Vegan Matcha Cookies
Soft and chewy vegan matcha cookies packed with dairy-free white chocolate chips. These are beginner-friendly and a must-try for all matcha lovers!
If you like your green tea then you’re going to love these vegan matcha cookies! Inspired by my vegan matcha cake, these cookies are packed full of green tea flavour and balanced out perfectly with sweet white chocolate chunks. You only need 8 ingredients to make them and they’re ready to eat in less than an hour. I hope you enjoy them!
Ingredient notes
- Flax seeds: These are my favourite egg substitute for eggless matcha cookies. They are the perfect binder and you won’t see or taste them. Use ground seeds so that they can absorb the water properly. This recipe will work without the flax egg but you’ll need to wait a little longer to take them off the tray.
- Vegan margarine: I test all of my vegan cookies with Vitalite or Pure sunflower spread so for best results, I recommend you use a vegan spread rather than the blocky type of vegan butter.
- Caster sugar: Caster sugar is also known as superfine sugar in the USA. As the name suggests, it’s just a finer version of granulated sugar.
- Brown sugar: This will help to make the cookies moist and chewy. I recommend soft light brown sugar for the best flavour.
- Vanilla extract: This pairs perfectly with the matcha but you can also use something like lemon or strawberry extract if you’re feeling fancy!
- Self-raising flour: I like to use self-raising flour in my cookies to save the need for baking powder and/or baking soda. It creates fluffy but chewy cookies with slightly crispy edges.
- Matcha powder: The star of the show! I used 2 tablespoons of matcha which added a nice earthy flavour without making the cookies bitter.
- Dairy-free white chocolate: You can use either chocolate chips or a chocolate bar, whichever you prefer. I like Moo-Free baking drops and Sainsbury’s free from white chocolate bar.
Equipment for this recipe
- Baking tray: A large one, or two if you have them. These cookies are quite large so I recommend only baking 4-5 per tray so they don’t stick together.
- Baking paper: To stop the cookies from sticking to the tray. Of course, you won’t need this if you have a non-stick tray.
- Mixing bowls: A large one for the cookie dough and a smaller one if you’re making a flax egg.
- Utensils: A wooden spoon, a teaspoon and a tablespoon.
How to make vegan matcha cookies
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F (or 160°C/325°F if you’re using a fan or convection oven) and line a large baking tray or two with baking paper.
Step 2: First, prepare your flax egg by mixing 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds and 1 tablespoon of cold water together. Set it aside for 5 minutes until thick and gloopy. This will help to bind the other ingredients together and prevent crumbly cookies!
Step 3: In a large bowl, mix together 200g of vegan margarine, 150g caster sugar and 100g of soft light brown sugar. Then stir in your flax egg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Step 4: Add 300g of self-raising flour to the bowl along with 2 tablespoons of matcha powder and mix well. When the mixture is starting to stick together, use your hands to press it all into a ball of dough. If it’s too wet, add more flour and if it’s too dry, add a splash of vegan milk.
Step 5: Gently knead in 200g of dairy-free white chocolate chunks or chips.
Step 6: Divide the dough into 12 pieces and roll each one into a ball. Then gently flatten them until they’re around 1 inch thick.
Step 7: Place the cookies onto your baking tray, leaving a few inches of space in between them to allow for spreading. I usually do 4 or 5 per tray.
Step 8: Bake the cookies for around 12 minutes until they’re firm around the edges. They’ll still look a little wobbly in the middle but they’ll firm up as they cool.
Step 9: Leave them on the tray until they’re completely cool then enjoy!
Top tips
- The cookies will look a little underbaked when you first take them out of the oven but don’t worry! Cookies actually continue baking for a few minutes due to the residual heat, so they’ll end up nice and firm once they’ve cooled down.
- The flax ‘egg’ is a little drier than usual but this will help these eggless matcha cookies bind together properly without making the dough wet.
- Use pure matcha powder with no sugar added for best results.
FAQ
If you keep them in an airtight container, they’ll last for up to 5 days. They’re best kept in a cool, dry place such as a kitchen cupboard.
You sure can! Just pop them into airtight containers or freezer bags and freeze them for up to 3 months. To defrost them, just let them sit out at room temperature on a plate for an hour or two.
These can be quite hard to come by so I often just use a chopped-up white chocolate bar. My go-to chips are Moo-Free baking drops which I buy from Tesco and my favourite white chocolate bars to use are Moo Free and Sainsbury’s free from. A friend of mine recently gifted me some homemade white chips which I used for my white chocolate chip cookies, so you can definitely do that too if you like!
More vegan cookie recipes:
I hope you like these vegan matcha cookies. If you make them at home, please leave me a comment to let me know how it goes. Happy baking!
Vegan Matcha Cookies
Soft, chewy vegan green tea cookies with dairy-free white chocolate chips throughout.
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Ground flax seeds
- 1 Tablespoon Cold water
- 200 g Dairy-free margarine use the soft spread rather than the block (¾ cup + 1 tablespoon)
- 150 g Caster sugar (¾ cup)
- 100 g Soft light brown sugar (½ cup)
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 300 g Self-raising flour (2+⅜ cups)
- 2 Tablespoons Matcha powder
- 200 g Vegan white chocolate chunks or chips
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 180℃/350℉ (160℃/325℉ for fan/convection ovens).
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Line a large baking tray or two with baking paper.
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Mix the flax seeds and water together and leave it to sit at room temperature for a few minutes until thick and gloopy. Set aside for now- this will be your flax 'egg'.
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In a large bowl, mix together the margarine, caster sugar and brown sugar. Once smooth, add in your flax egg and the vanilla extract. Mix well.
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Now stir in all of the self-raising flour and matcha powder. When the mixture is starting to stick together, use your hands to press it into a ball of dough. If the dough is too wet, add more flour and if it's too dry, add a splash of plant-based milk.
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Add the chocolate chips and gently knead them into the dough with your hands.
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Divide the dough into 12 equal-sized pieces and roll into balls. Gently flatten them with your fingers until around 1 inch thick.
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Place them on the tray, leaving a few inches of space in between to allow for spreading. I typically bake 4-5 per tray at one time.
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Bake for around 12 minutes, or until the cookies become firm around the edges. They'll look a bit underdone when you take them out but will become firm and chewy once cooled. Don't continue baking or they'll end up hard and crispy.
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Let the cookies cool completely before taking them off the tray then enjoy!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
