Chai Tea is one of my favorite flavors — add it to a gluten free muffin and you get cold weather Gluten Free Chai Tea Muffins nirvana!
At this time of year I start craving any hint of fall — the smells, the chill in the air …. Of course, it’s not nearly cold enough to justify a hot drink yet, which is another reason why I love this yummy muffin recipe: I get my chai fix without the heat!
Over the years I’ve been making this recipe, I’ve found some great chai products to use, like Bhakti® Holiday Spiced Chai Nog (vegan, made with almond milk). Bhakti’s spiced blend in particular adds magic to these muffins. Seriously over the top delicious!
But even if you don’t have one of these chai latte options on hand, you can make these delectable muffins with chai tea bags and your favorite milk — directions are in the recipe below.
One last shot before I let you get onto the recipe … this is one of my favorite pictures because it’s my daughter reaching for a muffin years ago when her tiny hands were still baby-chubby and these muffins were already a favorite.
Whether it’s the middle of winter and you’re looking to soothe your soul with a warm, snuggly cup of tea and a spicy muffin or it’s summer and a flavorful muffin on the go is what you seek, these gluten free chai tea muffins fit the bill. Warm or cold, with or without that scrumptious glaze, these are real crowd pleasers.
Gluten Free Chai Tea Muffins
These spicy-sweet gluten free chai tea muffins are among our favorites. The flavor combination stands on its own but with the optional glaze is truly next level delish!
Ingredients
Muffins
- 1/4 cup granulated cane sugar OR unrefined coconut palm sugar
- 4 Tbs. (2 ounces) butter OR non-dairy alternative (e.g. Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks)
- 2 eggs or substitute
- 3 Tbs. maple syrup OR agave nectar OR honey
- 1/2 cup “natural” applesauce (e.g. no sugar added) OR pumpkin butter OR apple butter OR mashed banana (approx. 1 overripe banana)
- 1 cup gfJules® All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
- 1/2 cup almond meal OR buckwheat flour OR gfJules™ All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
- 2 Tbs. flaxseed meal OR gfJules® All Purpose Gluten Free Flour)
- 2 Tbs.unsweetened cocoa OR mesquite flour OR cabernet flour
- 1/2 cup certified gluten-free purity protocol oats ground into flour OR millet flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 cup chai tea latte concentrate OR brewed tea (Bhakti® Holiday Spiced Chai Nog; Bhakti® Chai Concentrate OR Oregon Chai® Latte Concentrate) OR steep 3 chai tea bags in 1/2 cup very warm milk (dairy or non-dairy) then set aside to cool
- 1/2 cup raisins OR diced apples (optional)
Glaze (optional)
- 1/4 cup sifted confectioner's sugar
- 1/8 tsp. vanilla paste
- 1-2 tsp. +/- milk of choice (dairy or non-dairy)
Instructions
Coat 12-15 muffin tins or 24 mini muffin tins with cooking oil or line with muffin papers. Preheat oven to 325° F convection or 350° F static.
Whip sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs and stir. Mix in agave nectar and applesauce until combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients, then slowly stir into the wet mix while adding brewed chai tea or latte blend. Stir until smooth. Fold in raisins if using.
Fill the muffin tins 2/3 full and bake until they are light brown: approximately 11-12 minutes for mini muffins or 20-25 minutes for regular muffins. A toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins should come out with dry crumbs and the muffins should spring back to a light touch.
Remove to fully cool before glazing, if desired.
To make glaze, add sifted confectioner's sugar to a small bowl, then stir in vanilla paste and milk only until glaze is thin enough to drizzle (see photo).
*This recipe and over 149 more, also available in my cookbook, Free for All Cooking: 150 Easy Gluten-Free, Allergy-Friendly Recipes the Whole Family Can Enjoy!
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Nutrition Information
Yield 15 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 276Total Fat 4gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 25mgSodium 123mgCarbohydrates 53gFiber 4gSugar 19gProtein 7g
Please keep in mind that nutrition information provided is per serving, which may vary. While we have taken care to provide you with the most accurate nutritional values possible, please note that this information may differ significantly depending on the exact ingredients and brands that you choose to use to make this recipe. Additionally, where options are given for ingredients, the resulting calculation may include all ingredient options instead of only one per line, skewing the totals significantly.
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do!
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These look so yummy! I like to add protein sometimes to my muffins. I actually have a good vegan Chai protein powder. Do you think I could add a scoop of that instead of one of the flours in that amount?
Hi Carol, yes! I definitely think you could swap out 1/4 cup of flour for protein powder. If the batter looks too thick though before baking, add a bit of extra liquid.
~jules
These sound yummy. A quick question, the 1/2 cup of oats, is that before grinding them or after making into flour?
I noticed that you gave gf flour as an option each time. If I don’t have all those other flours will it affect the taste?
Hi Janet, those other flours do have taste which the chai in this case can overcome — the only reason I really offer them as an option here. Typically I just write the recipe for my gfJules Flour so it’s easy for folks to use only one flour, plus it has no taste or gritty texture to need masking by extra sugar or fat. Here, you could do either one; the chai itself is the star, so you could just use my gfJules Flour and still have a lovely chai muffin — even lighter, and fluffier, actually! ENJOY!
~jules
Hi, I can’t buy Bhakti products in my area so I went online but Holiday Spiced Chai Nog isn’t there. What is there, is Chai Noir. Would that be an option in these muffins? I’m not much of an experimenter w recipes but the chocolate element sounded like it’d be really good.
Hi Susan, the nog is seasonal, I’m sure, but wow that Chai Noir sounds delish! I’ve honestly made this recipe so many times with so many different chai “drinks,” and they all turn out delightfully. I can’t wait to hear how you like the “noir”! 🙂
~jules
I was looking for a gluten-free muffin that didn’t include oats. (Daughter can’t handle them, gluten-free or otherwise.) This was it! Very nice and mild flavor. I might add some cinnamon the next time, just to ramp up the spice.
Fantastic, Lynne! So glad to hear they were a hit. I’m in love with spice, too. Never hurts to add a touch more! 😉
~jules
I’ve been trying to convince my two college age daughters to go gf. Sent care package w/these muffins to one of my girls but didn’t say they’re gf. So, says they’re too yummy to share with roomies and is hiding them in her room! Still doesn’t know they’re gf.
Way to go, mama! Wait until she hears that she’s been eating GF!!!!
It looks so tasty and yummy. I can’t wait to try this out with my cousin this weekend!
It looks really delicious Jules so I think I might use this recipe. Would it be alright with you?
Valeria Morris
Should the final batter be more of a scoopable or a pourable mixture?
Laura, it’s a pretty thick batter.
Oh my gosh Jules, you rocked it again with this recipe! I have been trying to find some good breakfast “on the run” type of muffin recipes and this one really hits the spot! I used sorghum flour instead of almond (it’s the only one I had) and I didn’t use apples because I didn’t have any. The muffin is light, not heavy at all and not too sweet, which is key for me in a breakfast muffin. Thank you for sharing the recipe, I’m a very satisfied customer!
So glad you had fun baking this weekend Briana! It is a great recipe, and I’m glad to know that the sorghum worked well in place of the almond meal. Thanks for sharing that info!