Four Delicious Vegan Desserts Featuring Matcha

My first experience drinking matcha was when my parents sent me to stay with family in Ishinomki, Japan, when I was six. My obachan (grandmother) took me to her friend’s house, and I sat on the tatami mat as she whisked the matcha powder into a concentrated paste. I’ve been hooked ever since.

This tea’s origins go back to travelling Japanese monks who learned how to grow tea on visits to China. To protect tea leaves from frost, they grew the plants in the shade and found that doing so resulted in a less astringent, more delicate flavour. When ready, young leaves are picked by hand, steamed, dried and then ground into a fine powder. These days, I love to use ceremonial-grade matcha in desserts. It’s pricey, but it’s special and will make these vegan matcha desserts recipes worth the effort.

Vegan Matcha Coconut Roll Cake

Photo, Christie Vuong.

I love serving this cake with coffee or matcha lattes. The whipped cream complements the tea’s bitter notes and can be made ahead of time. Get this matcha roll cake recipe.

Matcha Mochi Strawberry Daifuku

Photo, Christie Vuong.

This treat—daifuku refers to mochi sweets—was a childhood favourite. You can buy red-bean paste in Asian grocery stores, but making your own is totally worth it. Get this matcha daifuku recipe.

Matcha Macadamia Vegan White Chocolate Cookies

Photo, Christie Vuong.

These cookies have a chewy texture, which plays off the buttery-ness of the nuts and the sweetness of the vegan white chocolate chips. Get this vegan matcha macadamia chocolate cookie recipe.

Matcha Cocoa Butter Truffles

Photo, Christie Vuong.

These intense-green matcha flavoured truffles are showstoppers that require minimal effort. Get this matcha cocoa butter truffle recipe.

Find more recipes for irresistible vegan desserts, including French Silk Pie and Berry Pavlova.