Best Ever Vanilla Chai Powder Mix
This Vanilla Chai Powder Mix is the perfect little luxury to keep in your pantry for those mornings when you want something a bit more special than a plain cup of coffee. It’s got all those warm, cozy spices like ginger and cardamom that make it taste just like a fancy coffee shop treat, but for a fraction of the cost!
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Best Ever Vanilla Chai Powder Mix
- Serves: 4
- Main Ingredients: Non Fat Dry Milk Powder, Powdered Non Dairy Creamer, Sugar Free French Vanilla Powdered Non Dairy Creamer, Ideal Sweetener, Unsweetened Instant Tea, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves
- Why You'll Love It: 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.
Better Than Your Local Coffee Shop
A few months back, I met a friend 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 and depth of flavor. It was like a perfectly baked ginger cookie dipped into perfectly made coffee.
However, I don’t drink sugar for a multitude of reasons (hence my sugar-free Skinny Pumpkin Spice Latte), 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! 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.
Reader Review
“Made this weekend, and sipping on a cup as we “speak”. DELICIOUS! I don’t need the sugar either, and this recipe is PERFECT. Plenty sweet and gives my local “5-Bucks” a run for their money! I will be packaging in a mason jar and including in my neighbor gift baskets this Christmas. Thanks!” – Kristen
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Powdered milk
- Sweetener
- Instant unsweetened tea
- Sugar-free French vanilla creamer
- Non-dairy coffee creamer
- Ginger
- Allspice
- Cloves
- Nutmeg
- White pepper
- Cinnamon
- Cardamom
Quick Tips for a Delicious Chai
- You can use regular sugar or Splenda in place of the Ideal Sweetener. I found Ideal at Kroger’s packaged under their own label, but with “Ideal” listed on the front.
- Make a big batch and store it in a pretty jar. It makes a great homemade gift for friends and family, especially during the holidays!
- If your mix clumps up over time, just give it a quick pulse in the food processor or break it up with a spoon before using.
- Try it with warm almond or oat milk for a dairy-free version. It’s just as delicious and super creamy!
- Start with less sweetener than you think you need. You can always add more to your cup, but you can’t take it out once it’s mixed in.
How to Make the Best Vanilla Chai Powder Mix
1. Add Ingredients to a Food Processor
Add all of your ingredients to a large food processor or blender.
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.
Tip: 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 well, then you can stir the rest in by hand.
2. Make the Vanilla Chai Mix
Next, put the lid on that puppy and turn it on. Allow the processor to run until the vanilla chai mix becomes a fine, even powder.
3. Make Your Vanilla Chai
To make your chai, simply add 2 heaping tablespoons of mix to 8 ounces of hot water or milk and stir. I personally love mine with hot water, but use whatever you prefer!
That’s it! Enjoy your cozy cup of vanilla chai!
How to Store
Just store this in an airtight container to keep it fresh. I like to put mine in little 8-ounce canning jars so I can have one or two to give away to friends.
In the mood for more traditional Southern sweets? How about some Old-Fashioned Frog Eye Salad? YUM! Now that we’ve done all that mental cooking, it’s time to sit down with a nice hot drink….
Best Ever Vanilla Chai Powder Mix FAQs
Vanilla chai is essentially spiced chai with added vanilla. Regular spiced chai focuses on bold warming spices like cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Vanilla chai uses those same spices and adds a smooth vanilla flavor that softens the blend, making it slightly sweeter and creamier. It’s the more mellow, dessert-like version of your classic spiced chai.
It depends! If you’re using black tea as your base, expect a moderate caffeine boost that’s similar to a regular cup of tea, but less than coffee. To keep caffeine levels low, swap in a decaf black tea or rooibos instead. Rooibos is naturally caffeine-free and pairs wonderfully with warm chai spices. Ultimately, you’re in control of how much caffeine ends up in your cup!
If you want to make more of this delicious tea, just double or triple the recipe! The ratios work out perfectly when scaled up. The only thing to keep in mind is that your food processor might get a little crowded, so you may want to blend in two separate batches to make sure everything mixes evenly.
If this vanilla chai mix made your morning a little more special, I’d love to know! Leave a rating and comment below.
Ingredients
- 1 cup non-fat dry milk powder
- 1 cup powdered non-dairy creamer I used Coffee Mate
- 1 cup sugar-free French vanilla powdered non-dairy creamer
- 2½ cups sweetener Splenda or sugar
- 1½ cups unsweetened instant tea or use decaf
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp cardamom
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp allspice
- ¼ tsp white pepper
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into a food processor or large blender. Blend until a fine powder forms. Store in an airtight container.
- To make Vanilla Chai, add 2-3 tablespoons of mix to 8 ounces of hot water or milk (I use hot water).
Notes
Nutrition
I don’t like vanilla nothing but this recipe sounds yummy. Never tried chai tea I know were have I been but I like to stick with the basics. Spices are pricey but this drink sounds so tempting. Thanks
I’m so glad you like chai. I’m a big fan of chai too but I generally tend to get the chai tea bags only because I don’t want to drink the powdered mixes too much. Of course the powdered stuff is wickedly good though, what with all the creamer and stuff. But the actual bags are still nice and I just make it up like a normal hot tea with milk and a tiny bit of sugar.
I do have a funny tea story when we were in Vegas my mum ordered tea and I was quick to add “not ice tea, she doesn’t want ice tea. She wants breakfast tea with milk.” The waiter had a funny look on his face and brought out ice tea and a glass of milk!!!!! I explained again and he said “OH! You mean HOT tea!” lol If you ask for tea here you automatically get hot tea. Lol
I’m with you, Su! I’m considering making this mix, but it sounds like a lot of work and I might be tempted to overindulge if I had a lot of it and it is tasty.
Funny story about getting the ice tea and milk in Vegas! Yes, we always have to specify hot tea if you don’t want to get cold! I guess since coffee is the American hot beverage of choice, no one really thinks of drinking tea hot! Of course, now people are making iced coffee, too, but you’d have to specify if you’d want that cold instead of hot!
i love vanilla chai too! I started out with that Oregon brand in the purple carton that you just dump in some milk. This recipe sounds wonderful and a ton more diabetic friendly. thanks for posting! I agree St. Arbucks is less than wonderful.
I love the reference to St. Arbucks! I will remember that! (and use it often!)
For those of y’all that think nutmeg is “icky”…try using only 1/2 teaspoon of it, and choose cinnamon for the extra 1/2 teaspoon…this gives the blending of spices but NOT the power of nutmeg!! This stuff is soooo good. hugs and blessings to all y’all.
Just wondering……..how does it affect the final product (mix) if you don’t use a food processor or blender and just stir it together in a big bowl?
By not using the processor or blender, you will probably get “floaters”, as in bits of nutmeg and less fine spices floating on top of your drink, which may bother some.
Thank you Christy! Love Chai Latte!!! Yum! Will be making this very soon. I too and cutting out as much sugar as possible. This is PERFECT!
Kristen in MS
Oh Christy, I have used this recipe for about five years and I’ve even made up big batches and given them with homemade biscotti and pretty mugs for Christmas. I love this and the fact that it is sugar free makes it so well received. I am so glad you posted it on here. I also want to tell you I”ve been reading your blog for years and I bought your book and love trying all the recipes. My hubby loves them too. And for those who asked Chai is pronounced CHIY. Blessings to you and your family Christy.
Kathy