Cooking and Baking with Matcha: 5 Recipes to Try at Home

Matcha’s vivid colour and distinctive earthy-sweet flavour make it one of the most exciting ingredients to cook with. Unlike many trendy food additions that deliver more aesthetic than taste, matcha genuinely transforms every dish it touches — adding a complex umami depth, a subtle bitterness that balances sweetness, and that iconic emerald hue. Here are five recipes that showcase what matcha in cooking can do.

1. Matcha Shortbread Cookies

These are the perfect entry point into matcha baking. The high butter and sugar content of shortbread creates an ideal canvas for matcha’s grassy bitterness, resulting in a cookie that is buttery, crumbly, and sophisticated without being complicated.

• 200g plain flour
• 140g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• 60g icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons culinary grade matcha
• Pinch of salt

Sift the flour, matcha, and salt together. Rub in the cold butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, then add the icing sugar and press together into a dough. Roll to about 1cm thickness, cut into rounds or fingers, and chill for 30 minutes. Bake at 160°C for 18–20 minutes until just set. The cookies should remain pale green — overbaking turns them brown and dulls the matcha flavour. Dust with extra icing sugar while still warm.

2. Matcha Mochi

Mochi is the quintessential Japanese matcha confection — chewy, soft, and deeply satisfying. The glutinous rice flour gives it that characteristic elastic texture that is unlike anything in Western baking.

• 200g glutinous rice flour (mochiko)
• 50g caster sugar
• 2 teaspoons culinary grade matcha
• 240ml water
• Potato starch or cornflour for dusting

Whisk together the rice flour, sugar, matcha, and water until smooth. Pour into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high in 2-minute intervals, stirring between each, until the mixture is thick, slightly translucent, and pulls away from the sides (about 4–6 minutes total). Dust a surface generously with potato starch, turn out the mochi, and shape into small rounds while still warm. Fill with red bean paste or white chocolate ganache if desired, and pinch closed. Mochi keeps at room temperature for up to two days — do not refrigerate, as it firms unpleasantly when chilled.

3. Matcha Tiramisu

This Japanese-Italian fusion dessert has become a modern classic. Replacing espresso with a strong matcha solution and using sake or yuzu juice instead of coffee liqueur creates something genuinely new while remaining entirely faithful to the spirit of the original.

• 3 teaspoons ceremonial or high-culinary grade matcha
• 200ml hot water (70°C)
• 250g mascarpone
• 3 eggs, separated
• 80g caster sugar
• 200ml double cream
• 200g savoiardi (ladyfinger) biscuits
• Extra matcha for dusting

Whisk the matcha into the hot water and allow to cool completely. Beat the egg yolks with sugar until pale and thick, then fold in the mascarpone. Whip the cream to soft peaks and fold in. Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and fold into the mascarpone mixture in two stages. Dip each ladyfinger briefly in the matcha solution (do not soak — they become waterlogged quickly) and layer in a dish. Spread over half the mascarpone cream, repeat, and chill for at least 4 hours. Dust generously with sifted matcha just before serving.

4. Matcha Banana Smoothie

For something quick and genuinely healthy, this smoothie takes under two minutes to make and delivers a substantial dose of antioxidants, natural energy, and protein.

• 1 frozen banana
• 1 teaspoon ceremonial grade matcha
• 200ml oat milk or almond milk
• 1 tablespoon almond butter
• 1 teaspoon honey (optional)
• Small handful of spinach (optional — disappears into the colour)

Blend all ingredients until smooth. The frozen banana creates a thick, almost ice-cream-like consistency. The matcha and banana are a natural pairing — the banana’s sweetness softens matcha’s bitterness while the matcha’s umami depth makes the banana taste richer. Drink immediately for the best texture and the freshest antioxidant profile.

5. Matcha White Chocolate Bark

This is the easiest recipe on the list and one of the most visually striking. The combination of white chocolate’s sweetness and matcha’s bitterness is one of the great flavour pairings.

• 300g good-quality white chocolate, chopped
• 1.5 teaspoons culinary grade matcha
• Toppings: freeze-dried raspberries, pistachios, sesame seeds, rose petals

Melt the white chocolate over a bain-marie or in short bursts in the microwave. Sift in the matcha and stir until fully combined and smooth. Pour onto a baking tray lined with parchment, spread to about 5mm thickness, and scatter your toppings over immediately. Refrigerate for at least an hour until set, then break into irregular shards. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks — if it lasts that long.

Getting the Most from Matcha in the Kitchen

For baking and cooking, culinary grade matcha is the practical choice — it holds its flavour well under heat and at a lower price point than ceremonial grade. Look for a bright colour (avoid anything yellowy or brown) and buy in smaller quantities to keep it fresh. Once opened, store in an airtight tin away from light and heat.

Find the perfect culinary grade matcha for your kitchen at true-matcha.com — and while you are there, treat yourself to a ceremonial grade for drinking. Your morning routine will thank you.