These matcha rolls topped with instant boba are SO soft, gooey, full of matcha flavor, and not-too-sweet! They’re inspired by two of my favorite sweet drinks, brown sugar boba tea and matcha lattes! Plus, they’re a fun twist on my brioche cinnamon rolls and oh so yummy. 🙂
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💚 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s perfect for matcha and boba lovers. There’s matcha in the dough, filling, AND icing. Once frosted, the buns are topped with instant brown sugar boba, which adds a wonderfully chewy texture!
- These matcha rolls are pillowy and flavorful! This is because they’re made with an enriched brioche by adding in butter and eggs to the dough. And right before baking, a brown sugar matcha heavy cream mixture is poured on top, making them even more tender with a sticky, rich sauce on the bottom.
Looking for more bun recipes? Try out my ooey gooey cinnamon rolls and strawberry matcha rolls!
Ingredients
To make brown sugar boba matcha buns, you’ll need the following ingredients:
For the enriched matcha brioche:
- Use quality culinary matcha powder for maximum flavor and vibrant green color!
- Adding cornstarch with the all-purpose flour will help yield soft, cakier matcha rolls.
- The active dry yeast will be mixed with sugar and warm whole milk before incorporating it into the recipe. If using instant dry yeast, you can skip the dissolving step and add it straight into your dry ingredients.
- Eggs and unsalted butter will enrich the fluffy matcha dough, making it very tender and flavorful.
For the filling and heavy cream mixture:
- For the matcha roll filling, you’ll mix culinary grade matcha, brown sugar (light or dark), unsalted butter, and vanilla until light and fluffy.
- Right before baking, you’ll pour a mixture heavy cream, brown sugar (light or dark), and culinary grade matcha on top of the rolls. This will make them richer in flavor and add a sticky syrup that will coat the bottom of the pan.
- You can use either vanilla extract or vanilla paste (1:1) in this recipe.
For the matcha cream cheese and boba:
- To make the cream cheese frosting, you’ll whip together culinary matcha powder, full-fat cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and heavy cream.
- I used instant brown sugar boba pearls, but you can always make them from scratch! I prefer to use instant ones because of ease—all you have to do is add some water and microwave until soft.
For the full list of ingredients and measurements, see the recipe card below.
💡Tips
- Weigh your ingredients! One of my favorite kitchen tools is a kitchen scale because it’s more accurate than measuring by volume. If you use cups, spoon the flour in gently, then level it with a knife or spatula.
- Top with boba right before serving. Boba can get hard over time (especially if refrigerated), so it’s best added fresh.
How to Make Soft Brown Sugar Matcha Rolls
Step 1: In a bowl, whisk together warmed milk, yeast, and sugar. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, or until mixture is foamy.
Step 2: In a stand mixer fitted with hook attachment, add matcha, flour, cornstarch, salt, yeast mixture, and eggs. Mix on medium low speed until dough forms, then add a tablespoon of softened butter every 30 seconds.
Step 3: Keep mixing for about 8-10 minutes, or until dough passes the windowpane test: take a small piece of dough and gently stretch it. If it is kneaded enough, it should be translucent and you can see light passing through. Cover dough and let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 1.5-2 hours (or overnight in the fridge!).
Step 4: Make the filling by whipping butter, brown sugar, matcha, and vanilla until fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Step 5: Roll dough out into a 18″x12″ rectangle. Evenly spread brown sugar matcha filling and tightly roll the dough into an 18-inch log.
Step 6: Slice log into 9 even pieces (about 2-inch rolls), and place in a lined 9″x9″ baking pan. Lightly cover and let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 1-1.5 hours.
Step 7: Mix heavy cream, brown sugar, and matcha. Pour over rolls and bake at 375°F/190°C for 20-30 minutes, or until rolls are slightly golden and no longer doughy in the middle. During the last few minutes of baking, make the frosting: whip cream cheese until lump-free, then mix in matcha powder, powdered sugar, and vanilla, until smooth. Heat instant boba according to package instructions.
Step 8: Let matcha rolls cool for about 5 minutes, then lather on matcha frosting. Top with instant boba right before serving. Enjoy!
For full instructions, see the recipe card below.
“Dude. This is ridiculously good.” – my boyfriend and professional Bites by Bianca taste tester 😊
Homemade Brown Sugar Matcha Rolls FAQs
No, you can omit it if you don’t have it. However, I found that it makes the matcha buns very soft and tender.
For this recipe, I cut 9 equal pieces and arranged them 3×3 in a 9-inch square pan. I’ve also used the same recipe to cut 12 equal pieces and arranged them 3×4 in a 9-inch by 13-inch square pan
This recipe uses an enriched brioche dough, which means there is a substantial amount of butter (aka fat) in the dough. This makes rising time longer, but it is SO worth it because brioche is very flavorful, soft, and buttery!
Yes, but I highly recommend using a stand mixer. This is because kneading brioche may take longer and can be trickier for beginner bakers, especially when it comes to incorporating the softened butter.
If kneading by hand, the dough will be pretty sticky. You must be patient and keep kneading without adding too much flour; the dough will eventually come together!
This idea came from the viral TikTok cinnamon rolls from 2023-2024! Adding heavy cream hydrates the rolls and makes them softer. For this recipe, I added in a bit of brown sugar and matcha for extra flavor.
Boba hardens over time, especially in the fridge! It can be fine over the course of a day, but longer than that, it begins to firm up.
I recommend adding the boba right before serving.
They can last in an airtight container in the fridge for up 3 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
Storage
Keep in mind that boba hardens over time, and the fridge speeds up that process. I recommend adding the boba right before serving.
- Refrigeration instructions: Store cooled boba matcha buns in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave.
- Freezing instructions: Store cooled matcha buns (with or without frosting) in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave.
Did you try this recipe?
Please leave a review & share it with me on Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, or Pinterest!
Thank you so much! -Bianca ❤️
📖 Recipe & Video
Brown Sugar Boba Matcha Rolls
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Equipment
- small bowl for heavy cream mixture
- medium bowl for yeast mixture
- large bowl for proofing dough
- Stand mixer hook attachment for dough, paddle attachment for filling and frosting
- whisk
- plastic wrap or kitchen towel
- 9"x9" baking pan see notes
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
Matcha Dough:
- 1 cup (236.59 ml) whole milk warmed
- ⅓ cup (66.67 g) granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons (7 g) active dry yeast
- 2 (2) eggs room temperature
- 4 ¼ cups (531.25 g) all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons (32 g) cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon (6 g) culinary matcha powder sifted
- 1 ¼ teaspoons (7.5 g) fine sea salt or table salt
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter softened
Brown Sugar Matcha Filling:
- ⅓ cup (75.67 g) unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup (165 g) brown sugar packed; light or dark
- 1 tablespoon (6 g) culinary matcha powder
Heavy Cream Mixture:
- ⅓ cup (79.33 g) heavy cream room temperature
- 1 tablespoon (12 g) brown sugar packed; light or dark
- 1 teaspoon (2 g) culinary matcha powder sifted
Matcha Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) cream cheese softened
- ½-1 cup (60 g) powdered sugar adjust to taste
- 1 tablespoon (6 g) culinary matcha powder
- 1 tablespoon (13 g) vanilla paste or extract
Boba Topping:
- 1 pack instant boba
Instructions
For the enriched dough:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup whole milk (warmed), ⅓ cup granulated sugar, and 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, or until yeast is activated and mixture is frothy.
- In a stand mixer fitted with hook attachment, add 4 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 4 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 tablespoon culinary matcha powder, 1 ¼ teaspoons fine sea salt, yeast mixture, and 2 eggs. Mix on medium low speed until dough forms.
- While mixing on medium low speed, add ½ cup unsalted butter a tablespoon at a time, every 30 seconds. Continue mixing for 8-10 minutes, or until dough passes the windowpane test.To do the windowpane test, take a small piece of dough and gently stretch it. If it is kneaded enough, it should be translucent enough to see light passing through.
- Transfer dough to a large bowl, lightly cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 1.5-2 hours (or overnight in the fridge!).
For assembly:
- In your stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, add softened ⅓ cup unsalted butter, ¾ cup brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon culinary matcha powder (sifted). Mix on medium high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a 18"x-12" rectangle. Evenly spread brown sugar matcha filling, then tightly roll into an 18" log. Use a sharp knife to cut the log into 9 equal pieces, about 2 inches each.
- Place matcha rolls in a lined 9"x9" baking pan. Lightly cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1-1.5 hours. In the last 5-10 minutes, preheat oven to 375°F/190°C.
Bake matcha rolls:
- In a small bowl, mix ⅓ cup heavy cream, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon culinary matcha powder until combined. Pour all over matcha buns.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until rolls are slightly golden and no longer doughy in the middle. In the last few minutes of baking, make the matcha frosting: in your stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, whip softened 8 ounces cream cheese until smooth and lump-free, about 5 minutes. Mix in ½-1 cup powdered sugar (adjust to taste), 1 tablespoon culinary matcha powder, and 1 tablespoon vanilla until fully combined. Heat 1 pack instant boba according to package instructions.
- Let matcha rolls cool for about 5 minutes, then spread on matcha cream cheese frosting. Top with instant boba right before serving and enjoy!
Notes
- For this recipe, I cut 9 equal pieces and arranged them 3×3 in a 9-inch by 9-inch pan. I’ve also used the same recipe to cut 12 equal pieces and arranged them 3×4 in a 9-inch by 13-inch pan!
- Weigh your ingredients! One of my favorite kitchen tools is a kitchen scale because it’s more accurate than measuring by volume. If you use cups, spoon the flour in gently, then level it with a knife or spatula.
- Refrigeration instructions: Store cooled matcha buns in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave.
- Freezing instructions: Store cooled matcha buns (with or without frosting) in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave.
(I am the author of this recipe)
I LOVE getting to have boba in dessert, so I was very excited to develop this recipe! It was a hit with my family and friends—can’t wait to make it again for the holidays. 🙂