Easy As Cookies

  • Recipes
  • About
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • About
×
Home » Recipes » Recipes

Vanilla Chai Donuts

Published: Sep 7, 2014 · Modified: Mar 20, 2025 by Leona Konkel · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads

Sharing is caring!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
↓ Jump to Recipe

This weekend, it finally began to feel like fall! I had the windows open both yesterday and today to let in the refreshingly cooler air. This is St. Louis, so we may still have some hot days in the future, but I hope this weather is a turning point. I am really ready for fall, my favorite season.

Today I made Vanilla Chai Donuts for breakfast to celebrate the cooler weather. The donuts took some brewed chai tea as well as five - yes, five - spices. This morning was not a great baking morning for me. I ground all the spices - cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, coriander, and cloves - but forgot to add them to the batter. I also didn't read the ingredient list closely and added baking soda instead of powder. I wasn't about to waste the spices that were sitting on the counter waiting to be used, so I made a second batch.

The donuts themselves were moist and tender. The donuts without the spices tasted okay, but weren't very spicy; even if you don't have all of the spices, you will still need to add some, as the tea alone isn't enough to make a chai flavor come through. The spices made a huge difference in the flavor of the donuts. I really enjoyed the unusual spiciness of the ginger, cardamom, and coriander in them. The donuts baked okay with the soda, but rose better with the baking powder. I'm not a huge fan of donut glaze, but it was needed for these donuts to balance the spices; you might also be able to get away with dusting them liberally with powdered sugar.

These donuts were nice to make for something a little different. They're definitely worth trying.

📖 Recipe

vanilla chai donuts
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!

Vanilla Chai Donuts

adapted from King Arthur Flour
Servings: 6 donuts
Author: Leona Konkel

Ingredients

  • 1 cup flour (I used ¾ cup all-purpose and ¼ cup whole wheat, which hides well here)
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ginger
  • ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup strong brewed chai tea cooled
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1-2 tablespoons strong chai tea

Instructions

  • Spray a 6-donut pan with cooking spray and preheat the oven to 375F.
  • Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, spices, and salt in a mixing bowl. Separately, whisk together the ¼ cup chai, vegetable oil, vanilla, and egg (or just dump it into the dry ingredients by accident, as I did with my second batch), then add to the dry ingredients. Mix to combine.
  • Spoon batter into prepared donut pan and bake for 10 minutes, until donuts are springy. A toothpick inserted into one will come out clean.
  • Let the donuts cool for a few minutes, then carefully run a toothpick along the edge of each donut to loosen them. I usually use the toothpick to gently pry the donut up and out of the pan.
  • Stir together the powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon chai to create a glaze, adding a little more tea if you like yours thinner. Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze on the donuts.

More Recipes

  • An unsliced pepperoni pizza in a pizza pan.
    Easy, No-Knead Pizza Dough
  • a square of tiramisu on a plate, seen from the side so you can see the layers.
    Chocolate Espresso Tiramisu
  • A slab of focaccia, seen close up along the cut side.
    Focaccia
  • chocolate peanut butter bites on a white cloth, with rolled oats strewn across, with a metal cookie scoop at the side
    Chocolate Peanut Butter Bites

Sharing is caring!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Leona Konkel, November 2020

Hi, I'm Leona!

I love homemade sweets and baked goods, using real ingredients, not mixes. I also share easy-to-make meals - so that I can spend the rest of my time baking, not making dinner.

About Me

Popular

  • sesame brittle in a tin
    Homemade Sesame Brittle
  • A slice of coconut cream pie with whipped cream on top.
    Coconut Cream Pie
  • a gooey butter cookie's texture, close up
    Gooey Butter Cookies (from scratch!)
  • slice of brownie cheesecake, with a bite on a fork
    Brownie Cheesecake

Summer-Ready Recipes

  • Iced coffee from cold brew coffee concentrate, in a glass with an ice cube and a straw.
    Cold-Brew Iced Coffee Concentrate
  • slices of grilled winter squash, on a plate outside
    Easy Grilled Winter Squash
  • two margaritas outside - square image
    Classic Margarita
  • A grilled sirloin steak on a bed of salad greens topped with cashews.
    Steak Salad with Lime and Cashews

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2010-2025 Leona Konkel and Easy As Cookies (easyascookies.com).  

Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this website’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Leona Konkel and Easy As Cookies (easyascookies.com) with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.