Bakery-style chai muffins with streusel topping made with chai concentrate and loaded with fragrant spices. These tea muffins are taken to the next level with a spiced brown sugar streusel. They are a great grab-and-go snack or tea time treat!
Chai Streusel Muffins
Chai Muffins are infused with black tea and warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom and nutmeg.
To infuse the tea into the muffin batter, this recipe uses half chai concentrate and half milk for the liquids. Think of it like a chai latte!
Thanks to my friend Tea with Jann, I have been on a homemade muffin kick for the last few months. Once she reminded me of how much I loved muffins and showed how easy they were to make, I decided to start playing around with ingredients to create delicious tea infused muffins.
These chai muffins are fluffy and moist. There is a double dose of chai flavour as the muffin batter contains the spiced black tea and the streusel is flavoured with traditional chai spices. The streusel topping also gives these muffins a sweet and crunchy texture.
If you typically enjoy cinnamon muffins or even just a cup of spiced tea, then you’ll love these muffins.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- They are very easy to make and require no mixer!
- Filled with cozy and warm spices that you love in a chai latte, perfect for any season but especially Winter and Fall
- Easy to serve in the morning for breakfast — tea and muffin to go all in one.
- Learn how to get the tall and domed muffin top like bakeries do!
Ingredients
- Dry Ingredients: All-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, granulated sugar, brown sugar, ground spices.
- Chai Concentrate: Make your own chai concentrate with this recipe on the blog or you can use store-bought.
- Egg: This will help bind everything together while adding structure and texture.
- Milk: Dairy or non-dairy milk will work for this recipe, so feel free to use what you have available.
- Oil: Vegetable oil makes these chai muffins moist and light.
- Streusel Ingredients: Melted butter, flour, brown sugar, ground spices.
Step-by-Step Instructions
This is just a run through of the recipe. Find the full ingredient measurements and directions in the recipe card towards the end of this post.
To Make the Chai Muffins:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, salt, granulated sugar, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, ground ginger and ground nutmeg.
Create a well and add the wet ingredients: chai concentrate, egg, milk and oil. Mix until the dry and wet ingredients are just combined, lumps are okay. Don’t over mix as that can cause dense muffins.
The consistency of the batter should be thick but not dry. You should be able to easily scoop the batter. If the batter is runny, add a tablespoon of all-purpose flour or more until you get the correct consistency. If the batter is dry or too thick, add a tablespoon of chai concentrate or milk.
Scoop the chai muffin batter into a lined muffin baking tray. Fill each muffin liner up close to the top, about ¾ way full to leave a bit of room for the streusel topping.
To Make the Streusel Topping:
In a separate bowl, whisk together melted butter, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, ground ginger and ground nutmeg. The streusel should be crumbly with bits of butter.
Top each muffin with a scoop of the streusel so that they are completely covered. Gently pat down on the streusel crumbs to help them stick in place.
Bake the tea muffins for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Enjoy!
How to Get Tall Bakery-Style Muffins
Bakery-style muffins have a tall and domed muffin top. You can achieve this style at home by following the tips below:
- Chill the muffin batter in the fridge before baking.
- Fill the muffin tin with as much batter as you can without making a mess. I like to do three-quarters full when adding toppings like streusel but even all the way to the top when no toppings are added.
- Try only filling every other muffin tin spot so there is more circulation and room for the muffin tops to expand.
Variations
- Extra Sweetness: Drizzle vanilla icing on top of each muffin after they have cooled.
- Dairy-Free: To make this recipe dairy-free, use a dairy-free milk option for the muffin batter and vegan butter for the streusel topping.
- Streusel Alternative: If you would prefer no streusel topping on the chai muffins, that’s okay too! Instead, you can just sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top of each muffin before baking.
Serving & Storage
Serve these tea muffins fresh out of the oven with a cup of tea. Maybe even with homemade masala chai! They are extra delicious when enjoyed warm and paired with a warm cuppa, too.
You can store these chai muffins with streusel topping at room temperature after baking. If stored in an airtight container, they will be good for 3-4 days.
To freeze these muffins, allow them to first cool completely and then cover them tightly in plastic wrap. Store them in a freezer-safe bag in the freezer for up to 3-4 weeks. Reheat them for about a minute before serving and enjoying.
Chai Muffins with Streusel Topping
Ingredients
For the Chai Muffins:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 egg
- ½ cup chai concentrate
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
For the Streusel Topping:
- 5 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
To Make the Chai Muffins:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, salt, granulated sugar, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, ground ginger and ground nutmeg.
- Create a well and add the wet ingredients: chai concentrate, egg, milk and oil. Mix until the dry and wet ingredients are just combined, lumps are okay. Don’t over mix as that can cause dense muffins. The consistency of the batter should be thick but not dry. You should be able to easily scoop the batter. If the batter is runny, add a tablespoon of all-purpose flour or more until you get the correct consistency. If the batter is dry or too thick, add a tablespoon of chai concentrate or milk.
- Scoop the chai muffin batter into a lined muffin baking tray. Fill each muffin liner up close to the top, about ¾ way full to leave a bit of room for the streusel topping.
To Make the Streusel Topping:
- In a separate bowl, whisk together melted butter, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, ground ginger and ground nutmeg. The streusel should be crumbly with bits of butter.
- Top each muffin with a scoop of the streusel so that they are completely covered. Gently pat down on the streusel crumbs to help them stick in place.
- Bake the tea muffins for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Enjoy!