These vegan matcha cupcakes are filled with the delicate flavour of matcha green tea and are light and fluffy topped with a sweet and beautifully green matcha frosting. These dairy free and egg free cupcakes are for the matcha lover in your life!
I know I am not the only one who is going through a matcha obsession right now. It really kicked in for me last year when I was in Japan, walking around Kyoto marvelling at all the delicious looking matcha treats!
The look of the matcha soft serve that I would see people walking around with is exactly what I was going for with the sweet and creamy swirl of gorgeous green matcha buttercream on top of these cakes!
I love the flavour of matcha, and if you do too then you’ll love these cupcakes. Matcha has a rich, earthy and almost grassy taste with a slight bitterness. It has a subtle natural sweetness but remains more of a pleasant savoury flavour.
What is matcha? Matcha is made from grinding the whole leaves of the green tea plant into a powder therefore while it comes from the same plant as regular green tea, it is quite different due to the way it’s processed (and has sooo many health benefits thank you antioxidants).
When baked into a sweet cupcake, the sugar balances the matcha flavours and really mellows the flavour making it very very delicious. The sugar also probably cancels out those health benefits of the matcha but we’re not talking about that.
Now I say these are delicious, because I LIKE matcha. If you’re not a fan of green tea then I maybe would skip giving these a try because you can definitely taste it – that’s the whole point! And in saying that, this recipe is also probably more for the adults as it’s not really a kid friendly flavour.
I love how fun and vibrant these cupcakes look. The cupcakes themselves have a tendency to go a bit brown on the inside during cooking as matcha is quite sensitive to heat. Whether this happens or not depends on the quality and freshness of your matcha but don’t be disappointed if that happens, they still taste delicious!
If you’re looking for a healthier way to enjoy the flavour of matcha, make sure to prep my matcha chia pudding for breakfast tomorrow!
Key Ingredients
This cupcake recipe is based on my go-to vegan vanilla cupcakes recipe so you’ll find most of the ingredients should be pantry staples with the exception of the matcha which is probably easiest purchased online through Amazon.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Almond milk – I like to use almond milk for this recipe, but any non dairy milk such as oat milk or soy milk will also work.
- White vinegar – this is mixed with the dairy-free milk to create a homemade buttermilk which gives the cupcake a light, soft crumb. I prefer white vinegar so it doesn’t impact the flavour of the vanilla, but apple cider vinegar also will work.
- Plain flour – known as all purpose flour in the US.
- Matcha – I am using ceremonial grade matcha for the best taste. You want to make sure you’re using 100% matcha powder with nothing extra added (eg: a matcha latte powder that may contain dairy creamer).
- Baking powder and bicarbonate of soda / baking soda – without eggs to help with lift, we need to add both to give the cupcakes rise so they don’t end up dense.
- Vanilla – for the best flavour make sure to use a good vanilla extract and not imitation vanilla essence.
- Canola oil – for moisture and a soft and tender crumb. You can substitute with any flavourless oil.
- White sugar – if you’re in the US, use organic sugar to ensure this recipe remains vegan.
For the matcha buttercream, again this is based on my never fail vegan vanilla buttercream recipe. You’ll need:
- Dairy free butter – a good quality vegan butter substitute is the key to the taste and texture of this frosting. I like to use Nuttelex Buttery which is an Australian product. In the US, the closest alternative is Earth Balance which I understand to be very similar.
- Vanilla extract – just a little bit to enhance the flavours.
- Icing sugar – I use the icing sugar mixture from the supermarket, not the pure icing sugar. The only difference is the mixture has a little bit of cornflour added which means it’s less likely to clump together and turn rock solid.
- Matcha – you can adjust the amount based on taste but my favourite part is the natural green colour it gives the frosting.
- Almond milk – keeps the frosting super creamy.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Vegan cupcakes are one of the simplest desserts to make, yet they always look so pretty and cute! To make the cupcakes, you’ll need a few bowls and either a whisk or electric mixer. For the buttercream, an electric mixer is going to be needed.
Start by adding your liners to your cupcake tin or muffin pan and preheat the oven.
Next, it’s time to prep. Start by making your vegan buttermilk by combining the almond milk with the white vinegar. This will make your milk split but that’s ok – set it aside until we’re ready to use it.
The next step is to sift the dry ingredients together. There are a couple of reasons for this, with the most obvious being to incorporate some air and make sure our cupcakes are light and fluffy. The other reason is to remove any lumps which is particularly important when using matcha as it clumps very easily.
Now it’s time to bring the batter together. In a large mixing bowl, using either a handheld mixer or a whisk, mix the canola oil, sugar and vanilla until combined. Slowly add dry ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk until the cupcake batter comes together, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
I like to use a cookie scoop for this step but you can just use a spoon if that’s all you have to scoop the batter into the cupcake liners. Make sure not to overfill these and keep them about ¾ full.
Bake the cupcakes for approximately 20 minutes, depending on your oven. The best way to know they are done is by gently touching the tops of the cupcake. If the cake springs back it’s ready, if an indent remains, they need a little more time.
Let the cupcakes cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
I always prefer to make frosting using my stand mixer as it makes it so easy. The key to a soft and creamy frosting is to slowly add the icing sugar, making sure it’s combined with the vegan butter well and then adding in the almond milk last just to bring it to the desired consistency. If we add the milk too early the buttercream may get too soft and not hold its shape or split.
To decorate these cupcakes, I am keeping it very simple by piping swirls of the matcha buttercream using my favourite 1M open star piping tip. This tip gives me that creamy, soft serve look I wanted.
Finally you can dust the cupcakes with a little extra matcha powder if you like but it’s not necessary.
These cupcakes are perfect to make at any time of year, but there is just something a little more fun about enjoying green food around St. Paddy’s day! And I do love that this recipe gives you a beautiful shade of green without any food colouring.
More vegan cupcake recipes:
Vegan Strawberry Cupcakes
Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes (Vegan) – perfect for St. Paddy’s Day!
Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes
Cookies and Cream Cupcakes (Vegan)
Vegan Lemon Cupcakes
Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Vegan Matcha Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the matcha cupcakes:
- 1 cup almond milk or other dairy free milk
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 ¾ cups plain flour
- 2 tablespoons matcha
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- ¾ cup white sugar
For the matcha buttercream frosting:
- ½ cup (125 grams) dairy free butter
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups icing sugar
- 1 tablespoons matcha
- 1-2 tablespoons almond milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C or 350°F and line a muffin tin with 12 patty cases.
- In a small bowl combine white vinegar and almond milk to create your vegan buttermilk and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, sift flour, matcha, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and mix gently to combine.
- In a large mixing bowl, using either a handheld mixer or a whisk, mix the canola oil, sugar and vanilla until combined. Slowly add dry ingredients, alternating with the milk until cupcake batter comes together, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Spoon mixture into patty cases ensuring they are only ¾ full before placing them in the oven for 20-22 minutes or until lightly springy to touch. Let cool on a wire rack completely before frosting.
- Make the matcha buttercream. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment fitted, beat the dairy free butter and vanilla for 1-2 minutes until creamy. Add in half the icing sugar and beat on medium until combined. Add in the remaining icing sugar and matcha and continue to mix. As the mixture thickens, add in the almond milk bit by bit until the frosting becomes super smooth and creamy.
- Place buttercream into a piping bag with your favourite tip (I used the 1M), and pipe the buttercream in swirls on top of the cooled cupcakes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
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