Matcha Chocolate or Royce Nama Chocolate is surprisingly easy to make at home. It is one of the most well-known Japanese sweets in the world. However, you might be surprised to see the price of this premium sweet when buying from a Japanese store.
As one of our favourite chocolate Japanese snacks, we couldn't help but learn how to make it. We have used this exact tried and tested recipe to make batches of these desserts. As we perfected it, the result has almost the same quality as Royce Nama chocolate!
We have also included a vegan recipe for those of you who can't try the store-bought version of this delicious sweet!
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What is Matcha Chocolate Made of?
Matcha chocolate is a form of cocoa confectionery that uses heavy cream and white chocolate to make a soft and chewy, truffle-like dessert. However, matcha chocolate may generally refer to any kind of choco-based sweet containing matcha flavouring.
You would make this delectable Japanese treat by chilling a thick ganache until it solidifies and topping it with dusted cocoa powder.
In Japanese, "nama" means uncooked. Given that you make the ganache using fresh milk and cacao, it points to the ganache's purity and freshness.
The dessert is then cut into perfect squares or cubes and stored in a tray. The confectioners usually store the pieces slightly separated from each other to prevent sticking. Their texture is similar to a fudgy, less sweet truffle.
An example of a similar dessert is Pave du Geneve, which can be found in Switzerland. Similarly, the Bien être line combines a cocoa ganache with fruit pulp and juice, honey, maple syrup, hazelnut oil, and other flavourings.
Matcha Chocolate Calories
A single serving of this dessert (about five pieces) contains 160 calories. Therefore, a single piece of this treat has around 32 calories. The calories in this dessert are small enough to fit into all diets. So you can enjoy this Japanese treat with a little less guilt.
Matcha Chocolate Ingredients
The ingredients you will need to make this matcha chocolate recipe are white chocolate, heavy cream, unsalted butter, glucose syrup, and matcha powder.
White Chocolate is an important ingredient in this recipe. The quality of this ingredient is fundamental in deciding the final product's taste. You should try using high-quality bars such as Couverture, Lindt, Ghirardelli, or Valrhona.
Heavy cream is the base of the ganache. It gives the sweet its soft and velvety texture. You must ensure that you use high-quality cream instead of the shelf-stable alternative.
Unsalted butter adds an extra source of creamy fat to the recipe. It also adds some extra richness. You should not substitute salted butter. Doing so will change the delicate green tea flavour. Make sure to use butter that contains milk fat, instead of butter that contains hydrogenated vegetable oils. This is because you will taste the difference!
You would also add glucose syrup to give some extra chewiness and smoothness to the texture of the matcha chocolate. If you cannot find glucose syrup, try using corn syrup or even honey.
You can omit this ingredient from this recipe if you don't care about a strong chewy texture in your dessert. If you decide to use honey, be aware that the overall taste of the dessert will change.
Finally, matcha powder is the most crucial ingredient to use in this recipe. Various grades and price points of this exist in the market. See our guide on the best matcha powder for a few we recommend.
You must use high-quality culinary grade or low-quality ceremonial grade matcha as this will be the main flavour. To make sure that your Japanese green tea is of high quality, check that it has a vivid, bright green colour.
How to make Matcha chocolate vegan
Most flavours and types of this Royce dessert are unfortunately not vegan-friendly. They are also unsuitable for those who are lactose intolerant. However, with a few minor tweaks in the ingredients list and the cooking process, you can easily make Nama choco into a vegan Japanese snack.
First of all, heavy cream containing dairy fat obviously won't do. Instead, try using cashew or coconut cream in the same volume as the heavy cream. Coconut cream will, however, make the recipe taste like coconuts. We would recommend adding more matcha. This is so the coconut flavour won't overpower the entire dessert.
Second, you will find that white chocolate is often made with milk solids added to it to enhance its creaminess. Luckily, making a vegan homemade version of this ingredient is easy:
- Add equal parts (100 g each) of refined coconut oil and cocoa butter to a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until melted.
- Add 100 g cashew butter and stir until melted and incorporated.
- Add 2-3 tablespoon maple syrup and vanilla extract to taste.
- Pour into a tray and leave to solidify.
Vegans and lactose-intolerant people can use this dairy-free white chocolate to make vegan matcha chocolate without any fear!
Finally, you can easily replace unsalted butter with vegan unsalted butter.
Cooking Tips
How to create a silky texture
The matcha might not mix well into the chocolate if it is not smooth or silky enough. To avoid this, add the green tea powder to the cacao mixture bit by bit, stirring until dissolved before adding the next amount.
How to avoid clumping matcha powder
If the matcha powder you use is not separated, the mixture will clump. The powder could start clumping if it is stored in a vacuum-sealed container or if moisture is introduced to the fine powder.
If you have a sift, sift the powder into a bowl to remove any lumps from your beautifully silky mixture. You could also try whisking the green tea powder or mashing it forcefully with a fork until the powder becomes smooth.
How to cut perfect cubes
In order to get perfectly even cubes, you must measure the dessert's dimensions. Before cutting, don't be afraid to get out a ruler and knife to make small indentations along the matcha chocolate bar.
Make sure the Royce dessert is completely set before cutting. Heat the knife under hot water or over a stove before cutting. Please make sure that the blade is not dripping with water!
After each cut, you should clean off the knife to ensure that the lines are perfectly straight and no chocolate builds up between slices.
How to store
These delicious treats will keep perfectly well in the fridge for up to 3 days. Make sure to store them covered. Ensure that you do not stack them, as they will stick. You can also freeze them for up to a month. Thaw them in the fridge for around 15-20 minutes before eating.
Matcha Chocolate Recipe (Royce Nama Choco)
Ingredients
- 400 g white chocolate
- 2.5 tbsps matcha powder
- 1 tablespoon glucose syrup
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsps unsalted butter
- 2 tsps matcha powder for dusting
Instructions
- Firstly, sift the matcha powder into a bowl. Chop the white chocolate into pieces to help it melt faster. Cube the butter and line the baking dish (preferably square) with baking paper.
- Add the heavy cream to a saucepan over medium heat. Stir the mixture constantly, so it doesn't catch and burn at the bottom of the pot. When the cream's edges start bubbling, or you have achieved a light simmer, remove the pan from the heat.
- Add the butter and the chopped chocolate to the pot and constantly stir until combined. Sift the matcha powder into the saucepan gradually. Stir the mixture until incorporated, before adding some more.
- Slowly add the glucose syrup and continue to stir until combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Refrigerate for at least 5 hours or overnight. After removing the dessert from the fridge, peel off the paper and dust it with matcha powder.
- Measure and mark perfectly neat squares. Cut the chocolate into squares with a heated knife. Wipe the blade clean after each cut. Finally, serve the matcha chocolate slightly chilled. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you can't find glucose syrup, try using corn syrup. However, if you don't mind the change in taste, you can use honey.
- Use high-quality white chocolate and heavy cream.
- If you are vegan or cannot have dairy, look at the "How to Make Vegan" section for detailed instructions.
- You will need a sift and a square or rectangular baking dish.
Nutrition
Calories have been calculated using an online calculator. Nutritional information offered on Honest Food Talks is for general information purposes and are only rough estimations.
And that's a wrap! We hope you have enjoyed learning how to make this premium, deluxe matcha chocolate. You can make it from the comfort of your own home. The recipe is straightforward and is an excellent project to do with children!
Love all things matcha? Try our matcha lemonade recipe next.
Krissy Makovec
I appreciate that matcha can be enjoyed both hot and cold. It's a versatile drink that can be customized to your preferences.