These soft & chewy vegan matcha cookies with white chocolate chips are a deliciously unique way to enjoy the popular Japanese green tea powder! They have the perfect amount of sweetness and plenty of matcha flavor. Even better, they're so easy to make and require 0 chill time so you can enjoy them as soon as possible!
If you're a matcha lover, this recipe is for you! If you're a matcha latte fan, then you're seriously going to love these cookies. They're soft with a chewy texture and slightly crisp edges. Similar to these matcha brownies, the fresh and earthy matcha flavor mellows out the sweetness from the white chocolate. It's the perfect balance of sweet and almost savory!
I have to admit, I might love these matcha cookies as much as classic chocolate chip cookies. They just have so much flavor and they're a fun, unique spin on a classic cookie.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- No chilling needed: These vegan matcha white chocolate cookies are easy to make, call for simple ingredients and require no chill time so you can enjoy them immediately!
- Perfect flavor combination: matcha and white chocolate are a match made in heaven. The sweetness of the white chocolate counteracts out any bitterness of the matcha powder, leaving you with a perfectly balanced cookie.
- Freezer-friendly: the cookie dough can be made in advance and stored in the freezer whenever you're in the mood for a fresh, warm cookie!
- Allergen-friendly: They're vegan, eggless and can easily be made gluten-free.
Equipment
The equipment you'll need to make these chewy vegan cookies is very basic:
- Electric hand mixer: to easily beat together the vegan butter and sugars! You could also use a stand mixer, whichever you have.
- Mixing bowls
- Baking sheet / Cookie sheet
- Cookie scoop: for even sized cookies, and ultimately, even baking!
- Parchment paper: to ensure the cookies don't get stuck to the baking sheet and bake more evenly without burning the cookie bottoms.
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula: switch over to this when mixing the dry and wet ingredients together to avoid overmixing.
- Kitchen scale: for the most accurate measurements of all ingredients
- Measuring cups & spoons: if you don't want to use/don't have a scale. Be sure to use the spoon & level method for the flour.
Ingredients
- Matcha powder: For best results, use a high-quality matcha powder that is either culinary grade or ceremonial grade matcha powder. Use your favorite matcha powder that has a vibrant green colour and sweet taste! My favorite matcha is from Ippodo Tea and they recommend their lighter Wakaki or Hatsu matcha blends for baking - I usually use whichever I have on hand. I also love Rocky's and Marukyu Koyamaen.
- All-purpose flour: all-purpose flour works great and acts as our base for the cookies. If you need a gluten-free option, I'd recommend using 1-to-1 gluten free flour and not anything different to ensure the other ingredient quantities don't need to be messed with.
- Leavening agents: we're using both baking soda and baking powder to help these cookies rise.
- Kosher salt
- Vegan butter: I recommend using sticks as opposed to the tubs of butter. I like to use Earth Balance, Melt or Country Crock sticks for all of my dessert recipes. If preferred, you can use refined coconut oil instead.
- Granulated sugar
- Egg replacer: to help bind all of the ingredients together. For this recipe, I like to use egg replacer powder solely for aesthetics but a flax egg or chia egg works perfectly too.
- Vanilla extract: a must in any baked good! You can use homemade vanilla extract or store bought!
- Vegan white chocolate: totally optional, but highly recommended! You can use white chocolate chips or a chopped up white chocolate bar. Vegan white chocolate is sometimes hard to find at the grocery, so if you're struggling I recommend just ordering some off Amazon.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Make them gluten-free by swapping the all-purpose flour with 1:1 gluten-free baking flour. I haven't tested this recipe with almond flour or oat flour, as it would not be a simple 1:1 swap, but if you try it let me know how they come out!
- Not a fan of white chocolate? Feel free to leave it out!
- Change up the mix-ins! Instead of white chocolate you could add dark chocolate chips, dried cranberries or macadamia nuts.
- Flax egg or chia egg both work as a fantastic egg replacer instead of the egg replacer powder.
- For a thinner, crispy cookie either add 1 tablespoon of plant-based milk (unsweetened soy milk is best) to the cookie dough or press down the dough ball before baking with the back of a fork. For an ever chewier cookie, underbake by 1-2 minutes.
- Swap the white sugar for coconut sugar. The cookies won't be as sweet, but it'll work! You could use brown sugar as well, but the texture will be a bit different.
This recipe has not been tested with any other substitutions or variations than the ones listed above. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, matcha powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat together softened vegan butter and sugar until very creamy and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add egg replacer and vanilla extract and mix again until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined and no streaks of flour remain. Fold in the white chocolate chips until distributed throughout.
- Scoop the cookie dough with a cookie scoop and place onto a parchment paper-lined prepared baking sheet. Bake the cookies spaced 2-3 inches apart (one tray at a time) for 12-14 minutes, until the bottoms and edges are golden brown but the centers are still soft.
Expert Tips
- The quality of your matcha matters! You want to make sure you're using high-quality matcha to ensure the cookies have the best color and flavor. Matcha comes in 3 different grades: daily, culinary, and ceremonial matcha. Each grade has a different color, taste, texture, and preferred use. Ceremonial-grade matcha is the highest grade and the best option for this cookie recipe thanks to its vibrant green color and more subtle flavor. Culinary-grade matcha is the second best option, as it's more budget-friendly, although your cookies won't be quite as bright. Save the daily-grade matcha for your lattes (or skip it entirely), as it's bold flavor isn't great for baking.
- Sift matcha powder into the dry ingredients. This will help prevent clumps of matcha throughout the dough and help achieve a more even green color.
- Cream the butter and sugars together very well. You want to whip air into the batter so that your cookies are fluffy and thick rather than flat and thin.
- Press chocolate chips on top of the cookie dough balls prior to baking to get those dreamy pools of white chocolate on top.
- Weigh your ingredients for the most accurate result. If you don't have a kitchen scale, be sure to use the spoon and level method when measuring the flour especially.
- Do not overmix! Stop mixing once the moment there are no more flour streaks running through the cookie dough. Overmixing will lead to a tough, dense cookie.
- Bake cookies on the middle rack. For the softest, chewiest and evenly baked cookies, only use the middle rack of your oven.
- Don't overbake. They may look slightly underdone when removing from the oven but as long as the edges I promise the cookies will continue baking and the middle will set as they cool.
- Make perfectly round cookies by placing a large, round cookie cutter (or a wide-mouthed glass) over a cookie. While the cookies are still hot, spin the cookie cutter in a circular motion to scoot the cookie edges into a perfect circle.
Storage
Room temperature: Stored baked matcha cookies in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 5 days. Do not store the raw cookie dough at room temperature, ever!
Refrigerator: Store unbaked cookie dough in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Then, roll into balls and bake as directed! Baked cookies can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Freezer:
To freeze the cookie dough: Scoop out the dough into balls and place them on a baking sheet. Place the entire sheet in the freezer to flash-freeze for at least 30 minutes, or until the dough balls are firm. Transfer the cookie dough balls to a freezer friendly ziploc bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month. When ready to bake, remove from the freezer and bake for 1-2 minutes longer than directed, or until golden on the edges.
To freeze the baked cookies: Allow the baked cookies to cool completely first then transfer to freezer safe bag or container and freeze for up to 1 month. Allow them to thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
FAQ
Yes. Depending on which matcha powder you use, this recipe can contain around 115-265 mg of caffeine. This means each cookie could have between 10-22 mg of caffeine. If you are sensitive to caffeine, this is something to keep in mind!
Any matcha will work but the quality of your matcha will greatly affect the flavor and color! Make sure you're getting 100% pure matcha as opposed to green tea powder. Culinary matcha is lower quality than ceremonial matcha and will have a bolder flavor, which is great for incorporating into baked goods or lattes. Ceremonial matcha (my preference) also make a delicious cookie. It'll be a more mild flavor but brighter green. I recommend nearly any matcha powder from Ippodo Tea.
Browning in the oven is natural as cookies bake but this is likely due to the matcha powder used. I find that most culinary matcha powders tend to run more brown so be sure to use a high-quality matcha powder with a bright green color (ceremonial might be the way to go if you really care about the color). If all else fails, check your oven to make it doesn't run hotter than the temperature set and bake the cookies on the middle rack.
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Matcha Cookies with White Chocolate Chips
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale optional
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon matcha powder (ceremonial grade or high-quality culinary grade) sifted
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (113 g) vegan butter softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1 egg replacer 1 tablespoon egg replacer powder + 3 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (100 g) white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate bar optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix together the egg replacer of your choice and water. Set aside for 3-5 minutes, until thickened.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, matcha powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon matcha powder (ceremonial grade or high-quality culinary grade), ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- In a large mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer to beat together softened vegan butter and sugar until creamy and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add egg replacer and vanilla extract, mix again until combined.½ cup vegan butter, ¾ cup granulated sugar, 1 egg replacer, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined and no streaks of flour remain. Fold in the white chocolate chips until distributed throughout.½ cup white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate bar
- Using a cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough and place onto the prepared baking sheet, 2-3 inches apart. Bake one tray at a time for 12-14 minutes, or until the edges are golden but the centers are still soft.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes then serve and enjoy!
Jess says
Immediately made these and am obsessed!