These Matcha Cookies are chewy and soft on the inside, have the best earthy-sweet flavors, and are loaded with white chocolate chips. A unique sweet treat to enjoy with a cup of tea or for an afternoon pick-me-up!
For more unforgettable vegan cookies, be sure to check out these Vegan Sugar Cookie Bars, Vegan Almond Croissant Cookies, Fluffernutter Cookies, and Lemon Crinkle Cookies!
Looking for a fun change from your daily matcha latte? Treat yourself to these green tea Matcha Cookies! They’re soft on the inside, crisp around the edges, and loaded with white chocolate chips.
What’s better is how easy these cookies are to make. There’s no chilling required–just mix the cookie dough in a bowl, then bake! The soft and chewy cookies come out of the oven with complex sweet-earthy flavors and a gorgeous green hue, making them completely unforgettable.
Why you’ll love this recipe for matcha cookies
- A fun way to get your matcha on – Swap the matcha latte or cup of tea for these fun cookies!
- Unforgettable flavors – Unlike other overly sweet cookies, these white chocolate matcha cookies have a beautiful balance of earthy, sweet, and grassy flavors. Both your taste buds and sweet tooth will appreciate the complex flavors.
- Quick and easy to make – These fuss-free cookies are easy to make in about 30 minutes!
How to make vegan matcha cookies
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
Sift* the flour, cornstarch, matcha, and baking soda together in a medium bowl. Stir in the salt.
By sifting the matcha into the dry ingredients, you’ll prevent lumps from going into the cookie dough and get a more even green color.
Next, beat the softened vegan butter and sugars together in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, flaxseeds, and milk.
Gently mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined. To finish, use a spatula or your hands to fold the white chocolate chips into the dough.
Roll the cookie dough into balls and place them on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake the matcha cookies until the edges are set. They’ll look a little soft coming out of the oven but will firm up as they cool.
Let the cookies cool for a few minutes, then enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
Matcha is a Japanese green tea powder made from powdered dry tea leaves. It has a very fine texture, a bright green color, and vegetal, earthy, and sweet flavors. It’s also very good for you thanks to its wide range of antioxidants!
You’ll find the best quality matcha at your local Asian or Japanese grocery store. Look for 100% pure matcha powder with a bright green color; dull green matcha will not be as flavorful. This is the matcha powder I love the best, after trying a few others.
Vegan white chocolate chips can be hard to find, so I typically order them online. These King David Vegan White Chocolate Chips have been the best ones I’ve tried so far. You can also just regular chocolate chips, chopped macadamia nuts, or none at all.
These cookies don’t spread much in the oven, so you do not need to chill the dough. However, if you’re baking them on a warm day or your butter is particularly soft, you can pop the cookie dough in the fridge for 30 minutes or up to 1 day before baking.
While I haven’t tested a gluten-free version of this recipe, the cookies should still be delicious when made with gluten-free all-purpose flour instead of regular all-purpose flour.
After the green tea cookies are cool, transfer them to an airtight container or large ziplock bag. They’ll stay chewy and moist for 3 days at room temperature, up to 1 week in the fridge, or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Matcha Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons matcha powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup vegan butter softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
- 3 tablespoons oat milk or soy, almond
- 1 cup vegan white chocolate chips*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two cookie sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
- In a small-medium bowl, sift the flour, cornstarch, matcha and baking soda. Add the salt and stir well to combine. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or using a handheld mixer, beat the softened vegan butter and sugars until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, flaxseeds and milk.
- Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing on low speed until just combined.
- Mix in the white chocolate chips. You may need to use your hands to incorporate them.
- Using a cookie scoop or spoon, roll into balls about 1 1/2 tablespoons each. Place on the prepared pans and bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are just set. I prefer baking one pan at a time in the middle rack of the oven, for best results. They will seem too soft but firm up as they cool, so don't over bake.
- Let cool on the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Enjoy!
Notes
- Gluten free – Substitute a quality gluten free baking flour for the regular flour.
- You may use any kind of milk – oat, soy, almond, cashew, coconut, etc.
- If you can’t find vegan white chocolate chips, you can use regular (vegan) chocolate chips, chopped macadamia nuts, or nothing mixed in at all.
- For a stronger matcha flavor, add an extra teaspoon or two.
So I’ve made these twice now. I use coconut/date sugars for regular/brown, and I followed the recipe the first time. The second time, I skipped the brown(date) sugar and just used 1/2 cup golden coconut sugar, I did 3 tsp of matcha because I really wanted to get that flavor, then I did 1/2 cup white chips (I think the brand I can find, enjoy life, the chips are so small that it’s hard to get a full cup to mix in, I had a bunch sloshing at the bottom). I also used a small cookie scoop the second time so I got 22 cute mini cookies with perfectly distributed chips. Just wanted to share this! Thank you for your recipes, I love them all. I made your Buddha bowls after the cookies, it was all so delicious.
I just made these last night and they’re so good! Thank you for the recipe! I definitely didn’t use as high of a grade of matcha so they aren’t as pretty, but they still taste delicious.
I made these today and ate way too much dough. Wondering though if you put food coloring in yours because mine didn’t turn out green at all. I used ceremonial grade.
I did not add any food coloring, and mine turned out very green! I use the ceremonial grade matcha I linked to in the post. Perhaps some brands are not as vibrant? You can add more, or try a different brand for a better color perhaps.
Would love to make these! How could I convert this to bars?
I haven’t tried it, but you could probably make them into bars similar to my Lemon Brownies recipe – Push into an 8×8 inch square dish and bake for around 25 minutes.
white chocolate is fat without benefit….can dark be used instead?
The benefit is it tastes yummy! 😉 But sure, you can use dark chocolate chips or chunks.