Iced Cherry Chai (Starbucks Copycat)

Homemade Starbucks Iced Cherry Chai

An Iced Cherry Chai is a two part drink that tops a classic iced chai tea latte with a creamy layer of cherry-flavored cold foam.

For a little extra cherry goodness, my homemade version of this Starbucks springtime drink, with a nod to cherry blossom season, is topped with crunchy bits of cherry candy.

I’m a big fan of recreating Starbucks drinks at home, and this Iced Cherry Chai is as simple to put together as everyone’s favorite iced chai with vanilla sweet cream cold foam.

Spiced chai pairs perfectly with sweet fruit, which makes this beverage a 10/10 in my opinion.

For this drink, put away the straw. The magic happens when each sip is a yummy mix of cherry, cream and chai.

Why You’ll Love this Starbucks Copycat Drink

Easy – This recipe is made with pre-mixed chai concentrate so there’s no brewing involved. And don’t be intimidated by making flavored cold foam at home. Really it’s just a quick blend of flavored syrup and whipping cream.

Delicious – If you love chai, this latte with a cherry twist is definitely worth a try. The combination of sweet and spiced tastes amazing.

Budget-Friendly – Starbucks prices aren’t for the faint of heart these days, so making your own drinks at home vs getting them from the coffeeshop is a money-saver. Once you have the ingredients, you’ll have enough to make the drink several times.

Iced Cherry Chai Recipe

This simple recipe makes the equivalent of a Starbucks 16-ounce grande Iced Cherry Chai.

Ingredients Needed

• chai concentrate
• milk (for latte and cold foam)
• ice
• heavy cream
• cherry syrup
• optional garnish

Chai Concentrate – Use your favorite brand of chai tea concentrate. I’m partial to Tazo, but I find that the taste of chai is very individual. You can also use homemade chai concentrate.

Milk – Milk is needed for both the latte part of the drink and the cold foam topping.

I use 2% dairy milk for the latte, but use what you prefer.

I recommend using a splash of whole or 2% for the cold foam. However, if you don’t have either, you can skip it.

Just note, if you are dairy-free: It’s not possible to make this drink totally dairy-free since the cold foam topping must be made with heavy cream.

Ice – It’s an iced latte so ice is a big portion of the drink. I recommend using ice made with filtered water for the best taste.

If you need a way to filter water, I always recommend this Brita water filter pitcher.

Heavy Cream – Heavy cream, also called whipping cream, is aerated to make the creamy layer of drinkable cold foam. There really is no substitute.

Cherry Syrup – Make homemade cherry simple syrup or get a bottle of store-bought cherry syrup to flavor the cold foam.

Optional Garnish – To bring the cherry flavor to the surface (quite literally) garnish your drink with crunchy cherry bits.

I just crushed up a few hard cherry candies. You can also crush freeze-dried cherries into a powder to sprinkle on top. I will say, though, that they’re hard to find in stores.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Detailed recipe and instructions are in recipe card at bottom of post.

1. Make the cherry cold foam. Combine heavy cream, splash of milk and cherry syrup in a bowl that’s been chilled in the freezer. Using a milk frother, aerate until a creamy consistency is reached. Return the bowl with cold foam to the freezer to further thicken while you prepare the latte.
2. Make the iced chai latte. In a 16 fluid ounce glass make the latte by adding the ingredients in this order: chai concentrate, milk, ice to fill glass nearly to the top.
3. Assemble the iced cherry chai. Remove the cherry cold foam from the freezer and froth it once again for the perfect thickness. Pour on top of the chai. Crush your cherry garnish of choice (I used cherry flavored hard candies) and sprinkle on top.

Making the cherry cream cold foam topping.

Making the latte and assembling the iced cherry chai drink.

Tips for Making the Best Cherry Cream Cold Foam

Use cold everything. Just like making homemade whipped cream, the key to thickening heavy cream is to make sure everything is cold. This includes the bowl, whisk, syrup and the cream itself.

Don’t over-froth. It only takes a few second to thicken the cream by adding air to it. If you over-froth, you risk popping the air bubbles that have formed.

For perfectly thickened cold foam, place in freezer while assembling drink. I find that putting the bowl of frothed cold foam in the freezer for a mere 2 minutes while I get the rest of the drink ready makes all the difference to getting it the right consistency.

Once it’s chilled and frothed a second time for just a couple seconds it’s perfect.

If you look at my picture above with the cream being poured onto the latte, you can readily see how it resembles melted ice cream. That’s what you’re aiming for.

More Iced Chai Latte Recipes

• 5-Minute Iced Chai Tea Latte with Tea Bags
• Homemade Starbucks Iced Chai Latte with Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam
• Homemade Starbucks Iced Chai Latte with Matcha Cream Cold Foam
• Iced Apple Crisp Cream Chai Latte (Starbucks Copycat)
• Homemade Iced Chai Tea Latte with Pumpkin Cold Foam