A homemade dry mix to make the PERFECT Vanilla Chai Tea Latte!
As I’ve told you before, I grew up in Iowa. Iowa in the summer, spring, and fall is honestly so beautiful. Iowa in the winter, for lack of a better word, sucks.
It’s. So. Cold.
School gets cancelled because it’s too cold to walk the 100 yards to get inside, kind of cold. Cold, as in you’re wearing 10 layers under your winter jacket and a hat, scarf, and gloves and you can still feel the wind stinging your skin. Cold as in your face is so frozen, you can’t move your lips to talk. That last one was particularly difficult for me, but probably enjoyable for others. What can I say? I’m kind of a chatter box.
Thank GOD I live in Seattle now, because I just can’t handle the cold, but when I didn’t have a choice other than to live in Iowa, Mr. Beans saved my life with their warm, creamy, sweet, subtly spicy vanilla chai tea latte. I have been searching and searching for something, anything that comes close to that latte and I figured it would be easy in Seattle, considering we have what feels like 2.5 million coffee shops across the downtown area. Sadly, I was wrong. Seattle doesn’t care about vanilla chai tea lattes, as Seattle is far too busy perfecting their Americano 😉
Since I couldn’t find the perfect vanilla chai tea latte, I took it upon myself to make the perfect vanilla chai tea latte, and after much experimentation, I think I’ve finally done it!
Here is the timeline of my relationship with vanilla chai tea lattes.
The Introduction: It all started while I was in high school and every Sunday, my family and I would go to Mr. Beans and get ham and cheese sandwiches on pretzel roll buns. As you now know, Iowa is unbearable in the winter without a piping hot drink, but I didn’t appreciate coffee yet, and wasn’t a big “regular” tea drinker. Alas, the vanilla chai tea latte made it’s first appearance and it was love at first site.
Falling in Love: Then, I started to get a little clingy. During the winter breaks, my sister and I would hang around the house watching movies, doing homework watching movies, eating Christmas cookies, you know… Christmas break stuff. Then I’d start getting a little cold and I’d ask my sister, “Want to drive to Mr. Beans for a vanilla chai tea latte?” Then we’d trek out into the cold just for the latte and come home completely warm and happy.
Crazy in Love: Then, our relationship became more like an obsession. Trevor and I moved in together in downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa where there was a Mr. Beans just a short walk away! Saturday mornings we’d wake up, I was cold, and I neeeeded my drink, and I just HAD to walk down to Mr. Beans. Like. Right now. So we’d bundle up and walk down only to remember that that Mr. Beans was only open during the business week, but Trevor, being the great man he is, would drive me all the way across town to the other Mr. Beans just to get me my beloved vanilla chai tea latte.
The Bittersweet Goodbye: Present time, I live in Seattle, where Mr. Beans and my favorite drink sadly do not exist…until now! You guys, you have no idea how excited I am that I can now have my vanilla chai tea lattes whenever I want! Wahoo! Even as I type this, I am sipping on my piping hot latte and am so very happy about it. Now, if only it was in a to-go cup, then I’d be transported right back to Mr. Beans.
Although, nobody could ever truly recreate Mr. Beans’ chai tea, I think this recipe is pretty darn close…and I’m the toughest critic out there. It’s creamy, it’s sweet, it’s a little spicy, it’s filled with vanilla, and it’s perfect for the coldest day of winter.
This recipe is so easy and versatile, too! Simply pour all of the ingredients (listed below in the recipe box) and blend in your blender (we used a Vitamix – you need this in your life) until it’s a fine powder. Hint: I used a tamper to make sure everything blended evenly. After the mix has been blended, I like to mix it with hot milk, but feel free to mix it with water! Too sweet? Cut back on the sugar. Not spicy enough? See the recipe notes below on how it amp up the spice factor!
Non coffee lovers, this is the perfect holiday drink for you, but no worries for the coffee lovers, because this is a great base to make a Dirty Chai…just add a shot (or two) of espresso to the chai tea mix and milk and you’re good to go!
– Jennifer
What’s that one drink that really gets you through winter? Show me the yummy!
- 1 cup nonfat dry milk powder
- 1 cup powdered non-dairy creamer
- 1 cup French vanilla flavored powdered non-dairy creamer
- 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened instant tea
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 6 oz milk
- Pinch of cinnamon for topping optional
- Blend all ingredients above (excluding milk) in your Vitamix, coffee bean grinder, or food processor until it becomes a fine powder.
- You may need to do this in batches, depending on how powerful your blender is.
- Mix in 2 tablespoons of this mix with 6 oz of hot milk or water and stir until combined.
- Top with optional cinnamon and drink the cold away!
I like my chai tea lattes a little sweeter and not so spicy, but I know not everyone does!
If you like yours a little spicier trying adding:
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon cloves (that would be 1 teaspoon cloves total)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (that would be 1 teaspoon nutmeg total)
My suggestion would be to start with what is listed...you can always add more spices, but you can't take them out! I would suggest the same thing with the sugar, some people think that this is WAAAAY too sweet, but it's just how I like it! Start with 1 and 1/2 cups of sugar and from there.
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I could drink a few cups of this on my way to class! Although I’m in the south, it can get really cold in the mornings, especially if the weather knows I’ll be out (haha)
Ha! Me too…actually when I was in college, I did just that 😉
Looks yummy!!!! Will have to try it for a thanksgiving morning treat!!!
Thanks Emily! You’ll have to let me know if you try it 🙂
This vanilla chai recipe is sure to get me through the winter. I like the mix of spice & sweetness. :] // itsCarmen.com ☼ ☯
Thank you, Carmen! 🙂
How absolutely perfect for winter is this? Gah, loving it, it looks so inviting and warm…wish I had a vanilla chai tea latte right this second 🙂
Thanks Phi! 🙂
I love any type of lattes, but this one sounds especially delicious!
Thank you! 🙂
I’ve been making something similar for years. Instead of using vanilla creamer, I put 2 tsp. vanilla in the Vitamix adding it last. Then I add more plain creamer. I also add turmeric. It is one of the healthiest spices, and you can’t taste it. Little by little, I cut the sugar back to 1/4 c.from 1.5.cups. Others add sugar to taste. It is very addictive. Great blog.
Thanks Barb! I love your addition of the turmeric…sounds so delicious! 🙂
so excited to try this as I’ve experimented on my own with little success. By blending all of the dry ingrediants in the blender does it keep the spices from getting goopy/grainy in the drink? That has always been my problem with homemade versions; I can’t get the spices to emulsify/dissolve.
Hi Leah! It definitely helps it from getting goopy/grainy in the drink 🙂 If there’s any leftover “grain” (there shouldn’t be really) in your drink, I’d suggest straining it through a fine mesh strainer. I hope you love it, Leah! 🙂
Cool recipe, is there a reason to use non-fat milk powder of whole milk powder?
If you can find it, sure! 🙂
OMG!!! I am SO happy I found this recipe!!! Thank you, thank you! This is WONDERFUL!! I only treat myself to a vanilla chai….like, never. Dunkin’ Donuts is waaay too thick and Panera Bread no where near me – they have a very good one but this one tops it! When I was writing the list of ingredients for shopping I overlooked the unsweetened instant tea. So what I do is steep a bag of black tea and then I pour it in with my chai mix as directed (I also added some cardamom & extra cloves & nutmeg per your recommendations for a spicier Chai). It’s so good I can’t help myself but to drink it right up, delicious gulp after delicious gulp. This is definitely a recipe to save and tape in my kitchen cabinet door! Thank you!
Love love love it!! Yay! Thank you so much Michelle! 🙂
Hellooo Chai! I’m so excited to try this, as a chai connoisseur myself, I have recently found THE BEST Chai Latte in Britain! Unfortunately, it is a 3.5 hr drive from my house so I will need a recipe to tide me over! If you ever find yourself in the uk head to beautiful Yorkshire to where the Bronte sisters lived, there you’ll find 10 The Coffee House, Haworth- it is incredible. Sorry, I’m gushing but just thought I’d share my chai love story!
Aww yay!!! LOVE that!!! I hope you love this! 🙂
Do you know how much caffeine is in a glass of this?
Hi Daniella! I don’t, I’m sorry!
This looks really good! What brand of unsweetened instant tea do you use? Does it make a difference?
Hi Melissa! I think it was Liptons? I think it all depends on what kind of tea you like!