Dive into a cozy cup of matcha goodness with this quick and easy matcha latte recipe. The perfect blend of matcha and milk will leave you with a gentle energy boost. Ready in 5 mins, serve hot or iced!
In This Post You’ll Learn
Why We Love This
This matcha latte recipe is so creamy and delicious, the perfect pick me up (without the coffee jitters).
You can enjoy it hot to warm up in winter, or iced for a refreshing way to cool down in summer.
It’s so much cheaper to make matcha green tea lattes at home than to buy one from a café. You’ll save money and can tweak the recipe to get it as sweet or strong as you like!
Related: Green Tea Matcha Cookies / Matcha Ice Cream / Matcha Pancakes
Our 3 Top Tips on Blooming the Perfect Matcha
‘Blooming’ is the process of whisking matcha powder in hot water until it transforms into a smooth, frothy, and vibrantly green beverage.
When bloomed correctly, matcha has a balanced and smooth earthy taste and aroma. If bloomed badly, you can end up with a lumpy or bitter tea. The good thing is, these three simple tweaks to your technique will help you achieve the matcha at home!
Water Temperature – If you have a variable temperature kettle, we recommend boiling your water to 80°C / 175°F. Otherwise, leave a regular kettle to stand for 5 minutes after boiling to allow the temperature to drop before blooming the matcha. Lower temp = better flavour, less bitter tea.
Grade of Matcha – When making matcha lattes, it’s fine to use culinary grade matcha since you’re adding milk. It is usually cheaper and more widely available than ceremonial grade matcha. If you want to splurge, upgrade to the best quality premium or ceremonial grade matcha you can afford.
Whisking Technique – Whether you’re using a traditional matcha bamboo whisk (known as a chasen) or a regular small whisk, the best grip is to point your index finger down the handle, then wrap your remaining fingers around the handle as normal. Rather than whisk in a circle, you should lightly and quickly swish the tea in an up and down motion, slowly going from side to side to cover the whole bowl as you go. Whisk for around 30 seconds – 1 minute until you see no more lumps and an extra green frothy top!
What is Matcha Latte?
Matcha latte (抹茶ラテ) is a creamy drink made with bloomed green tea powder (matcha) and milk. It’s similar to a regular coffee latte, just with green tea instead.
This iconic green beverage has become a widely popular alternative to regular matcha tea, especially at big cafe chains like Starbucks – even in Japan!
Matcha lattes can be made using fine matcha powder bloomed in water, or with a store-bought matcha latte powder that is already blended with sugar and/or milk powder for convenience. We find the pre-mixed blend is usually way too sweet for our tastes, so we prefer to use pure matcha powder and then sweeten the drink ourselves.
There are two popular methods to make it at home:
- Frothed Milk – This is where tea is brewed separately while the milk is heated, steamed and frothed, similar to a cappuccino. This is how we usually prepare our matcha lattes at home.
- Simmered with Milk – This is where the matcha powder is simmered in the milk, more like a simmered chai latte.
What You’ll Need
- Matcha Powder – This is a fine green powder made from ground green tea leaves, traditionally used in Japanese tea ceremonies. For lattes we use unsweetened matcha powder so we can sweeten it to taste. It’s mixed with boiling water and whisked until frothy, which brings out the flavour (a process called blooming) while ensuring there are no bitter lumps of matcha in the finished lattes.
- Sugar – Use your favourite sweetener. Regular white sugar, coconut sugar, honey or maple syrup all work fine.
- Milk – This recipe works with most types of milk. We use dairy milk at home but you can sub with plant based dairy-free milks such as oat milk, almond milk, soy milk or even coconut milk. Each will give a slightly different flavour profile and some froth up better than others. Feel free to experiment!
- Hot Water – For the best flavour always use filtered water rather than straight tap water.
How to Make Matcha Lattes
Important Note: If you have a variable temperature kettle, we recommend boiling your water to 80°C / 175°F. You can also leave a regular kettle for 5 minutes after boiling to allow the temperature to drop slightly. Lower temp = better flavour, less bitter tea.
Hot Matcha Latte
First, gather your ingredients: See recipe card below for measurements.
- Place the matcha powder into a small bowl, then pour the hot water over the top. Using a chasen (bamboo matcha whisk) or regular small whisk, stir quickly in an up and down motion then from side to side. The matcha tea will start to froth up and this is exactly what we want. Whisk for around 30 seconds – 1 minute until you see no more lumps and an extra green frothy top!
- Optional: Add sugar (if using) to the matcha tea and whisk again until fully dissolved.
- Heat the milk in the microwave for around 40 seconds on high, or in a small saucepan on the stovetop for around 2 minutes on low. If you have a milk thermometer, you want the milk to reach around 65°C / 150°F, which is an ideal temperature for frothing.
- Optional: Froth the milk using a manual milk frother, electric milk frother or by whisking it manually for around a minute until frothy.
- Pour the matcha tea into your favourite mug and top with the warmed and/or frothed milk.
Iced Matcha Latte
- Place the matcha powder in a small bowl, then pour the hot water over the top. Using a chasen (bamboo matcha whisk) or regular small whisk, stir quickly in an up and down motion then from side to side. The matcha tea will start to froth up and this is exactly what we want. Whisk for around 30 seconds – 1 minute until you see no more lumps and an extra green frothy top!
- Optional: Add sugar (if using) to the matcha tea and whisk again until fully dissolved.
- Add ice cubes to a tall glass until around ¾ full.
- Pour in your choice of milk until the ice cubes are just covered, leaving a little space at the top for your matcha.
- Slowly pour in the bloomed matcha tea for a nice two layer effect to serve. Give it a quick stir before drinking, and enjoy!
Wandercook’s Tips
- To Finish – Sprinkle the top of your matcha lattes with extra matcha powder before serving (just go easy, it’s quite bitter). If you like it sweeter, garnish with sugar or cinnamon instead.
- Storage – You can keep your iced latte in the fridge for up to a few days, but without the ice cubes so it doesn’t go too watery.
FAQs
Yes it does, but not as much as regular coffee. Matcha is said to contain more antioxidants and other beneficial properties than coffee too, for a gently energy boost without the caffeine jitters.Â
If you prefer a delicious caffeine-free tea latte, try our hojicha latte instead, made with roasted green tea.
A matcha whisk isn’t 100% necessary for this recipe. If you don’t have one, you can use any small whisk or even a fork in a pinch. The key is to whisk it quite fast so it froths up and gets rid of any lumps in the matcha mixture.
Variations
- Extra Flavour – Add a splash of vanilla extract to your cup.
- Cold Brew – Add 1 tbsp matcha powder per 1 cup water. Steep 6-8 hours or overnight in the fridge to fully develop the flavour.
- Dessert Idea – Pair with a small serving of coffee jelly for a yummy treat.
- Make it Fancy – Serve topped with whipped cream, or whip the matcha itself for a dalgona style latte.
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★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and a star rating below!
Equipment
- 1 matcha bamboo whisk or regular small whisk
Ingredients
For hot matcha latte
- 1 tsp matcha green tea powder heaped
- 4 tbsp boiling water
- 3/4 cup milk 185 ml / 6.25 fl oz whole milk or sub with your choice eg almond milk, coconut milk or oat milk.
- 1 tsp sugar optional, to your liking
Make it iced matcha latte
- 1 cup ice cubes
Instructions
- Important Note: If you have a variable temperature kettle, we recommend boiling your water to 80°C / 175°F. You can also leave a regular kettle for 5 minutes after boiling to allow the temperature to drop slightly. Lower temp = better flavour, less bitter tea.
Hot Matcha Latte
- Place the matcha powder in a small bowl, then pour the hot water over the top.1 tsp matcha green tea powder, 4 tbsp boiling water
- Using a chasen (bamboo matcha whisk) or regular small whisk, stir quickly in an up and down motion then from side to side. The matcha tea will start to froth up and this is exactly what we want. Whisk for around 30 seconds – 1 minute until you see no more lumps and an extra green frothy top!
- Optional: Add sugar (if using) to the matcha tea and whisk again until fully dissolved.1 tsp sugar
- Heat the milk in the microwave for around 40 seconds on high, or in a small saucepan on the stovetop for around 2 minutes on low. If you have a milk thermometer, you want the milk to reach around 65°C / 150°F, which is an ideal temperature for frothing.3/4 cup milk
- Optional: Froth the milk using a manual milk frother, electric milk frother or by whisking it manually for around a minute until frothy.
- Pour the matcha tea into your favourite mug and top with the warmed and/or frothed milk. Optional: Garnish with a light sprinkle of matcha powder and sugar.
Iced Matcha Latte
- Place the matcha powder in a small bowl, then pour the hot water over the top.1 tsp matcha green tea powder, 4 tbsp boiling water
- Using a chasen (bamboo matcha whisk) or regular small whisk, stir quickly in an up and down motion then from side to side. The matcha tea will start to froth up and this is exactly what we want. Whisk for around 30 seconds – 1 minute until you see no more lumps and an extra green frothy top!
- Optional: Add sugar (if using) to the matcha tea and whisk again until fully dissolved.1 tsp sugar
- Add ice cubes to a tall glass until around ¾ full. Pour in your choice of milk until the ice cubes are just covered, leaving a little space at the top for your matcha.1 cup ice cubes, 3/4 cup milk
- Add in your choice of milk to just cover the cubes, leaving a little space at the top for your matcha.
- Slowly pour in the bloomed matcha tea for a nice two layer effect to serve. Give it a quick stir before drinking, and enjoy!
Video
Recipe Notes
- To Finish – Sprinkle the top with extra matcha powder before serving (but go easy, it’s quite bitter). If you like it sweeter, garnish with sugar or cinnamon instead.
- Storage – You can keep your iced latte in the fridge for up to a few days, but without the ice cubes so it doesn’t go too watery.
- Make it Vegan – Simply use non-dairy plant based milks instead: almond, soy, oat etc all work great.
- Cold Brew – Add 1 tbsp matcha powder per 1 cup water. Steep 6-8 hours or overnight in the fridge to fully develop the flavour.
- Dessert Idea – Pair with a small serving of coffee jelly for a yummy treat.
- Make it Fancy – Serve topped with whipped cream, or whip the matcha itself for a dalgona style latte.
Nutrition
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