Need a quick and easy no-bake dessert? Try our Chocolate Matcha Crispy Truffles. These little bites of dessert heaven are made gluten-free, vegan and with calming matcha for a guilt-free treat. In under 30 minutes and just 5 ingredients, you can be enjoying a crisp and chewy green tea infused brown rice cereal dipped in a decadent matcha white chocolate.
Matcha candy is perfect for teatime, cherry blossom (Hanami) viewing, St. Patrick’s Day or any day you want a chocolate dipped Rice Krispie treat.
If you haven’t already noticed, we are completely addicted to Japanese Matcha powder. The earthy naturally grassy sweetness pairs well with desserts and much more. While living in Japan, we developed a love for creating recipes with a little healthier twist like our Matcha White Chocolate Brownies, Matcha Chocolate Chia Parfait and Matcha Banana Strawberry Ice Cream Cups.
This post has been sponsored by Fraser Tea. Thank you for supporting the brands that help Healthy World Cuisine bring more delicious recipes your way.
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5 Main Ingredients
Matcha (Green Tea)
Did you know that all tea comes from the same plant called Camellia sinensis? Really! However, how the plant is treated before and after harvesting is what makes the flavor differences in tea.
Matcha is green tea. To make matcha, the leaves are covered approximately 3 to 4 weeks before harvest. This process increases the amount of chlorophyll and gives matcha its bright green color. The leaves are dried and stone ground into a fine matcha powder.
When you drink or use matcha in recipes, you receive the full health benefits of green tea. Even though matcha has caffeine, it has calming effect. Have you ever experienced this? This calming effect may occur because it increases the amount of dopamine and serotonin in one's brain, according to a study by Unno et al. If you want to learn more about Matcha? Please read, “What does Matcha Taste Like and How to Use It?”
We used Fraser Tea premium Ceremonial Grade Matcha Green Tea in our Chocolate Matcha Crispy Truffles and in the matcha glaze for our Baked Black Sesame Mochi Donuts. You are going to love the quality of Fraser Tea’s 100% organic teas and superior customer service.
Brown Rice Crispy Cereal
You may also use “Rice Krispies” cereal as well. This is NOT regular steamed white rice or brown rice. It’s the crispy snap, crackle, pop breakfast cereal you used to enjoy as a kid. We chose a gluten free brown rice cereal to make healthier Rice Krispie treats.
You are going to love these dairy free matcha rice crispy treats either as a bite sized truffle or as squares. More on the shape options in our directions below.
Nut Butter
We prefer a delicate flavored nut butter to let the sweet earthy flavor of matcha tea shine through. Cashew or almond nut butters both work well. These matcha truffle balls are “No Marshmallow” rice crispy treats that are made in the microwave. We have also included stove top directions in the recipe notes below.
We used all-natural cashew butter to create the stickiness and binding agent for the recipe. The natural oils in the nut butter keeps your rice cereal extra crispy but still chewy. You got to love that, right?
White Chocolate
Matcha and white chocolate together are like a match made in heaven. The sweet from the white chocolate mellows out the vegetal and slightly bitter notes of the green tea.
However, if you have dairy sensitivities like us, the tummy troubles can be difficult. With that in mind, we used dairy free (vegan) milk chocolate chips in this matcha candy recipe. You may also use regular white chocolate chips or even dark chocolate like in our Velvety Vegan Chocolate Mousse.
Maple Syrup
If you are not vegan, honey also works well as a binding agent. Depending on the brand of nut butter you use, you may need to add a little more maple syrup or honey to help hold these dairy free rice crispy treats together. Maple syrup is also used in our no-bake Chocolate Espresso Fig Balls to lightly sweeten.
Vanilla or Jasmine Essence
This is an optional ingredient. Vanilla is an easy to find ingredient. However, if you are in Asia or live near an Asian market, Jasmine Essence is the western equivalent to vanilla. We know you are laughing a little bit over there. Jasmine Essence? Really? You won’t believe how delicious this little added floral essence is.
How to Make?
If you want to make a show stopping dessert, here is a general overview of the process. Complete directions and video are in the recipe card below.
- Heat up nut butter and maple syrup (honey) in the microwave or stove top just until it starts to bubble. Stir it well.
- Add matcha and vanilla or Jasmine essence to the nut butter and maple syrup mixture.
- Stir well. Measure out brown crispy rice cereal or Rice Krispies in a large bowl.
- Put a little oil on your hands. Put the nut butter mixture into the brown crispy rice cereal and mix well. Continue to mix until all the crispy rice cereal is coated with the nut butter mixture. Roll into balls.
- Melt white chocolate in the microwave or in a double boiler on the stove top.
- If desired, place ½ of the melted chocolate in a separate bowl. Add matcha to one bowl of chocolate and mix well. Leave the other bowl of white chocolate plain.
- Dip balls into melted white chocolate and/or melted matcha white chocolate and place truffles on a lined baking sheet or plate.
- You can leave some plain and dust with organic green tea powder, drizzle with white chocolate, matcha chocolate or do a combination. We like to dust each with a little matcha green tea powder before they dry.
- Allow the matcha chocolate crispy truffles to set in the refrigerator until ready to eat. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Every brand of nut butter has varying amounts of oil. Mix the nut better very well to incorporate the oil before measuring it out for the recipe.
- To microwave the nut butter and maple syrup mixture, place the mixture in the microwave for 15 seconds at time and mix well each time. It took us a total of 1 minute and 15 seconds on high setting until the mixture formed bubbles.
- If you do not have a microwave, you can heat up the nut butter and maple syrup on the stovetop. Cook over low simmer mode just until it starts to bubble. Remove cashew butter and maple syrup mixture from heat and place in a heat safe bowl.
- If the crispy matcha rice mixture is too dry, add in a little more maple syrup just until it binds together. You can also use honey, if you do not need this matcha candy to be vegan. On the other hand, if the mixture is too wet, add a small amount of dry rice cereal.
- Matcha needs to be stored in a sealed container away from light and moisture.
- To remove any lumps from the matcha, use a fine mesh sifter.
- Keep your white chocolate chips stored in a cool and dry place before use. If you live in a warm humid climate, put them in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- We have found that white chocolate chips or dots for baking works best for Japanese green tea truffles. Vegan white chocolate bars are a little less forgiving when it comes to melting.
Recipe Variations
- Do you prefer only lightly sweet desserts? Skip the chocolate coating and instead lightly dust rice crispy balls with matcha powder just like we did for our Matcha Red Bean Energy Balls.
- Drizzle a little matcha white chocolate or white chocolate directly over the green tea rice crispy truffles. Use a pastry bag or you can also make a homemade pastry bag with a plastic bag. Open up the bag wide and place the melted chocolate at the end near a corner. Cut a small hole at the corner end. Gently squeeze the bag to drizzle the melted chocolate on the matcha balls to make a fun design.
- Dunk the ball into either the green tea white chocolate or plain white chocolate. Then drizzle a design of the either the matcha chocolate or white chocolate on each.
- After dunking balls into the chocolate, be sure to dust with a little matcha powder, crushed pistachio nuts or whatever you little heart desires BEFORE the chocolate sets.
8 x 8 Pan Directions
Did you know that you can make chocolate matcha crispy truffles as balls or in squares? You certainly can!
Sometimes, life is just too busy to roll out balls. If you are running low on time, create the matcha rice crispy mixture and put it in an 8 x 8 lined pan. Then, drizzle a little matcha white chocolate over it and call it a day.
- Line your 8 x 8-inch square pan with parchment paper or oil to prevent sticking.
- Melt nut butter and maple syrup in microwave or over stovetop just until bubbly. Stir well
- Add in matcha powder and vanilla if desired and stir well.
- Measure out the crispy rice cereal and place in large bowl. Add the cashew butter mixture to the dry rice cereal.
- Mix well.
- Pour the rice crispy treat mixture into the prepared pan. Press flat with hands or spatula.
- Drizzle with melted matcha white chocolate, if desired, and chill in the refrigerator at least 2 hours.
- Cut into squares and enjoy!
How to Melt White Chocolate Chips?
Microwave method – Place white chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 10 second intervals on high just until you can see the chips on the top look like they have started to melt. Then, stir until smooth and creamy. If your chocolate starts to harden up, just pop in the microwave for about 10 seconds and stir well. Easiest and quickest method!
Double Boiler Method – Find a bowl that fits nicely over the top of a medium pot. Next, place about 2 inches of water in the pot. Put white chocolate chips in a clean and DRY bowl over the pot. Heat the pot of water with the bowl of chocolate on top slowly on simmer and stir just until the chocolate starts to melt. Remove from heat and stir allowing the residual heat to melt the chocolate. FYI: DO NOT BOIL WATER! If water gets in your chocolate it will seize up. If that happens, check out the FAQ’s below for solutions to that problem.
Storing
Matcha truffles can be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks. You can freeze them for up to 2 months. However, freezing sometimes removes the pretty sheen from the chocolate, but they will still taste delicious.
It is best to eat truffle candies at room temperature so you can enjoy the full flavor experience. Take them out of the refrigerator about 15 minutes before serving.
Serving Suggestions
What would tea time be without a delicious hot tea, right? Citrus, like in our Tranquil Lemon Ginger Tea, pairs really nice with matcha to brighten and bring out the earthy flavors. One of our favorite caffeine free teas from Fraser Tea is their ImmuniTEA Organic Rooibos Tea.
Having a picnic? Are you ready enjoy the Cherry Blossoms (sakura)? Pack a few Tuna Mayo Rice Balls, Curried Tuna Salad Roll Ups or Wasabi Mayo Crab Onigirazu for the main. Then, enjoy your white Chocolate Matcha Crispy Truffles for a delightful sweet ending to your picnic.
Vegan matcha chocolate crispy truffles are great to give away as gifts, bring to a Saint Patrick's Party along with a few Mint Oreo Balls without Cream Cheese as a dessert to pass or as a special treat for yourself.
Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
You can reverse seized chocolate by adding 1 teaspoon of boiling water at a time to the seized chocolate and stir vigorously.
Matcha should be stored in a sealed container in the dark. Oxygen, sunlight and moisture are matcha’s worst enemies.
More Matcha and Chocolate Recipes....
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Chocolate Matcha Crispy Truffles
Equipment
- parchment paper
Ingredients
Matcha Crispy Rice Cereal
- ⅓ cup cashew butter or almond butter (or mellow flavored nut butter of choice)
- ⅓ cup maple syrup or honey if not vegan (have a little extra on hand if you need your rice crispy cereal to be a little more sticky.)
- 2 teaspoons Ceremonial Grade Organic Matcha
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or Jasmine essence - optional
- 3 cups brown rice crispy cereal you can also use Rice Krispies or similar brand
- oil to prevent sticking on fingers
Matcha Chocolate Coating
- 3 cups white chocolate chips (or regular white chocolate chips) - if you do not want to cover all of the 22 truffles in chocolate or just want to add a drizzle of chocolate on top use just 16 ounces.
- 3 teaspoons Ceremonial Grade Organic Matcha Reserve a little extra matcha for garnishing, if desired.
Instructions
Make Matcha Rice Crispy Mixture
- In a microwaveable safe bowl add in the cashew butter and maple syrup and stir. Microwave on high for 15 seconds at a time until it starts to bubble. Stir with each 15 second segment. We microwaved our cashew butter and maple syrup for a total of 1 minute and 15 seconds. However, each microwave is different so it may take you more or less time. Use hot pads to remove the bowl of cooked cashew butter and maple syrup from the microwave. It will be hot. Stove top instruction in the recipe notes below.
- Add in 2 teaspoons of Ceremonial Grade Organic Matcha to the cashew butter and maple syrup mixture and mix well. If you wish to add in vanilla extract or Jasmine essence, add it in now and stir well. The mixture will be thick and dark green.
- Measure out 3 cups of rice crispy cereal and place in large bowl. Scoop the matcha cashew butter mixture and place over the crispy rice cereal.
- Grease your fingers and hands with a little light oil to prevent sticking. Use your hands to mix the matcha cashew mixture into the crispy rice.
- If your cereal is too dry, add 1 more teaspoon of maple syrup and mix well. On the other hand, if your cereal is to wet, add 1 tablespoon more of rice cereal as need to just bring the ingredients together when you press them together. As each brand of nut butter has a slight difference in the number of natural oils, you may need to adjust. The texture goal is for the cereal to hold together when squeezed together. There not be a lot of loose cereal left behind in the bowl. In addition, the cereal should feel tacky but not too wet.
- Line a baking tray or large plate with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- At this point, you may wish to wash your hands or not. Either way, add a little more oil in your hands. Take about 1 tablespoon of prepared crispy rice mixture, squeeze together and then roll into approximately 1.5-inch balls. We ended up with about 22 matcha chocolate rice balls. However, we must admit there might have been some “quality testing” along the way. (smiling)
- Now, you can decide how you want to garnish your dessert truffles. If you do not like sweet desserts, you might want to stop right there and/or just a very light dusting of matcha green tea powder on top. On the other hand, if you want a little sweet treat, maybe you want to drizzle just a little matcha white chocolate on top. If you want the full decadent experience, continue following the directions below.
- Place white chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 10 second segments until the white chocolate chips on the very top start to look wet and start to melt. For us, that took approximately 1 minute. Then, carefully remove bowl from microwave. It will be hot. Stir the white chocolate so the warmth of the bowl continues to melt the chocolate naturally the rest of the way. (If your chocolate starts to get hard, just pop it back in the microwave for 10 seconds or so to get it loosened back up again. Then, stir well.)
- If you would like to make some of the truffles white and some green, pour ½ of melted white chocolate into a separate bowl. Add 2 teaspoons of matcha powder into one of the melted white chocolate bowls and mix well. (Add 2 teaspoons of matcha powder for every 16 ounces of chocolate. If you want all green chocolate truffles add 4 teaspoons of matcha into 32 ounces of melted chocolate.)
- Dip the matcha crispy rice balls into the matcha and or plain white melted chocolate. Let the excess chocolate drip off. If you would like to dust with a little extra matcha powder, do this BEFORE they dry. Place the chocolate covered matcha balls on the parchment paper to dry. Dry time is about 10 minutes. We like to place ours in the refrigerator to expedite this process.
- If you are feeling creative, place a little of either the white or green matcha melted chocolate in a piping bag and drizzle over the balls. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Line your 8 x 8-inch square pan with parchment paper or oil to prevent sticking.
- Melt nut butter and maple syrup in microwave or over stovetop just until bubbly. Stir well
- Add in matcha powder and vanilla if desired and stir well.
- Measure out the crispy rice cereal and place in large bowl. Add the matcha nut butter mixture to the dry rice cereal.
- Mix well.
- Pour the matcha rice crispy treat mixture into the prepared pan. Press flat with hands or spatula.
- Drizzle with melted matcha chocolate, if desired and chill in the refrigerator at least 2 hours.
- Cut into squares and enjoy!
Michelle says
Love this idea and the addition of the crispy rice! Yum! Gonna have to make this for sure!
HWC Magazine says
Thank you Michelle. We knew you would be all on board with anything matcha. You must try the addition of crispy rice, its a super fun texture combo.
Balvinder says
Always love quick and easy desserts. Just yesterday my husband asked if I ever going to finish the box of matcha that I bought a year ago. I drink matcha tea but never used it in recipes. Now I can.
These no bake truffles look so delightful!
HWC Magazine says
Thank you Balvinder. We adore matcha. Living in Japan, we were quite spoiled having the best ceremonial matcha. However, chocolate matcha crispy truffles can also be made with culinary grades too. It won't be as brilliant green but still very delicious. Take Care
Abbe@This is How I Cook says
I need one now! The good news is that I actually have all the ingredients in the pantry! Another pantry recipe!!!
HWC Magazine says
We love pantry recipes too. Crispy matcha truffles are super easy to make too.
John / Kitchen Riffs says
Truffles? 'nough said! Love 'em, and these look beyond good. Interesting (and tasty!) way to use matcha, too. Thanks!
HWC Magazine says
Thank you John. We must admit that these white chocolate matcha truffles are a little addicting. We have been hiding them behind the broccoli because no one ever looks there, but today they have been found. On to make another batch. Take Care
Heidi | The Frugal Girls says
These almost look too pretty to eat. That was a great idea for a sweetener, so smart!
HWC Magazine says
Thank you Heidi. Just love the soft green color of matcha, it lets us know that spring is on the way.
Ann Trofie says
These are so beautiful! Just made a batch of Matcha white chocolate truffles today and half are already gone! Love that crispy rice. A delightful texture change from regular plain chocolate truffles.
HWC Magazine says
Thank you Ann. We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed our chocolate matcha crispy truffles. The texture profile is addictive. It's kind of hard to stop at just one. Take care
Raul says
Wow these are great
HWC Magazine says
Thanks so much Raul. Do glad you enjoyed these white matcha chocolate truffles. Stay well and take care
Hannah says
You're completely speaking my language here! I love all things matcha, sweet, and simple! I'll have to make this ASAP, especially since there's great vegan while chocolate on the market now.
HWC Magazine says
So happy to hear you are a matcha lover too. Of course matcha lattes are delicious but sometimes you need a little matcha dessert truffles. Hope your week is off to a great start.
mjskitchen says
What a unique combination of flavors and texture. Love the use of the rice krispies and of course matcha and white chocolate are a wonderful mix. These are fabulous!
HWC Magazine says
Thank you MJ. The texture is really addicting because it is creamy on the outside from the matcha chocolate but crisp and chewy matcha rice crispy treat inside. We must admit we have eaten our fair share and then some during the recipe testing process. (smiling)