Vanilla Chai Muffins

These Vanilla Chai Muffins are the essence of a cozy breakfast. Made with chai, cinnamon, brown sugar, a crunchy topping, and a sweet glaze, they’re absolutely delicious!

Can’t get enough of desserts that are filled with chai tea flavor? Then be sure to also put these Chai Cupcakes and Easy Vanilla Chai Shortbread Cookies on your list of things to make!

All About These Vanilla Chai Muffins

Look forward to your mornings again by baking up a batch of these Vanilla Chai Muffins! Their sweet latte flavoring, cinnamon sugar crumble topping, and sweet chai tea glaze sets a delightful tone for the day.

Though these are easily an essential to start off any busy day, they’re also an amazing choice for lazy days as well! Their deep vanilla flavor combines with classic spices to create such a cozy flavor and aroma that will make you want to curl up with a good book!

And you get ALL of this deliciousness in a homemade muffin recipe that’s ready in UNDER 30 minutes! Now that’s a treat in itself!

Also, you just have to check out this collection of amazing Muffin Recipes your family will ask you to make again and again!

Ingredients For Vanilla Chai Muffins

• Unsalted Butter – to use salted butter instead of unsalted butter, just omit the 1/2 teaspoon of salt the recipe calls for.
• Vegetable Oil
• Granulated Sugar
• Light Brown Sugar
• Large Eggs
• Vanilla Bean Paste – vanilla extract can replace the tablespoon of vanilla bean paste.
• All-Purpose Flour
• Baking Powder
• Ground Cinnamon
• Ground Cardamom
• Ground Nutmeg
• Ground Ginger
• Salt
• Ground Cloves
• Ground Black Pepper
• Baking Soda
• Chai Latte Concentrate
• Salted Butter
• Powdered Sugar

Ingredient Notes

Chai Tea Concentrate – The standout flavor in these muffins comes from the chai tea concentrate. This spiced tea has a blend of black tea, honey, and vanilla. I prefer to use the organic chai concentrate that the brand Rishi Tea & Botanicals carries. This can be found at Walmart, Target, Thrive Market, as well as on Amazon.

Vanilla Bean Paste – Using vanilla bean paste instead of extract allows for deep, delicious vanilla flavoring in these muffins! The paste also gives them their signature speckled inside since the paste carries real vanilla beans in it.

Spices – Pantry staple spices such as ground cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves combine to bring a cozy, spiced flavor that complements the chai tea.

How To Make Vanilla Chai Muffins

1. Cream unsalted butter, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar together until smooth.
2. Add large eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
3. Mix in the vanilla bean paste.
4. Whisk all-purpose flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, ground cardamom, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, salt, ground cloves, ground black pepper, and baking soda together in a separate bowl.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the sugar mixture, alternating with the addition of chai latte concentrate.
6. Cover the bowl of muffin batter with a cloth and allow it to rest.
7. Cut together salted butter, light brown sugar, all-purpose flour, and ground cinnamon until a crumble forms.
8. Add muffin batter to each liner in the muffin tin.
9. Sprinkle the crumble topping onto each liner of muffin batter.
10. Bake the vanilla chai muffins until golden brown.
11. Remove the muffins from the pan and allow them to cool on a wire rack.
12. Whisk powdered sugar, chai latte concentrate, and ground cinnamon together until smooth. Then drizzle the icing over the cooled muffins.

Freeze Muffins To Enjoy Later!

These muffins can be frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze, save icing them for when they thaw.

How To Store These Vanilla Chai Muffins

Store these muffins at room temperature in an airtight container or Ziploc bag with the excess air squeezed out of it. Enjoy them for 2 to 3 days.

More Muffin Recipes:

• Cinnamon Muffins with Streusel Topping – Cozy, muffins made with simple ingredients!
• Strawberry Muffin Recipe – Finished off with a delicious sugar and butter crumble!
• Chocolate Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins – Filled with crunchy pecans and sweet chocolate!
• Sourdough Blueberry Muffins – A tasty way to use up that sourdough discard!
• Homemade Bran Muffins – Made with buttermilk, wheat bran, and apple sauce!

This recipe was originally published in March 2015 and was updated in April 2023 with fresh photos and a slightly adapted recipe.