Try this pumpkin chai tea latte—a satisfying hot drink that’s easy to make in advance for any party, get-together, or just to sip on leisurely all day.
Pumpkin chai is a hug-in-a-mug, blending warm spices, black tea, real pumpkin, and hot milk that you can make ahead and keep warm in a slow cooker.
Perfect for spending a cozy fall day snug on the couch with a blanket and a good book!
I’m sharing both slow cooker and stove-top instructions in this post and plenty of variations so you can further customize this drink and make it your own.
This fall, I’ve been absolutely loving making this pumpkin chai latte for friends and family.
It’s a warm, delicious drink that my kids love and that’s easy to make for a crowd.
Most recently, I made a batch of pumpkin chai in the afternoon for us to take trick-or-treating for Halloween.
It was the perfect thing to keep us toasty in the cold weather and our bellies full until we were ready to head home for dinner.
I’m already planning to make this for Thanksgiving as well! (Pop over to this post to see what else I’m thinking about making for Thanksgiving.)
This recipe is a great hot drink to serve for a fall brunch, baby shower, dinner party, or to have just because.
I mean, do we really need to have a reason to curl up at home with a hot drink?
What Is Chai and Why It Pairs Perfectly with Pumpkin
Chai tea is black tea that’s been spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and ginger. If I’m not having coffee, this is the drink for me.
The word “chai” comes from Hindi and literally means “tea.” It’s supposed to help aid digestion and is a key part of Indian culture. Plus it’s delicious!
Traditional Indian masala chai is served hot and contains a blend of black tea, milk, water, sugar, and spices including fresh ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and black pepper.
Some of the exact same spices you’d find in pumpkin pie spice.
Adding pumpkin to chai is a match made in autumn heaven. The spices in chai complement pumpkin’s natural sweetness, and the pumpkin gives the drink plenty of body and together, they turn into a velvety, fall-flavored cup of happiness.
This pumpkin chai latte tastes a bit like pumpkin pie with vanilla ice cream or like a pumpkin spice latte without the coffee. (Speaking of, I’ve also got a homemade pumpkin spice latte recipe if you need a hit of caffeine.)
It’s comforting, warming, sweet, and just the right amount of fancy to feel like a treat on a random Tuesday afternoon.
Let’s make it!
Ingredients to Make This Pumpkin Chai Recipe
You will need:
- pumpkin puree (canned or homemade)
- black tea bags (regular or decaffeinated)
- sugar or sweetener
- milk of your choice (2% or whole milk, creamy oat milk, and unsweetened almond milk all work great)
- vanilla extract
- ground cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg
- whole cinnamon and star anise (optional)
How to Make Slow-Cooker Pumpkin Chai Latte
Making this pumpkin chai latte is simple!
First, you’ll need to brew a strong batch of spiced tea.
Bring 6 cups of water to a boil.
Then add 10 tea bags, 2 teaspoons each of ground cinnamon and ginger, and 1 teaspoon each of cloves, cardamom, and nutmeg. Steep for 8 minutes before removing the tea bags.
Next, transfer the warm tea to the slow cooker. Whisk in a cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree, 1/4 cup vanilla extract, and 6 cups of your favorite unsweetened milk.
I like to use extra creamy oat milk, but my family also enjoys whole milk. Sometimes we get a little crazy and mix a bit of almond milk in as well.
Finally, add in a whole cinnamon stick and 3-5 star anise for extra flavor and prettiness.
Set your slow cooker to high and allow the flavors meld for about 2 hours.
TIP: Aerate the pumpkin chai tea before serving using an immersion blender, handheld frother, or stirring rapidly with a whisk.
Enjoy immediately, or turn the slow cooker to low and sip on this cozy, spicy drink all day long.
How to Make Pumpkin Chai Latte on the Stove
Of course, you can also make pumpkin chai latte on the stove just as easily as in the slow cooker.
Follow the directions above using a large stockpot instead of a slow cooker. Once the tea is brewed, whisk in the sugar, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, milk, and whole spices.
Heat the latte just shy of a boil, which should take about 5 minutes on medium heat.
Then divvy up the pumpkin chai in your favorite mugs and serve immediately. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and whole star anise if desired.
Variations on Pumpkin Chai Tea
Feel free to customize pumpkin chai latte however you like!
Here are a few ways to make it your own:
- Ice it! After brewing the tea and adding the rest of the ingredients, chill the drink in the refrigerator and serve with ice.
- Use maple syrup as your sweetener to get just about all the fall flavors in a single mug.
- Make it dairy-free with extra creamy oat milk.
- Reduce the calories by using sugar substitute and unsweetened almond milk.
- Add a shot of espresso to each mug to make a dirty pumpkin chai.
- For a spicy, extra-warming drink, add a teaspoon of cayenne to the batch, or more if you dare.
- Ready for cocktail hour? Add a shot of spiced rum to each mug. Serve hot or iced.
FAQs
Yes. Turn this tea latte into a dirty chai by swapping tea for freshly brewed coffee and keeping everything else the same.
Make this drink up to 6 hours ahead of time and allow the drink to simmer on low in the slow cooker. You can also complete the recipe up to two days in advance and keep it in the refrigerator. Reheat on the stove or in the slow cooker before serving.
You’ll need to brew a strong batch of tea to get the best flavor. To do this, make sure your water comes to a full boil. Do not skimp on the tea bags. Set a timer and allow the tea to brew for the full 8 minutes.
An 8-ounce cup of black tea can contain anywhere from 40–60 milligrams of caffeine. Because this drink is blended with milk and other ingredients and contains tea brewed on the strong side, I would guess that a cup of pumpkin chai latte would have roughly 30 milligrams of caffeine.
Substitute dairy milk with almond milk or, my favorite, extra creamy oat milk.
Use whole milk or half and half.
Pumpkin Chai Latte
Equipment
- slow cooker
Ingredients
- 6 cups water
- 10 black tea bags regular or decaffeinated
- 1 cup sugar or sweetener
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree canned or homemade
- 6 cups milk of your choice 2% or whole milk, creamy oat milk, and unsweetened almond milk all work great
- 1/4 cup vanilla extract
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 whole cinnamon stick optional
- 3 whole star anise optional
Instructions
How to Make Pumpkin Chai Latte in a Slow Cooker
- Bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Then add 10 tea bags, 2 teaspoons each of ground cinnamon and ginger, and 1 teaspoon each of cloves, cardamom, and nutmeg. Steep for 8 minutes before removing the tea bags.
- Transfer spiced tea to the slow cooker insert and whisk in a cup of sugar (or any sweetener of your choice), 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree, 1/4 cup vanilla extract, and 6 cups of milk.
- Add in a whole cinnamon stick and 3–5 star anise.
- Set your slow cooker to high and allow the flavors meld for about 2 hours.
- Aerate the pumpkin chai tea before serving using an immersion blender, handheld frother, or stirring rapidly with a whisk.
- Enjoy immediately, or turn the slow cooker to low and sip on this cozy, spicy drink all day long.
How to Make Pumpkin Chai Latte on the Stove
- Follow the directions above using a large stockpot instead of a slow cooker. Once the tea is brewed, whisk in the sugar, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, milk, and whole spices.
- Heat the latte just shy of a boil, which should take about 5 minutes on medium heat.
- Then divvy up the pumpkin chai in your favorite mugs and serve immediately.
Notes
- Ice it! After brewing the tea and adding the rest of the ingredients, chill the drink in the refrigerator and serve with ice.
- Use maple syrup as your sweetener.
- Make it dairy-free with extra creamy oat milk.
- Reduce the calories by using sugar substitute and unsweetened almond milk.
- Add a shot of espresso to each mug to make a dirty pumpkin chai.
- For a spicy, extra-warming drink, add a teaspoon of cayenne to the batch, or more if you dare.
- Ready for cocktail hour? Add a shot of spiced rum to each mug. Serve hot or iced.