Starbucks Tea Recipes to Make at Home
Can’t get to Starbucks for your favorite tea drink, hot or iced?
Whether you don’t have a nearby Starbucks, are stuck at home, or just want to save money, you can still satisfy your craving for Starbucks tea.
This post shows you how to make a dozen of Starbucks popular tea drinks in your very own kitchen. For example, see how easy it is to make an Iced Chai Latte or Sick Tea.
If you’re not familiar with Starbucks iced tea and hot tea offerings, be sure and visit these menu guides to see their selection.
1. Medicine Ball Tea (Sick Tea)
First things first…this hot tea drink’s official name is Honey Citrus Mint Tea. But, you may know it by one of it’s bygone secret menu names: Coldbuster, Sick Tea, Medicine Ball, Medicine Bomb, or Sore Throat Tea, to name a few.
No matter what you call it, many Starbucks regulars swear it helps alleviate some of their cold and flu symptoms.
While it’s certainly not a cure, the hot mint tea, steamed lemonade and honey may provide soothing relief.
Medicine Ball Tea is a combination of two types of tea bags. One is green tea and mint blend while the second tea bag is an herbal peach tea.
The hot tea is mixed with steamed lemonade, which you can warm up on the stove or in the microwave, and a big dollop of honey. See Homemade Medicine Ball Tea: Starbucks Recipe for the detailed recipe and also how to make a lower sugar version with fresh lemon.
Medicine Ball Tea
What you need to make this drink:
- Teavana Jade Citrus Mint tea
- Teavana Peach Tranquility
- Honey
- Lemonade or Lemon
Grocery list for Medicine Ball/Sick Tea
Teavana Tea Jade Citrus Mint and Peach Tranquility
To make Medicine Ball Tea like Starbucks use these two flavors of Teavana sachets: Peach Tranquility and Jade Citrus Mint.
2. Chai Tea Latte (hot)
Warm spicy chai is a favorite of tea drinkers. In fact, the combination of chai and sweet, creamy milk makes this one of Starbucks more popular hot tea drinks.
Ideally made with 2% milk, black tea-based chai concentrate and milk whip up into a yummy tea latte.
The key to making a copycat hot Chai Tea Latte at home is to steam the chai concentrate and milk together. This can be done on the stove and whisked to make it nice and frothy.
Otherwise, and this is how I do it, you can steam and froth the milk in an electric milk frother.
Then, pour the steamed milk over the chai concentrate in a serving cup. Top it with a sprinkle of cinnamon if desired, and enjoy.
A quick note, if you make a chai concentrate with tea bags, use two chai flavored tea bags per cup of water. Then combine the concentrated tea with a cup of steamed milk.
Chai Tea Latte
What you need to make this drink:
- Tazo Chai concentrate or tea bags (or other brand)
- Milk
- Cinnamon (optional)
3. Iced Chai Tea Latte
If you’ve never had a Starbucks Iced Chai Tea Latte, you’re missing out. Luckily it’s really easy to make an at-home version of this year-round popular tea.
There’s just something about the union of black tea infused with spices like cinnamon, cloves and cardamom, shaken with sweet milk and poured over ice, that’s hard to resist.
Iced Chai Tea Latte
What you need to make this drink:
- Tazo Chai concentrate or tea bags
- Milk
- Ice
- Cinnamon (optional)
4. Chai Frappuccino
While making a homemade Chai Frappuccino may seem intimidating, let me tell you, it’s not at all.
As a matter of fact, it’s quite simple to whip up this blended beverage.
If you’re serious about making frappuccinos at home as well as other blended drinks like smoothies, do yourself a favor and get some xanthan gum.
A pinch of this plant based emulsifier is the trick to making a creamy, smooth chai frappuccino. Plus, it keeps all the ingredients blended together so you can slowly sip and enjoy this ice cold chai beverage.
Chai Frappuccino
What you need to make this drink:
- Tazo Chai concentrate
- Milk
- Whipped Cream
- Ice
- Xanthan Gum
Grocery list for Starbucks Chai copycat recipes
Things I Use to Make a Chai Frappuccino
You probably already have most of the ingredients on-hand to make a Chai Frappuccino. Here you can see some of the chai latte concentrate mixes I use, as well as the xantham gum I bought.
Tazo Chai Natural Spiced Black Tea Latte Concentrate 32-ounce Boxes (Pack of 3)
It's Just - Xanthan Gum, Nothing Else, Non-GMO, Made In USA, Keto Friendly Baking, 8oz
5. Iced London Fog Latte
Earl grey tea with a bright spark of bergamot and lavender provides the base of this black tea latte.
And putting the latte together is as easy as pouring tea, vanilla syrup and milk over ice.
Of course, I like to make it a little more decadent with vanilla sweet cream on top.
But, to make an Iced London Fog Latte at home, first, make an earl grey tea concentrate using your favorite brand of tea.
Two of my favorites are Tazo and Harney and Sons.
To make the tea concentrate, simply use double the tea for the same amount of water as you would for a regular cup of tea. You can even cold brew the tea.
You’ll also need vanilla syrup.
Don’t have any? Don’t worry. Making simple syrup is a snap.
All you need is sugar, water and vanilla extract. Take a look at How to Make Vanilla Syrup for simple directions.
What you need to make this drink:
- Earl Grey tea
- Vanilla Syrup
- Milk
- Ice
6. London Fog Tea Latte (hot)
This frothy cup of hot black tea is one of my favorite tea lattes.
Made using the same ingredients as the iced version (minus the ice, of course), a London Fog Tea Latte has a distinct and comforting flavor.
You’ll find that the earl grey tea with its notes of citrus and hints of lavender pair perfectly with steamed milk and vanilla syrup.
London Fog Earl Grey Latte
What you need to make this drink:
- Earl Grey tea
- Vanilla Syrup
- Milk
7. Matcha Green Tea Latte (hot)
Sweetened matcha Japanese green tea powder blended with steamed milk make a delightfully smooth and creamy tea latte.
While it’s bright green color and flavor are distinct, don’t be fooled into thinking this tea is caffeine free.
In fact, matcha is very high in caffeine. On the flip side, matcha is also high in calming L-Theanine and is considered an antioxidant powerhouse.
All you need to do to make a Matcha Green Tea Latte at home, is put 2% milk and sweetened matcha powder (or matcha plus a sweetener of your choice) into an electric milk frother.
You can also steam the milk on the stove or microwave and froth the matcha powder into it using a handheld, battery-operated matcha frother.
If you don’t have a frothing device just add the steamed milk and matcha powder to a jar with a lid and shake until dissolved.
What you need to make this drink:
- Sweetened matcha powder
- Milk
8. Iced Matcha Lemonade
Starbucks uses matcha in many surprising and delicious ways, like an Iced Matcha Green Tea Lemonade, for instance.
Actually, since Starbucks has an ever expanding menu of green teas, I put together this guide: A Barista’s Guide to Green Tea & Matcha at Starbucks so you can see all the choices.
Are you ready to have some fun and make this tasty lemonade?
Grab a shaker or jar with a lid. Fill it up with lemonade, ice and a couple scoops of matcha powder to taste and shake, shake, shake.
Once the matcha is dissolved, pour the matcha lemonade into an ice cold glass and enjoy.
What you need to make this drink:
- Sweetened matcha powder
- Lemonade
- Ice
9. Iced Matcha Green Tea Latte
An Iced Matcha Green Tea Latte is as simple to make as the matcha lemonade. In this case, however, shake together sweetened matcha powder, milk and ice.
You can see step-by-step directions and lots of pictures on this drink’s recipe post: Iced Matcha Green Tea Latte: Starbucks Recipe.
Iced Matcha Green Tea Latte
What you need to make this drink:
- Sweetened matcha powder
- Milk
- Ice
10. Matcha Green Tea Frappuccino
This Matcha Green Tea Creme Frappuccino is absolutely delicious if I do say so myself!
And it’s surprisingly easy to make this decadent blended beverage. You’ll need a blender, of course, and be sure to use xanthan gum.
Honestly, the xanthan gum is the only way to make this copycat taste and feel like the real thing.
Here’s how to make a Matcha Green Tea Frappuccino.
Matcha Green Tea Frappuccino
What you need to make this drink:
- Sweetened matcha powder
- Milk
- Ice
- Vanilla Syrup
- Xanthan Gum
Grocery list for Starbucks Matcha copycat recipes
Matcha Love Green Tea Powder
This sweetened matcha powder is the one I use for my Iced Matcha Latte Starbucks copycat recipe.
11. Iced Green Tea
What I love about making Starbucks green tea copycat recipes is that it’s easy to duplicate their green tea flavor.
Luckily, the blend your barista uses to make the Starbucks green tea base, Teavana Jade Citrus Mint, is readily available.
For example, you can pick up a box at stores like Target, grocery stores or online at Amazon.
The key to making a copycat Starbucks Iced Green Tea at home is to use concentrated green tea. In other words, make double strength tea by using two tea bags per cup of water instead of the usual one.
To make this iced tea, shake together equal amounts of tea concentrate and cold, filtered water, ice, and simple syrup to taste.
If you don’t have simple syrup on hand, just combine sugar and water on the stove to make copycat Starbucks Classic syrup.
It literally takes a couple minutes to make and you can store the leftovers in the fridge for all your iced tea drinks.
What you need to make this drink:
- Teavana Jade Citrus Mint tea
- Simple Syrup
- Water & Ice
12. Iced Green Tea Lemonade
Talk about a refreshing iced tea, this is it.
Starbucks Iced Green Tea Lemonade is a delightful mixture of green tea with lots of minty notes, lemon verbena and lemonade.
Get out your shaker and mix up equal parts of green tea concentrate, lemonade along with ice to make this delightful summertime favorite.
You can see the recipe along with pictures on the recipe post: Starbucks Iced Green Tea Lemonade: Easy Recipe.
Iced Green Tea Lemonade
What you need to make this drink:
- Teavana Jade Citrus Mint tea
- Lemonade
- Ice
Grocery list for Starbucks Green Tea copycat recipes
Teavana Jade Citrus Mint, Green Tea with Spearmint and Lemongrass
60 Count (4 packs of 15 sachets)
13. Iced Passion Tango Tea Lemonade
Iced Passion Tango Tea Lemonade may be one of my favorite summer Starbucks iced tea recipes, although it’s hard to pick.
This beautiful pink iced tea is sweet and sour and hits the spot on a warm summer afternoon. It’s great to make individually or for large gatherings.
While Teavana (the brand Starbucks uses and owns) does not have a passion tea available for sale in stores, Tazo’s Passion Tea is very close.
I like to enhance the taste further by infusing the tea with bits of apple and mango to make it even fruitier. You can see exactly how to make this crowd-pleasing tea on the recipe post: Starbucks Iced Passion Tango Tea Lemonade Recipe.
Iced Passion Tango Tea Lemonade
What you need to make this drink:
- Tazo Passion tea
- Lemonade
- Apple
- Water & Ice
Grocery list for Starbucks Passion Tango Lemonade
Tazo Herbal Tea Iced Tea Bags: Passion Caffeine-Free
Pack of 4 boxes. Each box contains 6 large size iced tea bags.
Can't get to Starbucks? Keep these Teavana teas on-hand at home.
These are some of my favorite Teavana tea blends. I love that the loose tea and flavorful bits of herbs and spices are in sachets for easy brewing.
Teavana Earl Grey Creme (4 packs of 15 sachets)
Black Tea With lavender and vanilla notes (60 Count) Earl grey is one of my favorite blends of black tea and this Teavana sachet is delicious with a wonderful calming aroma.
Teavana Peach Tranquility (4 packs of 15 sachets)
Herbal tea with chamomile and notes of citrus (60 Count). This is one of my favorite herbal teas. Since it's caffeine-free it's perfect for the late afternoon or evening.
Teavana Jade Citrus Mint (4 packs of 15 sachets)
Green Tea With Spearmint and Lemongrass (60 Count) Combine Jade Citrus Mint with Teavana's Peach Tranquility and you have the makings of a Starbucks Medicine Ball Tea.