Matcha. Bliss. Balls. These are not to be missed.
In craving a matcha latte in bite form, I created these little gems and couldn’t be more thrilled with the results. Plus, they’re simple, plant-based, low in sugar, and grain-free. What’s not to love?!
Let me show you how it’s done!
What is Matcha?
Matcha is a powdered green tea containing 137 times more antioxidants than brewed green tea (like, whoa). Both come from the tea plant (camellia sinensis), but with matcha, the entire leaf is consumed.
How to Make Matcha Bliss Balls
This recipe is easy to make, requiring just 8 ingredients, 20 minutes, and 1 blender to prepare.
The base of these bites is shredded unsweetened coconut, hemp seeds, protein powder (we opted for vanilla), cashew butter, coconut butter, and a few pitted dates.
Matcha is added for that bright green hue along with health benefits, including L-theanine, vitamin C, and plenty of antioxidants.
Vanilla extract is optional, but recommended for even more flavor. And almond flour is added to help dry out the texture so they’re more pliable and easier to roll.
For serving, you can either leave them as is or top with a sprinkle of hemp seeds or shredded coconut. Or, my favorite, a drizzle of coconut butter! Major swoon.
We hope you LOVE these bites! They’re:
Colorful
Satisfying
Perfectly sweet
Matcha-infused
Easy to make
& SO delicious
These bites would make the perfect wholesome snack or treat to have on hand throughout the week. I’ve found them particularly delicious in the afternoon with a cup of tea. Swoon!
Into no-bake bites? Be sure to check out our No-Bake Vanilla Cake Bites, Coconut Tahini Cacao Snack Bites, No-Bake Carrot Cake Bites, No-Bake PB&J Energy Bites, and Dark Chocolate Hemp Seed Energy Bites!
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Matcha Bliss Bites
Ingredients
MATCHA BITES
- 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 2 Tbsp hemp seeds
- 1 ½ Tbsp vegan plain or vanilla protein powder (we used Tropeaka vanilla*)
- 1/2 cup roasted or raw cashew butter
- 1/4 cup coconut butter (MELTED — if hard, soften in the microwave or in a hot water bath until soft and pourable*)
- 2-4 pitted dates (if dry, soak in warm water for 5 minutes then drain // add more for sweeter bites*)
- 1-2 tsp matcha powder (see our Matcha Review! // add more for more intense — and slightly bitterer — matcha flavor)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- 1/2 cup almond flour (or sub seed meal, such as sunflower or sesame, or coconut flour, but start with less as these are more absorbent)
FOR TOPPING optional
- 2 Tbsp coconut butter (plus more for “frosting”)
- 2 Tbsp shredded coconut or hemp seeds
Instructions
- To a food processor, add all ingredients (starting with the lesser end of recommended amounts and working your way up) and blend until a thick but moldable cookie dough-like texture forms (see photo), ~3-5 minutes. Scrape down sides as needed.
- If mixture is too thick or crumbly, add more cashew butter and/or another date. If mixture is too wet, add more almond flour and pulse. It should be thick and scoopable.
- Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more matcha for matcha flavor, dates for sweetness, or cashew butter for creaminess.
- Scoop out 1-Tbsp amounts and gently roll into balls (as the recipe is written, there should be about 22). Repeat until all dough is formed into balls.
- Enjoy as is, roll in shredded coconut or hemp seeds, or refrigerate for 10-15 minutes to chill before topping with warmed (melted) coconut butter. If “frosting,” chill again to set (about 10 minutes).
- If freezing or refrigerating bites before serving, they’re ready to enjoy once they’re firm to the touch. For best results, store in the freezer up to 1 month or refrigerator up to 1 week. If storing in the freezer, let thaw 5-10 minutes before enjoying for best texture.
Video
Notes
*For best results, make sure your coconut butter is melted and pourable, rather than hardened and difficult to scoop. Otherwise it will have a hard time blending and the bites will likely turn out too dry.
*These bites aren’t overly sweet, so if you’re looking for a sweeter snack bite, add more dates (up to 6-8 as original recipe is written).
*Nutrition is a rough estimate calculated with the lesser amount of dates and without optional ingredients.
Sunny Raine says
I use this site for LOTS of recipes and have really enjoyed them!
I have now made this recipe twice. Neither time did the result look anything like the images or video. The taste is ok….but not what I was expecting (pretty flat). I also ended up having to use far more almond flour than called for here to counter the loose, oozy viscosity. I have lots of favorites in the protein bite section, but this one doesn’t make the cut.
We’re so sorry you had a negative experience with the recipe, Sunny! Would you mind sharing what brands of protein powder, matcha, and coconut butter you were using? Did you add the full amount of matcha?
Jet says
Recommendations for date replacements since removing them would change the texture?
Hi Jet, perhaps another dried fruit like apricots or prunes? Let us know if you try it!
ADRIANA says
Sadly, like other reviewers my dough was too wet even after adding 5 or more additional tablespoons of almond flour. I used all of the listed ingredients except for the protein power because I do not like how protein powder tastes. not sure if that ingredient was playing a crucial part in the structure of the balls. Also, my cashew butter was on the runnier side so maybe that played a role. If the texture of the cashew butter is important, perhaps a note in the recipe about that would be a good idea.
I used 4 dates, which I thought gave the balls a perfect amount of sweetness. I only used 1 teaspoon of matcha but probably should have gone for 2 teaspoons because my balls were a brown green color.
Overall, flavor was good. Texture was not.
Hi Adriana, the protein powder does help absorb moisture since it’s a dry ingredient. That plus the runny cashew butter could have led to the texture not turning out right! Sorry that was your experience!
Hayley says
I see some issues with runny mixtures, and I am surprised because mine come out perfectly every time, and I never use protein powder.
I usually use cashew butter as it calls for, but I’ve substituted half almond butter when it ran out. I think one thing to keep in mind might be to make sure your nut butter is really well stirred, as they separate, and you might be getting more liquid off the top if it isn’t mixed back in every time you open it. I also like to add about 10g of chia seeds, as this adds a tiny crunch, and might also serve to absorbs a bit of moisture if need be.
Hope that’s helpful. I LOVE these, and everyone I know asks me for them all the time!
Thanks so much for sharing your experience, Hayley! We’re so glad you enjoy the recipe! xo
Sumny says
So I’m not really fond of the texture of coconut shred, are there any alternatives?
Hi Sumny! The texture of the coconut shreds isn’t really noticeable in the balls once they’re mixed, and the topping is optional. But it’s possible that whole oats could work as a substitute (maybe 3/4 cup), but we haven’t tried it and it might change the flavor. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try! xo
Elinor says
I can’t seem to get this recipe right. I don’t have cashew butter so used peanut butter instead. Also I used coconut oil, rather than butter. The dough comes out too moist. Added almond flour to fix, but did not help much.
Any advice?
Hmm, those are critical subs you made that I think are the main issue. Coconut oil and coconut butter are VERY different. And peanut butter is likely adding way too much peanut flavor, unfortunately!
Sarah says
I have followed the recipe to the absolute tee (no subs) and got a super runny mix .. I tried to add more almond flour and it made no difference. It just seemed like it was getting worse the more I added. I finally tried to add oats to make it drier and still no good! Really not sure what went wrong if it worked for some people but not me but it’s really upsetting to have wasted so many of my ingredients :(
Hi Sarah, we’re so sorry that was your experience! Did you use the US customary or metric measurements? Is it possible that you were using a really runny cashew butter?
Elinor says
Thank you!
Didn’t know that…I’ll try this again one day and let you know.
J says
Some coconut butter are creamy and runny. Mine is very hard ( like its very difficult to spoon out, almost but not quite the hardness of chocolate at 64 degree F. Sometimes , the ingredients have a bit of variation depending on the brands etc.
Kahra says
I simplified this by blending almonds, raw cashews, shredded coconut, and dates in roughly equal proportions (I don’t usually measure). I sprinkled on hemp seeds, splashed in a little vanilla, and added matcha to taste. Turned out great, and both my kids like them. They are similar to the kulfi (Indian ice-cream) balls I make with cashews, almonds, pistachios, dates, saffron, and cardamom. (not cheap to make!)
Love the creativity, Kahra! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
erika says
Just wanted to say how great these Matcha bites are. I’m making my way through many of your “bites” recipes and they’re all really good, but this one I keep coming back to. The first couple times I made these without the coconut butter because I didn’t have it and instead subbed 2 TBL of good olive oil, and they were just as excellent maybe just less sweet and more earthy-nutty. I’ve since purchased coconut butter and they are also excellent. I’ve often rolled them sesame seeds because it seems like a natural pairing. THANKS for easy delicious variety of “bites”!
Aw, yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Erika! Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Ella says
I don’t know how this is my first review for a recipe of yours, but thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge!! This recipe is wonderful. It withstood all of my substitutions (Tahini/ Peanut butter instead of Cashew, Coconut oil instead of butter, Coconut flour instead of Almond) and can easily be made without a food processor. I finely chopped the dates, mashed them on their own and then added all other ingredients. You can easily add other herbs, powders, nuts, etc and still finish with a great tasting snack. Many thanks!
Yay! We’re so glad they turned out well! Thanks so much for your kind words and lovely review, Ella! xo
lexyloo says
I’ve made the coconut butter but that didn’t turn out so well on its own, so I’m hesitant to try again. Really need a good suggestion for a sub for that ingredient as I’m so interested to make this matcha ball recipe! thank you!
Hi, It’s a pretty key ingredient here, but you can use store-bought coconut butter.
Lex says
I was so excited that I went ahead and made them with 1 T of coconut oil. And it turned out really well! I can see how the recipe as it was designed is the best and would benefit from the coconut butter, but this definitely was an acceptable sub. Thank u!
Great! Thanks for sharing!
Nicol says
I was excited to make protein balls that didn’t have a very strong taste of dates. Unfortunately, this recipe wasn’t my favorite. I used sunflower butter so maybe that’s why there’s a strange taste?
That could be the issue. Sunflower butter does have a strong flavor, while cashew is more mild.
Vickie says
They look nothing like your picture for starters..yours looks perfect! I tried this recipe and did not like it at all…not to mention the proportions are off and much more flour is needed. Overall not something I would try again.
Hi Vickie, we’re so sorry to hear that was your experience! Did you make any modifications? Was your coconut butter super runny? What type of flour did you use?
Ioanna says
I love your site and your recipes but this is one of the worst recipes I regret I have tried on your site. I do not like things too sweet (am processed sugar free) and I love matcha so I thought this would be a win, but unfortunately I was so disappointed. I followed recipe to the T changing only the kind/flavor of protein powder. For one they turned out sooper runny to the point they were not formable at all so I added more flour..still runny and repeated 3-4 times until I had used more than double the flour listed…which then made the dough taste like straight up almond flour. Also mine were completely brown in color and the matcha flavor I so badly desired..well after adding 2tsp quality matcha.. it just tasted bad. The consistency was dry and unflavorable..kind of like just eating straight up nut butter with coconut flour. I regret because the ingredients are very expensive and I used the last of them. I saw a couple of other comments also referring to using double the flour for them to be formable. I wish I had known before hand. I made a mess in my kitchen for some protein balls that taste horrible. Ill stick to my usual cacao balls next time…so much yummier.
Hi Ioanna, we’re so sorry to hear that was your experience! What kind of protein powder did you use? We’re thinking that could have contributed to the color and maybe it soaked up too much moisture making them dry? Either way, we’ll take another look at the recipe and see if improvements can be made.
Julie says
I left out the protein powder, added the vanilla, ground my almonds in a little coffee grinder which I reserve for spices, used three dates. Wonderful color & taste. It was easy to form into balls, made twenty. Firming in the fridge to be topped with melted coconut butter tomorrow, for guests. I have also made the peanut butter cup & dark chocolate hemp bites, they make great lunchbox treats, snacks or light desserts. One or two is plenty.
Thanks for sharing, Julie! We’re so glad you enjoy both recipes!
Hope says
I loved this recipe! I found that two dates was not very sweet, but my partner liked them that way. Personally, I’ll add one or two more next time.
I used roasted cashew butter and it was not as bright a green as yours, so I’ll try raw next time. To brighten the color back up, I mixed matcha with shredded coconut, rolling the balls in that mixture.
I’ve always wondered, how do you determine shelf life? Do you leave a portion of each recipe in your fridge and a portion in your freezer, checking until it has gone bad? Seems a shame to waste any of this goodness, but how else could you know?
Thanks! – Hope
Hi Hope, we just estimate shelf life based on experience with various ingredients.
Melissa says
This is unfortunately one of the only recipes on your site that didn’t work out for me. I made it twice to make sure it wasn’t an error on my part. Both times it came out more like flavored cashew butter, not “ball” dough. It was brown too, not green. The second time, I added more flour and chia seeds to thicken it up but then it just tasted dry and grainy. The matcha coconut cashew butter. is delicious though haha.
Sorry to hear that was your experience, Melissa! We wonder if maybe your cashew butter is darker in color and more runny? Better luck with the next one!
Jules says
I was excited to try these, but I needed A LOT more almond flour to get my dough to the point where I could roll it into a ball! My bites are a vibrant green but taste mostly like vanilla – must be the protein powder I got. I’ll probably try these again because I LOVE matcha, but needing almost 2 cups of almond flour is a lot!
Madeleine Mendelow says
These are epic! Also super easy and quick to make. There were some ingredients I didn’t have on hand (like coconut and cashew butter or almond meal). I just subbed a couple tablespoons of coconut oil for the coconut butter, then did a cup of raw cashews (essentially making my own cashew butter in the food processor), and then did a tiny bit more protein powder to be absorbent. These turned out so bomb. I actually really love the texture I got with my substitutions because they’re not so dense. I let them set in the fridge a bit. The vanilla extract and using the 4 dates is so worth it. These are like a better version of cake pops! Took me less than 5 minutes to make, then 5 minutes to roll into balls.
Jein says
Hi Baker,
Yours look so delicious whereas mine turned out to be little messy : D
I found my dough too dry even without protein powder, which I didn’t have.
I added maple syrup at the last min, and just was able to roll. After setting in the fridge, I cut it into half to see the texture. I wasn’t that happy with its density, and I guess it’s because I substituted almond meal to pumpkin seeds? (Almond might be more oily and finer to make denser consistency?)
Last but not the least, I found it hard working on toppings. Hemp seeds and shredded coconuts doesn’t stay on the balls. So I ended up glazing balls with melted coconut oil, and roll on matcha powder then topped with seeds. Result? Messy but yummy LOL
Do you have any tips for topping? I love to hear about it
Thanks for sharing your idea
J
: )
Hi J, it sounds like they need additional oil- we would try adding more cashew butter, coconut butter, or perhaps a little coconut oil? That should help with both issues. Let us know if you are still having difficulty!
Zoey McKinley says
I’ve been on a crazy diet because of my health recently and can’t have sugar, gluten, or dairy, so I was beginning to lose hope that I could eat things that are sweet and delicious without upsetting my health issues, then I care across this recipe and blog. Thank you for the absolutely delicious recipe and for giving me hope again.
Aw, we’re so glad you found this recipe helpful! xo
Lauren P says
Hi!
So, I just tried these out, and followed the recipe exactly, but for some reason they came out super oily… Like, it was just dripping from them as I was rolling the balls… I am not sure what happened.
I will say I was using a smaller food processor, and it was getting really warm from the strain of mixing. I wonder if it was maybe the heat that activated the oils in the butters?
If I am going to keep making protein bites, I might have to finally break down and get an 8 cup processor, lol.
Any thoughts would be helpful, thanks!!!
Hmm! That would be our best guess too. You could try adding more almond flour to compensate.
Dana says
These turned out great and easy enough to whip up even on a busy work morning. I like things on the sweeter side, so used about 5 dates, which I think is perfect. I had coconut “manna” and was concerned it might not be the same as using coconut butter, but it worked just fine.
We’re so glad you enjoy them, Dana! Thanks for sharing!
Madeline says
These were soo delicious! I subbed 1/8 c coconut oil instead of the coconut butter (I didn’t have any on hand) and then rolled them in crushed pistachios.
Thanks for such a creative yummy recipe! Xx
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Madeline! Thanks so much for sharing!
Alex says
I only had half a cup of unsweetened shredded coconut, so I used extra almond flour. I used moringa powder and chia seeds instead of the matcha and hemp seeds as that is what I had available to me, as well as a mix of walnut and almond butter instead of cashew butter. I used pea protein and added in some maple syrup. But my most creative substitute was using ricotta in place of the coconut butter. I saw someone below had used coconut oil and then omitted the cashew butter, but I really wanted to keep that nut butter… So in went the ricotta! The flavour was very nice. I think the balls could have benefited from some coconut oil as these were perhaps a bit on the crumblier side, but I was able to roll them into balls just fine. I think a creamier cheese would be preferable. Regardless, you definitely taste the moringa and coconut in these ones. Highly recommend!
Very creative, Alex! We’re so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for sharing!
Melissa says
Hello!
Could I sub in part of a protein shake in place of protein powder? I didn’t know if I would need to add more dry ingredients if I did.
Thank you!
Hi Melissa, we think that would impact the texture too much, but if you give it a try, let us know how it goes!
Laura Bigbee-Fott says
Hi! I’m so happy to find your website! I was wondering if this recipe could be modified with pea protein instead of protein powder. I’ve been diagnosed with a severe tick-born allergy to ALL mammal products (the disease is called Alpha-gal). Most protein powders have whey in them which I cannot have. Thanks in advance for your answer!
Hi Laura, we haven’t tried these with pea protein (we used Tropeaka vanilla which is vegan and does not contain whey). Pea protein might work though. Let us know if you give it a try!
Carol Murphy says
Is there something that could be subbed for the dates? Like stevia or monk fruit? I can’t do dates because of IBS. Could I just omit them?
Hi Carol, we think a liquid sweetener would be best for replicating flavor/texture- perhaps maple syrup? If you can’t tolerate maple syrup, perhaps using stevia/monk fruit and using additional coconut butter or cashew butter might work. Let us know if you give it a try!
Alexis says
Is there something I could substitute for the shredded coconut? Grains would be ok for me!
I’d suggest maybe oats?
Hannah says
What are your thoughts on the Tropeaka Protein? I was looking into it since it was listed in the ingredients and the ingredients in the vanilla powder look amazing! I would love to hear your thoughts!
I love it! Highly recommend. Just a little pricey to ship if you’re outside of AUS.
Cynthia says
I made these today. Super tasty! Sadly, though, they are a horrible ugly color. Not bright green, even though I doubled the amount of matcha. Maybe the brand I have.
Yes, sometimes the brand of matcha makes a HUGE difference. Our favorites are Mizuba and Townshends.
Jessica says
Do you need a food processor to do this recipe or can I use a blender?
I think a blender should work!
LT says
Hey Dana!
These look amazing. Sorry for annoying “what can I use instead of” question right off the bat, but protein powder is not something we stock around here–any suggestions for good replacements? More hemp seeds or almond flour? Other pulverized nuts?
Speaking of no protein powder–your high protein chocolate smoothie from a couple weeks ago really saved me when I was hungry but not feeling so well the other day. That and it was super yummy. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing! So, as far as protein powder, I do think it adds a bit of sweetness. So my suggestion would be adding another date or two, and then adding more almond or coconut flour! Let us know how it goes!
Dee Lee says
What food processor do you use?
Hi Dee, we like this food processor. Hope that helps!
Kelly says
I’d love to try these, but at $15 for a jar of cashew butter, using almost half that jar in this recipe, that makes these balls crazy expensive. So instead of my just complaining, however, how do you think almond butter would work instead? I know it’s a lot runnier than cashew butter, so maybe use 1/2 the amount called for with the cashew butter? Or maybe increase the protein powder or almond meal?
Thanks for your continued innovative and delicious ideas. :)
Hi, Kelly! I suggest making your own cashew butter – it’s much cheaper than store-bought. Otherwise I’d say subbing half almond butter should work!
Andrea Nicole says
Hey Dana! I’m super excited to try this recipe, but I was wondering if I can replace the hemp seeds with chia seeds and the cashew butter with natural peanut butter. Thanks!
Andrea, that would greatly affect the flavor. But if you give it a try let us know how it goes!
Shivangi says
Hi,
Love from Dubai, this is brilliant recipe and so easy to follow. I substituted coconut butter to same amount of oil and it worked fine. I left the almond butter as it it cause with oil and than liquifying butter would be too much liquid.
My 9 year old loved it.
Thanks a ton
Thanks for sharing!! So glad you enjoyed them.
Nechama says
What could one use in place of the dates?
Agave, coconut sugar, maple syrup??
I think a liquid sweetener would be best!
Natalie McCluskey says
delicious! we have some high quality matcha from the local tea shop and it left us with a really nutty yummy flavor. needed about 5 dates to make it sweet, started with 2 and it still tasted bitter. I wasn’t able to get my coconut butter super smooth using the double broiler but it still worked.
Thanks for sharing, Natalie!
Anna says
I used 1 tablespoon measurement and this only produced 16 balls of 130 calories each. I used 2 ts of matcha but felt this had little matcha taste.
So depending on the intensity / freshness of your matcha, you may need to add more. I always say start with less and work your way up! The more intense the matcha flavor, the more bitter it can become.
KKD says
Are the dates used specifically for their sweetness or also help as a binder? I’d like swap them out with a monkfruit sweetener, but’s don’t think granular monkfruit will work as a binder.
Thanks
The dates do help bind and add sweetness. If you can, I’d say add 1-2 dates, then compensate more sweetness with whatever you choose.
JoAnn Loo says
It’s like you read my mind. After trying your golden milk bites I’ve been looking for a good recipe for matcha bites too and saw this in my inbox! Awesome! Will surely try it. But what can I use instead of coconut butter?
Coconut butter is a central ingredient here. But you can try subbing more cashew butter. Let us know how it goes!
Gigi says
Any suggestions to substituting the shredded coconut, not a fan……
Hmm, perhaps more hemp seeds?
JoAnn M Lakes says
I’m sure others have this question on other recipes but can you use coconut oil in place of coconut butter and if so, what adjustments do I need to make.
I love your site. Mostly 8 item or less!!!!! Can’t go wrong there!!!!
I don’t know that coconut oil would be a great 1:1 replacement. I fear it would make them too oily…