We get it: you have a raging Starbucks addiction. You're not alone. But if you're looking for a higher quality tea bev to upgrade your morning -- or just to save some moola, we've got you covered with the best DIY Starbucks recipes. From matcha frappes to chai lattes, we're sharing copycat Starbucks tea recipes that will leave you wondering why you ever stepped out of the house for your tea fix.
1. Chai Tea Latte
What is a Chai Tea Latte?
A chai tea latte is a creamy drink that's based off of Indian chai masala tea, or spiced tea. It’s best known for its warming, spicy flavor reminiscent of a perfect Fall day. A true chai tea latte is made with masala chai tea, which has a distinct cinnamony, sweet taste.
What's in Starbucks Chai Tea Latte?
A Starbucks chai tea latte may be delicious, but plot twist: it’s not actually made with real chai masala tea. The popular Starbucks drink is made with artificial chai syrup, rather than infusing the drink with the actual tea. In this copycat recipe, we’ll be using Mosi’s authentic, Indian-sourced loose leaf Masala Chai tea to boost the quality of your go-to Autumn latte.
Ingredients and Equipment for a DIY Starbucks Chai Latte
To make a Starbucks Chai Latte at home, you will need:
Equipment:
- Mosi's tea infuser
- Lidded Jar, Milk Frother, or Whisk
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tsp of Mosi Masala Chai tea
- Sweetener of choice
- 3/4 cup of milk (any type of choice)
How to Make a DIY Starbucks Chai Latte
- Fill the sieve with Mosi's Masala Chai and secure it to the lid.
- Heat the milk of your choice for 30-45 seconds in a microwave-safe mug. Once the milk is heated, take a small whisk and vigorously whisk back and forth for 15-30 seconds until the milk is frothy.
- Add sweetener, milk and toppings to the infuser and attach the lid to the infuser.
- Pour boiling water into your infuser through the spout.
2. Matcha Latte
What is a Matcha Latte?
A matcha latte, or green tea latte, is a latte made out of matcha powder -- the concentrated powder version of green tea.
What's in Starbucks's Matcha Latte?
A matcha latte from Starbucks is made with pre-sweetened matcha that’s essentially an instant matcha powder; regular matcha doesn’t dissolve in water the way the Starbucks matcha does. Starbucks also adds a simple syrup to their matcha, which racks up the sugar content in a grande latte to 32 grams. When making your own matcha latte at home, you can control the sugar content and use an authentic, high-quality matcha powder for a real matcha experience.
Ingredients and Equipment for a DIY Matcha Latte
DIY Starbucks matcha lattes are pretty simple to make. To make one at home, you will need:
Equipment:
- Saucepan
- Spoon or Whisk
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp Mosi Vanilla Matcha
- 2 tsp sugar
- 3 tbsp warm water
- 250ml cold milk or 300ml hot milk (any type)
How to Make a DIY Matcha Latte
- Pour the matcha powder into your Mosi infuser.
- Add the warm water and mix well with the whisk attachment until a smooth, dark green paste is achieved. Double-check that there are no lumps.
- For a hot latte, heat the milk until warm, then pour the milk into the mug. Froth the milk for an extra rich latte! For an iced latte, skip this step and pour the cold milk right into the cup.
- Whisk everything together until you achieve a smooth and consistent light green color. Again, check for any lumps of powder.
- Serve and enjoy! For the iced version, serve with ice. You can also sprinkle some matcha powder on top for a nice touch.
3. London Fog
What is a London Fog?
A London fog is a yummy tea latte typically made with Earl Grey tea and vanilla syrup. With hints of lavender, citrus, and vanilla, and topped off with a frothy layer of milk, this is a decadent, unique treat.
What is in the Starbucks London Fog?
A Starbucks London fog is a mixture of sweetened earl grey tea, vanilla syrup, and milk. Starbucks uses tea bags to steep their earl grey, and often serves the beverage with the tea bags still steeping.
Because tea bags are filled with just the dust and fannings of tea, they do not provide the same rich flavor as a quality loose leaf tea. Loose leaf teas include the whole leaf, resulting in a flavor-packed, robust tea base. We recommend using Mosi's Earl Grey tea for this recipe.
Ingredients and Equipment for a DIY London Fog
To create your own DIY London Fog at home, you’ll need the following ingredients and equipment:
Equipment:
- Saucepan
- Milk Frother, Whisk, or Lidded Jar
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup of brewed Mosi Earl Grey tea
- 1/4 cup of milk (Any milk of choice)
- (Optional) Sweetener of choice
How to Make a DIY London Fog
- Brew the loose-leaf tea in your Mosi infuser.
- While the tea is steeping, heat up the milk in a saucepan until it’s just warm. No need to do this if you prefer your London fog iced.
- Froth the milk using the milk frother or whisk. If you don’t have either, you can shake it in the lidded jar until it’s nice and foamy.
- Once the milk is warm, pour it into a mug with the tea and mix well. Finish it off with frothed milk on top.
- Serve and enjoy!
4. Matcha Green Tea Frappuccino/Frappe
What is a Matcha Green Tea Frappe?
A matcha frappe is a blended version of a green tea latte. It’s a sweeter and less grassy-tasting version of the classic matcha drink, often enjoyed on a hot day. It’s cold and refreshing, usually topped with whipped cream.
What is in Starbucks’s Matcha Green Tea Frappe?
A Starbucks matcha green tea frappe contains the sweetened matcha tea base, milk, classic syrup, and sweetened whipped cream. Because the Starbucks matcha base is an artificial matcha, you can get higher quality results if you try brewing your own matcha at home. When you make matcha at home using Mosi Vanilla Matcha tea, you can enjoy a naturally sweet and slightly grassy flavor with minimal need to add sweeteners. It’s a healthier alternative to a drink we all know and love!
Ingredients and Equipment for a DIY Matcha Green Tea Frappe
To make a DIY Starbucks’s Matcha Frappe, you will need:
Equipment:
- Blender
Ingredients:
- 10 ice cubes
- 1 cup (8oz or 240 ml) any milk of choice
- 1 tbsp Mosi Vanilla Matcha
- Optional: 3 tbsp sweetener of choice
How to Make a DIY Matcha Green Tea Frappe
- Place all of the ingredients into the blender and begin blending them together.
- Blend well, occasionally scraping down the sides and checking for matcha lumps, until you achieve a smooth and creamy texture.
- Top with whipped cream and enjoy!
Why a DIY Matcha Green Tea Frappe is Healthier
A Starbucks matcha frappe is delicious, but it has a high sugar content. The base of Starbucks's sweetened matcha powder, paired with simple syrup and their whipped cream adds up a whopping 48 grams of sugar in a Tall. By making your own matcha frappe at home, you can control the level of sweetness of your drink. Mosi Vanilla Matcha is also infused with real vanilla, so you can skip out on the extra syrup and still enjoy a deliciously healthy vanilla flavor.
5. Green Tea Lemonade
What is Starbucks's Green Tea Lemonade?
One of Starbucks's top summer drinks is their green tea lemonade -- and for good reason. This super refreshing, light and fruity beverage basically tastes like sunshine in a cup. But the green tea they use to brew this drink is lower quality, and comes in a bag. For an even more delicious green tea lemonade with a true green tea flavor, we recommend trying to DIY your Starbucks fave using loose leaf tea, like Mosi's Green Mint Tea. Plus, the added twist of mint turns this refreshing beverage into one that's literally cooling with every sip. Yea, it's that good.
Ingredients for a Copycat Starbucks Green Tea Lemonade
Ingredients
- 1 lemon
- Ice cubes
- 1 tsp Mosi Green Mint loose leaf tea
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 tablespoons honey fresh mint leaves few slices of lemon
How to Make a Copycat Green Tea Lemonade (with a minty twist!)
- Fill the sieve with Mosi Green Mint Tea and secure it to the lid.
- Squeeze the fresh lemon juice into the infuser. Add mint leaves, honey and a couple of lemon slices. Attach the lid to the infuser.
- Add hot water to the infuser through the spout.
- Switch up the lock and flip the infuser upside down. Steep for 3 minutes.
- Flip it right side up and set aside with the lid open to cool for at least 5 minutes. Add your ice cubes.
- Shake your Mosi infuser. Enjoy!
For more delicious tea recipes, check out the Recipe section of our blog!
