A good chai instantly puts me in a good mood - I love when my sister arrives on my doorstep Sunday Morning's to hit the Farmers Market with a Chai in hand for each of us.
I love that girl, she knows the way to my heart.
Problem is, Coffee House Chai's can be an expensive habit. Not only expensive, but FULL of sugar - for those two reason's I decided to try my hand at a homemade vegan instant chai mix. The idea was born after seeing this pin on Pinterest (is anyone else head over heels in love with Pinterest - I sure am!) .
The ingredients can be challenging to find in your local grocery store, I searched high and low and in the end only ended up purchasing the spices needed locally. I easily found the remaining ingredients on Amazon.
Once you have the ingredients the chai comes together in a flash - just measure, give the mix a quick go in the processor and then divide your chai mix into storage containers.
This recipe can easily be doubled, even when not doubled it makes a crazy amount of mix. Perfect for sharing with your friends and family. If you have been following the DIY series, you may have noticed a theme - all of the DIY thus far would make perfect Holiday or Hostess gifts, the Chai mix is no different.
The original recipe suggests you us hot water with the Chai Mix - as you may have noticed that is what my labels instruct. Personally, I love heating up a mug of almond milk versus using hot water, it gives the Chai more of a coffee house feel. If you like your Chai a little on the sweeter side I found a drizzle of pure maple syrup works really well. Freeze dried raspberries can also be added to the Chai Mix during the processing step which will create a Raspberry Chai.
Coconut sugar is used in the below recipe, how ever vegan granulated sugar can be subbed in for the coconut sugar using the same measurements.
Once made, the mix can be stored at room temp for up to 6 months, in the Fridge for 1 year or in the freezer indefinitely (but really, why would you want to do that!)
Are you a fan of Chai?
Have you ever made homemade mixes such as this in your own Kitchen? If you have I would love to hear what you have made!
In case you missed it...
DIY Week 1- Vanilla Extract
DIY Week 2- Flavored Salts
Instant Chai
makes a ton (sorry I didn't measure-out!)
you will need:
2 1/2 cups coconut sugar
1 1/2 cups All Natural Organic Instant Black Tea Powder
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp cardamom
assembly:
Place all ingredients in the bowl of your food processor- process until the mix becomes a fine powder.
Transfer mix to airtight containers (I used mason jars)
To serve, add 3 tsp of chai mix to a mug of how water or non dairy milk - add a splash of maple syrup or your favorite liquid sweetener for a bit sweeter chai.
variations
for Raspberry Chai Mix - add 1 cup freeze dried raspberries
for Blueberry Chai Mix- add 1 cup freeze dried blueberries
for Strawberry Chai Mix - add 1 cup freeze dried strawberries
you know, i'm not a fan AT ALL of chai tea. but i wonder if homemade would change my mind? in any case, this would be a fantastic diy gift ;)
ReplyDeleteYes! This is such an awesome idea. I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner? Chai tea is usually so full of sugar and expensive, love the idea of making your own! I am working on a "basics" post and will include this link, perfect timing :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome- thanks Alex!
Deletei agree with the first statement.. a good chai puts me in an awesome mood..i love your diy series.. the strawberry chai must taste amazing! hubbs makes awesome chai indian style. our masala is quite heavy on cardamom:)
ReplyDeleteoh and i love those Labels.. where r you printing them!
I ordered craft labels from Amazon and the fonts are from my computer- so easy and total cuteness! They are the Avery Round Craft Paper Labels :)
DeleteGenius. A good chai is definitely the perfect mood setter :D
ReplyDeleteCheers
CCU
Yummy!!!! Love chai tea. You are right - chai teas from coffee shops are an expensive addiction! This homemade version sounds perfect. I love the variations you suggested too. Love your DIY series! I'm learning so much :)
ReplyDeletewhat a wonderful idea!!! :) Great!!
ReplyDeleteI just discovered your blog and I love it!
xox Amy
You just gave me an idea for next Christmas' gifts! LOL! Never too early to plan :)
ReplyDeleteWow this is so fun! What a great gift idea! I'm keeping this in mind for next fall- perfect for going out to the markets as you said :)
ReplyDeleteIs there any particular reason to use two different types of dry soymilk instead of all the same one? Just wondering what the difference between the two is..
ReplyDeleteOne is Vanilla Flavored and the other is not- You could definitely use one or the other, I didn't want an overwhelming "vanilla" taste so went with a combination of both :)
DeleteI love your pictures and recipes. I'd like to inform you of a great new website www.foodieportal.com. I would like to invite you to come and join us and share your wonderful pictures with us. We are simply foodies and we are not photography snobs, so picture perfection is not important, all we care about is delicious food.
ReplyDeleteGirl, your DIY series is the best! Now I've just gotta find a tea substitute to make this, or maybe I can just leave the tea out. (I know, I'm weird, I try to avoid caffeine).
ReplyDeleteme too! i was just thinking the same thing. what if we just left the tea out? Somer, let's figure it out and have a chai making party!
DeleteWhen I went to buy my tea they had instant decaf tea as well. :)
DeleteExcellent! I am actually testing out a recipe that uses this mix in a granola- should be on the blog this month! (hopefully next week :) )
DeleteI love chai lattes even though I know how bad they are for me with all the sugar in the chai mix. I've also bought the instant powdered mixes to make my own at home, which saves me money but still isn't any healthier! Good for you for figuring out the right balance of ingredients to make your own homemade mix!
ReplyDeleteI love chai! Have you ever tried a "dirty chai"? It's chai (iced or hot) with a shot of espresso and it is awsesome. I agree it's so expensive to buy coffee shop drinks, so I've been trying my hand at making the drink at home. Can't wait to try it with your mix!
ReplyDeleteI am LOVING your DIY series! I swear, every single thing you post, I'm like "I need to do that!" And this one is no exception. Chris is a huge chai latte fan- I think this would be a nice treat for him. :-)
ReplyDeleteI've been away from your blog for a while now, so I'm a little late in saying that I absolutely love the DIY series that you've been doing! Not only is it generally cool to know how to do this kind of stuff, but this would make a great gift!
ReplyDeleteHeck, I'm not evan vegan and I want to try this and your granola! Make another one as my husband has celiac's and yes, figure usually mine will be better and cheaper than what's prepackaged. The mason jars are a nice touch, too.
ReplyDeleteWow; everyone loves "Chai", and the way you described to prepare is like of "God Level". It so nice to get the details of recipe step by step in a detailed manner, and if any problem will arise will surely reply you back. Keep posting and sharing.
ReplyDeletei really like your DIY Series. artificial Grass Dubai
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