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These vegan matcha cookies are the best answer to your afternoon pick-me-up sweet tooth. With just a handful of easy-to-find ingredients, you'll have the most gloriously textured green tea delights ready in under 30 minutes. Matcha latte lovers go absolutely nuts over these!
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Matcha, the finely ground powder of specially grown and processed green tea leaves, has been cherished in Japanese tea ceremonies for centuries. At my house, we take it pretty seriously and have all the ritualistic paraphernalia, from the wonky-shaped handmade matcha bowls to special whisks, scoops, and several varieties of ceremonial matcha on hand at any given moment.
Matcha’s naturally intense green color and unique earthy flavor have recently gained serious popularity worldwide, especially in desserts like these cookies and my vegan matcha donuts. The subtle bitterness of matcha perfectly balances the sweetness, creating a sophisticated alternative to vegan chocolate chip cookies and eggless oatmeal cookies.
Whether you're already a slammin’ baker or someone who accidentally burns everything you look at, I tested and retested this recipe about a zillion times so that it would be completely foolproof for ya!
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🥰 Why You’ll Love This Vegan Matcha Cookie Recipe
⏱️ Quick and Easy: You will whip up a batch of these cookies in under 30 minutes from start to finish, without requiring any wacky cooking gear.
🛒 Pantry-Friendly Ingredients: This recipe calls for just 8 common ingredients that you likely already have on hand (especially if you already drink matcha).
✊ Vegan AF: Like all of the vegan dessert recipes I share, these bad lil’ babies are made without eggs or other animal-based ingredients. They’ve got no cholesterol either, so go ahead and grab one more.
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all of the vegan recipes I share, after refining the heck outta this recipe, I had it tested by a dedicated team of hundreds of bakers from around the globe. It gives consistently excellent results, no matter your skill level or where on the planet you are.
🍵 Matcha Sugar Cookie Ingredients
Aquafaba
Aquafaba is the kinda gloopy, starchy liquid from canned chickpeas. When whipped, it mimics the foamy meringue of whipped egg whites, providing structure and lightness to vegan cookie recipes like vegan ladyfingers—and, uh, this recipe too!
When you are left with the drained chickpeas, you have a good excuse to make vegan chana masala or chana saag.
Don’t have chickpeas at home? The water from canned white beans such as navy beans or cannellini works fine in these too.
The Sugar
This cookie works best with evaporated cane juice, but any granulated sugar works fine too. Since my wife Joey avoids white sugar (and is obsessed with matcha), I’ve tested it extensively with both palm sugar and coconut sugar. Both work, though the coconut sugar dulls the vibrant green color that makes these cookies so attractive.
The Fat
Refined coconut oil keeps the recipe neutral in flavor while providing moisture and richness. Vegan butter works well for a more traditional buttery taste. If you don’t mind the stronger coconut flavor, you can use regular unrefined coconut oil in this recipe too.
Matcha Powder
Made from finely powdered green tea leaves, matcha (抹茶 in Japanese) has an intense green color and earthy, slightly bittersweet flavor. Culinary-grade works alright and is quite a bit less expensive, but ceremonial-grade has a cleaner matcha flavor if budget allows. Aiya matcha and Ippodo's Sayaka or Ummon are my faves for both drinking and baking with.
The Flour
Don’t dismay! If you are gluten-free, you can 100% make these cookies with gluten-free flour! Just avoid blends with gritty textures like coarse brown rice flour. For everyone else, regular all-purpose flour works great.
The Extra Fun Stuff
I always have vegan mini-marshmallows on hand in my freezer for topping candied yams. While they are 100% optional here, I gotta say, they make these cookies quite a bit more fun. But if you hate fun, or whatever, just skip 'em. You can also swap them out with chocolate chips, walnuts, or coarsely chopped vegan white chocolate, if that’s your vibe.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯Variations
Vegan Matcha Crinkle Cookies
These soft, chewy cookies feature that classic crinkle texture which you probably lova around Christmas. You can easily achieve it by rolling the dough in powdered sugar before baking. The contrast between the vibrant green matcha and the white crinkles makes them a must-have for Santa, what with his food pyramid being made, like 80% out of vegan Christmas cookies, and the other 20% is just vegan eggnog.
Vegan Nutella Matcha Cookies
Instead of the marshmallow filling, put about two teaspoons of vegan Nuttella in the middle of the cookie dough. Instead of the matcha sugar, grind a few tablespoons of hazelnuts into sugar and dust the cookies with that before baking 'em.
📖 How to Make Vegan Matcha Cookies
Nail these lovely cookies on your first shot by following these step-by-step photos with helpful tips. Or scroll down to the bottom of this page for the easy-to-print recipe card.
Step One
Luke, I Am Your (Aqua) Faba:
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a reusable silicone mat.
In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer with the whip attachment to beat the aquafaba and sugar on high speed for 4 minutes until it’s light, frothy, and full of air.
Step Two
C.R.E.A.M. (Coconut Rules Everything Around Me):
Add the vegan butter (or coconut oil), matcha powder, and vanilla extract to the whipped aquafaba. Continue mixing for 2 minutes over high speed until the mixture is creamy and well combined.
Step Three
Sift Happens:
Sift the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt into the wet mixture. Stir the dry ingredients in with a spatula, or mix with the paddle attachment in your stand mixer just until a smooth, soft dough comes together.
Let the dough chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Step Four
Magic Dust:
In a small bowl, combine the sugar and matcha powder for the topping.
Step Five
Marsh Simpson:
Scoop out 2-tablespoon portions of chilled dough either with a cookie scoop, by hand, or by filling a ¼ cup measuring cup halfway. Roll the dough into smooth balls.
Optionally, press 4-5 mini-marshmallows or 6-7 vegan white chocolate chips into the centers of the cookie dough balls. Pinch the sides in to partially cover the marshmallows. Flatten the dough slightly in your palm.
Step Six
Sparkle Party:
Firmly press the top of each cookie into the sugar-matcha mixture and place each one onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them 2 inches (5 cm) apart to allow for spreading.
Step Seven
Baking and Entry:
Bake your cookies in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, just until the edges are lightly golden brown and the centers are set but still soft. The cookies will firm up but still maintain a nice chewy texture as they cool.
Step Eight
Wire Rack-ack-ack-ack-ack, You Oughta Know By Now:
Let your vegan matcha sugar cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Or, if you’re impatient, serve them warm for maximum gooey marshmallow delight.
👉Top tips
- Use Legit Matcha: Opt for ceremonial-grade green tea powder, because cheaper culinary-grade matcha tends to taste like nothing much, and tends to have a duller color too.
- Cream the Fat and Sugar: Ensure that the coconut oil (or vegan butter) and sugar are thoroughly creamed together until light and fluffy. This step incorporates air into the dough and continues to fluff the aquafaba.
- Chill the Dough: After mixing, refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes. Chilling solidifies the fat, preventing excessive spreading during baking and resulting in thicker, softer cookies.
- Always Use Parchment: Put aside for a sec the fact that regularly baking food in direct contact with aluminum, which most baking sheets are made of, can have some nasty health consequences. Using parchment paper also makes cleanup effortless.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
Overbaking, or using darker-colored sugars like coconut sugar, brown sugar, or sucanat, will cause matcha cookies to brown, diminishing their attractive, bright green color. Using crappy, cheap matcha instead of ceremonial-grade matcha will also make the color less pronounced.
Cookies may spread excessively if the dough is too warm; chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes before baking helps maintain their shape.
Simply press the dough into a rough cylinder, and then wrap it tightly in parchment paper. Place the parchment-wrapped dough log into a freezer bag or airtight container, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw just long enough to form dough balls from the cold dough, and add 1-2 minutes to the baking time if the dough is still super cold when you bake it.
Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. To maintain freshness, keep them in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.
✌️You'll love these vegan cookies too!
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For just $1: Take a fun vegan dessert cooking class with Cinnamon Snail’s Chef Adam Sobel and Chef Amanda Bankert from Boneshaker, Paris.
Soft Vegan Matcha Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie Dough:
- 3 tablespoons aquafaba
- ½ cup sugar or coconut sugar
- ½ cup refined coconut oil or vegan butter
- 1 ¾ teaspoons matcha powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Optional Marshmallow Filling:
- ¾ cup vegan mini-marshmallows
Matcha Sugar Topping:
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon matcha powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a reusable silicone mat.
- In a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer or stand mixer with the whip attachment, whisk the aquafaba and sugar for a full 4 minutes on high speed until frothy.
- Add the coconut oil (or vegan butter), matcha powder, and vanilla extract. Continue to whip for 2 minutes until the mixture is smooth and thoroughly combined.
- Sift in the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt into the wet mixture, stirring until a soft dough forms.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the sugar and matcha powder for topping.
- Scoop the dough into 2-tablespoon-sized portions and roll each into a ball. If using, press 4-5 mini-marshmallows into the center of each ball. Flatten the cookies in the palm of your hand and press the top of each cookie lightly in the sugar and matcha mixture. Place the sugar-coated cookie dough circles on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them 2 inches (5 cm) apart to allow for spreading.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. The cookies will still be soft in the center but will firm up as they cool. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Or serve them still a little warm if you made them with marshmallows inside.
Notes
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Jade says
These were super easy and turned out great! I made half with white chocolate and half with mini dandies + used soy free earth balance for the oil.
Kimbi Walton says
Lovely green tint on these cookies, and the marshmallows give it extra eye appeal!
Adam Sobel says
Love ya, dear Kim. Glad you liked this one ❤️
Kelly McLaughlin says
I just made these cookies (with marshmallows) and they turned out great! I am always so impressed by the miracle liquid that is aquafaba. I have been freezing any I have from chickpea cans in an ice cube tray so they’re ready to thaw and use when required. I am on a matcha kick lately and these cookies with the extra matcha sugar sprinkled on top hit the spot! I will reluctantly share them with my neighbours.