Vanilla Chai Tea Recipe: Make This Easy Spice Mix for DIY Holiday Gifts

Follow me: Pinterest / Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / Email
I may receive compensation from links on this site. As an Amazon Associate I also earn from qualifying purchases. See my disclosure policy.

November 11, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon 2 Comments

Whether you enjoy the delicious flavor of a vanilla chai tea latte or need ideas for DIY holiday gifts, this vanilla chai tea mix is the perfect recipe to spice things up this winter. Keep reading to learn how to make your own easy vanilla chai tea mix for lattes for a cozy winter treat or to package as budget friendly DIY Christmas for friends, family and coworkers.

DIY Holiday Gifts: Vanilla Chai Tea Mix

I first discovered loose leaf tea during my first marriage. Once I’d tried tea this way, it was over. There was no looking back. I soon had an entire shelf in my pantry that was nothing but flavored loose leaf teas. Once I tried my first chai tea, well. That was the ultimate luxury. And truth be told, I wasn’t even a coffee drinker at this point. That came years later.

While my vanilla chai tea mix is a powdered mix, not a loose leaf tea, it’s still as yummy as the real deal. The advantage of the powdered mix however is that it travels well, it’s super quick, there’s less waste and it’s easy to gift. Simply package your chai tea mix in a mason jar to give as holiday food gifts or for easy storage in your pantry.

While I prefer to brew fresh assam tea for my chai latte recipe, an easy alternative is to mix an instant tea into vanilla chai latte spice mix. (I give directions for both ways.)

Want to know why you should drink chai tea? Learn about the natural health benefits of chai tea here.

Vanilla Chai Tea Mix Recipe

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons cardamom powder
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon allspice powder
1 Tablespoon nutmeg powder
3 Tablespoons ginger root powder
2 teaspoons clove powder
2 teaspoons sweet cinnamon powder
1 whole vanilla bean pod (or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean powder)
1 1/2 cups unsweetened black instant tea, optional (see below)

Directions for A Making Vanilla Chai Tea Mix:

To make this vanilla chai tea mix, begin by scraping the vanilla beans out of the vanilla bean pod, if using. Then measure out the remaining spices, and instant tea if using, into a glass bowl. Mix well.

Evenly divide the vanilla chai mix between three 4 oz. mason jars for gifts. Alternately you also use a large jar for your own personal storage.

Alternate directions for DIY Vanilla Chai Tea Mix:

If you prefer to brew fresh assam tea for your vanilla chai lattes, then omit the instant tea. Instead, increase amounts of the spices to fit inside mason jars in your choice of size. Then gift the mix with a box of Assam tea bags. Alternately you can also gift your chai tea mix with loose leaf Assam tea or vanilla black assam tea (and omit the vanilla from the spice mix recipe.) Just be sure to include a tea strainer or disposable tea bags with your gift if you opt for gifting loose leaf tea.

(You can store your vanilla chai latte mix in an airtight container for up to a month.)

Don’t forget to include instructions with your DIY holiday gifts on how to use the vanilla chai tea spice mix to make the lattes! You can find the directions for brewing a latte (with dairy or non-dairy milk) using my spiced tea mix below.

Vanilla Chai Tea Latte Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup milk (or dairy free coconut milk or almond milk)
organic sugar, coconut sugar or maple syrup, to taste
2 1/2 Tablespoons vanilla chai tea mix (or 1 Tablespoon if you omitted the instant tea)
2 Assam tea bags or 2 teaspoons loose leaf assam tea, optional (dependent on mix)

Directions with instant tea:

If you included instant black tea in your vanilla chai latte mix recipe, you’ll need to follow these directions for making your latte.

Mix 2 1/2 Tablespoons of the chai latte mix with two cups (or 8 oz.) of warm milk or a dairy free alternative.

Mix well with an immersion blender, then sweeten to taste.

Directions with loose leaf tea:

Add the milk or milk alternative to a double boiler or small saucepan. Then add one Tablespoon vanilla chai tea mix. Mix with an immersion blender.

Heat the milk and spices over low until the milk reaches 130°F, stirring often to avoid scorching.

Next, add the chai tea bags (or loose leaf tea in a strainer or disposable tea bag.) Steep the tea in the milk and spices for 5-minutes or to desired strength.

Then strain the tea bags and add your choice of sweetener to suit. Mix again for good measure.

Now pour the latte into an 8 oz. mug. Then sip and enjoy.

Yield: About 2 cups vanilla chai tea latte spice mix

Vanilla Chai Tea Recipe (A Spice Mix for Lattes)

Name: Vanilla Chai Tea Recipe (A Spice Mix for Lattes)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: About 2 cups vanilla chai tea latte spice mix
Cuisine: tea
Ingredients: 2 Tablespoons cardamom powder; 1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon allspice powder; 1 Tablespoon nutmeg powder; 3 Tablespoons ginger root powder; 2 teaspoons clove powder; 2 teaspoons sweet cinnamon powder; 1 whole vanilla bean pod (or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean powder); 1 1/2 cups unsweetened black instant tea

Spice things up this winter with a delicious vanilla chai latte recipe for a cozy winter treat. Or make a vanilla chai tea mix for easy DIY holiday gifts.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons cardamom powder
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon allspice powder
1 Tablespoon nutmeg powder
3 Tablespoons ginger root powder
2 teaspoons clove powder
2 teaspoons sweet cinnamon powder
1 whole vanilla bean pod (or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean powder)
1 1/2 cups unsweetened black instant tea

Instructions

Scrape the vanilla beans out of the vanilla bean pod.
Measure out the remaining spices and combine in a glass bowl with the instant tea. Mix well.
Place the vanilla chai mix in a large mason jar.

Notes

To brew, mix 2 1/2 Tablespoons of the vanilla chai tea latte mix with two cups (or 8 oz.) of warm milk or a dairy free alternative. Mix with an immersion blender until the ingredients are evenly dispersed, then sweeten to taste.

This vanilla chai latte mix can be stored in an airtight container for up to a month.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 9 Total Fat: 0g Saturated Fat: 0g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 0g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 2mg Carbohydrates: 2g Net Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 1g Sugar: 0g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 0g

Vanilla Chai Tea Mix Recipe for Lattes: Make this easy DIY chai tea spice mix recipe for DIY holiday gifts. Spice things up this winter with a delicious vanilla chai latte recipe for a cozy winter treat. Or make an easy DIY vanilla chai tea mix for easy DIY holiday gifts for friends, family, teachers, neighbors and coworkers. The perfect homemade holiday gift for Christmas. Learn how to make DIY holiday food gifts now.

If you love my easy latte mix recipe, then don’t forget to pin this spicy, winter holiday drink recipe to Pinterest for later.

More DIY Holiday Food Gifts

What are some other ideas for making DIY holiday food gifts for friends and family? There are so many options for gifting food throughout the holiday season. Here are more of my yummy recipes for your DIY holiday gifts this winter. Also be sure to check out these homemade food gift ideas on Pinterest.

For more recipes from Soap Deli News, follow me across your favorite social media platforms. You can find me on Blog Lovin‘, facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up for my newsletter.

Filed Under: Food Recipes, Holiday DIY, Homemade Gift Ideas Tagged With: artisan tea, black tea, chai tea, christmas, diy, drink, drink mix, drink recipe, easy, food, food gift, food recipe, gift idea, holiday gift, organic, recipe, spice, tea

You’re About to Discover Your New Favorite Tea!

August 13, 2018 By Rebecca D. Dillon

Whether you’re new to drinking loose leaf teas, or you’re a self described tea connoisseur, you’re going to love the natural, organic loose leaf teas from Mountain Rose Herbs.

With a wide selection of every kind of organic loose leaf tea imaginable, it’s hard not to find a tea that you love. However, if you’re still on the hunt for that perfect tea that fits both your tastes AND your lifestyle, then you must take Mountain Rose Herbs new tea quiz to find your tea soulmate!

I’ve been shopping with Mountain Rose Herbs for over a decade and I’ve never once been disappointed by the quality of their products. I first became a customer in what I like to call my “market days.” I would shop from their selection of organic ingredients that included unrefined butters, clays and carrier oils for my soapmaking recipes and skin care products that I sold on my local city market.

Rarely, however, did I consider purchasing from their wide selection of organic loose leaf teas. What a mistake! After taking the new tea soulmate quiz from Mountain Rose Herbs, I found my new favorite tea!

Take the tea soulmate quiz!

Mountain Rose Herbs tea soulmate quiz asks questions based not just on your favorite flavors. It also asks where you enjoy drinking your tea most. How you like your teas? Who are you drinking that cup of tea with? And why do you reach for a cup of tea over another beverage?

So whether you enjoy your tea hot or iced, with or without friends, in a valley of wildflowers or in an urban sanctuary, you’re sure to find the perfect tea to fit your lifestyle. With 32 different teas featured in their quiz, you’re not only going to discover your new favorite tea – but possibly several new favorites! Simply take the tea quiz more than once and change up your answers to find the perfect tea to fit your mood.

My tea soulmate.

My tea soulmate was turmeric chai. This spicy, warming herbal chai tea is caffeine free, making it the perfect tea for chai enthusiasts who have cut caffeine from their diets. Especially delightful as we start transitioning into cooler nights this fall, the turmeric in this organic tea, gives this brew an exotic, piquant flavor. It also highlights the other earthy spices found in this chai tea blend.

I love the pinch of cayenne that gives this tea blend a spicy bite! And while this organic chai tea is delicious when brewed with water, it’s also delightful brewed with milk or your favorite milk substitute. Think of it as a flavorful twist on golden milk.

As I’m a bonafide turmeric junkie, this tea is a perfect fit for my healthy lifestyle. (You can find all of my favorite turmeric recipes here.)

What makes loose leaf teas special?

If you’re new to loose leaf teas, then you probably don’t realize what you’ve been missing. Compared to tea bags, which commonly contain what is referred to as “tea dust,” loose leaf teas are like the caviar of teas.

What really sets the teas from Mountain Rose Herbs apart, however, is their quality. Not only are their loose leaf teas made using organic tea leaves and herbs, you know you’re always receiving the freshest, pesticide free botanical tea blends. So you get all of the healthy benefits of drinking tea, without any of the things you DON’T want in your teas.

How to brew loose leaf teas.

So, just how do you blend that perfect cup of organic loose leaf tea? To brew Mountain Rose Herbs turmeric chai tea, heap one tablespoon into your preferred strainer. Then pour 8 ounces of boiling water over the tea. Steep for 3-5 minutes, or until desired strength. Then simply strain and enjoy.

Or discover three more ways to enjoy your turmeric chai tea here.

To learn how to brew your other favorite types of loose leaf teas, be sure to check out this guide to tea brewing.

So, the only question left is, which tea is about to become your new favorite? Find your tea soulmate now!

To discover more about tea, including recipes and tea infused products, be sure to follow my Everything Tea board.

You can also follow me on Pinterest, G+, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Alternately, you can subscribe to Soap Deli News via email for future updates, DIY projects and recipes.

Filed Under: Food Recipes, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle, Shopping Tagged With: artisan tea, black tea, chai tea, food, green tea, health and wellness, herbal tea, honeybush tea, loose leaf tea, tea, tea recipes, white tea

Things I Love Lately

April 13, 2013 By Rebecca D. Dillon

I’ve made lots of new discoveries of fabulous products lately. Here are just a handful of my many latest favorite that I thought deserved some love.

Limited Edition Birchbox - From the Garden

From the Garden Birchbox – Birchbox is a nifty site for those of us that love to try new products. You can get a monthly box subscription for just $10 a month that includes trial-sized samples from both well-known brands and emerging gems for everything from beauty products to home and garden. There’s currently a four week waiting list for the women’s monthly box and a two week waiting list for the men’s.However, in the meantime, you can browse their shop and even pick up their limited edition From the Garden Birchbox filled with seasonal picks. It’s an $89 value available for just $32. I purchased this exclusive box for myself and am anxiously awaiting its arrival. I’m also on the waiting list.

They also offer free shipping on products from the current month’s box, free shipping on full size product orders of $50 or more, free returns within 90 days of purchase and free samples and gifts from their bonus shop.

Adagio Thai Chai Tea – It wasn’t that long ago that I purchase a 40 oz. glass pitcher from Adagio Teas along with some Mango Iced Tea pouches when they were offering a special bundle at a reduced price. You simply add one iced tea pouch to the pitcher, fill with cold water and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, you have delicious iced tea with almost no work. This has now become my new favorite way to make tea especially since the fibro can make some of the simplest task one of the worst chores.However, you aren’t restricted to their iced tea pouches. You can use any tea you like. I’ve done with with other teas from Adagio that aren’t offered in the iced tea sized pouches as well as teas from other brands. If you buy the 40oz. (4 cup) glass pitcher, simply use four tea bags and allow to “steep” overnight removing the tea bags the following morning. For a plastic quart sized pitcher, use eight tea bags.

Love iced chai? I’m particularly fond of Adagio’s Thai Chai Tea (pictured.) I simply put four tea bags in my 40 oz. pitcher, fill with water and leave overnight. The following morning I fill my glass water bottle three fourths of the way with tea, add a dash of half and half, and a little bit of sugar, then shake. Then I take it with me to work for lunch!

I love that Adagio offers free shipping on orders of $49 or more or the option of low flat rate shipping of just $3.75 for all other orders. Shipping is always super quick and they also offer a rewards program where you can earn points toward free gift certificates.

Eco Friendly Reusable Snack & Sandwich Bag Set from Colorful House – If you’ve been looking for more ways to go green then I recommend the handmade reusable snack and sandwich bags from Colorful House. The color combinations of these cotton bags are modern and all grown up and the inner water resistant ripstop nylon shell keeps food fresh for lunch. Colorful House also sells super cute children’s stuffed toys – including stuffed Dachshunds! – and children’s room decor.

I also love the affordable unpaper cloth napkins from Little Green Nest.

Divide and Conquer Purse Organizer – Divide and Conquer sells an entire line of brilliant handmade purse organizers in all shapes and sizes to keep the purse digging to a minimum. I think these are especially brilliant for busy moms who carry everything for those “just in case” moments and fashionistas who like to have their beauty products handy at all times.

For more of my favorite finds, be sure to follow me on Pinterest!

Filed Under: Shopping Tagged With: chai tea, eco-friendly, handmade, organizer, organizing, purse, reusable bags, review, shopping, tea

Chai Tea Mix Recipe: Easy Winter DIY Holiday Gifts

December 9, 2012 By Rebecca D. Dillon

Learn how to make an organic chai tea mix to give as DIY holiday gifts this winter. Don’t forget to make extras though! This easy DIY chai tea mix recipe is so delicious, you’ll want to keep a few extra bags of this spicy, homemade chai tea mix for yourself. Package this recipe for chai tea mix in a jar or in a bag – for personalized gifting and storage. Keep reading to learn how to make your own chai tea spice mix with organic spices.

How to Make Chai Tea Mix

I absolutely love loose leaf tea. And chai tea has long been one of my favorite teas by far. So I decided that for Christmas this year, I would make my own hand blended chai tea mix using organic spices! Making your own homemade chai tea mix is incredibly easy to do. Plus it’s fabulous for DIY holiday gifts!

I made my chai tea mix recipe using certified organic, fair trade spice and tea ingredients from Mountain Rose Herbs. Here’s my recipe for chai tea mix in a jar or a bag that you can make for yourself as well as DIY holiday gifts.

Health Benefits of Chai Tea

Chai tea doesn’t just taste amazing, it also has a number of health benefits. According to Healthline, masala chai tea (or rather spicy Indian chai tea) can help improve your health by providing benefits for heart health, digestion and blood sugar level control.

How Chai tea supports a healthy heart.

By consuming as little as 120 mg of cinnamon a day, you can help lower your bad cholesterol. In addition, the black tea used to make my chai tea mix can also aid in lower cholesterol levels. While increasing consumption of black tea to three or more cups a day may lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Drink Chai to help control blood sugar.

The cinnamon in chai tea does more than lower bad cholesterol though. When combined with ginger it’s possible that it may reduce insulin resistance as well as fasting blood sugar levels. In fact, just a few grams of each everyday can help lower blood sugar levels even in those with type 2 diabetes. Just be sure to skip the sweetner. (I promise, chai tea is still fantastic black!)

Chai tea supports health and wellness.

As every chai tea mix is made with ginger, it naturally helps to ease symptoms of nausea. Additionally, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and even black pepper have antibacterial properties. What this means for you is that drinking chai may support healthy immunity and give your body a boost when fighting seasonal winter colds or the flu.

Ready to enjoy the benefits of sipping this warm and spicy tea this winter? Here’s the recipe to make your own homemade chai tea mix!

Hand Blended Loose Leaf Chai Tea Mix Recipe

Ingredients:

48 Organic Cardamom Pods or Star Anise
2 teaspoons Organic Whole Black Peppercorns
4 Tablespoons Organic Fennel Seeds
2 teaspoons Organic Coriander Seeds
2 teaspoons Organic Whole Cloves
4 sticks of Organic Sweet (True Cinnamon) Cinnamon Sticks
1 Jar Crystalized Ginger
2 Cups Organic Loose Leaf Darjeeling Tea or Assam Tea

Directions:

To craft your chai tea mix, begin by breaking the anise star pods, if using, in half. Then crumble the cinnamon sticks into smaller pieces. (You can also buy the cinnamon sticks already broken into pieces.)

Next, place the anise star pods (or cardamom) and cinnamon into a large dish with the black peppercorns, fennel seeds, coriander seeds and cloves. In a preheated 350 degree oven, heat your spices for about 5 minutes until fragrant. Then remove the warm chai tea spices from the oven. Allow to cool.

Then crush the spices as much as possible using the bottom of a glass or cup.

In a large bowl, combine the tea, candied ginger and spices. Then mix well with your hands until ingredients are evenly dispersed. You can find spice sized jars of crystalized ginger at most grocery stores. Alternately you can substitute a smaller amount of Organic Ginger Powder.

Now fill two Eco-friendly Kraft Poly-Lined Bags with tea. I used a scale to fill my bags equally. This homemade chai tea mix recipe yields approximately two 6.75 oz. bags. Alternately, you can fill individual Empty Press ‘N Brew Tea Bags with one Tablespoon of tea. Or combine the ingredients in mason jars.

Finally label your containers of the chai tea mix with ingredients and brewing instructions for giving as DIY holiday gifts.

I used a word program to create my own simple labels and used a custom font with my handwriting.

Now all that’s left is to decorate your package for gift giving! I used a free printable label from Hey Look and washi tape to decorate mine. How would you dress up yours?

Chai Tea Brewing instructions:

To brew a cup of spicy, delicious chai tea, bring one cup of water to a boil. Then pour over one Tablespoon of Chai Tea.

Allow to steep for five minutes, strain, then add milk (or a dairy free substitute) and sugar to taste.

Yield: 26 cups of tea

Chai Tea Mix Recipe

Learn how to make an organic chai tea mix to give as DIY holiday gifts this winter. Package this recipe for chai tea mix in a jar or in a bag - for personalized gifting and storage. Each container yields about 13 servings of tea.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Additional Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

48 Organic Cardamom Pods or Star Anise
2 teaspoons Organic Whole Black Peppercorns
4 Tablespoons Organic Fennel Seeds
2 teaspoons Organic Coriander Seeds
2 teaspoons Organic Whole Cloves
4 sticks of Organic Sweet (True Cinnamon) Cinnamon Sticks
1 Jar Crystalized Ginger
2 Cups Organic Loose Leaf Darjeeling Tea or Assam Tea

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Break the anise star pods, if using in lieu of the cardamom, in half. Then crumble the cinnamon sticks into smaller pieces.

Next, place the anise star pods (or cardamom) and cinnamon into a large dish with the black peppercorns, fennel seeds, coriander seeds and cloves.

Heat your spices in the oven for about 5 minutes until fragrant. Then remove the warm chai tea spices from the oven. Allow to cool.

Crush the cooled spices as much as possible using the bottom of a glass or cup.

In a large bowl, combine the tea, candied ginger and spices. Mix well.

Fill two 6.75 oz. bags or mason jars with the tea, then label with brewing instructions.

Notes

To brew, bring one cup of water to a boil. Then pour over one Tablespoon of Chai Tea.

Allow to steep for five minutes, strain, then add milk (or a dairy free substitute) and sugar to taste.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

Tablespoon
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 4 Total Fat: 0g Saturated Fat: 0g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 0g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 1mg Carbohydrates: 1g Net Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 0g Sugar: 0g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 0g

Chai tea mix recipe: Easy winter DIY holiday gifts. Learn how to make an organic chai tea mix to give as DIY holiday gifts this winter. Don't forget to make extras though! This easy DIY chai tea mix recipe is so delicious, you'll want to keep a few extra bags of this spicy, homemade chai tea mix for yourself. Package this recipe for chai tea mix in a jar or in a bag - for personalized gifting and storage. Learn how to make your own chai tea spice mix with organic spices.

If you love this recipe, then be sure to pin it for later. You can also find more DIY holiday food gifts by following my boards on Pinterest. Or check out some of my other holiday inspired food recipes below.

More DIY Holiday Food Gifts

Love homemade food gifts? Make one or more of these yummy recipes for your DIY holiday gifts this winter.

For more recipes from Soap Deli News, follow me across your favorite social media platforms. You can find me on Blog Lovin‘, facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up for my newsletter.

Filed Under: Food Recipes, Homemade Gift Ideas Tagged With: artisan tea, chai tea, christmas, Christmas gift, crafts, diy, drink, drink mix, drink recipe, easy, fair trade, food, gift idea, gift wrap ideas, holiday, holiday gift, homemade, loose leaf tea, organic, recipe