If you’re reading this post, you’re probably looking for a great coffee alternative. Maybe it’s because you’d like to decrease the amount of caffeine you drink, maybe it’s because you’d like to give up coffee altogether, or maybe you’re just curious to see if there’s a great coffee alternative out there that could make a home in your daily work flow.
Whether it’s one or a mix of any of the above- this post is for you! Today, you’re going to learn how to make your own coffee alternative latte that tastes like the real thing and gives you brain-boosting focus and productivity without the caffeine.
My Experience with Caffeine
Most of us have our own personal relationship with caffeine. Personally, I’ve gone from drinking way too much of it to none at all.
In college, I was crazy about it. I used to get those massive americanos from Starbucks and down them while cramming for an exam or attempting to wake my body up from way-too-long of a night. And that continued as I graduated college and started working at a 9-5. I relied on coffee to get my day going and keep it going all through the afternoon.
But something started to change the more that I moved toward a whole food plant-based diet. I began to notice how the food and drinks I was consuming were affecting me. And this is also when I started to notice that having a ton of caffeine was not ideal for me.
The excessive amount of caffeine I was having (at least two large lattes a day) lead to anxiousness and broken sleep. I would get so intensely frustrated when I would get in bed at night and not be able to sleep because of having coffee late in the day. Not only that- I noticed my mind would be racing and I couldn’t shut it off.
Why Too Much Coffee Can Be a Bad Thing
Studies are conflicting on if caffeine is positive or negative for our bodies, but I do know that too much of it can have major health impacts- things like anxiety, a racing heart, and loss of sleep. If you experience any of these things- it’s a great opportunity to look at your routine with caffeine (like how much of it you’re drinking, when you’re drinking it, and how often).
Doing a Caffeine Cleanse
All these side effects led me to do a caffeine cleanse. It was brutal. I had a massive headache for three days. I felt physically ill. (I cover more of the crazy withdrawal symptoms I experienced here.) I was insanely tired and lethargic for about a week. But once I got through the initial week, the clouds started to clear. I got my energy back. I wasn’t having the intense cravings. And I started the process of living life without being highly caffeinated at all times.
It was hard to break the cycle but it was a gift to my body to ween myself off of the excessive amount of caffeine I was consuming. I never want to be addicted to anything, coffee included. And this coffee alternative drink (along with lots of fresh whole plant foods and juices) is one of the reasons that I was able to do it and not miss the ritual of drinking multiple coffees a day while I worked. I wanted something that I could replace my afternoon latte with to sip on while I edit a video that contributed to my health rather than taking away from it.
Which brings me to the star of this blog post.
Dandy Blend Coffee Alternative
Two-ish years ago, I was scrolling through Instagram and saw Shannon from The Glowing Fridge making a caffeine-free latte with this powder. I was intrigued. An all-natural powder that mimics the taste of coffee without any of the gnarly coffee side effects? I had to try it.
So I ordered some of the magical Dandy Blend powder and was blown away. It really did taste like coffee and I could make it in a way that also included my favorite mushroom powder to get the brain-boosting benefits of Lion’s Mane without any of the caffeine side effects.
And this Magical Caffeine-Free Latte became my new go-to.
This really is the best coffee alternative I have ever found! It tastes like a rich cup of coffee, without any brewing needed. It also dissolves instantly in hot or cold liquid. It is caffeine-free and has no acidity or bitterness.
So what exactly is it? It’s an herbal coffee substitute with the rich, full-bodied flavor, smoothness, and texture of real coffee. It is made of water-soluble extracts of roasted roots of dandelion, chicory, and beets, and the extracts of barley and rye grains. And that’s it. This makes me extra excited because the cleaner the ingredients – the better.
This stuff is a serious game-changer. Especially if you are a coffee lover and want to decrease the amount you drink or eliminate it completely.
How to Make Your Own Magical Caffeine-Free Dandy Blend Latte
I’ve included my favorite blend of Lion’s Mane mushrooms in this recipe for the brain-boosting focus and productivity benefits, but you can feel free to leave that out if you don’t have them. (For more on lion’s mane- check out this post.) You can also use whatever plant milk you love most. For me- that’s homemade, but I also love this stuff in a pinch.
Magical Caffeine-Free Dandy Blend Latte
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Dandy Blend
- 1 tsp Lion’s Mane Mushroom Powder
- 1 cup plant-based milk
- 1 tbsp date syrup or sweetener of your choice
Instructions
- Add milk to a small saucepan and heat over low heat.
- While milk is heating, combine dandy blend with lion’s mane powder if using. Stir well with a mini whisk or fork.
- Add a tbsp of plant milk to dry mix, whisk well until no clumps remain. Pour this mixture into your favorite mug.
- Once milk is warm, use a frother to froth milk until frothed. Alternatively, use a whisk and mix vigorously to create some foam.
- Pour milk into your mug on top of Dandy Blend mixture, using a whisk to mix in well.
- Drink immediately.
Do I Drink This Coffee Alternative on the Daily?
I currently switch between drinking this latte and skipping caffeine on some days and drinking mushroom coffee (which has about half the caffeine of a regular cup of coffee) on other days. I detail the mushroom coffee I like and how I drink it in this video, but it’s a super deliberate amount that I don’t go over and try my hardest to finish drinking by 12 pm.
I also love to work in caffeine-free weeks or even months from time to time, to give my body a full break from caffeine. I never want to be dependent on anything and switching things up like this allows me to not become reliant on caffeine.
After reading this post, I hope you feel ready to make your own caffeine-free latte! Just remember that every little bit of progress is progress, so if your goal is completely cut out caffeine and you’re having multiple cups a day- switching out one cup with this latte is progress!
xo, Lauren
Wondering about more holistic plant-based health swaps you can make? Subscribe to my YouTube channel so you’ll never miss an upload- everything from whole food plant-based recipes to product recommendations and reviews to healthy living lifestyle videos and vlogs. See you there!
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