These healthy matcha truffles are the perfect fun and festive treat for every day snacking or for gifting on special occasions.
What’s even better, these creamy matcha balls are full of nutritious goodness. They’re vegan, paleo, gluten free, dairy free, and made without refined sugar. Plus they’re simple and fun to make and they’re so pretty, too!
I love making easy healthy desserts for my family where I don’t have to turn the oven on. And I really love it when they’re full of so much nutrition like these matcha truffles are.
What’s not to love?
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What is Matcha Powder?
The word “matcha” literally means “powdered tea” and that’s exactly what it is.
Matcha is Japanese green tea powder that is simply finely powdered dried green tea leaves. It was traditionally consumed by monks to improve mental clarity, but it’s still used today, most notably formal situations and tea ceremonies.
When you drink tea, you normally steep the tea and then toss the “spent” leaves. With matcha, however, you whisk the ground green tea leaf powder into the water and consume the whole leaf.
Matcha leaves are grown on green tea bushes that are kept in the shade. The shade increases the amount of chlorophyll content in the leaves, which is why the leaves are green and have more nutritional content than regular tea leaves.
In fact, one you learn about the amazing benefits of matcha, you’ll want to make these matcha balls a lot more often.
Matcha Varieties
There are two main types of matcha; ceremonial and culinary. Ceremonial matcha is the most expensive and is made from the youngest green tea leaves.
Culinary matcha powder is made from tea leaves that are a little older. These leaves aren’t as vibrant in color.
For this recipe, you can use whichever you like. Ceremonial and premium will give you the most vibrant color, but culinary matcha powder is the most affordable type.
Ingredients and Equipment Needed
- avocado
- coconut oil (or quality palm shortening)
- coconut flour
- maple syrup (or other sweetener)
- matcha powder
- dark chocolate or chocolate chips (optional for the dark chocolate truffle version. Use healthy white chocolate chips or plain white chocolate for white chocolate truffles. Using a good quality white chocolate will yield better results.)
- salt (optional, but recommended to enhance sweetness)
- double boiler or saucepan
Directions
Here are the basic directions for this recipe. For the full details, see the recipe card and notes below.
- Mix all ingredients together. (Pictures 1 and 2)
- Mold the dough into balls. (Picture 3)
- Cover the balls with melted chocolate or roll them toppings. (Picture 4)
- Place in the refrigerator to harden.
Recipe Notes
- Use “just ripe” avocados for this matcha balls recipe. If you use overly ripe avocados, the dough will be too soft.
- You can try to remedy a “too soft” dough with more coconut flour, but you’ll likely have to add more sweetener as well. So, it’s best to use avocados that are the right texture to make the recipe come out right.
Special Diet Notes
- For low-carb / keto, or THM:S, use a low-carb sweetener or a combination of them. Maple syrup and honey are about 25-30 times as sweet as sugar so you’ll want to substitute about 50-75% the amount of “sugar alternatives” if you choose to use them. Also use a sugar-free chocolate or sugar-free chocolate chips.
- For AIP, skip the chocolate coating or use Homemade Vegan White Chocolate using an AIP sweetener.
- This recipe is vegan and paleo as written.
Variations
I personally like these truffles best with the dark chocolate coating, but there so are many other great ways to enjoy these matcha green tea truffles. You can:
- drizzle the chocolate on top of the truffles instead of coating them
- make matcha white chocolate truffles by coating the truffles in melted white chocolate
- top the truffles with powdered dried fruit (pomegranate, cranberry, or strawberry would work really well).
- add dried fruits like goji berries, freeze dried strawberries, or unsweetened cranberries to the truffles. Other dried fruits would work as well, but will add carbs.
- add some finely chopped nuts to the inside of the truffles
- make a white chocolate matcha by adding matcha powder to some white chocolate chips, and either coating the truffles or drizzling them with it.
- sprinkle powdered sweetener on top
- dust the top of the truffles with both cocoa and matcha powder
How to Store
These truffles should be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge and should last for at least 4 days. However, you can also store them in the freezer in a freezer bag or freezer-friendly container for a longer period of time.
More Easy Healthy Avocado and Matcha Desserts To Try
- 1 avocado (peeled and pitted)
- 1 ½ tablespoons coconut oil (or quality palm shortening)
- ½ cup coconut flour (plus 3 tablespoons for cover (optional))
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup (or other sweetener. Use 5 tablespoons of any sugar equivalent low-carb sweetener.)
- 3 teaspoons matcha powder
- 70 grams dark chocolate bar or chips (These Homemade Chocolate Chips are a great option. You can use either sugar-free or regular chocolate.)
- dash salt
- matcha powder for topping
Melt the coconut oil if needed.
Place the avocado, coconut oil oil, coconut flour, maple syrup or other sweetener, and matcha powder into a food processor or mixing bowl.
Pulse or mix until mix well until combined and smooth.
Take about 20 grams of the mixture and make a small ball by rolling the dough in your hands. Place the ball on a tray lined with parchment paper. Repeat the same process until you run out of dough.
Place the bites in the fridge to harden.
While they chill, place the chocolate and salt in the top of a double boiler. Heat over boiling water until melted. Make sure that no water contacts the chocolate, otherwise it will seize up.
Remove the balls from the fridge. Coat as many as you’d like with the melted chocolate mixture.
Place the matcha energy balls onto parchment paper.
Sprinkle each ball with extra matcha powder or other toppings (optional).
Place the truffles back in the refrigerator until chocolate has completely hardened.
If you decide to not coat some of them with chocolate, you can roll them in shredded coconut or finely chopped nuts, or powdered sweetener, or leave them plain.
Enjoy!
-
- Use “just ripe” avocados for this recipe. If you use overly ripe avocados, the dough will be too soft.
-
- For AIP, skip the chocolate coating or use Homemade Vegan White Chocolate using an AIP sweetener.
- This recipe is vegan and paleo as written.
- You can try to remedy a “too soft” dough with more coconut flour, but you’ll likely have to add more sweetener as well. It’s best to use avocados that are the right texture.
- For low-carb / keto, or THM:S, use a low-carb sweetener or a combination of them. Maple syrup and honey are about 25-30 times as sweet as sugar so you’ll want to substitute about 50-75% the amount of “sugar alternatives” if you choose to use them. Also use a sugar-free chocolate or sugar-free chocolate chips.
Serving: 1truffle | Calories: 119kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 0.2mg | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 138mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 77IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg | Net Carbs: 7g
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is merely an approximation. Optional ingredients are not included and when there is an alternative, the primary ingredient is typically used. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts since they have been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
I hope you love these matcha bites as much as we do.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
