Chai Latte Mix – Homemade + Easy Trader Joe’s Dupes

No matter the time of year, we have always had Trader Joe’s Chai Latte mix in our cupboard. Sure, it’s not available all year at Trader Joe’s but when it is, we have always stocked up.

As minimalists, we are not proud of this. Who needs 10 cans of the delicious powder at one time? No one. But, we have. Actually, we have had more at one time but, we digress. 

Whenever we begin looking for Trader Joe’s dupes, we find hundreds of options for chai tea. 

Listen, chai tea latte and chai tea are two different things. First, the amazing spiced chai latte powder at Trader Joe’s only has a limited amount of actual, tea.

In fact, when you read the ingredients, black tea, and Darjeeling tea are in the middle of the list. 

If you don’t know about reading ingredients, the further down the list of them, the less amount of that specific ingredient there is. 

With that being said, are we proud that we are obsessed with a chai mix that has sugar as the first ingredient? No. Have we been on a mission over the past few months to do something about it? Yes.

Our Search for the Best Chai Latte Mix

There are five things that make a fabulous chai latte mix.

1. Scrumptious Spices

The perfect combo for the best chai latte mix spices is cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and ginger. You want your taste buds to stand up and notice the chai spice. Many chai lattes aren’t called spicy chai for no reason.

2. Quality Tea

An excellent black tea is the heart of the mix. Think robust and full-bodied – the backbone of your chai experience. We know what you are probably asking yourself, here. Why is chai tea not used in chai tea latte mix? Well, “chai” is the Hindi word for “tea”, so when we say “chai tea”, we are actually saying, “tea tea”. We know. Crazy, right? 

Homemade Chai in India typically consists of a strong black tea infused with a blend of the spices we mentioned earlier: cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and ginger. Chai also has a history of being developed for Ayurvedic purposes. As you can imagine, a chai latte isn’t going to be used to heal anything. SMH! 

3. Sweetener

The Chai latte mix needs a bit of sweetness. It can be made with honey, maple syrup, stevia, or as we see in the Trader Joe’s instant mix, sugar. No matter what, your chai latte needs the sweet stuff.

4. A Creamer

Whether it’s dairy milk, nondairy creamer, or a plant-based option (coconut, soy, or oat milk), a creamer gives the latte its substance. We have used vanilla soy milk and it is yummy!

5. Topper Surprise

If you have ordered a chai latte in your local coffee shop, you may have had some nutmeg or cinnamon sprinkled on top. Some people will shave a little of a vanilla stick for the top. This is used for a bit of taste, but mostly for aesthetic purposes. 

What Trader Joe’s dupes did we find?

You can find lists all over the internet of the best dupes for Trader Joe’s chai latte mix, but listen (read) carefully. Don’t bother going down the road we went on. We have tried about every brand, and every recipe, only to be disappointed with most.

But, we aren’t leaving you empty-handed. We are going to share with you the best options for the chai latte mix if you are trying to go down a better road, with less sugar than Trader Joe’s, or if Trade Joe’s isn’t near you, or if they just don’t have it in stock.

We wanted to steer away from chai concentrate but who are we to judge when we have been basically scooping sugar into our water for the past few years?

1. Tazo Chai Classic Latte Concentrate

Why do we like it? It is easily accessible. We can find it at any of our local grocery stores and it seems to always be in stock. There are fewer calories per serving—  instead of being 250 calories per serving, it is 110, plus the calories of whatever milk you add to it.

The first ingredient is “an infusion of water, black tea, black pepper, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and natural flavors”. Then, it is followed by cane sugar, honey, etc. That makes us feel a little better than leading with sugar.

It is different in that it is a liquid, not a powder. You refrigerate it after opening. You can use it to make a hot chai latte or a cold chai latte.

Fun fact, this is the brand that Starbucks uses in their Starbucks chai latte! One of our faves!

2. Oregon Chai Original Chai Tea Latte Concentrate

Not as accessible as the Tazo Chai Classic Latte mix, but it is in a lot of grocery stores. We have found that it is not always in stock. Maybe that means most people like it better than the Tazo? Not sure.

We ended up purchasing it from Amazon, since that seemed like the better deal. We found it to be about as equally enjoyable. The Tazo ranks a tiny bit higher for us, which is why it was listed at number one. 

We like it because again, the ingredients don’t lead with sugar. The ingredients are water, organic evaporated cane juice, organic black tea, organic vanilla, organic spices, organic honey, citric acid, and natural flavors.

If you drink the same serving size as the Tazo, the calories are a bit more— around 130 calories, then you have to add the calories of the milk you add.

It is also a liquid and can be used for hot or cold chai lattes.

3. Homemade Chai Latte Mix

There is just something about a DIY, right? We started down a path of mastering our own chai latte mix and will share with you what we found to be our fave. We also wanted it to be plant-based, so feel free to add your real dairy for our non-dairy, if you’d like.

DIY Chai Latte Mix

Serving Size:

Approx. 8

Time:

15 minutes

Difficulty:

Simple

Ingredients

• 1 cup powdered non-dairy creamer
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon of Stevia (if you are using sugar, it would be 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (for a little spice, this is optional)

Directions

1. Combine the dry ingredients.
2. Blend Well: Ensure all ingredients are well combined. We use a whisk to mix up the dry ingredients, but if you are making larger batches, you can get a good mixing with your food processor or a blender and make this into a fine powder.
3. Transfer the chai latte mix to an airtight container or jar with a lid.
4. Brew Chai Tea: When you’re ready for a chai latte, steep a chai tea bag in hot water according to the package instructions. We have done this with Bigelow Vanilla Chai Black Tea and Twinings of London Earl Grey Black Tea and enjoy them both.
5. Add Chai Latte Mix: While the tea is still hot, mix in 2 to 3 tablespoons of your DIY chai latte mix, stirring well until fully dissolved.
6. Sip and savor your concoction in your favorite mug and enjoy the moment!

Our recipe mix has fewer calories per serving the way we make it. If you opt for real sugar or dairy milk, you are adding more. Feel free to change things up to make your DIY chai latte mix your delish masterpiece in a cup.

Also, we tried an instant tea powder and did not like it as much as brewing our own tea. It is a faster way to make it though, if you want to go that route. You can also use milk powders if you want to keep it strictly powder, not liquid.

This isn’t as quick as the instant versions of chai latte mix, but you have more control over the ingredients and may feel better about the intake. Also, we have found when you store this in a cute jar or container, it makes for a really cute gift. 

The Perfect Chai Latte

Is there such a thing as the perfect chai latte recipe? Only if it is the one that you enjoy most. It’s like asking if there is a perfect cup of tea. We enjoy the ritual of having hot tea and know there are many benefits of drinking hot tea. 

We do love the dry mix that comes from Trader Joe’s but on this journey of finding the best chai latte variant, we found how much we love traditional chai. The latte is more of a filling option, but it is also higher in calories.

So, if we want to enjoy the process of drinking a tasty beverage that is not coffee, we now look for the best tea. We look to find great organic tea or high-quality black tea bags. We steep the tea, then doll it up with cinnamon powder and sometimes, we even put a tiny bit of coconut oil in it. Don’t knock it until you try it!

Whether it is a homemade chai latte, Trader Joe’s chai spice mix, or grabbing a Starbucks chai tea latte in the drive-thru, just take the time to enjoy the real tea experience.

Stopping to smell the tea, no matter the time of day, THAT is the perfect way to enjoy your beverage, some self-care, and being in the moment. That is what it is all about.

FAQs | Frequently Asked Questions