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M ATC H A G R E E N
TEA BUTTERCREAM
F R O ST I N G
Published: Jun 22, 2021 · Modified:
Jun 2, 2023 by Kachina · This post
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This easy matcha green tea

buttercream is light, creamy and full
of delicious matcha flavour. It also
has a hint of vanilla like a matcha
latte in buttercream form!

Top tips

Frosting uses

Recipe FAQs

Other goodies

Recipe

Comments

W H Y YO U ' L L
LOV E T H I S R E C I P E
This recipe makes a vibrant green
buttercream, so it’s great for a St.
Paddy’s Day, Halloween or Christmas
theme on your festive treats.

Matcha frosting is perfect for filling

and icing your cakes and cupcakes
(like my best matcha cupcakes),
giving them a delicious green tea
twist. It's perfect as a macaron filling
too!

This easy matcha buttercream is

based on my classic American-style
buttercream, making it a simple
frosting recipe full of rich matcha
flavour.

As a self-confessed matcha addict,

using this frosting to add matcha
flavour to my baked goods is so
dreamy!

INGREDIENTS
This matcha buttercream frosting
recipe calls for the following
ingredients:

Unsalted butter: room

temperature for softened butter
that’s easier to beat.

Powdered icing sugar: sieve your

confectioners’ sugar for a
smooth frosting.

Matcha powder: use high-quality

culinary or ceremonial grade for
a vibrant green colour and the
best taste. Sieve for smooth
silky frosting.

Vanilla extract: use extract or

paste instead of essence for a
purer vanilla taste.

Milk: full-fat or semi-skimmed.

Salt (optional)

See the recipe card for quantities.

Top tip: For accuracy, it’s best to

weigh your ingredients rather than
using cups.

S U B ST I T U T I O N S /
VA R I AT I O N S

INGREDIENT
A LT E R N AT I V E S
This matcha frosting recipe calls for
semi-skimmed or whole milk. For an
even more delicious creamy
buttercream, you can instead swap
the milk for heavy cream. Add a few
extra tablespoon of cream to get a
spreadable but thick consistency.

I like my frosting to be low in salt, so

usually add an optional ⅛ teaspoon
of salt.

VEGAN OPTION
To make vegan matcha buttercream
frosting, i.e. dairy-free, you can swap
the butter for a dairy-free baking
block alternative. Use the solid kind
rather than a liquid.

You can also swap the milk for a

dairy-free alternative, such as
almond milk or coconut milk.

If you’re baking for vegans, be sure

to then use your vegan frosting on a
vegan cupcake or cake too!

METHOD
1. Beat the butter (either by hand,
using an electric mixer or stand
mixer) until pale, light and fluffy.
This could take several minutes.

2. Sieve half of the icing sugar into

the butter and beat until
combined, then repeat with the
remaining half of the icing sugar
and the matcha powder.

3. Add in the milk, vanilla extract

and salt (if using), mixing until
only just smooth.

4. Frost your cupcakes, cakes,

brownies, etc. and enjoy!

TO P T I P S
For creamy and airy matcha
buttercream, beat your butter
until it’s pale, light and fluffy
first. This could take several
minutes with an electric mixer.

If your matcha icing is too thick

to pipe, then you can add more
milk (½ tablespoon at a time) to
thin the frosting until you get the
desired consistency.

If your matcha frosting is too

thin, you can try chilling it in the
fridge for 15-20mins before use.
Alternatively, you can beat in a
few more tablespoons of butter
to thicken it.

F R O ST I N G
USES
You can use this matcha
buttercream recipe to frost your
cupcakes or cakes. This recipe
makes enough to frost 10 cupcakes
(regular size).

To frost a 3-layer 6-inch cake,

between the layers and covering the
top and sides, you'll need to double
this recipe (scale up by x2). Or to
frost a 3-layer 8-inch cake this way
you'll need to triple this recipe (scale
up by x3).

I love this green tea buttercream

swirled on chocolate cupcakes. Dust
over some cocoa powder or green
tea powder to decorate and you’ll
get a cute and easy chocolate
matcha cupcake. It’s also especially
tasty to frost lemon, vanilla or white
chocolate cakes and cupcakes.

I also love making frosted blondies or

matcha brownies using matcha
buttercream too!

For something a bit different, you

can use this frosting between two
cookies to make filled sandwich
cookies. This would be a delicious
matcha filling for a black sesame
shortbread. You can even roll them in
toasted black sesame seeds for the
ultimate black sesame and matcha
combo!

D E C O R AT I N G
You can frost your baked goods with
this buttercream by simply spreading
the frosting with an offset spatula or
knife.

Alternatively, you can pipe your

buttercream using a piping bag and
piping nozzle of your choice. When I
frost cakes and cupcakes, I usually
use the nozzles from this large
piping tips set.

R E C I P E FAQ S

How long does homemade matcha

buttercream last? +

Can you freeze matcha buttercream? +

What is matcha? +

Can you bake with matcha powder? +

What does matcha taste like? +

How can I thicken my matcha

frosting? +

How can I thin my matcha frosting? +

How do you make green buttercream? +

Is matcha buttercream gluten-free? +

OT H E R
GOODIES
Turn these delicious cakes into
matcha buttercream cakes:

Lemon white chocolate cake

Lemon loaf cake

Strawberry vanilla cake

My favourite matcha dessert ideas:

Matcha white chocolate cake

Matcha buttercream cupcakes

Matcha Oreo cheesecake

Matcha white chocolate cookies

Black sesame shortbread with a

matcha chocolate dip

Easy 3-ingredient matcha fudge

Fudgy matcha brownies

Plus, check out this collection of the

best matcha dessert recipes.

For more great buttercream ideas,

take a look at this purple ube
buttercream or raspberry
buttercream recipe.

OT H E R R E L AT E D
RECIPES:

Black Sesame Matcha Green

Matcha Tea No-Bake
Shortbread Cheesecake

Matcha Green Easy Matcha

Tea Cupcakes White Chocolate
Cake

Looking forward to some new

recipes? Check out my Youtube,
Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest
pages for a few sneak peeks and
some sweet inspiration!

Or if you’d like to hear about our

latest recipes, why not subscribe to
our newsletter?

RECIPE

Matcha Green Tea

Buttercream
Kachina

A delicious matcha green tea

buttercream with a hint of vanilla -
perfect for filling and frosting
cakes and cupcakes!

Rate this recipe here:

4.20 from 5 votes

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PREP TIME TOTAL TIME

15 mins 15 mins

COURSE CUISINE
Dessert, Snack Fusion

SERVINGS
10 servings

INGREDIENTS 1x 2x 3x

125 g (⅔ cups) unsalted

butter room temp.
300 g (2 ½ cups) powdered
icing sugar
4 teaspoon matcha green tea
powder
1-2 tablespoon milk whole or
semi-skimmed
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon salt optional

INSTRUCTIONS