For a delicious energy boost without the coffee jitters, make this quick homemade matcha latte. The perfect balance of sweetness and strength in just 5 mins, served hot or iced.
In This Post You’ll Learn
Why We Love This
Matcha lattes are so creamy and delicious, the perfect pick me up when you don’t feel like coffee.
You can enjoy them hot to warm up in winter, or iced for a refreshing way to cool down in summer.
It’s much cheaper to make them at home rather than buying from a café. You’ll save money and can tweak the recipe to get it as sweet or strong as you like!
Related: Matcha Cookies / Matcha Ice Cream
Our 3 Top Tips on Blooming the Perfect Matcha
Matcha, bloomed correctly, can have the most wonderfully smooth and aromatic taste. Bloomed wrong, and 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 matcha greatness!
Water Temperature – 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.
Grade of Matcha – When making matcha lattes, it’s fine to use the culinary grade as you’re adding milk. This is cheaper and more widely available. If you want a splurge, upgrade to ceremonial grade matcha.
Whisk Technique – Whether you’re using a traditional matcha whisk (chasen) or a regular little weak, the best grip is to point your index finger down the stem of the whisk, then wrap your remaining fingers around the handle as normal. The technique is to lightly and quickly swish the tea with the whisk in an up and down motion, slowly going from side to side to cover the whole bowl.
What is Matcha Latte?
A matcha latte (抹茶ラテ) is a creamy beverage made with bloomed green tea powder (matcha) and milk, similar to a regular latte made with coffee.
The iconic green drink has become a widely popular alternative to matcha tea, especially at big cafe chains like Starbucks – even in Japan.
It can be made with fine matcha powder bloomed in water, or by using a specific matcha latte powder that comes pre-mixed with sugar for convenience. We find the pre-mixed blend is often way too sweet, so prefer to use pure culinary grade matcha powder and then sweeten the drink to taste!
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 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 – We use unsweetened matcha powder so we can sweeten it to taste. It’s mixed with boiling water to bring out the flavour (a process called blooming) and also to ensure there are no bitter lumps of matcha throughout the cookies.
- Sugar – Use your favourite sweetener – regular white sugar, coconut sugar or even maple syrup all work fine.
- Milk – Go with your favourite milk – we use dairy at home but feel free to sub with oat, almond or soy milk. Each will give a slightly different flavour profile to your homemade matcha latte. Feel free to experiment!
- Boiling Water – For the best flavour use filtered water.
How to Make Matcha Lattes
For a Hot Matcha
First, gather your ingredients: See recipe card below for measurements.
- 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.
- Place the matcha powder in a small dish, then pour the boiling water over the top.
- Using a chasen (bamboo matcha whisk) or regular small whisk, stir quickly in an up and down motion from side to side. You’ll see the matcha tea 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 your sugar to your liking to the matcha tea and whisk again until 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, ready to froth.
- 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, followed by the warmed and frothed milk. Optional: Garnish with a light sprinkle of matcha powder and sugar.
For an Iced Matcha
- 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.
- Place the matcha powder in a small dish, then pour the boiling water over the top.
- Using a chasen (bamboo matcha whisk) or regular small whisk, stir quickly in an up and down motion from side to side. You’ll see the matcha tea 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 your sugar to your liking to the matcha tea and whisk again until dissolved.
- Fill a tall glass to around ¾ full with ice cubes.
- Add in your choice of milk to just cover the cubes, leaving a little space at the top for your matcha.
- Slowly pour over your 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 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.
FAQs
Yes it does, but not as much as a regular coffee! Matcha contains more beneficial properties than coffee too, and will give you that nice energy boost without the jitters.
If you prefer a delicious latte without caffeine, try our hojicha latte instead!
A matcha whisk isn’t necessary for this recipe. Simply 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 mix.
Variations
- 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.
- Roasted Green Tea – Make a Hojicha Latte for roasted green tea flavour instead!
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★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and a star rating below!
Ingredients
For hot matcha latte
Make it iced matcha latte
- 1 cup ice cubes
Instructions
For hot matcha latte
- 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.
- Place the matcha powder in a small dish, then pour the boiling water over the top.1 tsp matcha powder, 4 tbsp boiling water
- Using a chasen (bamboo matcha whisk) or regular small whisk, stir quickly in an up and down motion from side to side. You’ll see the matcha tea 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 your sugar to your liking to the matcha tea and whisk again until 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, ready to froth.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, followed by the warmed and frothed milk. Optional: Garnish with a light sprinkle of matcha powder and sugar.
For iced matcha latte
- 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.
- Place the matcha powder in a small dish, then pour the boiling water over the top.1 tsp matcha powder, 4 tbsp boiling water
- Using a chasen (bamboo matcha whisk) or regular small whisk, stir quickly in an up and down motion from side to side. You’ll see the matcha tea 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 your sugar to your liking to the matcha tea and whisk again until dissolved.1 tsp sugar
- Fill a tall glass to around ¾ full with ice cubes.1 cup ice cubes
- Add in your choice of milk to just cover the cubes, leaving a little space at the top for your matcha.3/4 cup milk
- Slowly pour over your 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.
- Roasted Green Tea – Make a Hojicha Latte for roasted green tea flavour instead!
Nutrition
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