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Delicate and creamy matcha Nama chocolate made vegan! These bites consist of a white chocolate ganache infused with matcha and vanilla. A delicious plant-based treat that requires just 5 ingredients!
📔 What is Nama Chocolate?
If you have never heard of Nama chocolate, it’s basically a chocolate ganache, but cut into squares and served chilled. This kind of chocolate is very popular in Japan and available in many different flavors. It was created by the Japanese company Royce’ in 1995.
Nama chocolate has the texture of truffles. It is tender, chewy, and melts in your mouth.
🍵 How to Make Matcha Nama Chocolate
Matcha Nama chocolate is often prepared using white chocolate. Since vegan white chocolate is not available everywhere, let’s make it from scratch!
Making these truffle-like chocolates is very easy and requires just 5 ingredients. Here is what you will need:
- Cacao butter – You can use regular cacao butter, or deodorized cacao butter if you really want to make the matcha flavor shine.
- Powdered sugar – Unfortunately, this recipe won’t work with other sugars like coconut sugar or maple syrup. Powdered sugar yields the best texture and doesn’t cover the delicate matcha flavor.
- Cashew cream – While the original recipe calls for heavy cream, I went with homemade cashew cream here.
- Matcha powder – Preferably ceremonial grade matcha if you want the best flavor. Culinary-grade matcha tends to be bitter and won’t yield a bright green color.
- Vanilla extract – For extra flavor and freshness.
Preparing the chocolate
Start by melting the cacao butter over low-medium heat. It should not be hot. If the cacao butter is too hot, let it cool for a few minutes at room temperature.
In the meantime, whisk together the powdered sugar and matcha powder.
Next, pour the melted cacao butter into the bowl of powdered sugar and whisk to combine. Stir in the cashew cream, vanilla extract, and salt.
Once you have stirred in the cashew cream, keep whisking for 30-60 seconds. At first, the mixture will be liquid, but as the cacao butter lowers in temperature, the mixture will thicken and get a silky smooth texture.
Pour the mixture into prepared molds or a small baking dish and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Cutting
Once the chocolate has firmed up, remove it from the molds and cut it into 1-inch squares. I recommend running your knife under warm water and patting it dry before cutting. It will slightly melt the ganache and prevent it from sticking to the knife too much.
Finally, dust with matcha powder and enjoy! These rich and creamy bites are delicious served with green tea or enjoyed as an afternoon snack!
💬 FAQ
Yes, it will work, but it will obviously bring some coconut flavor. You can also use store-bought plant-based cream like soy cream.
Yes, it’s totally possible, but it will require a few tweaks: finely chop 195g of vegan white chocolate and place it in a mixing bowl. Bring the cashew cream to a boil and pour it over the chocolate to melt it. Next, stir in the matcha powder, vanilla, and salt.
These matcha Nama chocolates will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
If you like matcha and white chocolate, you are going to LOVE this vegan matcha nama chocolate recipe! It is packed with matcha and vanilla flavors and has a creamy and milky texture!
One of my favorite matcha treats!
🇯🇵 More Japanese-Inspired Vegan Recipes
Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!
Vegan Matcha Nama Chocolate
Ingredients
Cashew Cream
- 1/2 cup raw cashews soaked overnight
- 1/2 cup water
Matcha Nama Chocolate
- 100 g cacao butter
- 95 g powdered sugar
- 2 tsp matcha powder preferably ceremonial grade
- 1/4 cup cashew cream chilled
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- a pinch of salt
- 1 tsp matcha powder for topping
Instructions
Cashew Cream
- Drain the soaked cashews and transfer them to a blender. Add the water and blend until fully smooth, about 1 minute. Set aside.
Matcha Nama Chocolate
- Line two 3-inch square pastry cutters or one 3×6-inch rectangle cutter with parchment paper. Another option is to use a small baking dish.
- Melt the cacao butter in a saucepan over low-medium heat. Remove from heat as soon as the cacao butter has melted; you do not want it to be hot.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and matcha powder. Pour in the melted cacao butter and whisk to combine. Add 1/4 cup of the cashew cream, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt.
- Whisk for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture has slightly thickened. At first, it will be very liquid, but as the cacao butter cools down, the mixture will thicken.
- Transfer to the lined pastry cutters or baking dish, and tap the baking dish a few times on the counter to remove air bubbles.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and a half or until firm. Remove the Nama chocolate from the baking dish. Run a large knife under hot water and pat it dry with a kitchen towel. Repeat this step before every cut. Cut the chocolate into 1-inch squares.
- Using a fine sieve mesh, sprinkle matcha powder all over the top of the squares of chocolates. Transfer the chocolate to a plate or box and store in the refrigerator. Matcha Nama chocolate is best served chilled. It will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
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Hi there, im not fond of cacao butter, I’ve experienced the finished product having an unpleasant feel of melting into oil in the mouth, cd i use less, and some white chocolate or some other combination do u think?
Hi Stephanie,
I’m not sure in which recipe you tried cacao butter, but I can assure you it won’t leave an oily feeling here 🙂
You can replace the cacao butter + powdered sugar with vegan white chocolate, check out the FAQ in the post for more info 😉
Hi Thomas. Your recipes are much appreciated. You have a beautiful website. I’d like to make a suggestion. People living somewhere in the world that is not the United States measure in grams. So in weight, not in volume. Your recipe starts with grams. Good. Reassuring. This is a U.S. recipe site with measurements in grams. Kudoz. But the recipe continues … in cups. Please. Make a choice. I suppose you cannot image how frustrating it is to read a recipe that starts with grams and then continues in cups. Anyone outside of the US has to google to find how much grams is a 1/4 cup of cashew cream. Or has to buy spoons that measure in cups. I understand that using a scale in the US is “exotic”, just like . using “cups” anywhere else in the world is “exotic”. A recipe that uses cups and grams is beyond “exotic”. Please.
Hi Anita,
Thanks for your kind words! I’m trying to add gram measurements to all new recipes when it can be applied (and slowly update older ones).
You can use the US/Metric toggle to change cups to grams.
Hi Thomas… another thing. Just FYI. You talk about 3-inch square pastry cutters. I google “pastry cutters”, because I don’t know what that is. Google shows me lots of pastry cutters. They are things that cut, like knives. Cutters and knives cannot be lined. What do you mean by “pastry cutter” or “rectangle cutter”? https://www.google.com/search?q=pastry+cutter&sxsrf=AOaemvI0C9koXQidJx1X_ciWHYtlM7KDkA:1641681916034&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiurMHbnaP1AhWEsKQKHWsoCtcQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1536&bih=738&dpr=1.25
Hi Anita,
What I mean by pastry cutters are just like cookie cutters, but in a square shape. Here is an example.
I love the green color of these beautiful sweets(and your other matcha desserts) 💚
Hello! This recipe looks really great and I really want to try it but unfortunately I cannot eat white sugar… Do you think maybe xylitol would work? Or do you have any other suggestions? Thank you!
Hi Monika,
I think it will work but you will have to use the powdered version for a smooth result.