Hazelnut Iced Chai Latte {Dairy-Free}
A naturally sweetened chai tea concentrate, with tons of spicy flavor, blends perfectly with homemade hazelnut milk.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 246kcal
Equipment
- Nut Milk Bag or Cheesecloth
Ingredients
Chai Tea
- 3 cups water
- 8 white peppercorns
- 8 whole cloves
- 8 cardamom pods (slightly crushed)
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 3 star anise
- 3 black tea bags (I used English breakfast)
Hazelnut Milk
- 2/3 cup hazelnuts
- 1/3 cup cashews or sub almonds
- 2 medjool dates more or less, depending on desired sweetness
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- pinch sea salt
Instructions
Hazelnut Milk
- In a blender, add water, hazelnuts, cashews (or almonds), dates, vanilla extract, and a pinch of sea salt. Blend on high for 2-3 minutes. This seems like a long time, but give the nuts time to fully break down in the water.
- Using a nut milk bag or a piece of cheesecloth, run the milk through, separating the pulp from the nut milk. Squeeze the pulp to extract as much milk out as possible. Discard the pulp and store milk in an air tight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Chai Tea
- In a small saucepan, combine the water with the whole spices. Bring the water to a low boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove the pan from heat, and add the tea bags. Allow the tea to steep for 3 minutes, and then remove and discard the tea bags.
- Strain the spices from the tea mixture. Allow the tea to cool to room temperature. Store the tea in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 day, or until ready to use.
Iced Chai Latte
- Mix the hazelnut milk and chai tea together over ice. I prefer about 1 part tea to 2 parts hazelnut milk, but it's a preference!
Notes
Both hazelnut milk and chai tea can be bought prepared at the store.
If you'd prefer to buy hazelnut milk, sweeten the tea with dates. After you've removed the tea bags, add the dates into the tea to soften. Put the dates and ½ cup of tea into a blender and process until smooth. Strain through cheesecloth to remove any pieces of skin left.
If you'd prefer to buy chai tea bags, you can brew the tea, let it cool, and pour it over ice with homemade hazelnut milk.
The spices are suggestions, and the ones I like the best. I tried it with a bit of fresh ginger, and thought the flavor was overwhelming. If you only have a few of the spices, it's okay- cinnamon is the key player here! It will still turn out well.
Look for whole spices at a store like Whole Foods that sells spices in bulk.
Nutrition
Calories: 246kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 367mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 35IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 98mg | Iron: 3mg