These chai rolls feature a soft, pillowy brioche with swirls of delicious brown sugar chai filling. They’re topped with a 5-minute chai cream cheese frosting, which pairs perfectly with the rolls. So ooey gooey, not-too-sweet, and an absolute hit with my friends!
Interested in a chocolate version? Try my Milo rolls!
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The chai rolls are so fluffy and light! The dough is enriched with milk, butter, and eggs to yield flavorful, pillowy buns. And before baking, a brown sugar chai cream mixture is poured on top to make them even more tender with a sticky, rich, gooey sauce on the bottom. YUM!
- They’re perfectly spiced and not too sweet. The chai spice is perfectly balanced with flavors of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and a bit of black pepper. It pairs well with the brioche and the cream cheese frosting, making it an amazing Fall treat.
Interested in a matcha version? Try my brown sugar matcha boba buns!
Ingredients
To make brioche chai rolls, you’ll need the following ingredients:
For the brioche dough:
- Adding cornstarch with the all-purpose flour will help yield soft, cakier brioche!
- The active dry yeast will be mixed with sugar and warm whole milk before incorporating it into the recipe. If using instant dry yeast, you can skip the dissolving step and add it straight into your dry ingredients.
- Eggs and unsalted butter will enrich the fluffy brioche, making it very tender and flavorful.
For the filling and heavy cream mixture:
- For the chai roll filling, you’ll mix chai spice mix, brown sugar (light or dark), and unsalted butter until light and fluffy.
- Right before baking, you’ll pour a mixture heavy cream, brown sugar (light or dark), and chai spice on top of the rolls. This will make them richer in flavor and add a sticky syrup that will coat the bottom of the pan.
For the chai cream cheese frosting:
- This is a basic cream cheese frosting comprising of full-fat cream cheese, brown sugar, vanilla, and chai spice.
- You can use either vanilla extract or vanilla paste (1:1) in this recipe.
For the full list of ingredients and measurements, see the recipe card below.
💡 Baking Tip
Weigh your ingredients! One of my favorite kitchen tools is a kitchen scale because it’s more accurate than measuring by volume. If you use cups, spoon the flour in gently, then level it with a knife or spatula.
How to Make Soft Chai Rolls
Step 1: In a bowl, whisk together warmed milk, yeast, and sugar. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, or until mixture is foamy.
Step 2: In a stand mixer fitted with hook attachment, mix flour, cornstarch, salt, yeast mixture, and eggs on medium speed until dough forms. Add a tablespoon of softened butter every 30 seconds, then mix for about 8 minutes, or until dough passes the windowpane test: take a small piece of dough and gently stretch it. If it is kneaded enough, it should be translucent and you can see light passing through.
Step 3: Lightly cover dough and let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 1.5-2 hours (or overnight in the fridge!). Mix all of the chai filling ingredients in a bowl until combined.
Step 4: Roll dough out into a 18″x12″ rectangle. Evenly spread filling and cut out twelve 1.5-inch strips. Gently roll into coils, placing each one into a 9″x13″ baking pan.
Step 5: Lightly cover and let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 1-1.5 hours. Stir together ingredients for the chai heavy cream mixture, then pour over rolls. Bake at 350°F/177°C for 25-35 minutes, or until rolls no longer doughy in the middle. During the last few minutes of baking, make the frosting
Step 6: Spread chai cream cheese frosting all over warm rolls. Serve and enjoy them warm!
For full instructions, see the recipe card below.
“OH MY GOD” – my friend LMAO
Homemade Chai Spice Roll FAQs
No, you can omit it if you don’t have it. However, I found that it makes the rolls very soft and tender.
This recipe uses an enriched brioche dough, which means there is a substantial amount of butter (aka fat) in the dough. This makes rising time longer, but it is SO worth it because brioche is very flavorful, soft, and buttery!
Yes, but I highly recommend using a stand mixer. This is because kneading brioche may take longer and can be trickier for beginner bakers, especially when it comes to incorporating the softened butter.
If kneading by hand, the dough will be pretty sticky. You must be patient and keep kneading without adding too much flour; the dough will eventually come together!
This idea came from the viral TikTok cinnamon rolls from 2023-2024! Adding heavy cream hydrates the rolls and makes them softer. For this recipe, I added in a bit of brown sugar and chai spice for extra flavor.
They can last in an airtight container in the fridge for up 3 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
Storage
- Refrigeration instructions: Store cooled chai spice buns in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave.
- Freezing instructions: Store cooled chai buns (with or without frosting) in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave.
🌀 More Roll Recipes
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Thank you so much! -Bianca ❤️
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Chai Rolls
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Equipment
- small bowl for heavy cream mixture
- 2 medium bowls for yeast mixture and filling
- large bowl for proofing dough
- Stand mixer hook attachment for dough
- plastic wrap or kitchen towel
- 9"x13" baking pan see notes
Ingredients
Brioche Roll Dough:
- 1 cup (244 g) whole milk warmed
- ⅓ cup (66.67 g) brown sugar packed; light or dark
- 2 ¼ teaspoons (7 g) active dry yeast
- 2 (100 g) large eggs
- 4 ¼ cups (531.25 g) all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons (32 g) cornstarch
- 1 ¼ teaspoons (7.5 g) fine sea salt or table salt
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter softened
Chai Spice Filling:
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup (110 g) brown sugar packed; light or dark
- 2 tablespoons (16 g) chai spice mix can use store-bought!
Heavy Cream Mixture:
- ⅓ cup (79.33 g) heavy cream warmed
- 1 teaspoon (3 g) chai spice mix can use store-bought!
Chai Spice Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) cream cheese softened
- ⅓-1 cup (66 g) brown sugar adjust to taste; can use light or dark
- 1 tablespoon (13 g) vanilla paste or extract
- 1-2 teaspoon (3 g) chai spice mix adjust to taste; can use store-bought!
Instructions
For the enriched dough:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup (244 g) whole milk (warmed), ⅓ cup (66.67 g) brown sugar, and 2 ¼ teaspoons (7 g) active dry yeast. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, or until yeast is activated and mixture is frothy.
- In a stand mixer fitted with hook attachment, add 2 (100 g) large eggs, 4 ¼ cups (531.25 g) all-purpose flour, 4 tablespoons (32 g) cornstarch, 1 ¼ teaspoons (7.5 g) fine sea salt, and yeast mixture. Mix on medium low speed until dough forms.
- While mixing on medium low speed, add ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter a tablespoon at a time, every 30 seconds. Continue mixing for 8-10 minutes, or until dough passes the windowpane test.To do the windowpane test, take a small piece of dough and gently stretch it. If it is kneaded enough, it should be translucent enough to see light passing through.
- Transfer dough to a large bowl, lightly cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 1.5-2 hours (or overnight in the fridge!).
For assembly:
- In a medium bowl, mix together softened ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, ½ cup (110 g) brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons (16 g) chai spice mix until combined.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a 18"x-12" rectangle. Evenly spread chai filling. Cut into twelve 1 ½-inch strips.
- Gently roll each strip into a tight roll, placing each one in a 9"x13" baking pan. Lightly cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1-1.5 hours. In the last 5-10 minutes, preheat oven to 350°F/177°C.
Bake chai rolls:
- In a small bowl, mix ⅓ cup (79.33 g) heavy creamand 1 teaspoon (3 g) chai spice mix until combined. Pour all over rolls.
- Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until rolls are no longer doughy in the middle. In the last few minutes of baking, make the frosting: in your stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix softened 8 ounces (226.8 g) cream cheese, ⅓-1 cup (66 g) brown sugar (adjust to taste), 1 tablespoon (13 g) vanilla, and 1-2 teaspoon (3 g) chai spice mix until fully combined.
- Let chai rolls cool for about 5 minutes, then spread on cream cheese frosting. Enjoy!
Notes
- For this recipe, I cut 12 equal pieces and arranged them 3×4 in a 9 inch by 13 inch pan. I’ve also used the same recipe to cut 9 equal pieces and arranged them 3×3 in a 9-inch square pan!
- Refrigeration instructions: Store cooled chai buns in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave.
- Freezing instructions: Store cooled chai buns (with or without frosting) in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave.
