Vegan Dirty Chai Latte with Coconut Butter

Cozy right up with this Vegan Dirty Chai Latte. Made with strong chai tea, plant milk, strong coffee (or espresso), almond butter, coconut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla, this hot tonic is both warming and energizing. I love it as an afternoon pick-me-up!

A couple of years ago, I learned about the dirty chai. For those unacquainted, it’s a chai latte with a couple shots of espresso! For a couple of weeks during a particularly cold spell in the winter, it was my go-to order at a local coffee shop. I loved how the creamy, sweet chai tea intermingled with the bitter espresso, and marveled at how it succeeded in waking me up on sleepy workdays without giving me the jitters.

Then, I happened to glance at the sugar content of the chai concentrate that the cafe used, and I was astounded. I believe that one serving of said concentrate had about 18 grams of sugar. Now, I’m not a calorie counter or a sugar fear-monger, but 18 grams of sugar in one drink seemed a bit high to me.

I knew that making a homemade dirty chai latte couldn’t be that difficult, and today I created my very own vegan dirty chai recipe. It’s subtly sweetened with pure maple syrup, but you could easily replace it with a pitted Medjool date, since we’re going to be blending the latte anyways. You can also use coconut sugar or raw honey.

how to make a vegan dirty chai latte

To make your own vegan dirty chai latte, follow these easy steps:

1. Brew 1/2 cup of chai tea in a pot. I love Numi Organic golden chai tea. Numi also makes an herbal rooibos chai for those avoiding caffeine.
2. Brew 1/2 cup of strong coffee, or 2 shots of espresso.
3. To the brewed chai tea, add 1/2 cup of plant milk, 1 tsp of coconut butter, 1 tsp of almond butter, 2 tsp of pure maple syrup, and 1/4 tsp of pure vanilla extract. Heat until very warm.
4. In a blender, combine the brewed coffee or espresso and the chai tea/milk mixture and blend until smooth and frothy.
5. Pour into your favourite mug and serve.

vegan dirty chai latte: some final thoughts

• This vegan dirty chai latte would probably be delicious as an iced latte in the summer months! To serve an iced version, you would want to cool the tea/milk mixture and the coffee or espresso to avoid melting the ice.
• If you don’t want to use maple syrup, you can use one pitted Medjool date instead. Add the date to the warm tea/milk as it’s heating to soften it. You can also use equal amounts of coconut sugar or raw honey.
• Craving more warm drinks? Check out my pumpkin spice latte, Mayan mocha, and superfood hot chocolate recipes as well.

I hope you love this latte “a latte!” If you do, make sure to leave a comment and rating below, and tag a photo on Instagram @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen.

I have my standard recipe roundup below this recipe, so be sure to scroll all the way down to find some delicious plant-based recipes to make this week!

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recipe roundup

Okay, now that you’re contentedly sipping away at your vegan dirty chai, here are some mouthwatering recipes to make in the coming days:

First of all, Annick’s delicious tofu breakfast burritos definitely have me feeling hangry!

I’ve been feeling nostalgic lately, and what better way to honour a favourite childhood lunch than with these peanut butter and jam granola bars?

It’s definitely comfort food season, and we’ve been eating our fair share of potatoes in all their carb-rich glory. But Jessica’s cauliflower mash is definitely on my list of healthy comfort dishes to make!

We used to love our Friday pizza nights, but have fallen out of habit. I think I’m going to have to revive our tradition ASAP, starting with this vegan fennel, sausage, and ricotta pizza!

I’ve got a thing for oatmeal cookies, and Deryn’s cranberry orange oatmeal cookies look so festive!

That’s all for tonight, folks. I’m hitting publish at close to 1 a.m. EST! Hope you enjoy the dirty chai latte and the recipe roundup. Enjoy your Sunday! 🙂