These baked chai-spiced donuts with vanilla glaze are soft, tender, and filled with warm, comforting flavors. Perfect for an easy homemade treat, they bring classic chai spice to your kitchen in the form of beautiful, bakery-style donuts.
Preheat the oven to 350℉. Lightly grease the donut pan.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and brown sugar until well combined.
In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, oil or melted butter, and vanilla extract until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined. Don’t overmix.
Spoon or pipe the batter evenly into the prepared donut pans, filling each cavity about ¾ full.
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the tops spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into a donut comes out clean. Let the donuts cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
For the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk or cream, and vanilla extract until smooth. Add milk gradually to reach desired thickness.
Dip the cooled donuts into the glaze, letting any excess drip off. Place back on the wire rack to set.
Serve fresh or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Notes
For buttermilk substitute, mix 1 cup milk with 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice and let stand 5 minutes before using.
Use vegetable oil for a softer crumb or melted butter for a richer flavor.
Adjust glaze thickness by adding milk 1 tablespoon at a time.