These vegan matcha cupcakes are insanely delicious, colorful, and packed with an energizing dose of antioxidants from the star ingredient: matcha. This recipe was generously sponsored by my friends at Ujido, and you can find the recipe below. Enjoy!
St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner, so we’re thrilled to bring you the most deeelicious green cupcake recipe you’ll ever try. They’re made with a simple vegan chocolate cupcake base and topped with an insanely delicious frosting colored green with something way better than food coloring. The age-old antioxidant-rich green tea: matcha.
If you’ve never tried or perhaps never even heard of matcha, don’t let this recipe intimidate you! Read on to learn more about this incredible superfood, and then get your sweet tooth ready for these unbelievable cupcakes.
These cupcakes are super-easy to make. The only equipment you need other than your oven is a mixer to make the delicious and vibrant green frosting. You can use a stand mixer or a hand mixer—both will work perfectly.
If you want to increase the flavor of the matcha (I don’t blame you!) go ahead and add more powder to the icing. I recommend adding half of a teaspoon at a time and tasting as you go. The color of the frosting will be more vibrant if you add more matcha, and it will be so pretty!
You’re welcome to smear the frosting onto the cupcakes with a knife, of course, but if you want to get fancy, here are some tips!
To get the rose frosting effect pictured above, you’ll need a piping bag (I like these reusable silicone piping bags) and an extra large rose piping tip. This specific nozzle will enable you to transform your frosting into a lovely rose atop your cupcake by simply starting in the center of the cupcake and swirling outwards. A few quick YouTube tutorials will get you going in no time. That’s how I learned!
If you’d like to get a white and green swirl effect in your frosting, it’s easy. Instead of adding matcha powder to the full batch of frosting for a uniform green look, you can keep half of your frosting white and swirl the two together! To do this, simply smear the white frosting on one side of your piping bag and the green matcha frosting on the other half, and frost away!
We just love that you can whip up vibrant colorful foods using the power of nature. No artificial colors are used to make this beautiful green frosting. The color simply comes from the natural chlorophyll in the matcha tea which creates a deep green pigment.
A lot of food coloring is either not vegan or is made with artificial ingredients. But fret not! You can use matcha powder in many different types of recipes if you want a natural green food coloring.
You can also add some vegan sprinkles for and extra festive touch!
These dreamy chocolate cupcakes pair beautifully with this vanilla matcha buttercream frosting that has just a hint of matcha flavor. Enjoy these wickedly delicious cupcakes to celebrate a vegan St. Patrick’s Day, or any time of the year!
You can even make a batch of these cupcakes ahead of the big St. Patty’s Day party if you’re tight on time. Your friends will seriously love them and they won’t have a clue that this recipe is vegan.
We love matcha—not only for the incredible health benefits but also the delicious taste!
Matcha is the delicately ground powder of green tea leaves that can be dissolved in water and enjoyed as a beverage or used in recipes for a bright green, caffeinated, antioxidant-rich kick. Matcha has been a beloved ingredient for centuries, and a popular superfood all around the world. There are many brands of matcha, but their quality can vary greatly. In this recipe, I used Ujido matcha.
If it’s a new flavor for you, these cupcakes are a perfect way to get acquainted. It’s a very mild matcha flavor in this cupcake frosting, and…well…they’re cupcakes! What’s not to love?
Matcha powder is traditionally a vibrant green color which reflects it’s high levels of phytonutrients and antioxidants. It is also a very nice fine texture, which enables you to add it to recipes or sip on matcha tea without having to worry about tea leaves.
Matcha has numerous health benefits. It’s truly a magnificent superfood! Numerous studies have proven matcha to have astounding benefits. There’s nothing better than a healthy and tasty superfood!
Some of the benefits matcha is known for include:
So… now that we know a little bit about all of the amazing benefits of matcha, let’s get these cupcakes baking in the oven! Go, go, go!
And if you want to go all-out, you can serve these up with a frothy matcha latte made with your favorite plant-based milk and a touch of maple syrup. Cheers to that!
Psssst! Want some Matcha? You can use the coupon code WORLDOFVEGAN at checkout to get a special discount from our friends at Ujido.
I used ceremonial grade matcha (which is considered to be the highest quality and also has a slightly deeper green hue). Ceremonial grade matcha is made from the youngest tea leaves and is appreciated for being slightly sweeter, smoother, and less bitter. That said, you can also use culinary grade matcha which is less expensive and is intended for cooking.
Vegan Cupcakes With Matcha Buttercream Frosting recipe and food photography by Michelle Cehn.Content copyright World of Vegan, all rights reserved. This delicious cupcake recipe includes affiliate links when available and shopping through these links supports World of Vegan.
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Wow. That color looks so good!! Can’t wait to try these out!
OMG I love these cupcakes! super cute and something I would make for a friends birthday or something! great recipe right here
So green and pretty! As an avid Matcha drinker, these cupcakes hit the right spot 🙂
Gorgeous green color from the matcha tea! The cupcakes are super yummy and I’m in love with the buttercream frosting! Keeping this recipe in my weekly baking rotation. Excellent when you have a craving for chocolate – mmmmm!
I’ve made these a few times and am always in awe! They’re SO good, it makes me want to play with even more matcha recipes.
These cupcakes are soooo gooood and also a great way to impress your friends and family with your frosting abilities!