The perfect gift for Mother's Day or Easter, my vegan chocolate matcha truffles are light and creamy, with a delicately refreshing green tea flavour. Made from a cashew cream base and raw cocoa butter, sweetened with agave, flavoured with matcha, and rolled in cocoa, these truffles are decadence itself.
This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my privacy policy.
(By the way, this is an image-heavy post!)
If there's one smell that reminds me of when we lived in Chiang Mai, it's matcha. Before we moved to Thailand, I'd never even heard of it, much less tried it, but thanks to my friends, LiLi and K'Poon, iced matcha latte rapidly became one of my all-time favourite drinks. I drank gallons of the stuff!
What is matcha?
Mat-cha (抹茶) is finely-ground green tea; however, if you're thinking, "Hey, I could just chuck some green tea leaves into my coffee grinder", you'd be wrong!
I mean, you could do that but you won't get matcha because it's not just any old green tea! The tea used for matcha is grown in the shade for several weeks prior to harvesting, which gives it its distinctive taste, as well as elevated levels of caffeine. In addition, the steams and veins (yes, tiny little veins!) are removed from the leaves before they're processed, leaving only pure tea leaves behind. You can understand why it's so expensive, can't you?
Matcha in Thailand
Matcha was the hippest thing when we lived in the Land of Smiles, and I discovered many other matcha yums...
matcha ice cream matcha custard buns a mountain of matcha-flavoured shaved ice 
matcha and chocolate cake 
matcha bao (they got a bit squished) 
matcha and fruit cake
We left Thailand in mid-2014, and since being back in Europe, I've seen it become a thing here too. And it's really, really expensive. Lucky for me, I discovered some matcha at our local Chinese supermarket, and while it cost more than I used to pay back in Thailand, it was nevertheless a pretty reasonable price.
As soon as I opened the packet, and inhaled that beautiful matcha scent. I was instantly transported back to Thailand. Back to the floating markets of Bangkok, back to Chiang Mai, and back to Mae Hee.
Khlong Lat Mayom Khlong Lat Mayom Picnics on Huay Tung Tao lake with our friends (that's LiLi & K'Poon on the right, with Jo & Noi on the left). Buddhist monk repairing a Naga statue at Wat Doi Suthep My view at Mae Hee Mae Hee has fantastic sunsets!
I miss my friends, I miss the food, I miss the sunshine, I miss the gentle Thai way of life but most of all, I miss the spectacular wildlife...
The Thai for butterfly is 'pi-sua', which translates as 'ghost shirt'. I love that! We had legions of blue-crested dragons in our garden in Mae Hee. This super-cute rock hyrax is related to elephants! I found this pig-tailed macaque scavenging in bins!
That matcha aroma brought back all the longing to return to Thailand that I've been feeling for ages, and made me feel quite homesick. I look forward to the day that we return!
Vegan Chocolate Matcha Truffles
Are...
- sweet
- silky
- creamy
- healthy(ish)
- melt-in-the-mouth
- more-ish
- gluten-free
- soy-free
- refined sugar-free
- delicious
I bet you can't just eat one! Bon appétit!
What's your favourite way to have matcha?
📖 Recipe
Vegan Chocolate Matcha Truffles
Ingredients
- 120 g raw cashews
- 75 g raw cocoa butter (food grade)
- 2 tablespoon agave nectar
- 1 teaspoon matcha (green tea)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or use ½ teaspoon vanilla extract)
- 1 dash sea salt
To roll the truffles in
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon grated vegan chocolate
Equipment
- food processor
Instructions
- Bring a pan of water to a boil, add the cashews, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- While the cashews are softening, put the cocoa butter into a heatproof bowl, and place on top of the cashew pan. Remove as soon as the cocoa butter has melted, and set aside.
- Remove 3 tablespoon of the simmering water, and set aside. Drain and rinse the cashews under cold water. Add to a food processor, along with the reserved water, then process to a smooth paste.
- Add the melted cocoa butter, agave nectar, matcha powder, vanilla, and sea salt. Pulse a few times, until everything is well-mixed.
- Taste, and if desired, add a dash more matcha.
- Place the truffle mixture in the 'fridge for a couple of hours to firm up.
- Once firm enough to handle, divide into 20 pieces, and roll into balls.
- Put the cocoa powder and grated chocolate into a couple of plastic bags, add the truffles, and give the bags a shake to make sure the truffles are all coated.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.
- 1 cup = US cup = 240 ml
- 1 tablespoon = US/UK = 15 ml
- 1 fl oz = US = 30 ml
Choclette
I'm a fan of matcha tea and like it even more in baking and chocolate. CT bought me some back from Japan about a decade ago. It took me a while to get used to it, but then no loping back. I never thought of it as a thing in Thailand. Your truffles sound wonderful. I will have to give them a try.
BTW how do you get such a small file size for such large photos? It's my bête noir.
Nico
That's so cool that you've been having it for 10 years, Choclette - I definitely hadn't even heard of it back then... you're so ahead of the game! I hope you love the truffles when you make them. xx
Re. file size, do you use Photoshop? If so, go to 'file --> export --> save for web' then choose the dimensions of the jpeg (e.g. 1360px wide), then move the slider at the top to choose the quality. I usually go for somewhere between 20 and 30, which gives me a file size of around 150-175kb.
Corina
The truffles sound and look beautiful! I also love all the pictures in your post. We went to Thailand 9 years ago for our honeymoon and I'd love to go back one day and eat all the food again and enjoy the beautiful scenery! These would definitely make a great present for someone this Easter x
Nico
Oh, how wonderful, Corina - whereabouts did you go? It really is such a beautiful country, isn't it? xx
Eb Gargano / easypeasyfoodie.com
Oh wow - these look and sound amazing! You are one clever lady!! 🙂 Eb x
Nico
Thanks so much Eb! xx
Liv
Oh wow sooo much matcha! I love the stuff so this makes me super happy!
Nico
Same here, Liv - omnomnom! xx
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins
I love matcha! It is such an incredible tea to drink and incorporate into foods. Love these! x
Nico
I've never had it hot, Kirsty, only cold or as a flavouring but I am a big fan! xx
Kate
I adore matcha and it must be divine in these truffles. I loved all your Thailand pictures as well!
Nico
Thanks so much, Kate - since closing down my travel blog, I've decided to add more travel pics to my posts here... after all, the food I make is influenced by the food I encounter on my travels, so why not?!
I have to admit that I do love these matcha truffles - chocolate and matcha go so well together, don't they?! xx
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche
Gorgeous!! I've never tried matcha myself, but I'm always blown away by its beautiful colour when I see it used in recipes. Need to find some and give it a try!
Nico
It's not for everyone, Becca - K absolutely hates it. But then he hates coffee, tea, etc. (apart from cha manow)! If you like tea though, chances are you'll like matcha... it has that slightly bitter, aromatic taste that you get with tea, even though it doesn't taste anything like black tea!
How are you feeling now? Has the nausea abated? xx
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche
Feeling much better thanks! Still tired and achey and fat haha, but I can at least eat vegetables again now! 😉
Nico
I remember that all too well! I spent every pregnancy wondering when I was going to experience that blooming that I'd read so much about. But no, I was just a whale! Ha ha ha! Glad you're feeling better - and yay for being able to eat again! xx