Starbucks Iced Gingerbread Chai Latte
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I have to admit that I was quite excited when the Starbucks holiday menu rolled around just under 2 weeks ago! The second drink I tried was the new Iced Gingerbread Chai Latte, and I was super pleased with it! I knew I just had to try to make it myself! I give more details in my free guide to motivate you to get out of your comfort zone in the kitchen, Make Cooking Fun!!, how having a theme can inspire you to have new creations! The holiday are here, and if you’re a gingerbread AND tea lover, then this one is for you! If you’ve already made your gingerbread syrup and/or gingerbread spice, then making this iced chai recipe is the best way to use up your ingredients!
If there’s a Starbucks lover near you (or perhaps yourself!) that spends way too much money ordering lavish drinks at the coffee shop, then you can put your heart in a cup and serve them this incredible Iced Gingerbread Chai Latte - made with real chai! - as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge! All you need to do to get started on your cooking journey today is sign up to my free email newsletter, plus you’ll get all of my latest recipes sent straight to your inbox so you never miss out on a new coffee-shop inspiration idea!
It seems like there’s a lot going on here, but fear not! I’ll guide you through every step of the way to replicate this new Starbucks favourite in the video recipe at the bottom of this post! To check out demonstrations of all of your favourite recipes here, be sure to please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already, and don’t forget to press the bell button to be notified when all of my video recipes are live! Let’s get started!
What is the Iced Gingerbread Oat Chai Latte at Starbucks?
This is a new drink that was launched on November 2nd, 2023, as part of the Starbucks winter menu. Here’s the pop-up you get in the app!
As I always do in my Starbucks at home recipes, let’s go over what the “official” definition of this drink is.
Warm gingerbread notes, a cozy blend of chai spices and creamy oat beverage come together in a tea latte to create a unique, festive, feel-good moment.
source: Starbucks.com
Specifically, a latte is typically a coffee drink that contains 1/3 part espresso and 2/3 milk, with the addition of sweetener, if desired. In this case, however, we’ve got this formula but with tea (chai, in this case) instead of espresso. You can enjoy either a hot or iced latte, where the only difference is that the “iced” will be a cold drink over ice!
What is in Starbucks iced gingerbread chai Latte?
As I always do with my Starbucks at Home recipes, let’s check out the ingredient list:
OATMILK [OATMILK (WATER, OATS), CANOLA OIL, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: DIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, CALCIUM CARBONATE, TRICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, SEA SALT, DICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, RIBOFLAVIN, VITAMIN A, VITAMIN D2, VITAMIN B12], ICE, CHAI TEA CONCENTRATE [AN INFUSION OF (WATER, BLACK TEA, CARDAMOM, BLACK PEPPER, GINGER, CINNAMON, CLOVES, NATURAL FLAVORS, STAR ANISE), SUGAR, HONEY, GINGER JUICE, NATURAL FLAVORS, VANILLA, CITRIC ACID], GINGERBREAD FLAVORED SYRUP [WATER, SUGAR, NATURAL FLAVOR, CITRIC ACID, SODIUM BENZOATE (PRESERVATIVE)], PUMPKIN SPICE TOPPING [CINNAMON, GINGER, NUTMEG, AND CLOVES]
source: Starbucks.com
The chemicals in the oat milk and preservatives in the syrup are a bit concerning to me, but I’ll go into more details into the ingredient breakdown of my recipe later on in this post! You’ll be able to pronounce everything, I promise!
That being said, we will incorporate the same components in the Starbucks drink in this one, meaning Gingerbread Spice, Gingerbread Syrup, the tea, and the cold foam. I’ll quickly go over the Gingerbread Spice and Gingerbread Syrup recipes, but feel free to check out both individual recipes to get more details about them!
Why You Need to Make this Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte!
Icy goodness: If you live in a cold climate like I do then perhaps when you’re freezing out there you’re not really in the mood for a cold drink. However, if you are craving a cold drink, no need to worry about getting cold since you’re making this in your cozy house! No need to step in the snow!
Quick: It’ll seem like a lot of steps, but if you have all of your individual components ready, then the actual drink and cold foam are very fast to make!
Winter treat: We all know that gingerbread is a winter staple, so enjoy this refreshing drink and feel the holiday vibes!
All natural: Everything here is made from scratch. We have our own spice blend where you can control the freshness and potency of. Our gingerbread syrup is made with all-natural ingredients, and the chai is home-brewed chai. This ingredient list has no chemicals or preservatives!
Tea and gingerbread goodness: What I noticed when I drank both my version of the drink and the Starbucks drink is that mine really had a more pronounced chai flavour. I didn’t really taste the tea much in the Starbucks drink. For that matter, I didn’t have much of a gingerbread flavour either, and I kept the base recipe the same. Just tasted a bit sugary. It’s good, but I prefer the actual chai you taste in the homemade drink!
Budget-friendly: A box of tea leaves is about $13 CAD for nearly a kilogram of tea leaves! The box says that there are about 250 servings of tea leaves per package, so the cost per serving is barely 5 cents! The cost of all the other components would be quite negligible except perhaps the milk, so I’d say that the cost per drink would still add up to under a dollar per serving!
Tools needed to make Iced Gingerbread Chai Latte
Ingredients for Iced Gingerbread Chai Latte
You can find all ingredient quantities and save the recipe for later by scrolling to the bottom of this post for the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD, or by pressing the “Jump to Recipe” button. The recipe card also allows you to scale the recipe based on how many iced lattes you want to make so that you know exactly how much tea, syrup, and cold foam you’ll need! No need to calculate ratios here!
For the gingerbread spice
For the gingerbread syrup
Water
Gingerbread spice
For the ginger chai
Water: To boil the tea leaves.
Black tea leaves: If you don’t have black tea leaves, you can use black tea bags. However, you’ll have to use one teabag per portion. Additionally, it is quite likely that the tea bags won’t give as strong of a flavour as the tea leaves.
Milk: The Starbucks default recipe uses oat milk, but I’m going to use whole milk for the creamiest results and it’s my personal preference. Use oat milk if you want to follow the exact Starbucks recipe.
Green cardamom pods: Add these into the chai for a nice aroma, complementing the ginger. You can use the ground cardamom from earlier if desired.
Ginger: Whole ginger root here, which will be mashed and added into the tea.
Sugar: I’m using regular table sugar, but feel free to use whatever sweetener you like.
Vanilla extract: Optional, but I think this added a bit extra body to the tea to give the holiday feeling!
For the gingerbread cold foam
Gingerbread spice
Heavy cream: You can’t use anything lighter than this or else it won’t whip to the desired texture. Heavy cream, also known as “whipping cream,” is designed to do just that!
Milk: Whole milk is ideal here. The milk allows to flatten out the heavy cream so that you don’t get whipped cream, rather you get the foam!
Gingerbread syrup
For the Iced gingerbread chai Latte
Ginger chai: Prepared as above. Starbucks actually uses a chai concentrate, but I much prefer using my very own tea!
Gingerbread syrup: You can use a store-bought one if you don’t want to make your own.
Ice cubes: Key to make this an ICED latte!
Gingerbread cold foam: For garnish.
Gingerbread spice: For garnish over the cold foam. Use a store-bought one if you don’t want to make it yourself.
How to make a Better than Starbucks Iced Gingerbread Chai Latte
For the gingerbread Spice
Mix all the spices together in a plate or shake the ingredients together in an airtight jar.
For the Gingerbread Sauce
In a saucepan, add the water and brown sugar and turn on the heat. Whisk well and warm the mixture until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.
Once dissolved, add the molasses and gently warm for 1-2 minutes.
Add the vanilla extract, turn off the heat and pour out the gingerbread syrup into a mason jar for storage.
Turn off the heat and pour out the gingerbread syrup into a mason jar for storage. Allow to cool before using.
For the Ginger Chai
Smash the ginger pieces in a mortar and pestle or with the side of your chef’s knife. Then, add the ginger to a saucepan with water and bring it to a boil. Boil for 4-5 minutes or until the water changes colour with a tinge of yellow.
Add the tea leaves and boil for 2-3 minutes. Lightly smash the cardamom pods and add to the tea, along with sugar (or sweetener of choice), followed by the vanilla extract. Mix well.
Then pour in the milk and heat until it starts to steam. Once the milk starts to simmer, immediately take the saucepan off the heat.
Pour the chai through a fine mesh sieve into a cup and allow to cool down.
For the Gingerbread cold Foam
In a bowl, measuring cup, or the bowl of a stand mixer, add the cream, milk, and the gingerbread sauce.
Using a frother, blender, hand mixer, stand mixer, or with your hands, whisk this mixture until it has reached the consistency of soft whipped cream.
Add the gingerbread spice and continue to mix. Set aside.
For the Iced Gingerbread Chai Latte
Add the gingerbread syrup to the bottom of the cup. Pour the chai in the serving cup, filling it half way up.
Mix well and then add 2-3 ice cubes.
Top with the gingerbread cold foam and garnish with more gingerbread spice. Enjoy!
TIPS FOR a Better than Starbucks Iced Gingerbread Chai Latte
Allow ingredients to cool: If making your Gingerbread Syrup and chai fresh, allow them to cool down completely before making the latte. This will prevent the ice from melting too quickly.
Prep ahead of time: I’ll admit there are a lot of elements here! Keep in mind that I was recording the recipe video, but when I made everything from the spice, the syrup, the tea and the cold foam, it took about 2 hours - but that’s only because filming adds a bunch of time to any recipe. If you’ve got the spice, syrup, and perhaps even the tea all ready for you, making the cold foam only takes about a minute, and it’ll take only another minute to bring the drink together!
Mash the ginger: Be sure to do this in order for all the juices to release into the tea.
Simmer the milk: No need to boil it while making the tea. Keep stirring to prevent the milk from burning at the bottom of the pot, and make sure you don’t leave its sight so that the milk won’t boil over!
Making cold foam: If you don’t have a stand mixer like I do, you can use a blender (they do this at Starbucks!), a handheld frother, a French press, or simply shake up the ingredients in a mason jar until it gets foamy!
Variations of Iced Gingerbread Chai Latte
Dirty chai: Add a shot (or more… if you dare!) of espresso to make this a Dirty Chai Latte!
Frappuccino: Unfortunately this combination is not available on the Starbucks menu as a Frappuccino, and you can only get this as an iced latte in terms of cold drinks. No fear! You can create your very own Frappuccino by adding everything into a blender and topping with whipped cream, if desired!
Chai base: Due to this being a “gingerbread” chai latte, I used my Ginger Chai recipe as I found it would be really fitting! However, you can use whatever chai base you want! Try out my Masala Chai recipe for some more heat, or my Turmeric Chai Latte for a beautiful golden colour and for some ginger goodness as well!
Cold foam: I made a gingerbread cold foam to go with the drink. However, try out different cold foam toppings! You can make pumpkin cold foam, chocolate cold foam, vanilla cold foam, or anything you feel like! They’re really easy and fun to make!
Topping: Fun fact - the Starbucks drink tops their drink with pumpkin spice! That’s a little strange to me since this is a gingerbread chai latte, but if you want to play around with garnishes, go ahead! You can follow my Pumpkin Spice recipe to make your own pumpkin spice and have a true copy of the Starbucks drink, or you can even make Apple Spice. Play around with some other toppings like Pumpkin Sauce, Mocha Sauce, or Caramel Sauce.
Treats to Enjoy with Iced Gingerbread Chai
Breakfast pairing: You can pair it with a sweet breakfast such as some Blueberry Oatmeal with Honey and Chia Seeds, or have the sweet drink complement the savoury such as with a Sausage McMuffin, Savory Creamy Chicken Crepes, North Indian Potato Brunch Rolls, or Tim Horton’s Farmer’s Wrap.
Afternoon snack: Take it from me that Indians love chai with savoury snacks! For an afternoon pick-me-up, pair your Iced Gingerbread Chai Latte with Paneer Pakoras, Chicken Keema Samosas, or Aloo Puff Patties.
Dessert time: Have a major sweet tooth? End your day with your latte paired with a warm Pumpkin Protein Pizookie, gooey Gluten-Free Fudgy Banana Brownies, or Huge New York Black and White Cookies!
Questions You May Have!
Is the Iced Gingerbread Chai Latte seasonal?
Yes, it is a seasonal drink. As of November 2nd, 2023, this is now a drink that will be available as part of the holiday menu. I assume it’ll come back for many years to come!
Is there still a gingerbread latte at Starbucks?
The classic Gingerbread Latte appeared to have disappeared off the Starbucks menu back in 2019, but 2023 is a wonderful year where you can get the hot or cold coffee-based Gingerbread Latte again. Recipe for this beverage is coming soon!
Can Homemade Starbucks Iced gingerbread latte be Dairy Free?
As you saw, I used whole cow’s milk for the chai and for the cold foam. The Starbucks drink is actually completely vegan. I find that the best cow’s milk substitutes are actually coconut milk and soy milk because they are creamier and richer. However, of course you can use oat milk in both the chai and cold foam if you want to truly replicate the Starbucks drink. Feel free to use almond milk if you really want to, but That being said, if almond milk is your favourite but you really want to keep everything from scratch, then try this Iced Pumpkin Spice recipe with my Homemade Almond Milk Recipe! For oat milk, I really just don’t like it at all in coffee drinks since I find the “oat” taste too prominent.
Can I also Order the iced gingerbread Chai Latte without Oat milk?
As mentioned previously, oat milk is the default base when you order the drink at Starbucks. However, you can change this to the milk of your choice in the app or just ask the barista at the store! I like to order mine with regular milk, though I actually ordered the base recipe for the comparison here. I didn’t notice the “oat” taste in this cold beverage as much as I do in hot coffee drinks.
IS THERE CAFFEINE IN An Iced gingerbread Chai Latte?
Yes, according to Starbucks, a grande Iced Gingerbread Chai Latte has 100 mg of caffeine. While I can’t give you a real number of how much caffeine my recipe has, it is true that black tea contains caffeine. If you’re very sensitive to caffeine, perhaps reserve this drink for earlier in the day!
How Can I Make this Iced Gingerbread Chai Latte Lighter?
If you want to cut down on the calories, that’s very easy to do! Simply use less spoonfuls of the gingerbread syrup, use a lower calorie milk, and/or skip out on the cold foam! That’s all!
What if I Want This gingerbread Chai Latte to be Hot?
While it’s not being so heavily promoted at Starbucks, if you check the menu under the “Hot Tea” section, turns out you actually can get this tea hot! To make the hot version of this Gingerbread Chai Latte at home, simply serve as soon as your tea is ready and obviously don’t add ice! Furthermore, it’s a little counterintuitive to top your hot drink with cold foam. Instead, to replicate the drink at Starbucks, steam some milk in a saucepan or microwave and froth it a handheld frother or a coffee machine that foams milk. Top with the gingerbread spice and enjoy! Optionally, you could even top with some Homemade Whipped Cream!
Other Starbucks Winter Drinks
Watch How to Make homemade starbucks Iced gingerbread chai Latte here:
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cookingwithanadi. Thank you!