I'm a huge fan of homemade gifts, something useful (or edible) makes the best Christmas present - it's super thoughtful and means you're not just buying something for the sake of needing a gift to give. This chai latte mix is super easy to make and would make the perfect present for a friend, family member or even as a secret Santa gift.
Nothing beats a homemade chai latte; one that tastes of real, warming spices rather than just spiced syrup. This mix is loaded up with delicious spices like cinnamon, cardamom and cloves to name a few, as well as rooibos tea and vanilla. It also only has a little sugar (from the candied ginger), so you or your recipient can choose to drink it however they like. I'm a fan of using sweetened almond or oat milk to make chai lattes and find that's plenty sweet for me.
This mix couldn't be simpler to make either - crush up the spices, chop the vanilla and ginger and pop in a jar with a little instruction tag on. You can decorate the jar anyway you like, I wrapped a ribbon around, but let your imagination run wild! You can also make the instruction tags from old Christmas cards.
I find that the international section of the supermarket is best for sourcing your spices, they have larger bags for great prices and you'll be able to get a few recipes out of them if you're making more than one batch of the mix. I also used loose leaf rooibos (red) tea to keep it naturally caffeine-free, but black tea would work too.
Chai Latte Mix (Christmas Gift) | Yield: 2/3 cup (~20 lattes) | Time: 15 mins
You'll need
- Pestle and mortar
- Mixing bowl
- Chopping board
- Knife
- Measuring spoons
- 150ml jar (decorated as you like)
- Gift tags (you could make these from old Xmas cards)
Ingredients
- 4 large cinnamon sticks (~10cm long)
- 1 tbsp cardamom pods
- 1 tbsp whole cloves
- 5 whole star anise
- 1 whole nutmeg
- 3 black peppercorns
- 1 vanilla pod
- 1/4 cup candied ginger
- 1/4 cup rooibos or black tea leaves
To prepare:
- Tea strainer
- Plant-based milk
- Saucepan
Method
- Crush the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, star anise, nutmeg and peppercorns using a pestle and mortar - the pieces should be no larger than 1/2 cm (you may need to do this in batches) and then transfer to a mixing bowl.
- Finely chop the vanilla and roughly chop the ginger and add to the mixing bowl along with the tea leaves and mix together
- Transfer the mix to your jar and close the lid.
- If you're making for yourself, or just to test it out - add 1-2 tsp to a tea strainer and heat up your favourite plant-based milk in a saucepan until warmed through and the tea has infused and then pour into your favourite mug.
- If you're giving as a gift you'll need to write your instructions on the tag; with limited space, I wrote: 'Chai Latte', 'Add 1-2 tsp to strainer', 'Heat milk in a saucepan with strainer'.
- Store the jar at room temp and wrap up in repurposed paper if giving as a gift. It will last months at room temp, so this is a great make-ahead gift too!
- And if you're making a gift for yourself, sit back with your cuppa, relax and enjoy!
Cassidy xx
