Vegan Matcha Sugar Cookies (No Chilling Needed!)
March 5, 2025
These sugar cookies are soft, chewy, and sweet, with a kick of earthy, umami flavor from matcha green tea powder. With just 7 simple vegan ingredients, they're incredibly easy to make and require NO chilling time! And their bright color makes them perfect for holidays like Christmas or Saint Patrick's Day.
I love a sweet and chewy sugar cookie, and these cookies totally satisfy that craving! They take the flavor up a notch, too, with the added earthy, umami goodness of matcha powder.
Choosing Matcha Powder to Use for Cookies
Matcha powder is a type of green tea powder that comes from Japan. You can drink it with hot water as a tea, mix it with non-dairy milk for a vegan matcha latte, or use it in baked goods like muffins, cookies, and cheesecakes.
The flavor of matcha can be a little bitter, so it's not everyone's "cup of tea." But I do enjoy its distinctive flavor, and it's now more popular around the world than ever before.
When you're choosing a matcha powder, you'll want to pay attention to two things:
the grade (in the US) or color and quality (around the world)
the ingredient label
In the US, matcha tea is usually labeled with grades including ceremonial, barista, culinary, and ingredient. These grades don't have any official meaning, so they can vary from one manufacturer to another. Ceremonial grade is typically the highest quality grade (and the most expensive) with the brightest green color, while ingredient grade is the lowest quality and tends to be more brown.
This doesn't mean you need to splurge on the ceremonial grade powder, however. Ceremonial grade powder's delicate flavor may even be harder to detect in baked goods like cookies. I recommend choosing a middle-grade powder that has a bright green color and strong flavor for this recipe.
You should also double-check the ingredients of the matcha you're purchasing to ensure it's pure matcha powder. Some matcha products contain added sugar or milk powder.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
vegan butter spread: Choose a vegan butter spread, not vegan butter sticks. Vegan butter spread has a slightly higher moisture content, which is key to achieving a chewy texture. If you can only get vegan butter sticks, you'll probably need to add some non-dairy milk to your dough to achieve the right consistency. For more details, check the tips in the next section.
vegan granulated sugar: In the US and other places that sell cane sugar, it's common practice to process sugar using animal bone char. You can avoid this by choosing an organic sugar (in the US) or a sugar labeled vegan.
vanilla extract: I recommend using real vanilla for the best flavor.
matcha powder: See the previous section for more details on choosing the best matcha powder for this recipe.
Tips for the Best Vegan Matcha Cookies
Weigh your ingredients: Switch the recipe card to "metric" and use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients for the best results. If you can't weigh your ingredients, be sure to properly measure your flour to avoid dry cookies. To do this, spoon your flour into your measuring cup, then use the back of a butter knife to level the flour. Don't scoop the cup directly into the flour.
Check the dough texture: Because vegan butters can vary in their moisture content, you should make sure that your final dough matches the texture shown in the process photo. It should be soft, moist, and sticking to the sides of the bowl (not collecting around the beater). If you want to test your dough, roll about 50 grams of dough into a ball, then gently flatten it between your palms. If the edges have deep cracks, your dough is too dry. To fix this, you can beat 1 to 4 tablespoons of non-dairy milk into the batter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it reaches the correct consistency.
Soften the vegan butter: Your vegan butter spread doesn't need to be at room temperature, but you'll want to soften it a bit from the refrigerator. If you're in a warm home, 30 minutes out of the refrigerator should be enough, or 1 hour in a cool environment.
Chill for thicker cookies: This recipe makes thin, chewy cookies, but if you prefer your cookies a bit thicker, you can chill the dough for 30 minutes to 1 hour before baking. Alternatively, you can flatten the cookies less before baking them.
Storage
Store your vegan matcha sugar cookies in an airtight container. They'll last about a week at room temperature (although I can't promise they'll be around that long). You can also freeze them in a freezer bag or container for up to 2 months.
More Vegan Sweets
If you loved these cookies, here are some of my other vegan dessert recipes that you might love, too:
Vegan Matcha Sugar Cookies (No Chilling Needed!)
Yield12 cookies
Prep Time21 minutes
Cook Time14 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup vegan butter spread, softened*
- 1 cup vegan granulated sugar (plus more for coating)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour*
- 1 tbsp. matcha powder
- 1/2 tbsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C), and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Add your vegan butter spread and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using a paddle attachment, start mixing on low speed, then gradually increase to medium-high speed. Continue beating until fluffy (about 2 to 3 minutes). Add the vanilla extract to the butter mixture, then beat again to incorporate.
![Vegan butter, sugar, and vanilla extract after beating.]()
While your vegan butter and sugar are mixing, sift the remaining ingredients (flour, matcha, baking powder, and salt) into a small mixing bowl, then whisk to combine.
![Dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.]()
Turn off your stand mixer, then add in about 1/3 of your flour mixture. Start mixing at a low speed until incorporated, then gradually increase the speed to medium-high and continue mixing until the batter is smooth. If needed, you can scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Repeat twice more with the remaining dry ingredients until everything is combined. Your batter should be soft and resemble the batter in the image.*
![The batter for vegan matcha sugar cookies in the bowl of a stand mixer.]()
Prepare a small, rimmed plate or shallow bowl with some granulated sugar for coating the cookies.
Scoop out a golf ball-sized piece of dough (about 50 grams), then roll it into a ball. Roll the ball in the granulated sugar to coat it, then place the ball on one of your parchment-lined baking trays. Use the bottom of a glass or another flat object to gently press it into a thick disc. Repeat with the remaining dough.
![Vegan-Matcha-Sugar-Cookies-010]()
Bake the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes, until the bottoms are just beginning to turn brown.
Set the baking trays on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies directly to the wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes & Hints
Soften the vegan butter spread to cool room temperature, which should take about 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how warm your kitchen is.
Be sure to use vegan butter spread, not sticks, for this recipe. Vegan butter spread contains more water, which results in cookies that are moist and chewy instead of dry.
If you're measuring your flour using cups, be sure to spoon measure the flour into the cup, then level it. Avoid scooping the cup directly into the flour. For best results, I recommend switching to metric and weighing your flour.
If your batter is too dry, you may need to add a few tablespoons of non-dairy milk. See the blog post section called "Tips for the Best Vegan Matcha Cookies," for detailed instructions.
Nutrition Data
Serving Size: 1/12 of recipe; Calories: 227; Fat: 11 g.; Saturated Fat: 3 g.; Cholesterol: 0 mg.; Sodium: 225 mg.; Carbohydrates: 29 g.; Fiber: 0 g.; Sugar: 16 g.; Protein: 2 g.; Vitamin A: 0 mcg. RAE; Vitamin B12: 0 mcg.; Vitamin C: 0 mg.; Vitamin D: 0 mcg.; Calcium: 30 mg.; Iron: 0 mg.; Potassium: 0 mg.; Zinc: 0 mg.Note: This data should be used only as an estimate. Please see the nutrition section of my terms and conditions for more information on how this data is calculated.
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