DIY Chai Latte Powder

Chai latte is a crowd-favorite. Whether you love chai or coffee, the drink's nuanced flavors and warming spices are bound to win you over! It's also perfect for both summer and fall, and can be had any time of the day. Usually, chai latte is something you'll find at Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts, or your local coffee shop.

But how about the days you're craving a delicious latte but just want to stay in, or don't feel like spending on chai latte - since it's usually about $2 more than regular tea)? That's where the DIY Chai Latte powder mix comes in!

What is Chai Latte Powder?

It's a blend of all the essential spices that make a delicious cup of chai - nutmeg, pepper, cinnamon, and the like - along with powdered milk and instant tea. This powdered mix is completely natural and very easy to make at home. Adding hot water (or cold, in case of iced chai latte) will make an instant latte that's just as flavorful as the kinds you'd find at Starbucks. The added benefit is that its cheaper, overall, than buying a chai latte. Though you might need to buy some ingredients depending on what's in your pantry, the number of cups you can make with this powder make for a good trade-off!

Common Chai Spices

Let's first get into the basic spices that make for a delicious cup of traditional masala chai (spiced tea). With each spice, we'll tell you a bit about what its flavor profile is. Depending on whether you like a sharp, spicy punch in your latte or a sweet, softer latte, you can choose to drop a few spices.

1. Star Anise - Sweet and Licorice-like in taste.
2. Black Pepper - Spicy, Hot, and Sharp.
3. Green Cardamom - Sweet, Eucalyptus-like in taste.
4. Black Cardamom - Savory and smokey, with a minty base.
5. Nutmeg - Woody, a bit sweet, and nutty. Extremely reminiscent of Christmas flavors.
6. Fennel Seeds - Sweet and Licorice-like, but earthier and with more citrus than star anise.
7. Cinnamon - Sweet, smokey, and slightly spicy with notes of citrus.
8. Cloves - Sharp, peppery, and camphor-like. A little sweet.
9. Ginger - Spicy and sharp, with an earthy undertone.

These are the spices you'll usually find in a chai tea mix or chai powder recipe. If you're craving just chai, these spices, with black tea, sugar, and milk can make the perfect cup of tea. For a 100% natural masala chai blend that uses all of these spices, freshly ground, and premium black tea imported from India, our blends have just what you need.

Chai Latte Powder Recipe

Now that we've established the main spices you need for the perfect element of 'chai' in your chai latte, let's get right into making the instant powdered mix.

In case you don't have ground spices, full spices will also do - the only additional step will be to blend the spices in a mixer, along with the rest of the ingredients.

Preparation Time: 10 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Instant tea
• 1 ½ Cup Dry Milk Powder
• ½ Cup Dairy or Non-Dairy Creamer
• ½ Cup Brown Sugar (Feel free to skip this if you prefer adding sweetener after making the latte)
• 1 ½ Teaspoons Ground Cardamom (Black or Green)
• 1 ½ Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
• 1 Teaspoon Ground or Powdered Ginger
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Pepper
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
• ½ Teaspoon Ground Cloves

Steps:

1. In a blender, add all the dry ingredients together. At this point, feel free to change the quantities and types of spices used, based on the type of flavor you prefer. For a spicier cup, we always recommend more ginger and pepper. For a milder, floral cup, we recommend more cinnamon, nutmeg, and adding fennel seeds.
2. Blend the dry ingredients together into a fine powder. This will ensure that there aren't any noticeable bits of spices or tea granules when you make the chai latte.
3. Pour the powder into an air tight container. This mixture can last about 6 months if stored in a dry, cool place.
4. To enjoy your first cup of DIY Chai Latte, add about 3 teaspoons of the powdered mix to a mug, and pour hot water on top. Stir until all clumps have dissolved, and enjoy!
5. For an iced chai latte, add 3 teaspoons of the powder with about ½ cup of hot water to fully dissolve the mix. Add cold water and 5-6 ice cubes and stir.

Recipe Variations

• Dirty Chai Latte:

'Dirty Chai' refers to masala chai mixed with instant coffee, or alternatively 1-2 shots of espresso. To make this, add a bit of instant coffee to your mix prior to blending. Alternatively, you can add coffee after preparing your chai latte. It's also recommended you don't add the instant tea if you're planning to make a dirty chai latte. This way, you can have the creamer-spice base, and add either coffee or tea after water.

• Vanilla Chai Tea Latte:

For this, it's best to add vanilla powder before blending. This ensures an evenly distributed flavor of vanilla in the latte.

• Saffron Masala Chai:

Along with the rest of the spices, add in saffron and dried rose petals. This combination of spices, from our signature chai blend, makes for a floral, luxurious, and fruity cup of chai latte.

• Fresh Milk Chai Latte:

If you’re someone who prefers to have fresh milk (over powdered milk), feel free to remove the powdered milk from the blend. This way, the mix will only contain the spices and creamer, and you can add in about a cup or two of hot milk to 2-3 teaspoons of the chai latte mix for a creamier cup.