DIY kitchen series: instant chai

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:

1 cup Now Foods Soy Milk Powder (Instant)

2 cups Vegan Soy Powder, Better Than Milk Soy, Vanilla, 22.4-Ounce Canisters (Pack of 2)

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

enjoy!  

 Print this recipe!