Chai spices and sweet apples baked into one delicious loaf! Chai Apple Bread is a moist, sweet and filled with real apple pieces. Bake up a loaf to fill your kitchen with a tantalizing aroma of classic fall flavors.
Pour a cup of coffee or tea with a splash of Pumpkin Coffee Creamer to enjoy with this bread. If you love all things apple, you’ll love this Apple Crisp Macchiato recipe too!
Why this Bread is Best
I can’t believe how amazing this made my kitchen smell! It’s like the best apple pie you’ve ever made meets the most flavorful chai you’ve ever tasted.
- The chai spice mix adds an unexpected twist to classic apple cinnamon bread.
- Warming cardamom and cloves are complemented by the sweetness of brown sugar and apple.
- This bread has real pieces of apple in each bite!
- It stays moist and delicious, even the next day.
You’ll love eating this Chai Apple Bread on its own for breakfast, dessert or an afternoon pick-me-up.
If you can double the recipe, set aside a loaf for our delicious Apple Bread Pudding.
Ingredient Notes
- Applesauce. In addition to adding a little bit of fiber and nutrition, applesauce also adds helps keep the bread moist. An equal amount of oil can be substituted for the applesauce. If eliminating the applesauce, use a total of 1 cup of vegetable oil.
- Milk. It adds even more moisture to the chai apple bread bread. You can use any milk you like. Even plain unsweetened nondairy milks work.
- Eggs. Use room temperature eggs for best results. They incorporate into the other ingredients more readily while helping the bread rise more.
- Chai spice mix. This is a blend of spices used in masala chai tea and chai lattes. I make my own chai spice mix. If using a store bought mix, make sure it contains just the spices and no tea.
PRO TIP- We love making our own homemade vanilla extract, but if using store bought, be sure it’s pure extract, not imitation (for best flavor).
Easy Instructions
Start by mixing brown sugar with the chai spice mix.
Toss diced apples in half of this spice-sugar mixture. Mix a spoonful of melted butter into the other half of the mixture. Set aside.
Now, beat eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl until fluffy. Add vanilla extract, applesauce, oil and milk.
Mix in the dry ingredients until just combined.
Transfer half of the thick batter to a greased loaf pan. Top the layer of batter with the spiced apples. Add the rest of the batter.
Finally, sprinkle the leftover brown sugar spice mixture on top.
Bake for an hour. Let the Chai Apple Bread cool in the pan before slicing and serving.
Tips and Tricks
- Prevent overbrowning: the top of the bread may start to brown quickly in the oven. If this happens, cover the top with aluminum foil.
- Toothpick test: Insert a toothpick into the center of the bread toward the end of bake time. The bread is done when the toothpick comes out clean.
- Peeling apples: I prefer to use peeled apples in chai apple bread. You can buy pre-peeled apple slices in fresh packs at the grocery store to skip peeling altogether.
- Do not over mix. The batter will be a bit lumpy after you add in the flour. Do not over mix or the bread will come out tough.
Recipe FAQs
I love to use honeycrisp apples in this recipe, but Granny Smith, Jazz, and Pink Lady apples also work well.
My chai spice mix includes cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and black pepper.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. To freeze, wrap in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil, or place in a freezer bag. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months
To make muffins, spray a muffin tin with nonstick spray, or use cupcake liners. Fill each muffin cup with 2 tablespoons of batter. Add a tablespoon of apples to the center, then top with remaining batter to fill the muffin cup ⅔ full. Bake at 350°F for 18-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
More Fall Dessert Recipes
- Chai Cookies
- Pumpkin Pie
- Paula Deen Apple Cake
- Chai Latte Cupcakes
- Chai Donuts
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
- Apple Cider Donuts
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section below!
Chai Apple Bread
Ingredients
For the Batter:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cups vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
For the Filling & Topping
- ¾ cup light brown sugar packed
- 3 Tablespoons chai spice mix
- 1 cup diced apple about 1 medium apple
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9”x5” loaf pan with nonstick baking spray.
- Mix together the brown sugar and chai spice mix.
- Place diced apples in a small bowl. Pour half of the chai sugar mixture (about ½ cup) over the apples and toss to coat. Mix the tablespoon of melted butter into the remaining spice mixture. Set both bowls aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate large bowl, beat eggs and sugar together until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in the oil, applesauce, milk, and vanilla extract and mix on low speed for 1 minute.
- Add in the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Batter will be a little bit lumpy.
- Pour half of the batter into the loaf pan. Top with the chai apple mixture. Add remaining batter over the top and spread evenly. Sprinkle the remaining chai sugar mixture over the top of the batter.
- Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. If the top begins to brown too much before the bread finishes cooking, cover with aluminum foil.
- Remove from oven and cool completely in pan.
Notes
- What kind of apples are best for baking? I love to use honeycrisp apples in this recipe, but Granny Smith, Jazz, and Pink Lady apples also work well.
- Chai spice mix. This is a blend of spices used in baking. I make my own chai spice mix. If using a store bought mix, make sure it contains just the spices and no tea.
- How do I store the apple chai bread? Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. To freeze, wrap in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil, or place in a freezer bag. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Can I make this bread as muffins? To make muffins, spray a muffin tin with nonstick spray, or use cupcake liners. Fill each muffin cup with 2 tablespoons of batter. Add a tablespoon of apples to the center, then top with remaining batter to fill the muffin cup 2/3 full. Bake at 350°F for 18-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Nutrition
Warming spices, a moist crumb and autumnal flavors make this Chai Apple Bread a must try recipe this fall!
Definitely better on day 2! If you need to serve it the same day, I would recommend adding the sugar and spice mix to the batter instead of adding it on top. I made it mid afternoon and it took until the next morning stored in an airtight container for flavors to permeate the rest of the loaf. We did try it the evening I made it and my man’s words were “It’s a little bland and not as sweet as you’d expect.” I agreed, but I think the two tips I shared here solve that problem. Definitely has a super moist and dense texture, even on day 1. I didn’t have oil on hand, so I substituted an equal amount of applesauce (1 cup total of applesauce). It also smells AMAZING while its baking and for hours afterward.
This was a really huge hit at my house! Will definitely make it again!
This was a really huge hit at my house! Will definitely make it again!
Thank you so much for this very delicious and super easy to make chai apple bread recipe! Will surely have this amazing recipe again! Highly recommended!
Yummy! These flavors go together perfectly! It’s a match made in heaven and tasted heavenly too!