FULL DISCLAIMER: THIS RECIPE CONTAINS CAFFEINE THAT COMES FROM THE MATCHA GREEN TEA POWDER. IT CONTAINS THEINE (NATURAL TEA CAFFEINE). MY BEST ESTIMATE IS THAT EACH FULL-SIZE DONUT CONTAINS APPROXIMATELY 5 MILLIGRAMS OF CAFFEINE. TO PUT THAT INTO PERSPECTIVE, THE AVERAGE 8 OZ CUP OF COFFEE CONTAINS 100 MILLIGRAMS OF CAFFEINE. Matcha is my favorite hot (or iced!) beverage and I just can't get enough! Matcha, a trendy nutritious green tea powder, is paired with almond extract in these donuts for a delectable flavor profile. And what's more, I've added fresh spinach to these donuts to lend an extra green hue and a nutritional boost! (P.S. you won't taste the spinach AT ALL). These donuts contain a little caffeine (see disclaimer, above), so for those of you who can't have caffeine on your diet, see the "Substitutions" section of this post for caffeine-free ideas.
For those of you who haven't heard of the popular drink, matcha is a powdered variety of green tea that comes from Japan, it is stronger in flavor than regular green tea, and it boasts a greater nutritional profile than regular green tea. If you look, you'll find it in everything from hot/iced matcha lattes to green smoothies to desserts (which can include such desserts as ice cream, cookies, and muffins). You may even find it as an ingredient in some of your skincare/beauty products, as its high antioxidant levels provide anti-aging and nourishing properties for your skin and hair!
Matcha is particularly rich in antioxidants and L-theanine, both of which are highly beneficial for your overall health. Research indicates that matcha contains 137 times the amount of antioxidants as regular green tea (and regular green tea is touted for its antioxidant properties)! One 8 oz cup of matcha tea contains 25 milligrams of caffeine, compared to 100 milligrams of caffeine in an 8 oz cup of coffee.
Nutritional Profile of Baked Matcha Donuts
Dates- dates are antioxidant powerhouses that are also high in fiber, protein, potassium, iron, and magnesium. Dates protect against anemia, may help reduce PMS symptoms, may help to have a healthy pregnancy, promote heart health, and maintain a healthy digestive tract. Dates are also low-glycemic despite their high sugar content!
Matcha- matcha is filled with antioxidants, L-theanine, natural caffeine, and amino acids. These nutrients are good for preventing various diseases, benefit the cardiovascular system, may help reduce stress and anxiety, may promote immune health, provide increased energy, and help the body form proteins. What's more, matcha contains all of these nutrients with only approximately 17 calories per serving (which is about 2 teaspoons worth of matcha // note: the amount of calories in your cup of matcha will vary depending on what brand of matcha you use, whether you add plant milk and/or a sweetener to your matcha, and how much matcha you use). Opt for ceremonial grade, sugar-free, gluten-free, vegan matcha green tea powder that's preferably whole-leaf and shade-grown. I use Green Foods's Ceremonial Grade Matcha Green Tea Energy Blend which only contains matcha powder and brown rice solids (to help provide an extra energy boost).
Oats- gluten-free oats (and therefore gluten-free oat flour, which is just ground gluten-free oats) are rich in healthy carbohydrates, fiber, protein, and iron. These nutrients are good for increased energy, heart health, GI tract health, muscle building, numerous bodily processes, and red blood cell formation.
Sea salt- sea salt is healthier than table salt because sea salt is much less processed than table salt. Sea salt balances electrolytes, nourishes the adrenal glands, and provides the body with various micronutrients. Try out Himalayan pink sea salt or another healthy salt like Celtic sea salt.
Almond milk- unsweetened almond milk is packed with vitamin E and calcium & vitamin D (if fortified). Vitamin E is an antioxidant that is good for skin and hair health, while calcium and vitamin D help build strong bones and promote immune health.
Flaxseed- flaxseed (and thus, flax eggs which are just flaxseed meal + water) is high in healthy fats (including omega-3 fatty acids), fiber, protein, and iron. Fiber is good for digestion and heart health, protein is good for muscle health, and iron protects against anemia. Omega-3s are good for everything from brain health to heart health to eye health to immune health to joint health to metabolism health to skin health to hair health.
Coconut oil- coconut oil is chock-full of healthy fats and beneficial plant compounds. Coconut oil is good for your skin, your hair, your brain, your heart, may help with weight loss, and may have antimicrobial properties. Opt for cold-pressed unrefined virgin coconut oil.
Spinach- fresh spinach is rich in fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium, folate, and protein. These nutrients are good for digestion, heart health, eye health, immune health, complexion, red blood cell production, bone health, development, muscle health, and preventing various diseases. Opt for organic spinach when possible.
Substitutions
The Medjool Dates can be substituted with any kind of dates, such as Deglet Noor dates. If you know how to substitute another natural sweetener for the dates, such as maple syrup, agave, date syrup, coconut sugar, date sugar, maple sugar, etc., or an artificial sweetener in place of the dates, such as pure whole-leaf stevia, pure monkfruit, Swerve, etc., then give one of those a try! (Note: depending on which sweetener you use the texture will change. If you have experience with baking, let me know if one of the aforementioned sweetener suggestions worked for you in the comments and I'll add it here!).
The matcha green tea powder is the main flavor in this recipe, but you may try replacing it with another powdered beverage mixture like instant black tea powder, vegan/gluten-free/sugar-free golden milk powder (for a caffeine-free golden milk donut // leave out the spinach & almond extract for this option), instant chai masala powder (for a spiced chai donut // leave out the spinach for this option), instant coffee/espresso grounds (for a coffee donut // leave out the spinach for this option // added cacao powder with the coffee could make for a nice mocha donut!) or if you know how to add a brewed cup of your beverage of choice while still maintaining a good texture for these donuts, then by all means give that a try! (Some ideas: a strong cup of regular green tea, a cup of peach rooibos tea (caffeine-free // add extra vanilla), a cup of peppermint tea (caffeine-free // add cacao powder and leave the almond extract out), a cup of sugar-free/vegan coffee, a cup of turmeric tea, etc.). If you are using matcha green tea powder you can use anywhere from 2 1/2 Tbsp of matcha (for a more subtle green tea flavor) to 3 Tbsp of matcha (for a more potent flavor).
I haven't tried experimenting with other flours for this recipe, so I can't guarantee good results. I would recommend sticking with the oat flour and cassava flour. But you can use oat flour that's not certified gluten-free if you're not gluten-free and you may use tapioca flour/starch or arrowroot flour/starch in place of the cassava flour/starch. The sea salt can be swapped out with table salt or can be omitted. The baking soda and baking powder are necessary for these donuts as they're the leaveners in this recipe and can't be substituted. The unsweetened almond milk can be replaced with your unsweetened or sweetened (if you can have sugar) plant milk of choice.
The flax eggs can be swapped out with 2 chia eggs OR 6 Tbsp of aquafaba (chickpea brine). The virgin unrefined coconut oil is preferred for this recipe, but you can use regular refined coconut oil instead OR may try adding a neutral-flavored oil such as avocado, sunflower, or safflower instead. The vanilla extract gives these donuts a nice flavor, but you can substitute it with the equivalent amount of scraped vanilla bean, vanilla bean powder, or vanilla bean paste or you can replace it with additional almond extract or leave it out. The almond extract is pretty much essential in these donuts, as the matcha paired with the almond extract makes for the perfect flavor profile (matcha and almond are two flavors that are commonly paired together for a reason). But if you must, you may replace it with additional vanilla extract and/or you could try adding 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon. The fresh spinach is optional, but you may use a small handful of fresh kale (like curly kale or Lacinato [dinosaur] kale) instead.
More Matcha Recipes on the Way!!
Some more matcha recipes I have perfected or am working on currently include:
-Matcha White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
-Matcha Overnight Oats
-Matcha Fat Bombs
-Matcha Ice Cream
-Double Matcha Ice Cream Floats ..
AND MORE!!
Keep reading below to see the weekly sneak peek of the recipes that will be coming to The Dimpled Date next!
Weekly Sneak Peek..
Some of my most recent creations coming to The Dimpled Date soon include:
-Almond Butter Chocolate Fat Bombs
-Soft-Baked Peanut Butter Cookies
-Chocolate Granola
Stay tuned..
I hope you all like this recipe as much as I do! Let me know what you think in the comments!
As Always,
Enjoy <3
-K.
Baked Matcha Donuts (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Yeast-Free, Sugar-Free, Fruit-Sweetened)
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time (varies depending on cooking method): FOR BAKING IN A MINI DONUT PAN IN THE OVEN: 12 minutes // FOR BAKING IN A DONUT MAKER SUCH AS SUNBEAM'S DONUT MAKER (PREFERRED METHOD): 6 to 7 minutes
Total Time: 41 to 47 minutes
Makes: 20 medium-sized donuts (the size of the donut maker molds)
Ingredients:
-1 1/2 cups Medjool dates
-2 flax eggs (check out Minimalist Baker's "How to Make a Flax Egg" recipe!)
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1/2 tsp almond extract
- 2 1/2 to 3 Tbsp sugar-free/vegan matcha green tea powder (such as Green Foods's Ceremonial Grade Matcha Green Tea Powder Energy Blend // depending on how strong you like the matcha flavor)
-1 1/2 cups gluten-free oat flour
-2 Tbsp cassava flour/starch (can sub tapioca flour/starch OR arrowroot flour/starch)
-1 Tbsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-pinch sea salt
-1/4 cup virgin, unrefined coconut oil, melted
-1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or unsweetened plant milk of choice)
-small handful of fresh spinach (preferably organic // optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit OR preheat a donut maker (such as Sunbeam's Donut Maker). Grease a mini donut pan or regular donut pan with coconut oil if baking donuts in the oven. Soak the dates in hot water for 5 to 15 minutes.
2. Drain the dates and blend them in a food processor until a paste forms, scraping down the sides as necessary. Add the spinach (if using) and blend with the date paste until uniform.
3. Add the flax eggs, vanilla, and almond extract. Blend until smooth. Scrape down the sides and re-blend as necessary.
4. Add the oat & cassava flours, matcha powder, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Blend until just combined and a thick batter forms (DO NOT OVER-MIX).
5. Make sure no attachments on the food processor are blocking the feeder tube hole. While the food processor is turned on, slowly drizzle the coconut oil through the feeder tube hole and into the batter until just incorporated. Turn the food processor back on and slowly pour the almond milk through the feeder tube hole and into the batter until just combined. At this point, the batter should be thick, yet moist.
6. Scoop out the batter and fill your mini donut pan or standard donut pan most of the way OR grease the donut maker molds with vegan/gluten-free vegetable oil cooking spray (such as Smart Balance's Original Nonstick Cooking Spray) and fill the preheated donut maker molds with the donut batter. Smooth the tops.
7. Bake in the preheated oven (at 350 degrees F) for about 12 minutes (for mini donuts) or until a toothpick inserted into the donuts comes out clean (for standard donuts) OR bake in a preheated donut maker for 6 to 7 minutes or however long the instructions indicate to bake the donuts, or until a toothpick inserted into the donuts comes out clean.
8. Allow the donuts to cool slightly, then serve with a vegan/sugar-free hot/cold/iced matcha latte (I like to just combine Matcha powder, water, and unsweetened almond milk), drizzle a little melted vegan/sugar-free dark chocolate on top, use as a topping on ice cream, frozen yogurt, or a freakshake, enjoy as is, or store in an airtight container in the fridge for later use. Enjoy!
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
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