When it comes to cupcakes, I find that inspiration can always be found near and far—and this recipe is no exception. These easy, homemade chai latte cupcakes combine deliciously warm chai spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger with soft and fluffy cupcakes. Topped with my chai spice buttercream, it’s the ultimate coffeehouse-inspired treat. Sip and savor, my friends!
Can I confess something? I’m over pumpkin spice lattes. Am I even a real foodie if I don’t like pumpkin spice lattes? They’re too sweet for me, which is ironic given the mountain of buttercream in these photos. (I also don’t like matcha lattes. They taste like grass-flavored milkshakes. Can someone—anyone—please say they feel the same?!)
So, when brainstorming new cupcake recipes, I naturally turned to my favorite fancy coffeehouse beverage: a warm chai latte. A dessert you can prepare ahead of time, these chai latte cupcakes are fall must-try whether that means a batch of seasonal cupcakes for your coworkers, a unique contribution to a fall bake sale, an impressive ending to a Friday night dinner party, a Sunday football treat, or even if you just freakin’ love chai tea lattes like I do!
What’s not to love? When you combine the airy cupcake base with the rich chai spice buttercream, this dessert pushes all other fall-flavored desserts to the back of the line. I have a feeling you’ll appreciate this autumnal, beverage-inspired cupcake as much as I do!
Tell Me About These Chai Latte Cupcakes
- Ease: There are 3 simple parts to these chai latte cupcakes: making the homemade chai spice blend, preparing the chai-infused cupcake using my basic vanilla cupcakes recipe as the base, and mixing up the chai spice buttercream.
- Texture: The best cupcakes are light and airy, and this chai latte is no exception. Soft, fluffy, and moist, it has an irresistible texture that will delight the most discerning cupcake lovers! In fact, here’s a run-down of my vanilla cupcakes recipe explaining why cake flour, sour cream, and egg whites are KEY to an irresistible texture.
- Flavor: Chai may be an unusual recipe flavor, but you’ll be impressed with the outcome. Infused with deep, aromatic notes of warm spices, the cupcake is intensely flavoured with a double-jolt of chai flavor by combining the chai latte cupcake WITH the chai spice buttercream.
- Time: You’ll need to steep the tea for 20-30 minutes, then make the batter and bake the cake for about 20 minutes. That lush buttercream frosting can be prepared while the cupcakes are in the oven. You can complete this recipe in a little over an hour, allowing for cool time before frosting the cupcakes. (If you plan on making mini cupcakes, you’ll shave off about 10 minutes of the total time.)
When cooking or baking, I encourage you to use the best-quality spices you can. While spices don’t necessarily expire, they do tend to lose their flavor and intensity over time and it’s worth replacing them every three to four years.
And if you’re ever interested in making your own spice blend, I have an entire post dedicated to homemade pumpkin pie spice.
Overview: How to Make Chai Latte Cupcakes
The full printable recipe is below, but let’s walk through it so you understand each step before you get started.
- Make the homemade chai spice mix. This blend of 4 readily available kitchen spices makes the delicious chai spice flavor you love. Grab some cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and allspice. This mix will be used in both the cupcake batter and buttercream, as well as the garnish on top.
- Prepare the chai–infused cupcakes. We’ll use my basic vanilla cupcakes as the base, adding a generous amount of our chai spice mix. Instead of regular milk, we’ll use chai tea milk made from a bag of chai tea steeped in 1/2 cup warm whole milk (steep it the night before to save time). This concentrated amount of chai flavor turns our spiced cupcake batter into a delicious chai cupcake batter. It’s the secret sauce. Let the milk cool before adding to the batter.
- Whip up the chai spice buttercream. Remember when I said rainbow chip frosting is the best frosting in the world? Lies. This richly flavored vanilla buttercream is spiced with our homemade chai spice mix. It’s unbelievable how much flavor dry spices can add to frosting.
- Decorate the chai latte cupcakes. This chai spice buttercream, in all its creamy, silky-smooth glory, sits at the top of the frosting world. I used the Wilton 8B piping tip (which I love) for this recipe. (Remember my white chocolate strawberry cupcakes and lemon buttercream photos?) You simply start in the center of the cupcake and swirl upward. You can watch me use it in the frosting tutorial video in my piping tips post (1:09 mark).
- Garnish cupcakes. A cinnamon stick and a sprinkle of sugar/leftover chai spice mix adds a rustic chic garnish to our chai latte cupcakes.
First, here is our chai tea milk that we’ll use in the cupcake batter. This stuff is potent!
Because of the chai tea milk and chai spices, the chai cupcake batter is a beautiful shade of caramel.
Tip: Fill the cupcake liners only about 2/3 full to avoid overflowing.
When it comes to leavening in baking, balance is key. You can learn all about it in my baking powder vs baking soda post. Find out why some recipes—like these chai latte cupcakes—call for both.
And here’s the separate page for chai spice buttercream in case you want to pair it with other flavor cakes and cupcakes!
More Chai Inspired Recipes
- White Chocolate Chai Snickerdoodles
- Chai Cinnamon Swirl Bundt Cake
- Chai Spice Donuts
- Frosted Chai Spice Snickerdoodles
- Chai Pumpkin Meringue Pie
Chai Latte Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 20 minutes
- Yield: 14 cupcakes
- Category: Cupcakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Soft and moist chai latte cupcakes prepared with chai tea, chai spices, and topped with whipped chai buttercream. This simple cupcake recipe tastes exactly like your favorite coffeehouse chai latte drink.
Ingredients
Chai Spice Mix
- 2 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 and 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 and 1/4 teaspoons ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
Cupcakes
- 1 bag chai tea
- 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk, at room temperature
- 1 and 3/4 cups (207g) cake flour* (spooned & leveled)
- 3 and 1/2 teaspoons chai spice mix (above)
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 3 large egg whites, at room temperature*
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120g) sour cream or plain yogurt, at room temperature
Chai Spice Buttercream
- 1 and 1/2 cups (340g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 5.5 – 6 cups (660-720g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 teaspoons chai spice mix, divided
- 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- optional for garnish: cinnamon sticks + mix the remaining chai spice mix
Instructions
- Prepare chai spice mix: Mix all of the chai spices together. You’ll have 5 and 1/2 teaspoons to use between the cupcake batter, buttercream, and garnish.
- Steep the tea*: Bring milk to a boil or heat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. Pour over tea bag and steep for 20-30 minutes. This chai milk is the milk you’ll use in the cupcake batter. This can be done the day before and refrigerated overnight. Make sure the chai milk is room temperature before adding to the cupcake batter.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. Line a second pan with 2-3 liners—this recipe makes 14-15 cupcakes. Set aside.
- Make the cupcakes: Whisk the cake flour, 3 and 1/2 teaspoons of chai spice mix, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamed, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in the egg whites on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients until just incorporated. With the mixer still running on low, slowly pour and mix in the chai milk *just* until combined. Do not overmix. Batter will be slightly thick and smell incredible!
- Pour/spoon the batter into the liners. Fill only 2/3 full to avoid baking over the sides. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. For around 35 mini cupcakes, bake for about 11-13 minutes, same oven temperature. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
- Make the frosting: With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and add 5 and 1/2 cups (660g) confectioners’ sugar, the heavy cream, 1 and 3/4 teaspoons chai spice mix, the vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. If frosting looks curdled or greasy, it’s best to beat in more confectioners’ sugar to smooth it out. Beat in up to 1/2 cup (60g) more confectioners’ sugar to smooth out if needed. If frosting seems too thick to pipe or spread, beat in another Tablespoon (15ml) of cream. Taste and beat in another pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet.
- Frost cooled cupcakes and serve. I used Wilton 8B piping tip, stuck a cinnamon stick in some of them, and sprinkled with a mix of the remaining chai spice mix and a pinch of granulated sugar.
- Cover and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: An easy way to get a head start is to prepare the chai spice mix and steep the milk/tea 1 day ahead of time (steps 1 and 2). Cupcakes can be made ahead 1 day in advance, covered, and stored in the refrigerator. Frosting can also be made 1 day in advance, covered, and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. Frosted or unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-cup Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Rubber Spatula | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Wilton 8B Piping Tip | Cupcake Carrier (for storage)
- Step 2: You’ll steep 1 bag of tea in 1/2 cup of hot milk to use in the cupcake batter. You could also steep a 2nd chai tea bag with the heavy cream to use in the buttercream, if desired! Make sure it’s hot when steeping, then cool to room temperature when adding to buttercream.
- Cake Flour: If you can’t get your hands on cake flour, use this homemade cake flour substitute. I suggest doing this twice, mixing it all up in 1 bowl then removing 1/4 cup since you need 1 and 3/4 cups in this recipe.
- What to Do with Leftover Egg Yolks? I have some recipe ideas for you!
- Why is Everything at Room Temperature? All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. More here on why room temperature ingredients matter.
- Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking the BEST cupcakes before you begin!
- Cake Version: I suggest following my white cake recipe as the base, which is almost double this cupcake recipe. Use 2 tea bags for the milk since that recipe calls for 1 cup. For the chai spice mix, increase the cinnamon to 2 and 3/4 teaspoons, ginger and cardamom to 1 and 1/2 teaspoons each, and the allspice to 3/4 teaspoon. You’ll have 6 and 1/2 teaspoons of chai spice mix. Use 4 and 1/2 teaspoons in the cake batter and 2 teaspoons in the vanilla frosting recipe listed in the white cake recipe.
Can I add chocolate chips to this?
Can’t see why not! Mini chips may be better, texture wise.
these came out way too dense and caved in on the bottom! also, i halved the frosting and it was still wayyyyy too much. disappointed.
These were so tasty! Def. want to make these again. My nephew said he wants this flavor for his next birthday cake. Thanks, Sally! P.S. Directions were very clear.
Oops! Forgot my rating: Five starts for sure!
Do you think this frosting would be good on your banana cake (which we love)?
Yes, absolutely. Yum!
Also… this is way to much frosting, you could frost a whole layered cake with the amount in this recipe. Sorry Sally, i think this recipe might be your worst one. But on the flip side, the other hundreds i have used are incredible. Did someone sneek this one in without you seeing it maybe ? Lol
I love all your recipes and you are my favorite baker to follow! That being said, this recipes measurements are choas, i wish time would have been put in to make an even 24 without all the uneven measurments. Still good, but really annoying recipe.
Are we able to use whole eggs instead of the whites to eliminate waste or even carton egg? whites?
Hi Brit, egg whites are key to this cupcake’s light and airy texture, so we recommend sticking to just the recipe as written. Using whole eggs would weigh down the batter too much. Here are some other recipes where you can use your leftover egg yolks.
I am confused. Do you put your blended spice mix into a bag to infuse the milk? Do you reserve 2 tsp of the mix for the frosting and then pout the milk over the rest? Do you use a black tea bag and add the 3 tsp of the spice mix? Please advise. Thank you.
Hi Joan, you’ll steep the chai tea bag in the milk in step 2. That will be used in the cupcake batter. You will simply add in the chai spice blend separately in the cake batter (step 4) and in the frosting (step 7). Hope this helps!
I’m surprised I haven’t seen this recipe paired with the salted caramel frosting. Am I missing something, or would Chai cupcakes with salted caramel frosting be a good combo?
Hi Sara, you could definitely top with our salted caramel frosting. Let us know if you try it!
Not worth the effort, or the calories! I should have known it would make way too much frosting. What a waste of time and money.
Turned out amazing!!Totally gonna make them again sometime!!
I am so excited to make this recipe! Is it possible if I could swap heavy cream for heavy whipping cream? Thanks!
Hi Lisa! Yes, those two are interchangeable – as long as it says “heavy” in the title!
Can we use ready made /store bought chai spice mix?
Absolutely! As long as it’s just spices, and no added sugars or anything.
Totally agree that Matcha=grass and as much as I love pumpkin, I am not a fan of PSL. However, I can’t wait to try these cupcakes!
These are fantastic! I made the mini cupcakes version for the company holiday party and got compliments from the CEO himself. I toasted and ground whole spices to give the chai spice mix some extra oomph, and subbed half and half for heavy cream in the frosting since the grocery store was out.
I’m hoping to make a version of this cupcake with chocolate, chocolate chai cupcakes. Any thoughts on the best way to incorporate cocoa or melted chocolate and how much?
Hi Kelly! Perhaps you could add the chai spices to our chocolate buttercream to go on top. Adding cocoa powder to this cupcake recipe would require some testing – let us know what you try!
These are the best cupcakes I’ve ever had. The flavor is to die flor and the texture and consistency of the cake and the frosting are perfect. Tastes and looks professionally made and I’m a regular amateur. Thank you for this!
Hello, I have a question. This recipe look amazing but would it be possible to switch out the flour with a 1:1 gluten free flour? Will it still be ok? I’m trying to make this for a friend who is gluten free. Thanks!
Hi Bella, we haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour, so we’re unsure of the results. Although some readers report using an all-purpose 1:1 gluten-free flour in many of our recipes with success, you should expect slightly different results anytime you substitute ingredients. Let us know if you give it a try!
I want to make this for a cake walk. The items will be set outside but under a tent. Do you think the frosting can withstand that?
Hi Amanda! As long as it isn’t quite hot out and the cupcakes are in the shade, they should be OK outside for a couple hours.
Hi!
I baked these cupcakes and the smell was amaaazing *.*
But I have a question – did you bake them in an oven with or without hot air (convection oven)?
Hi Slodka, All of the recipes on this site are written for conventional settings. Convection ovens are fantastic for cooking and roasting. If you have the choice, we recommend conventional settings when baking cakes, breads, etc. The flow of air from convection heat can cause baked goods to rise and bake unevenly and it also pulls moisture out of the oven. If you do use convection settings for baking, lower your temperature by 25 degrees F and keep in mind that things may still take less time to bake.
What can I replace the egg white with? Is the cake flour just all purpose flour and cornstarch? What measurements are needed for each of those ingredients for the cake flour?
Hi, I always use all porpuse flour in all sally’s recipies (‘cause where I live we do not have cake flour) and they always turn out great, so from my experience you don’t even need to add cornstarch to it ;))
hi! i dont have allspice and my local grocery store doesn’t have it either, so can i substitute allspice with Chinese five spice or will this throw off the flavour?
Hi Vivian, the taste will be different, but if you enjoy that spice blend then you can certainly give it a go in these cupcakes. Let us know if you give it a try!
Hi I hope it’s not too late, but just wanted to mention that I find Chinese five spice has a lot stronger “savoury” smell. I think all spice is a more of nutmeg/cinnamon (“Christmassy”) type of flavour. When I made these (they were delicious by the way!) I didn’t have allspice either so I mixed cinnamon and a little bit of nutmeg and tiny bit of cloves – or if you don’t have those spices I would suggest you just add a bit more of the cinnamon and the other ingredients – as those have the right flavour profile for Chai. I made the cupcakes for a birthday afternoon tea and they were a big hit! Thanks for a great recipe.
hi! would i be able to use this recipe for a three layer six inch cake?
Hi Athena, yes! Cupcake batter is just the right amount for a 6-inch cake.
Hi Sally
These cupcakes are absolutely incredible!
Would they work with cream cheese frosting?
Yes, absolutely! Though cream cheese frosting won’t hold as much detail when piped as this buttercream. You could do a simple swirl like we do on our banana cupcakes. Enjoy!