These fluffy Matcha Green Tea Cupcakes are flavored with matcha powder and topped with a tangy and sweet matcha cream cheese frosting. With a natural green color, these matcha cupcakes are perfect for St. Patrick’s day or any occasion!
While we love a good matcha latte, we love a delicious dessert even more. Adding ground matcha powder to cupcakes creates a tasty flavor and fun color. When topped with the whipped cream cheese frosting, the matcha cupcakes are a delicious treat for anyone.
This recipe was created by Danae from Recipe Runner. She loves baking with matcha and created these delicious green tea cupcakes with matcha flavor and natural green color.
Matcha tea is a powdered Japanese green tea that is used in matcha lattes and desserts. Matcha is a high quality green tea that has a fresh, clean taste and is slightly sweet. It pairs perfectly with the tangy cream cheese frosting on these cupcakes.
Whip up a batch for St. Patrick’s day or whenever you’re in the mood for matcha in cupcake form!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It has the sweet, floral and clean flavor of matcha without being overpower.
- The homemade matcha frosting is the perfect topping for these cupcakes
- They are naturally green without the use of any food dye or coloring.
- The matcha cupcakes are perfect to make as a St. Patricks Day treat!
Ingredients You Need
- Flour – A mix of all-purpose flour and while wheat pastry flour makes the perfect texture for the green tea cupcakes. You can substitute the whole wheat pastry flour for all-purpose flour or cake flour.
- Cornstarch – Helps to thicken the batter to create the perfect texture.
- Ceremonial Grade Matcha Powder – You will want to use a high quality ceremonial grade matcha powder. This helps ensure the best texture and flavor. You can also use culinary grade matcha but it may not have the best flavor.
- Baking Powder – Helps the cupcakes rise and become fluffy. Do not use baking soda.
- Salt – Activates the baking powder and balance the flavor in the cupcakes.
- Unsalted Butter – You can substitute with salted butter in a pinch, but you may want to reduce the other salt in the recipe.
- Non-fat Greek Yogurt – You can substitute with full fat greek yogurt or sour cream, if needed. Make sure to bring to room temperature.
- Granulated Sugar – Less than half a cup sugar in this recipe to create a delicious sweet treat.
- Egg – Helps bind all of the ingredients together for baking.
- Flavor Extracts – A mix of vanilla and almond extract gives this cupcake the best flavor.
- Skim Milk – Used to help thin the cupcake batter. You can substitute with 1% milk, 2% milk, or whole milk, if needed.
- Chopped Pistachios (Optional) – Although optional, the pistachios add more green color and a nutty flavor and crunch.
For the matcha green cheese frosting:
- Low-Fat Cream Cheese – Used as the base of this frosting. You can substitute with full-fat cream cheese, if desired.
- Powdered Sugar – Essential for the frosting.
- Almond and Vanilla Extract – Use both for the best flavor, however you can omit the almond extract, if needed.
- Matcha Powder – Use Ceremonial Grade Matcha Powder for the best texture and flavor.
How to Make Matcha Cupcakes
- Prepare for baking: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 12 cup standard muffin tin with paper liners.
- Combine the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, cornstarch, green tea powder, baking powder and salt until full combined.
- Mix the wet ingredients: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with a handheld electric mixer cream together butter and Greek yogurt on medium-high speed until throughly combined and fluffy. This should take about 3 minutes. Once combined, add the sugar, beat for 3 minutes, then add the egg and flavor extracts and beat until everything is fully combined.
- Combine the dry ingredients with the milk: To the bowl with the wet ingredients, add 1/3 of the dry mixture followed by 1/2 of the milk. Mix just until combined then repeat until the batter is formed without overworking. If using chopped pistachios inside the batter, fold them in now.
- Bake the cupcakes: Pour the cupcake batter into the prepared muffin tin until each divet is 3/4 full. Bake for 16-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Place the matcha green tea cupcakes on a wire rack to be cooled completely.
- Make the frosting: Add all of the frosting ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer. Start out on low speed and increase to high making sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go. Whip until the texture of the frosting is light and fluffy and all of the sugar is combined.
- Frost the matcha cupcakes and serve: Once the cupcakes are cooled, add the frosting to a piping bag and evenly distribute the frosting on the top of each cupcake. Serve and enjoy!
Frost the matcha green tea cupcakes using a large open star tip or large closed star tip to create the swirled frosting.
Expert Tips
- Do not overmix the batter. Mix just until combined. This ensures light and fluffy matcha cupcakes. Overmixing can create a tough texture.
- Use high quality matcha powder. The best matcha powder is ceremonial grade matcha powder. You can find it at your local grocery store or online.
- Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full to prevent overflow when baking.
- Cool cupcakes completely before frosting.
- To frost the matcha cupcakes use a large open star tip or large closed star tip.
Variations
- Use other nuts or omit completely. You can completely omit the pistachios or swap them out for another nut like hazelnuts, almonds or walnuts.
- Make gluten free matcha cupcakes by using a gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum.
- Ue full fat Greek yogurt and cream cheese for a richer flavor and texture.
Did you try these Matcha Green Tea Cupcakes? Leave a recipe rating and review below.
Matcha Green Tea Cupcakes
Yield: 8 -10 cupcakes
These naturally green cupcakes are infused with green tea powder and topped with matcha cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
Pistachio Green Tea Cupcakes
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon green tea/matcha powder, I used loose leaf green tea leaves ground up in a coffee grinder
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 3 tablespoon plain non fat Greek yogurt, room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 cup skim milk
- 1/2 cup pistachios, chopped
Matcha Cream Cheese Frosting
- 6 ounces low fat cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon green tea/matcha powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 12 cup standard muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a large bowl whisk together the flours, cornstarch, green tea powder, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer beat the butter and greek yogurt on medium high speed until thoroughly combined, about 3 minutes.
- Add in the sugar and beat again for another 2 minutes.
- Add in the egg, vanilla and almond extract and beat until combined.
- Add in a third of the dry mixture and beat just until combined, then add in half of the milk.
- Repeat the process ending with the dry mixture.
- Add in the chopped pistachios and mix just until combined.
- Fill the paper cupcake liners 3/4 full with the batter.
- Bake the cupcakes on the middle rack of the oven for 16-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool the cupcakes completely on a wire cooling rack before frosting them.
Matcha Cream Cheese Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer add all of the frosting ingredients.
- Beat the frosting starting on low speed until the powdered sugar is incorporated, then scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Turn up the speed of the mixer to high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy.
Assembling
- Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes with a pastry bag and tip or spread it on with a knife.
- Sprinkle the tops with more chopped pistachios if desired.
Notes
Nutritional information is provided for each cupcake. The recipe makes 8 cupcakes.
Storing: To store any leftover matcha green tea cupcakes, place them in an airtight container and keep them at room temperature. They’ll last for up to three days. They will stay fresh in the fridge for about five days.
Freezing: If you’d like to freeze the matcha cupcakes, it’s best to do so without frosting them. Place them on a baking sheet in a single layer. Let them freeze overnight until solid, then place them in a freezer-safe bag. They will last for up to two months in the freezer. To thaw, let them come to room temperature or place them in the fridge overnight before frosting.
To freeze the frosting, add it to a freezer-safe bag and freeze. It will last for up to two months in the freezer. When you’re ready to use, let it thaw overnight in the fridge then whip it until light and fluffy.
Nutrition
Serving: 0g, Calories: 346kcal, Carbohydrates: 52g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 44mg, Sodium: 191mg, Potassium: 268mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 36g, Vitamin A: 461IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 100mg, Iron: 2mg
If you try this recipe, don’t forget to leave a review below or share a photo and tag @spoonfulofflavor on Instagram.
Besides the beautiful pale green color, these tasted delicious! Love this recipe for St. Patrick’s Day instead of all the artificially green dyed stuff!
These were delicious! Light and airy, and the flavor was spot on!
I hate to have to mention this – but, you can’t just use ground up green tea leaves, and expect the same flavor/consistency result, as true matcha, as it is not even made with regular tea leaves, for one…and, secondly, the process is much more complex, in order to produce the matcha, in its true form, and flavor. Nice concept, I suppose, for a “green tea” based recipe…just not for one that is labelled, as: “matcha”. If one is truly making a matcha recipe, only matcha should be used – with no substitutes.
I don’t disagree with you on this at all and appreciate your feedback! But, sometimes we offer alternatives to give recommendations to people who can’t access an ingredient or are looking for a lower cost alternative.