Are you a chai tea lover? Somehow not only do I love the stuff, but my kiddo’s are now totally into a splash of chai in their milk every morning. I realized, since they love the flavor, I needed to make a muffin that played on those yummy, warm spices. And that’s how this chai spice oatmeal muffin was born.
This is one of those muffins that falls in the category of “healthy-ish”. It’s got some really good for you ingredients, but you can sweeten it up with a delicious (but totally optional) chai spice glaze.
Leave the glaze off and you have another breakfast muffin in your repertoire that you can feel good serving your family. This is one of those recipes that can be made in one bowl, with just a whisk. It’s also done in under 30 minutes! Woohoo!
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So what is chai spice exactly?
Chai spice is a blend of warm spices that originates in India. Different regions have different blends. The most well known use of a chai spice blend is in tea. Everyone has their own blend of these spices and there is no one specific recipe. Here is a little bit of information on chai if you’d like to read further.
The basic ingredients in chai spice blends are mostly the same. However, as everyone has their own twist on the blend, feel free to play with it. Use the recipe below you as a guide, and then tailor the flavors what you like.
The main spices in most chai blends are cinnamon, cardamon, ginger, allspice, black pepper, some include allspice, nutmeg, and other warm spices to taste.
Simple chai spice blend
- 3 parts cinnamon
- 1 part ginger
- 1 part cardamom
- 1/2 part nutmeg
- 1/2 part cloves
- 1/4 part allspice
- 1/8 part fine ground black pepper
In this muffin recipe you’ll use both a chai spice blend and a chai tea concentrate to really up the chai flavor. I really like using Oregon Chai for the concentrate. I buy mine at either Target (for the one box at a time) or Amazon (yes, by the case). I’ll give you a recipe for making your own chai spice blend below, but if you don’t want to make your own, try this one to start.
What makes these chai spice oatmeal muffins “healthy-ish”?
First you’ll also find a healthy dose of oats, two whole cups to be exact. Oats are a great source of fiber, which helps fill you up and are known to help lower cholesterol…something we could all use a little bit of help with this time of year! I like to use old fashioned rolled oats when I bake. They add a nice texture to any muffin you are making.
I’ve opted to use coconut oil instead of using butter, almond milk instead of regular milk and greek yogurt for little added protein. You could easily make these into a dairy free muffin by substituting a dairy free yogurt for the greek yogurt.
How do you make chai spice oatmeal muffins?
You’ll first need a bowl and whisk.
Then, gather your ingredients and preheat your oven because the batter comes together quickly.
In a mixing bowl, put the sugar and coconut oil and whisk until well incorporated. To that mixture, add the two eggs and whisk until you have a pale yellow mixture that is well incorporated.
You’ll then add the rest of the wet ingredients. This includes the yogurt, the almond milk, the vanilla. Once those are whisked into the egg mixture, grab a spatula or wooden spoon.
Add the dry ingredients directly into the bowl with the wet ingredients and stir just until the flour disappears…don’t over mix or you’ll get hockey puck textured muffins, which no one wants 🙂
Put the batter into muffin tins that have been sprayed with cooking spray and bake.
Once the muffins are done, let them cool a minute or two and then turn them on their side in the tin to cool the rest of the way…saves you from getting the cooling rack out.
If you are going to make the optional glaze, make it once the muffins have cooled down…glaze (or not) and enjoy!
Tips and Tricks:
- If you don’t have a box of chai concentrate around you can substitute for more almond milk, just know the chai flavor won’t be as strong. If you have chai tea bags in the house, you can make your own concentrate by brewing super strong tea and letting it cool…make it really strong for the best punch of flavor.
- These chai spice oatmeal muffins freeze great. Just make sure to store them in an airtight container. When you want to reheat either let them sit on the counter for 20-30 minutes or zap in microwave for about 15 seconds. Yum!
Looking for other muffin recipes that work for breakfast? Check these out!
chai spice oatmeal muffin
Ingredients
chai spice muffins
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup milk
- ¾ cup boxed chai concentrate
- ½ cup greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 2 cups oats
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- chai spice glaze
- 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon chai tea concentrate
- a few tablespoons of almond milk
Instructions
- preheat the oven to 375 degrees and gather all of your ingredients
- in a mixing bowl, put the sugar and coconut oil and whisk until well incorporated
- to that mixture, add the two eggs and whisk until you have a pale yellow mixture that is well incorporated
- then add the rest of the wet ingredients, including the yogurt, almond milk, chai concentrate and vanilla
- once those are whisked into the egg mixture, grab a spatula or wooden spoon
- add the dry ingredients directly into the bowl with the wet ingredients and stir just until the flour disappears, being careful not to overmix
- portion the batter into muffin tins that have been sprayed with cooking spray and bake
- once the muffins are done, let them cool a minute or two and then turn them on their side in the tin to cool
- for the optional glaze: in a small bowl put the powdered sugar and chai concentrate and stir together, add the almond milk one tablespoon at a time until you reach a pour able consistency. glaze by pouring over the muffins using as much or as little as you like.
Notes
Nutrition
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