Matcha Balls

These sweet and nutty balls make a wonderful holiday treat. They are extremely easy to whip up and are an delicious and healthy alternative to sugar loaded sweets. They are 100% vegan and gluten free.

Desserts Japanese Vegan

These nutritious and delicious treats are made with cashews, dates, almond butter and matcha. They are loaded with protein and are a great way to start the day, or make a healthy snack for the kids after school. They can be topped with powdered sugar or eaten as is. They are vegan friendly and gluten free.

Matcha is made from green tea leaves that are dried and ground into a fine powder. The tea is grown in the shade in the last few weeks before harvesting. The leaves are carefully dried, often inside, to prevent damage to the leaves. The leaves are then ground finally into a powder using a stone grinder.

Matcha balls can be kept in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Matcha Balls

These matcha balls are made with cashews, dates, almond butter and matcha – just four ingredients. The cashews and dates have to be finely ground up and combined – so you will want to use a food processor to make sure the ingredients are mixed into a consistent sand-like texture before adding your almond butter and matcha.

PREP	COOKING	YIELD
10 minutes		8 balls

PREP	10 minutes
COOKING
YIELD	8 balls

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup unsalted cashew nuts (175g)
8 dates, seed and stem removed (150g)
1 TBSP almond butter
2 TBSP Coconut Oil
1 tsp matcha

Instructions:

Crush the cashews in a food processor.
Add the dates and almond butter and blend well until the mix has a uniform and sandy consistency.
Add the matcha and coconut oil. Mix in and knead by hand until well combined.

Form into 8-10 balls.

If desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar and lightly press in.

Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Store covered in the refrigerator.

Notes:

Almond butter gives these treats a bit of a wet and oily texture. If you prefer a “drier” sweet, omit the almond butter and add about a half dozen almonds in with the cashews prior to crushing.
The powdered sugar is optional. If you prefer to omit the sugar, you will find that the dates are sweet enough.
A little matcha goes a long way, but if you love the taste of matcha, feel free to use up to a tablespoon. Remember, matcha tastes a little bitter, so I do recommend adding powdered sugar if you use a lot of matcha to help offset the bitter taste a bit.

Jay H

Jay is a Project Manager for a U.S. Company that does business globally. He has worked and lived in many places and has spent time learning how to cook dishes from around the world. Currently based in Japan, he created the Mountain Plums website during the Covid pandemic as a way to express himself though cooking while staying active.

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Jay H

Jay is a Project Manager for a U.S. Company that does business globally. He has worked and lived in many places and has spent time learning how to cook dishes from around the world. Currently based in Japan, he created the Mountain Plums website during the Covid pandemic as a way to express himself though cooking while staying active.