Building email templates can feel like navigating a minefield. With inconsistent HTML and CSS support across email clients like Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail, creating responsive, visually appealing emails often requires tedious workarounds. Here, Maizzle, an awesome framework, simplifies this process. By combining the power of Tailwind CSS, you can create awesome email Templates with Mazzle.
In this article, we’ll walk you through how to use Maizzle and TailwindCSS to create stunning email templates effortlessly, even if you’re new to email development.
Table of contents
What Is Maizzle?
Maizzle is an open-source framework designed to streamline HTML email development. Besides, it harnesses TailwindCSS, a utility-first CSS framework, to let you style emails using concise, reusable classes instead of wrestling with inline CSS.
Beyond styling, Maizzle also offers a development workflow with live reloading and a production build process that handles email-specific challenges like CSS inlining and code minification. The result? Faster development and emails that look great everywhere.
Why Use Maizzle with Tailwind CSS For an Email Template?
Email clients don’t play by the same rules as web browsers. Some lack support for modern CSS features like flexbox or grid, while others strip out styles entirely.
Additionally, inline CSS is often required for compatibility, but writing it manually is time-consuming and error-prone.
Besides, Maizzle also tackles these issues head-on, providing a modern workflow that bridges the gap between web development and email constraints.
Step-by-Step Guide: Build Email Templates with Maizzle Using Tailwind
Let’s dive deep into building an email template with Maizzle using Tailwind CSS.
Prerequisites and Setup
- Install Node.js
- Familiarity with Tailwind CSS concepts (utility classes, responsive variants)
- Install Maizzle CLI globally:
npx create-maizzleYou will then be prompted with a series of questions by the Maizzle CLI. We recommend answering with the following:
- Where should we create your project? ./my-project
- Do you want to use a starter?: Yes
- Install NPM dependencies?: Yes
cd my-project
code .
npm run devThis launches a local preview server that instantly reflects changes in your templates.
Project Structure: Layouts, Components, and CSS
Typical Maizzle folder setup:
- layouts/ wrap your HTML via or tags
- components/ hold reusable elements like buttons or footers
- emails/ hold all the HTML files.
- images/ holds images for the emails.
Maizzle uses tailwindcss-preset-email to adapt Tailwind for email needs—switching rem to px, using !important, and optimizing colors + spacing for better email support.
Writing Your First Tailwind‑Styled Template
There will be a example file name
transactional.html.
Moreover, you can learn more by referring to the Maizzle Template Documentation.
Let’s create an invite.html email:
<x-main>
<div class="bg-slate-100 sm:px-4 font-inter">
<table align="center" class="m-0 mx-auto">
<tr>
<td class="w-[552px] max-w-full">
<x-spacer height="24px" />
<table class="w-full">
<tr>
<td class="py-6 px-9 sm:p-6 bg-white [border:1px_solid_theme(colors.slate.200)] rounded-lg">
<header>
<span class="text-4xl">🚀</span>
<a href="#" class="inline-flex items-center text-2xl font-bold text-gray-800">
<span class="ml-2">LaunchPad</span>
</a>
</header>
<main class="mt-8">
<h2 class="text-gray-700">Hi {{name}},</h2>
<p class="mt-2 leading-loose text-gray-600">
Alex has invited you to join the team on <span class="font-semibold">LaunchPad</span>.
</p>
<a href="{{inviteLink}}"
class="px-6 py-3 mt-4 no-underline text-base font-medium tracking-wider text-white capitalize transition-colors duration-300 transform border-blue-500 bg-blue-600 rounded-lg hover:bg-blue-500 focus:outline-none focus:ring focus:ring-blue-300 focus:ring-opacity-80">
Accept the invite
</a>
<p class="mt-8 text-gray-600">
Thanks, <br>
The LaunchPad Team
</p>
</main>
<footer class="mt-8">
<p class="text-gray-500">
This email was sent to <a href="#" class="text-blue-600 hover:underline"
target="_blank">[email protected]</a>.
If you'd prefer not to receive invitations like this, you can <a href="#"
class="text-blue-600 hover:underline">unsubscribe</a> or <a href="#"
class="text-blue-600 hover:underline">update your preferences</a>.
</p>
<p class="mt-3 text-gray-500">© 2025 LaunchPad. All rights reserved.</p>
</footer>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>
</x-main>
Moreover, you can also use Tailwind utility classes instead of manual inline styles—Maizzle builds automatically inline-ready markup that works in email clients.
Handlebar expressions
When sending emails, it’s best to personalize the content for each user. Additionally, this might also include greeting them by name or email 👋, providing action-specific links (like confirming their email or resetting a password), or including personal links for managing preferences.
If you’re using WordPress or WooCommerce, platforms like Mail Mint can automate this personalization by combining customer data with ChatGPT-generated email content and automated email workflows.
Open emails/invite.html and use Handlebars expressions like {{name}} and {{inviteLink}} to add dynamic content. Also, update the button to link.
You can learn more by referring to the Maizzle Expressions Documentation.
<x-main>
<div class="bg-slate-100 sm:px-4 font-inter">
<table align="center" class="m-0 mx-auto">
<tr>
<td class="w-[552px] max-w-full">
<x-spacer height="24px" />
<table class="w-full">
<tr>
<td class="py-6 px-9 sm:p-6 bg-white [border:1px_solid_theme(colors.slate.200)] rounded-lg">
<header>
<span class="text-4xl">🚀</span>
<a href="#" class="inline-flex items-center text-2xl font-bold text-gray-800">
<span class="ml-2">LaunchPad</span>
</a>
</header>
<main class="mt-8">
<h2 class="text-gray-700">Hi {{name}},</h2>
<p class="mt-2 leading-loose text-gray-600">
Alex has invited you to join the team on <span class="font-semibold">LaunchPad</span>.
</p>
<a href="{{inviteLink}}"
class="px-6 py-3 mt-4 no-underline text-base font-medium tracking-wider text-white capitalize transition-colors duration-300 transform border-blue-500 bg-blue-600 rounded-lg hover:bg-blue-500 focus:outline-none focus:ring focus:ring-blue-300 focus:ring-opacity-80">
Accept the invite
</a>
<p class="mt-8 text-gray-600">
Thanks, <br>
The LaunchPad Team
</p>
</main>
<footer class="mt-8">
<p class="text-gray-500">
This email was sent to <a href="#" class="text-blue-600 hover:underline"
target="_blank">[email protected]</a>.
If you'd prefer not to receive invitations like this, you can <a href="#"
class="text-blue-600 hover:underline">unsubscribe</a> or <a href="#"
class="text-blue-600 hover:underline">update your preferences</a>.
</p>
<p class="mt-3 text-gray-500">© 2025 LaunchPad. All rights reserved.</p>
</footer>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>
</x-main>
Adding Responsiveness and Client‑Specific Hiding
Emails often use desktop-first breakpoints. Therefore, classes without modifiers target wide clients, while sm:/xs: classes override for smaller screens.
class="sm:px-2 px-1"You can distinguish email clients with plugins like tailwindcss-email-variants, using classes like gmail:hidden to conditionally hide content.
Production Builds: Inlining, Purging, and Shorthand
With npm run build, Maizzle automatically creates a folder build_production:
- Inlines CSS into elements
- Purges unused Tailwind classes to reduce size
- Merges longhand styles into shorthand (
padding: 8px 4px;) to avoid Gmail clipping (~102 KB limit
If you extract CSS via @apply, Maizzle’s shorthand merging also ensures a clean, compact result under the hood.
Special Mention: FlyonUI Tailwind Component Library
FlyonUI is the free Tailwind Components Library designed to combine the best of both worlds: the aesthetic appeal of semantic classes and the powerful functionality of JS plugins.
Under the hood, it uses the strengths of:
- Tailwind CSS: A utility-first CSS framework that helps you build beautiful websites with ease.
- DaisyUI: adds component semantic class names to Tailwind CSS so you can make beautiful websites faster, easier, and more Maintainable.
- Preline: JavaScript headless & fully unstyled Tailwind plugins for accessible, responsive UI. Enhance experiences with animations, transitions, and more.
Features:
- JS plugins Support
- Semantic Components
- 800+ Free Components Examples
- Universal Framework Compatibility
- Unlimited Themes
- Unstyled & Accessible Plugins
- Responsive & RTL support
- Free Forever
- Beautiful and Semantic Styling
- Efficiency and Productivity
- Maintainable and Scalable
Also, available in the pro version, which includes:
- 500+ Premium & Free Tailwind blocks
- Tailwind AI Builder
- 20+ Tailwind Templates
- Tailwind Figma Design System
Advanced Features of Maizzle
Components, Loops, and Markdown
Maizzle also supports PostHTML templating, allowing:
- Reusable components & layouts
- Loops and conditionals for dynamic content
- Support for Markdown within HTML files using front matter notation
You can also escape templating expressions or ignore undefined variables easily when mixing Markdown and templates.
Email Client Testing: Outlook, Gmail, Dark Mode
Rendering varies drastically—Outlook uses MS Word CSS engine, Gmail may invert colors in dark mode, and many clients remove CSS rules.
Best practice: test your template using services like Litmus or Email on Acid, and validate in multiple real clients.
Developer Insights and Common Pitfalls
Advice:
- Prefer table-based layout to ensure consistent rendering.
- Avoid heavy plugins like
@tailwindcss/typography—email clients’ CSS support is limited. - Keep HTML lightweight to avoid Gmail clipping; use shorthand CSS and purge unused classes.
Conclusion, and Next Steps
Maizzle with TailwindCSS transforms email development from a chore into a delight. It combines a modern CSS framework with email-specific optimizations, delivering speed, flexibility, and compatibility. Whether you’re crafting a one-off campaign or a suite of templates, Maizzle allows you to create with confidence.
Using Maizzle + Tailwind CSS allows for fast, clean, and reliable email template development:
- Utility-first coding speeds you up
- Maizzle handles email quirks for you
- Builds are optimized, compact, and consistently render across clients
Suggested next steps:
- Explore official Maizzle docs and starters
- Integrate with ESPs or backend workflows
- Experiment with client-specific variants or dynamic templates
- Build a starter repository or code snippet for sharing
