The Iced Apple Crisp Nondairy Cream Chai Latte (Starbucks Copycat) That's Better in 5 Minutes
TLDR: This copycat iced apple crisp nondairy cream chai latte layers a silky apple brown sugar cold foam over spicy chai and oat milk. The trick is frothing barista-style oat milk with soy milk for 25 seconds — it creates a stable, cloud-like foam that doesn't deflate. One sip and you'll skip the drive-thru all fall.
Equipment
- Small mason jar or glass
- Milk frother
- Tall Glass
Ingredients
For the Apple Cream Cold Foam
- 2 tbsp barista-style oat milk regular oat milk won't work
- 1 tbsp soy milk unsweetened, avoid super-thin
- 1 tbsp apple brown sugar syrup store-bought or homemade
- 1 tsp vanilla syrup homemade works
For the Drink Base
- 0.5 cup oat milk any oat milk
- 0.5 cup chai tea concentrate Tazo or Oregon Chai
Instructions
- Froth the cold foam: Add the 2 tbsp barista oat milk, 1 tbsp soy milk, 1 tbsp apple brown sugar syrup, and 1 tsp vanilla syrup to a small mason jar or glass. Submerge the milk frother and turn it on. Froth for 20–30 seconds — stopping at 20 seconds gives a slightly thinner foam (still good), while 30 seconds yields a thick, cloud-like texture that sits on top of the drink for a solid 15 minutes. You'll see it change from a dark liquid to a pale, creamy foam with small bubbles. Set it aside.
- Build the drink base: Fill a tall glass to the top with ice. The ice needs to be packed — if there's too much empty space, the foam will sink into the drink instead of floating.
- Add the chai: Pour ½ cup of chai tea concentrate directly over the ice.
- Pour the oat milk: Slowly pour ½ cup oat milk over the chai and ice. Stir gently with a straw if you want the chai and oat milk to meld together — otherwise leave it layered for a pretty gradient.
- Top with foam and serve: Spoon the apple cream cold foam onto the top of the drink. The foam should sit like a thick blanket — if it starts to sink, your foam needs a few more seconds of frothing next time. Insert a straw and drink up!
Notes
- Cold foam needs cold ingredients: If your oat milk is room temperature, the foam won't whip as thick. Keep the milks in the fridge — cold milk traps air better.
- Don't overfill the jar for frothing: The foam doubles or triples in volume. A small jar or glass with plenty of headspace (at least double the liquid depth) lets the frother create more air.
- Syrups can be mixed together first: Stir the apple brown sugar syrup and vanilla syrup into the milk before frothing — that way the flavor is evenly distributed.
- Tap the jar after frothing: Give the jar a couple of taps on the counter to pop any large bubbles. The result is a smooth, uniform foam.