Chai Muffins

Flavorful and fluffy, Chai Muffins are the epitome of coziness. These warmly spiced muffins have a spiced streusel on top and are perfect for fall and winter mornings.

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Chai Muffins Recipe

It’s been hot in Charlotte, but it won’t last. I’m trying to savor summer as much as possible, but also: just give me fall, okay? 

I want boots and lattes and scarves and pumpkin beer cocktails and sweaters and pies and chilly weather and colorful trees and apple cider.

(I think the last part — or all parts — might be exacerbated by the fact that I just spent entirely too long looking at this state-by-state guide to fall leaves.)

Is anyone else as excited about autumn eats as I am? I recently whipped up these Chai Spice Streusel Muffins for a brunch party and they were such a hit!

Love all things chai? Try these recipes: Dirty Chai Cinnamon Rolls | Chai Old-Fashioned Cocktail | Cupcakes with Chai Buttercream

Why you’ll love this recipe

Chai muffins are an upgrade on cinnamon muffins with tons more spice flavor.

• Spiced, warm and fluffy, you can seriously taste “fall” in these babies. So good.
• The streusel topping contains all the exotic, robust flavors you love about chai tea.
• They are great for quick breakfasts, brunch parties or baby and bridal showers this season.

Brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom, allspice and black pepper all come together beautifully in these airy muffins.

Serve these Chai Spice Streusel Muffins up for your next brunch or make a batch for easy breakfasts or snacks! The spiced flavor would make them perfect for enjoying over Thanksgiving weekend or on Christmas morning.

But you can also enjoy them anytime, preferably with a hot mug of the best chai tea.

What is chai?

Chai is a sweet and spicy beverage that originates in India. It’s typically made from black tea, spices and a sweetener.

Fun fact: The word chai means “tea” in Hindi, so you don’t have to call it “chai tea,” because that’s like calling it “tea tea.”

Masala chai is a spiced chai blend (masala means “spiced”) and is the most common blend. It’s made with black tea, a sweetener like sugar or honey, milk, and a variety of spices such as cinnamon, cardamom pods, ginger, cloves and star anise.

The muffin recipe below doesn’t include any black tea, but the spices in the recipe give it the flavor of chai.

Ingredients

These Chai Streusel Muffins are easy to make. Here’s what you’ll need to pick up at the grocery store:

• unsalted butter
• white sugar
• brown sugar
• vanilla extract
• eggs
• heavy cream
• all-purpose flour
• baking powder
• salt
• ground cinnamon
• ground cloves
• ground ginger
• ground cardamom
• ground allspice
• black pepper (just a pinch!)

Though the ingredient list looks long, it’s mostly coming from the addition of the chai spices. You can cut down on those by substituting a chai spice baking blend.

If you’re a baker, you probably already have a lot of the ground spices I mentioned in your spice cabinet. If you don’t, I give you permission to make them without whatever you’re missing. When in doubt, add more cinnamon, I say!

How to make Chai Streusel Muffins

This recipe is super simple. It’s a from-scratch muffin recipe, meaning that we won’t use a mix. There are two parts: making the batter and making the streusel that goes on top.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a muffin tin with paper baking cups, or use cooking spray or butter to grease the cavities. I used tulip liners and I just love how elegant they are!

In a stand mixer or with an electric mixer, combine butter, sugars and vanilla until well blended. Whisk in eggs and cream.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a in a large bowl. Gradually add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, mixing until just combined.

Then divide the batter into muffin cups, filling each one about ¾-full.

For the chai streusel topping, combine all ingredients in a small bowl. With a fork, cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over top of the unbaked muffin batter.

Then bake 16-18 minutes or until golden brown.

More muffin recipes

• Orange Poppy Seed Muffins
• Pumpkin Spice Doughnut Muffins
• Fig, Onion + Honey Muffins
• Sugar Doughnut Muffins
• Banana Muffins with Almond Flour