If you love Chai Tea, then this recipe is for you! With just a few steps and minimal ingredients, you can save a ton of money by making your own Vanilla Chai Mix and stop buying it at the store. Or more, save on buying it at a coffeeshop if you like Chai Tea every day. There are SO many variations to this recipe, and by changing a few small details, you too then can customize your own recipe.

Disclosure
Published October 28, 2022
This page might contain affiliate links. In the event of a sale, I will be awarded a small commission (at no extra cost for you).

Cost breakdown for this recipe

Below is a cost breakdown for each ingredient that goes into this recipe. However, you can alter which variation in some of them you use to make this recipe. For example, you can choose to use flavored creamer or regular. This will not alter the cost much, but it can change the flavor.
1-2 cups powdered milk $1.71
2 cups dried coffee creamer $2.66
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar $0.40
1 1/2 cup powdered tea mix, unsweetened $2.80
Vanilla Pudding mix, instant $0.75
1 tsp ground cloves $0.20
1/2 tsp nutmeg $0.08
2 tsp powdered ginger $0.14
1 tsp cinnamon $0.07

The total cost to make this Vanilla Chai Latte Mix is $8.81.
This makes 40-servings, so each serving costs $0.22.
Compared to the store-bought brand with only 25-servings, each serving costs $1.35.
Winner-winner for homemade from scratch yet again!

At Walmart, a 1.9-pound container of Big Train Vanilla Chai instant dry mix costs $34.00.
No, that is not a joke. I didn’t believe it myself at first. The last time I bought one of these tins, it was around $6 or so. My, the times have changed.
You can get them same can from Amazon for $16.92, however that is for the amazon.com Prime customers.

What is in the tin?

In addition to making it from scratch to cut down on the cost, the ingredient list is also a huge persuader. Instead of consuming ALL the things, you can have control over the ingredients by making your food from scratch.

Big Train Chai Mix Ingredients:
Sugar
nonfat milk
nondairy creamer (coconut oil, corn syrup solids, sodium cassienate, sodium citrate, mono-and diglycerides, salt, sodium aluminosilicate)
tea powder blend (black tea, Darjeeling)
honey granules (sucrose, honey)
spice blend (cinnamon, clove, cardamon, anise, ginger)
natural and artificial flavors
silicon dioxide
vegetable gums (carrageean gum, gar gum)
Burbon vanilla extract from Madagascar.

Natural and Artificial Flavors
With foods these days, especially premade and boxed, it is hard to avoid Natural and Artificial Flavors.
In 2020, I was diagnosed with an almond allergy.
Almond in itself is easy to read on an ingredient list.

However, almond can be hidden within other means in an ingredient list.

For example, almond can be within “tree nuts”, which include walnut, hazelnut, pecan, macadamia, almond, cashew, pine nut, chestnuts, pistachio. Additionally, there are capsule fruit that include Brazil nuts.

It is hard to avoid tree nuts in any baked good. So, to avoid an almond reaction, avoiding nuts in general is the most important thing for me.

The scary part is that within the artificial and natural flavors, some of them do contain almond but they DO NOT need to list which it is.
To see the full list, check out this article from Heathline.com where they go over them all in depth.

Natural Flavors: Should You Eat Them? (healthline.com)

The #1 artificial flavor that has almond is Benzaldehyde.

Benzaldehyde. This chemical is extracted from almonds, cinnamon oil, and other ingredients. It is frequently used to give foods an almond flavor and aroma.

As this ingredient list for Chai Latte Mix does not list specifically which artificial and natural flavors it is, avoidance is the only step to not have an allergic reaction.

Playing the comparison game

Now, if you know me, you know I am cheap. I make my own food, sauces, recipes and bread. I hope you know that the norm is to also not spend extra money on coffee drinks. Not because of the cheapness, but because of the health-risk. Let me explain…
Coffee shops use various milk-based products and non-dairy products interchangeably. One such non-dairy option that has become very popular in the last 5 years is almond milk. Some other options include oat milk, cashew milk and soy milk.
A few years ago, I was having some serious health issues and found out about an allergy to almond, among many other foods. That being said, going to a coffee shop can be risky as using an EpiPen is not on my list of favorite things. This new-found allergy was not only the best thing to happen not only to my health but also our budget. Because of an allergy, it led to researching homemade and from scratch recipes to avoid allergic reactions.
I am so excited to share this recipe with you, so you too can try to save a ton on Chai!

If you were to go to Starbucks every day for a Grande Vanilla Chai Tea Latte for $4.25, that would cost $21.25 a week and a Grande total of $1,105 yearly. Grande. See what I did there?!

If you were to make one at home, using this Vanilla Chai Tea Latte recipe, it would cost $0.22 a day, $1.10 a week and a yearly Grande total of $57.20. That is a total savings of $1,047.80 a year making Homemade from Scratch Vanilla Chai Tea Latte Mix.

Click the link below for a recipe guide to Starbucks Chai drinks. Thanks Kookaburra Coffee Co for the info!
This list is active as of 9/6/2022
How Much Is A Chai Latte At Starbucks? – Kookaburra Coffee Co (kookaburracoffeeny.com)

Recipe

Ingredients for Vanilla Chai Mix

1-2 cups powdered milk
2 cups dried coffee creamer
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 cup powdered tea mix, unsweetened
Vanilla Pudding mix, instant
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp powdered ginger
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions for Vanilla Chai Mix

1. Firstly, place a large bowl and a whisk on the countertop.

2. Secondly, measure and then add 1-2 cups powdered milk to the bowl.

For the sake of not buying anything for this recipe, I used what we had in the cupboard. You can get powdered milk in any Walmart or grocery store by the baking isle. Typically, it is in a box and portioned off into servings in these little pouches to stay dry. This package came from a local grocery store, Festival Foods.

3. Thirdly, measure and add 2 cups Dried Coffee Creamer to the powdered milk, then mix well to combine.

If desired, you can skip this step. As I had no dried coffee creamer, I opted to add extra powdered milk. Additionally, you can choose to use sugar-free coffee creamer, flavored or fat-free. There are SO many variations and flavors to choose from.

4. Next, add powdered sugar and then mix well.

Powdered sugar works best in this recipe because it dissolves quickly, while also not clumping.

5. Measure and then add powdered tea mix to the bowl and stir well.

This is where you can change up this recipe in a huge way. Want decaffeinated? Go for it! Want lemon flavored? Nice! Pick whichever you want to add to this recipe.

6. Open the package of instant vanilla pudding and then add it to the Large Bowl, stir well to combine.

7. Measure each the cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger and then stir well to combine.

8. If desired, place the Vanilla Chai Tea Latte Mix into a Cuisinart Food Processor with the blade attachment, then blend well until smooth. By doing this, you eliminate any clumps, making sure the ingredients are blended smooth. Just make sure you do this in thirds to not overwhelm the food processor.

9. When done blending, transfer the Vanilla Chai Tea Mix into an airtight container, then label and store.

To use, mix 2 heaping Tablespoons of the Chai Tea Mix to a mug of hot water and stir well.
Additionally, you can choose to use the mix in coffee or warm milk.
Enjoy!
~Monica

Here is a huge shout-out to my mom for the awesome gift a few years ago. I love this potholder! Thanks mom!

Homemade Vanilla Chai Mix Recipe

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