of milk of choice instead. Just note that the consistency of the vanilla cold foam will vary depending on the milk you choose.

Try these other delicious drinks with cold foam

• Chocolate Cream Cold Brew
• Strawberry Matcha Latte with Strawberry Cold Foam
• Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam Brew