Easy Vegan Matcha Muffins

With Saint Patrick's Day around the corner, these green tea muffins are the perfect festive treat, especially if you want to skip unnatural dyes. They're quick and easy to make any time you need a sweet, simple pick-me-up.

Choosing the Right Matcha Powder

Matcha is a specific type of green tea powder that's been used for tea making in Japan for hundreds of years. It gets its characteristic bright green color from being grown in the shade, which causes the plant to produce more chloroplasts in order to absorb more light.

When you're choosing a matcha powder to use for baking, first make sure that you're buying pure matcha. Avoid matcha products that contain sugar or milk powder.

Second, you'll want to consider the quality of matcha powder you're using. In the US and other markets, many matcha brands label their products with grades like "ceremonial," "culinary," and "ingredient." There's no standard for these grades, so it's up to each manufacturer to determine how to label their matcha. However, ceremonial matcha is usually the brightest green color and meant for drinking, while ingredient-grade matcha may be dull green or brown and meant for mixing with many other ingredients.

For this recipe, I recommend using a mid-grade green matcha powder. You can also use a more expensive (ceremonial grade) powder, which will produce an even brighter green color. However, many people prefer to reserve these powders for drinking because their delicate flavor can be harder to detect in baked goods.

I live in Taiwan, so I used a popular local brand that's not available in the US. Jade Leaf organic matcha is a good option that you can buy from Amazon, and you can choose from a variety of grades, depending on your budget and taste preferences.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Where do you get vegan sugar, and what makes it vegan? Can you use a different type of flour in this recipe? If you have questions about any of the ingredients, check this section first. If it's not addressed here, feel free to leave a comment, and I'll try to answer as soon as possible!

all-purpose flour: I've tested several types of flour, and all-purpose flour produces the best texture for vegan muffins. While you could use cake flour or whole wheat flour, you'd get a texture that's either too light or too dense for muffins. I also don't recommend substituting gluten-free flour.

vegan granulated sugar: In the US and other countries that use cane sugar, some manufacturers use animal bone char to process the sugar. To avoid this, look for sugar marked "vegan." In the US, you can also buy organic sugar, since regulations don't allow organic sugar to be processed with bone char.

matcha powder: This gives our muffins the vibrant green color and umami flavor; for more guidance on choosing a matcha powder, see the previous section.

baking powder: Ensure you're using fresh baking powder, as this is what allows the muffins to rise and form tall muffin tops.

almond milk: You can use any non-dairy milk here, like soy, oat, or almond, as long as it's unsweetened and plain.

sunflower oil: You can also use any baking-friendly oil you like, including vegetable oil or canola oil. I don't recommend substituting with applesauce to make these muffins oil-free, because the fat from the oil is needed to produce a good texture.

vanilla extract: I recommend using real vanilla extract for the best flavor; its flavor is much more complex than artificial vanilla.

vegan powdered sugar: As with granulated sugar, you'll want to buy organic or vegan-friendly sugar to ensure that it's not processed with bone char.

Tips for Perfect Matcha Muffins Every Time

Weigh your flour: For best results, I recommend switching to metric measurements (at the top of the recipe card) and weighing your flour using a kitchen scale. If that's not possible, be sure you're measuring your flour by spooning the flour into the measuring cup, then leveling it off. Don't scoop the cup directly into the flour, because that will pack it in, giving you too much flour and resulting in dry muffins.

Avoid over mixing: The key to soft, fluffy muffins is mixing until the dry ingredients are absorbed, but the batter is still a bit lumpy. If you mix too much, you'll end up with dense muffins instead. Take a look at the photo in the recipe steps to see when it's time to stop mixing.

Eat when fresh: While these muffins will last a few days at room temperature, they taste best in the first 24 to 48 hours. If you want to keep them longer, I recommend freezing them and defrosting them at room temperature when you're ready to eat them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do these matcha muffins contain caffeine? Matcha powder contains about 18.9 to 44.4 mg of caffeine per gram, and that caffeine will remain after baking the muffins. This recipe calls for 9 grams of matcha, which makes 10 muffins, so there's about 17 to 40 mg of caffeine in each muffin. For comparison, an 8-ounce cup of coffee contains about 80 to 100 mg of caffeine.

Can I add mix-ins? Yes, these muffins are delicious with vegan chocolate chips! Carefully fold in about 1 to 1.5 cups, being careful not to over mix the batter. You could also add in vegan white chocolate chips, nuts, or blueberries.

Can I use a higher temperature to achieve higher muffin tops? I recommend sticking to 350°F (180°C) because matcha is sensitive to heat, and it can become brown or bitter at higher temperatures. Higher heat is also unnecessary in this particular recipe, because the muffin tops rise well without the additional heat.

Storing and Freezing

These matcha muffins will last 4 days in an airtight container at room temperature, but they'll taste best in the first 2 days. After that, they can dry out a bit. To preserve their flavor longer, I recommend freezing them in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. When you're ready to eat them, just defrost them at room temperature.

More Delicious Vegan Muffin Recipes

• Vegan blueberry muffins

• Vegan cranberry orange muffins

• Vegan apple cinnamon muffins

• Vegan pumpkin muffins

• Vegan banana nut muffins

• Vegan cornbread muffins