Matcha Baked Doughnuts

These doughnuts are a fun naturally green treat for St. Paddy's Day! They're both baked and decorated with matcha green tea.

Matcha Baked Doughnuts

With St. Paddy’s day coming up this weekend, I got in the mood to make green-colored treats…. and there’s no better way to naturally color things green than with matcha! Last year, I made zucchini cake with matcha frosting, and this year I thought it would be fun to make (and eat) doughnuts!

If you’re new to matcha – it’s a powder made from Japanese green tea leaves. Because the whole leaf is ground (vs. steeping the tea leaves), matcha is packed with antioxidants. Which almost makes these doughnuts count as a health treat 🙂

You can mix matcha with hot water and drink it on its own, or you can make lattes, smoothies, or ice cream with it. You can also use it for baking, which is what we’re doing today. I find the flavor of matcha hard to describe – it’s a little earthy, but it has a subtle sweetness that really shines when it’s made into sweet treats. Of course, all of this has nothing to do with St. Patrick’s Day, I just thought green doughnuts would be fun to make.

Matcha Baked Doughnuts

I made my doughnuts with 3 decorating options:

1. Glazed
2. Dipped in coconut oil and then in matcha-infused cane sugar
3. Dipped in matcha powdered sugar

Choose just one or make all 3!

These are best enjoyed on the same day they’re made.

What’s the Best Matcha for Baking?

Buying matcha for the first time can be confusing – there are so many brands, and they vary widely in quality. I’ve tested out all of the top matcha powders as tea with water, in lattes, and in baking recipes. I find that Aiya Authentic Japanese Matcha Powder works best in baked goods. It has a strong taste, which allows the earthy matcha flavor to come through after baking. It’s not super expensive either.

Get the Aiya Authentic Japanese Matcha Powder on Amazon for $17.41, or check out some of the other matcha powders I tested to find the best one for you!

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Matcha Baked Doughnuts

rate this recipe:
4.91 from 20 votes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Serves 6
These Matcha Baked Doughnuts are a fun treat at any time of year, but I especially love to make them for St. Patrick's Day.

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup melted coconut oil
  • cup cane sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
  • teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon matcha powder
  • teaspoon nutmeg
  • Heaping ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup almond milk

Decorating option 1: Matcha Glaze

Decorating option 2: Matcha Cane Sugar

  • ½ cup cane sugar
  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon matcha powder, depending on desired green color
  • cup melted coconut oil

Decorating option 3: Matcha Powdered Sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F and lightly grease one standard 6-hole doughnut pan.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut oil and sugar. Add the egg and whisk to combine. Add the baking powder, baking soda, matcha powder, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla and whisk to combine.
  • Alternately add the flour and the milk, beginning with the flour, until thoroughly combined. The batter will be thick, and a spatula drawn through the batter should leave an indentation.
  • Spoon the batter into the doughnut pan (it will be thick and sticky). Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Remove from the pan and place on a wire rack to continue cooling.
  • Make your desired decorating option:
  • Matcha Glaze: In a small doughnut-sized bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and matcha powder, then whisk in the almond milk until smooth. Dip each doughnut in the glaze and let the excess glaze drip off.
  • Matcha Cane Sugar: In a small doughnut-sized bowl, mix the cane sugar and matcha powder. Add the melted coconut oil to a separate bowl and dip both sides of each doughnut first into the coconut oil, and then into the sugar mixture. The coconut oil helps the sugar adhere and it also produces the most fried-doughnut-like taste.
  • Matcha Powdered Sugar: In a small doughnut-sized bowl, mix together the powdered sugar and matcha powder. Dip both sides of each doughnut into the sugar, tapping off any excess.

Notes

Note: Different types of matcha vary in bitterness and in color. I like AIYA Matcha, Ippodo Matcha, and Jade Leaf Matcha
Pictured is a double batch. I used this doughnut pan.

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour.

35 comments

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  1. Cara Stock
    08.27.2021

    Recommendation on how to shape these donuts without a donut pan? Will a piping bag work?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.28.2021

      Hi Cara, this batter is too loose for a piping bag, a doughnut pan is really required unless you wanted to make them as mini muffins.

  2. Tippi
    06.02.2021

    Question about the flour. Will the consistency change if I used wheat flour or almond flour instead? Thank you for the input!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      06.03.2021

      Hi Tippi, I haven’t tried with either of these flours. Wheat flour will make them more dense, almond flour might affect their rise. I might try just a portion of each flour along with the regular flour.

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Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.