Best Ever Vanilla Chai Mix – Sounds Southern if you say it right :)
In the mood for more traditional Southern cooking? Click here to check out Crispy Breaded Pork Chops with MeMe’s Mashed Potatoes and Milk Gravy, or try some fried cabbage and Sweet and Sour Green Beans. For dessert, how about peanut butter or coconut pie? YUM! Now that we’ve done all that mental cooking, it’s time to sit down with a nice hot drink….
A few months back I met my friend Lisa in a local coffee shop for a little chat and when I got there she had ordered me their Spiced Vanilla Chai. I had never had this stuff before and one sip had me leaping over the moon, it was so good! I was really surprised that it wasn’t coffee because it has such body to it and depth of flavors. It was like a perfectly baked ginger cookie dipped into perfectly made coffee – I was in heaven. Lisa was quick to tell me that this Chai was exceptional and not to get it anywhere else expecting it to be this good. She told me not to even attempt to try it at Starbucks because theirs can’t come close. I took another sip as my eyes just about rolled back in my head it was so good!
However, I don’t drink sugar for a multitude of reasons so when the lady behind the counter told me she couldn’t make it sugar free, I was pretty disappointed. Good thing I don’t give up too easily!
Me and Kelly 
I set about on a mission to recreate their recipe. Since they could only make it one particular way I assumed they were using a mix of some sort, and it had to be one they made themselves to boot. At first I started making tea and adding in little spices here and there, but then I tried out several recipes online and eventually found myself at my friend Kelly’s blog. Lo and behold, Kelly’s recipe turned out to be an exact flavor match.
The great thing about this recipe is that I could easily make it sugar free (or significantly lower in sugar) and that is what I’m bringing you today. If you’d like Kelly’s original recipe please click here to visit that and be sure and tell her I sent ya! I want to thank her for generously giving me permission to share her recipe with you today.
Update: Mama and I were out of town recently and I brought a little jar of this mix with me. Mama really doesn’t like hot tea at all. I know that seems odd to 90% of the world’s population but you’ve got to understand that where I’m from we only drink tea iced all our lives so the thought of suddenly drinking it hot really does strike us as odd, but like I said, this stuff tastes so much like coffee that I just knew she’d love it. So that morning I ran some hot water through the little coffee machine in our room and made her a cup. She took one sip and said “Are you serious? This is really tea?” Since then I’ve made her two batches of this mix. She and I have both got to drinking it more than we do coffee. I told her I was going to do this tutorial yesterday and she said “Well if you’re going to be making some more I’m down to only half a jar…”
You’ll need: Powdered milk, Ideal Sweetener*, Instant unsweetened tea, Sugar Free French Vanilla Creamer, and non dairy coffee creamer.
*You can use regular sugar or splenda in place of the Ideal Sweetener. I found Ideal at Krogers packaged under their own label, but with “Ideal” listed on the front.
You’re also gonna need a lot of spices, but they’re what MAKE this tea so stinking good.
Ginger, Allspice, Cloves, Nutmeg, White Pepper, Cinnamon, and Cardamom*.
Go for the cheap here wherever you can. I know some folks really get a thrill out of spending $20 plus on a little bottle of spices and if you’re in that camp, knock yourself out. I cruise the store brands and sale bins for mine. Nothing but the cheapest for my family! ~grins~
*Now this cardamom is going to cost a fortune. I spent around ten dollars for my bottle. However, you’ll have enough of it to make several batches. I have no idea how many times I’ve made this and I’m still using the same bottle.
Place all ingredients into a food processor.
Now this is where you decide if you like stronger or weaker beverages. If you prefer stronger flavors, use heaping measurements with your spices. I use heaping teaspoons, rather than teaspoons. If you prefer your flavors a little milder, use the exact measurements listed in the recipe.
Once you have all ingredients in your food processor, put the lid on that puppy and get ready to make some mix!
I’m using my workhorse Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Food Processor. They now have a deluxe version that is even less expensive than mine was (click here to see it).
I’ve had this for a few years now and really put it through the ringer and it’s held up like a champ.
If you don’t have a food processor, you can also use a blender but you may need to make it in smaller batches to have room. Just put your tea, spices, and powdered milk in first and mix those up really good, then you can stir the rest in by hand.
This is what it will look like when done.
Now, just store this in an airtight container to keep fresh.
I like to put mine in little 8 ounce canning jars so I can have one or two to give away to friends.
To make your chai, simply add two heaping tablespoons of mix to 8 ounces of hot water or milk and stir (I use hot water).
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Non Fat Dry Milk Powder
- 1 Cup Powdered Non Dairy Creamer (Coffee Mate)
- 1 Cup Sugar Free French Vanilla Powdered Non Dairy Creamer
- 2-1/2 Cups Ideal Sweetener, Splenda, or Sugar
- 1-1/2 Cups Unsweetened Instant Tea (can use Decaf)
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into a food processor or large blender. Blend until it is a fine powder. Store in airtight container.
- To make Vanilla Chai, add two to three tablespoons of mix to 8 ounces of hot water or milk (I use hot water).
Print This Recipe
Train up a child in the way that they should go –
and make sure you go that way, too!
Saw on Facebook courtesy of Janie Upchurch. Thanks Janie!
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Posted by Christy Jordan
on Mar 6 2012. Filed under Beverages.
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We’ve wanted a Chai mix for years, after trying it at “one of those home parties” =)
This sounds great!
Has anyone tried substituting black pepper for the white pepper?
Yes, I couldn’t find the white pepper in my store and used the black pepper and it was still excellent!!! I already gave some to my cousin as a housewarming gift!!!
Thank you!
I just tried this recipe….it is out of this world! I, too, watch my sugar…and fat….so I lightened it up even more by using “lite” non dairy creamer / store brand. It tastes great! Thanks!
I am so glad you like it Pat!!! It is my favorite!!!
Tell your Mama I am with her. I don’ t drink hot tea. The only hot drink I drink is hot chocolate and not that often.. I don’t drink coffee or tea, not even iced tea!! But i am a real southern gal otherwise!! I make iced tea for my hubby. Hope that counts!!!!
Mixed it up yesterday, took some next door to my Dad, he came back with my mug, and went back home with a jar full of Vanilla Chai mix. I was out of cinnamon after the first batch, he went to the store and brought me 2 jars of cinnamon, guess I’ll be mixing up more. I love it too.
I’ve been looking for a sugar free version of this forever. However, my dear Christy, Creamer is never “sugar free”. Everyone single one of them will have corn syrup in it (or something similar). I am diabetic, so I check labels all the time. I’m going to make this and just add more non-fat milk powder. Thank you so much from Michigan and me.
Oh, by the way, I left the cardamom out, too expensive, and used decaf tea.
Hi Christy, I’m pretty sure I live near you – in Huntsville with a Madison zip code – sooooo, would you please tell me where you had this wonderful concoction locally? You can email me privately; I understand if can’t say online but I’ve just gotta know. I am going to make the mix and I love the idea of having some for gifts, … but sometimes you’ve just got to go out with a girlfrined. You did!
I was going to ask the same question.
Do you have a suggestion to replace the powdered creamer? We stopped using is because there are hydrogenated oils in all the brands we have looked into.
Thanks.
I wonder if you found a good replacement for the powdered creamer?
Any idea what the calorie content would be for 2T of the mix when using splenda?
I think someone figured the calorie content with ideal and it would be same with Splenda. Typing this on my phone so I can only see your comment right now in afraid!
I just made this & it is absolutely “Glorious”. even the wonderful aroma of it is amazing
) Thank you so much for sharing this. for a few days, I just mixed the spices from the recipe & poured a little into a cup of tea & added vanilla creamer until I had a chance to go & get the rest of the ingredients. Thank you SOOOOOOOOOOO much for sharing this one. I’m hooked 
) You’re the best!
I love this Christy ! Even more than some I bought .I just used 1 cup of Spenda and it was sweet enough .I used decaff tea so I can drink it at night .
Thanks for sharing !
The only kind of instant tea I could find had lemon in it. Do you think it will be ok in the chai mix? My daugher and I love chai tea.
[...] – chai tea, my family thinks it is the best thing [...]
You should look into Penzey’s spices! They have SUPERB quality and the prices are very reasonable. You don’t have to buy a lot, so the price is actually less than the grocery store. They have a mail order site and many stores throughout the US. The web address is penzeys.com
Also, I am offering up this info of my own accord! I am not being paid to say this. I have used their products for well over 10 years–I even buy my pepper from them. It’s that good!
Thank you so much for telling us about this site Leigh!!! I am going to check it out now!
Christy, thank you for sharing this recipe with us. I just made some and it is
REALLY good. I love hot spiced teas and am happy to add this to my list.
I am glad to hear you liked it!! I think I am addicted to it, I just can’t seem to get enough.
[...] LOOKING FOR SUGAR-FREE CHAI TEA? My friend Christy Jordan adapted my recipe into a sugar-free version HERE. [...]
I wonder if you could use Pumpkin pie spice since it is a blend of cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg and ginger rather than buying all of those ingredients separately and if so, what measurement? I happen to have ALL of the above spices including pps but just wondering for others who might not?
I have no idea on the measurements since it would be difficult to judge the proportions in the spice blend but I would think you could just call it a pumpkin spice latte and make it your own! Sounds delicious!
Ooooh, I just made this recipe to give as gifts in Easter baskets for my college age daughters and their friends, (2 with gluten issues, so this was a fabulous alternative to baked goods)! Thanks so much for the great recipe and the wonderful blog!!
You can buy spices at a health food store from the bulk bins and it is pennies on the dollar opposed to the little jars from the grocery store. It is much cheaper. Thanks for the neat recipe and hi from Montana.
I have been collecting the ingredients for this every time I go to the store! I almost have it all. Not every store has the cardamom and it’s $12.45 at my walmart. I posted on Facebook to see if friends from work had any, we’ll see if that helps! LOL! Sounds so good! I looked up a cardamom substitute, but it’s just a mix of the spices already being added to the recipe and I don’t want to do that. I want the Christy Jordan Southern Plate recipe or nothing!
Has anybody substituted the milk with another ingredient? I’m vegan and this recipe sounds like it can be THE one except for that.
Is there such a thing as powdered soy milk? Seems like it would be incredibly useful so surely someone’s thought it up!
If you have a bulk store or natural store around you, they have powdered soy milk….will have to try it next batch!
i live in n.j. And can,t find tea mix that doesn’t have lemon in it. Tried thT and it curdles the powdered milk. Any help or suggestiond appreciated.
hmmmmm, well that is interesting.. my last comment seems to have disappeared.. Well, I will post again, only shorter this time..
I posted yesterday, that using Coffee Mate creamer that you have in your picture and that you recommended in your recipe, is NOT sugar free.. in fact Coffee Mate Creamer is almost 2/3 pure sugar. Also full of hydrogenated fat. The vanilla creamer in your recipe is also not good for you. It just seems that if you are posting a sugar free recipe, it should be sugar free. Often, people are seeking out a sugar free recipe for their health – this would be oh so tasty!!! But definately NOT healthy.
I’m so excited to make this! I love chai tea but I’m unable to have caffeine of any kind so I stay away from all this. I’m sooo excited I found you on Pinterest! I’m making this today..yay!!
This recipe looks amazing! I absolutely love Chai tea and am so excited to make my own mix…it looks like a great gift idea too! One quick question: If I did want to use regular sugar in place of the artificial sweetener, would I use the same measurement? Or will that make it too sweet?
You’d use the same. Let me know how you like it!!
Thank you so much! I made it tonight and it is wonderful. I’m already thinking about giving it away for Thanksgiving/Christmas presents!!!
I am so glad to hear that you liked it Alexandra!!! What a great and thoughtful idea, I am going to have to start looking for some containers so I can do the same thing!!
Hello! I made this the other day and since then, I’ve had a cup every day! It’s so good! I actually didn’t put any sugar or sweetener in my mix, since I find the creamers are already sweet enough for me. I also used dried skim milk power, since I couldn’t find specifically dried non-fat milk powder. I was lucky to buy all my spices from Bulk Barn (in Ontario, Canada) so I only paid a couple of dollars for all the spices needed. Just wondering if all the made powder dissolves completely….since my cups have had sediment on the bottom….????
Thanks for the great recipe!
Care to share the name of the local coffee shop? I live in Athens, and would love to try some of this before mixing up my own.
This is my FAVORITE hot drink in the fall and winter. BTW though, it is awesome over ice during the hot summer months.
I am so glad to hear that you like it Jayne!!
Can’t wait to try this! I bought a box of powdered milk for a recipe I ended up not liking and I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with the rest. This will also help use up some of the spices I’ve had hanging around. Thanks!
I hope you enjoy it Lisa!!
My Mom and I discovered an Indian store years ago that had alot of the spices cheap and alot of bang for your buck. Maybe an ethnic store would be the way to go for spices. Deffinately gonna try this recipe, I love Chai!
I hope you enjoy the Chai mix Jennifer!
Ever tried it with instant coffee? I might give it a whirl… Do you think I would use the same measurement in place of the tea?
Hi Cristy: Have never found a hot tea I enjoy but am going to try this. What have you got on top of your tea in the picture? Is that a dollop of cool whip or whipping cream? Going to try this soon. (and I think I already have cardamon in the kitchen cabinet). Have a blessed day, Kathy
I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU! WOW! I am WILD! about chai…making everything lower sugar…and making mixes too. This is soo perfect. I can’t tell you how stinkin’ happy I am to find this…and you! A Billion thanks – and big hugs!
I love you too!! So glad I could bring happiness to your day!!
I’ve never tried anything Chai, LOL!!, but, I’m going to try this for sure.!!..all the comments are so positive, that I can’t wait to try it..!!..:))
Oh my goodness Bonnie, you are going to be in for a real treat!! I hope you like it and can’t wait to hear your thoughts after you try it!
This.is.AMAZING!!! I love chai, and am always on the hunt for “the” perfect chai. This is BETTER than any chai I have ever found and I am so VERY VERY grateful!! THANK YOU!!!
I don’t know when I’ve ZIpListed a beverage; it’s been so long. But with pleasure I’ve “zipped” this recipe because I love, love, love Chai Tea and have wondered how to make it at home.
Thank you for posting your recipe. I can’t wait to try it!
Found a BIG jar of cardamom at Target today for only $4. If you are still looking for an inexpensive source, try your local Target.
Oh WOW!!! Thank you so much for the tip Laura!!
I live in Florida and am having a problem finding instant ice tea that’s unsweetened and not lemon flavored. I’ve been to 4 of my local grocery stores and it doesn’t exist. My mother used instant ice tea mix for years so I know it’s out there some where. This is so frustrating because I’m anxious to try this. Any Ideas??
You might try the dollar store. Or, ask the grocery store if they can special order it for you. Most are usually happy to when asked.
I am wondering if i can just use the spices to turn regular tea into chia…I believe in clean/organic eating so all the instant processed stuff is out…gives me horrible headaches…what I want is the spices and raw suage mix that I can just add by the spoonful to regular tea that I have brewed up and then a splash of milk….so my question is…do you think I could just ignore the tea mix and creamer,,and make up a batch of just the spices and sweenter and add to my tea and it should be the same taste right?
Also this might be an alternative for those who can only find lemon instant tea.
Okay.. PINNED again! I am going to print go get all this stuff and get to the store. My daughter is in college and has a keurig and can easily make hot water to have a mug of this. I am sure she will love it.
I am making this for Christmas gifts, however, my problem is my blender, although full size is just not big enough to mix this all so hopefully, just mixing it very well will work. can’t wait to try it out.
I made a batch of this the other day! It is delicious!! Thank you for coming up with this recipe……especially the sugar-free version!
[...] ingredients together until well combined. **If you have any instant chai mix at home. I found this recipe from Southern Plate so you can make your own. I hope these cupcakes make you feel all cozy and snuggly and [...]
I have been looking at webpages at vanilla chai recipes and am very interested in your recipe. I realized it was the vanilla-type chai that has me hooked, from testing the Arkadia brand from the supermarket. It is a lovely taste, the taste that first got me onto chai many years ago but I am looking at the ingredients and there is hardly one ingredient that I recognize. They are not names of spices that are known but a string of ghastly ingredients that any health-conscious person naturally avoids. I feel like throwing out the jar despite it being tasty. I must get onto your recipe. I have just thought – making a batch of your chai sounds like a great gift for someone! Thankyou for your recipe.
I have never had artificial sweeteners and have too much mistrust to start using it. So I will probably use sugar. But I much prefer eating dark sugar rather than white sugar. I wonder how this recipe will taste using dark sugar. Really dark sugar is totally incomparable in taste to white sugar. I just don’t think I can put 2.5 cups of that insipid white stuff in the mix and expect to like it. So my first batch I will be using dark sugar.