Green Tea Vegan Matcha Truffles (AKA Grinch Truffles)

This post should be titled, “How the Grinch Made Christmas”, because these delicious, green treats are sure to have everyone feeling in the Christmas Spirit. My vegan matcha truffles have a smooth, cashew-based, matcha-flavored inside and a dark, silky chocolate coating. They are perfect to have around as a special treat, or give away as a great little holiday gift. Like the best things in life, they’re not overly complicated- you’ll only need 6 ingredients to whip up a batch of these beauties. So be like the Grinch (at the end of the movie), and bring a little Christmas into your house with these simple, beautiful, vegan matcha truffles.

Skip the Post, Click for a Print-Friendly Version

The Christmas Movie Classics

There are two Christmas movies I watch every year- Frosty the Snowman, and, of course, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. We never got into the live action movie- we’ve always watched the original animated movie, and yelled at the screen the few moments that it doesn’t stay true to the book. The film and book are a classic, but like most classics they have some moments that become a bit problematic as they age (the way the Grinch treats his sweet little dog Max). Setting that aside for now, the movie tells an important story about how we can use gifts, food, and decorations to remind each other about how we love each other, but Christmas itself isn’t about any of that. To me, it’s just about being with the ones you love. Although don’t get me wrong, Christmas food and gifts are something I very much enjoy making and giving! That’s one reason these Grinch truffles are super great- not only are they a fantastic Christmas dessert nibble, but they’re a fantastic food-present.

Looking For Christmas Sweets? Try one of these!

• Stout, Pecan and Ginger Bread (Vegan)
• The Ultimate Vegan Christmas Cookie- Vegan Spruce Sugar Cookies
• Molasses, Ginger and Oat Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

About Matcha

I first heard about matcha powder when Starbucks released their Green Tea Frappuccino (which you can get vegan by asking for soy, almond or coconut milk and skipping the whipped cream). That was about the time that matcha powder was being hailed as superfood of it’s day- a miracle supplement to cure all ails. Like many superfood crazes, matcha powder is hardly new, and has been consumed for thousands of years in Japan. Matcha powder is basically green tea, but ground extremely finely, so it’s able to dissolve in liquid. It is highly caffeinated, and has that delicious green tea flavor you would find in a well-brewed cup, but is concentrated and conveniently dry and powdered, making it much easier to use in food preparations. It is even still thought to be very healthy for you- although remember that there is not one simple, end-all product to provide health- a well balanced, varied diet will always be most important. Plus, in this vegan matcha truffle recipe we will be adding sugar and chocolate- delicious, yes, but health food it is not. 

How to Make Vegan Matcha Truffles

To make these vegan matcha truffles, we start with the filling. I’ve been soaking my cashews for a while now, but recently I’ve starting boiling them instead. It’s a better way to get them soft, if you’re like me and not very good about planning ahead and remembering to get your cashews soaking- boiling only takes about 10 minutes, whereas a good soak should take 3 or more hours. We add the beautiful Grinch green color by processing the cashews with matcha powder- for sweetness we add a little sugar, and to add to the green tea flavor we use a little coconut or vanilla extract (or you could do without, and enjoy the pure matcha). Process the mixture until it becomes sticky and starts to clump, and roll into truffle-sized balls and freeze- they don’t need to get completely frozen, but the cold will make them more solid, and easier to coat in chocolate.

Quick Chocolate Tempering Trick

I used a tempering trick for mine, that I wish I had known back when I made theses Nut-Free Sunflower Seed Butter Vegan Chocolate Cups. Tempering is the process of heating then cooling chocolate, to align the crystal structures, leaving you with a smooth, glossy chocolate that snaps when broken and importantly doesn’t melt in your hands. I’ve always been a little put off by the process, which usually involves thermometers and a lot of precision- and you really don’t need to do it. But if your interested, here’s the method I used for these vegan matcha truffles, guided by this article. Start melting your chocolate over a double-broiler, or in the microwave. Once your chocolate is about 3/4 of the way melted, remove from the heat and continue to stir. The unmelted chocolate will bring down the temperature of your melted chocolate, achieving a good temper as it does so. If you have really good-quality chocolate, that should be it. If (like me) you used chocolate chips (which aren’t as good quality), you may want to mix a tablespoon of coconut oil in, which will make the chocolate more liquid and easier to dip your truffles in. Once the truffles are dipped, store in the fridge until consumed.

Belly full of vegan matcha truffles, I leave you with this final grinchy quote.

“Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store.”
“Maybe Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!”

Suess. (1985). How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Green Tea Vegan Matcha Truffles (AKA Grinch Truffles)

Click for a Print-Friendly Version

Let’s hear from you…

• What are your favorite Christmas stories and movies?
• Have you seen the new Grinch movie yet? What are your thoughts?
• Are these vegan matcha truffles going to be a present for others, a present for your stomach or both?

Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Like this Vegan Matcha Truffles? Pin it!