Delicious Hot Matcha Latte Recipe & Iced Matcha Latte Drink

Everyone loves a good matcha latte, Whether you drink it hot or iced or dirty, it’s downright delicious and full of powerful antioxidants so what’s not to love? Well for starters, the price! Grab a matcha latte on the daily and you’ll rack up a pretty penny in no time, but we aren’t asking you to stop your matcha habit. Instead make it from home, where you can monitor the ingredients, make it in bulk and save money while still getting your matcha fix! Sure, matcha powder can be spendy, but after you figure out how many servings you can get out of one little canister you’ll be way happier knowing you are saving money. That’s actually the reason we started making our own coffees, teas, milk teas, sparkling drinks, etc at home. So rest assured we got you covered with a delicious and refreshing starbucks matcha latte copycat drink so you can satisfy that inner matcha fiend and keep your wallet happy ☺️

This post is all about creating a delicious matcha latte. Whether you like it hot or iced, we made sure to cover both styles because we also enjoy both forms of matcha lattes ☺️

Matcha latte

Commonly Asked Questions For Matcha Latte

What is a matcha latte?

A matcha latte is a drink made from a few simple ingredients: milk (any milk, dairy or non-dairy), matcha powder, and some sweetener such as sugar or simple syrup. Matcha powder is a finely ground green tea powder made from green tea leaves. Matcha along with creamy milk makes for the perfect green creamy drink. Matcha is a very concentrated powder so it has decently high caffeine content and bonus it’s full of antioxidants!

Is matcha latte stronger than coffee?

Matcha powder being a pretty concentrated green tea powder is pretty caffeinated with roughly 70mg of caffeine per tsp. However, it is not going to be stronger than a brewed cup of coffee with roughly 90-100mg caffeine per 8oz cup of coffee. Meanwhile, in terms of espresso and instant matcha probably do have about the same amount of caffeine if not more. But, if the natural caffeine available in matcha powder isn’t enough you can always add a little extra boost to it by adding in a shot or two of espresso or by adding some brewed coffee.

What’s the difference between a dirty matcha latte and a regular matcha latte?

Matcha lattes are great and all but sometimes they don’t have that extra boost that we need. So, when it comes to adding a little extra caffeine to your matcha we are all for it! Don’t be afraid to mess around with the recipe a bit and add in a shot or two of espresso or brewed coffee and wallah you have a dirty matcha latte! Well, it’s a little more complicated than that lol read our post on making a Dirty Matcha Latte for a delicious pick-me-up when regular matcha just isn’t cutting it!

What do you put in a matcha latte?

A matcha latte is made using any type of milk, this can be dairy or non-dairy milk, matcha powder, and any sweetener you desire. If you desire a vegan matcha latte you can use any plant-based milk and a sweetener such as agave nectar. The best kinds of milk for matcha lattes are oat, soy, almond, and whole milk! If making a hot matcha latte you can use any sweetener such as sugar, honey, brown sugar, etc. If making an iced matcha latte you’ll want to add extra matcha because the ice in it will melt and water down your drink. When sweetening a cold drink you’ll want to use liquid sweeteners that are easily dissolvable in cold temperatures such as honey, agave nectar, simple syrup, and creamers.

Is Starbucks Matcha Latte Healthy?

Starbucks matcha lattes are definitely okay when drank in moderation. Starbucks does add a decent amount of sugar to their drinks which is the main reason to look out for these drinks. But to avoid this you can always ask your barista to make the drink less sweet which for them means not adding as much matcha powder and you can skip any unwanted fats by asking for non-fat milk as well. Of course, the drink won’t taste as good but at least this way you don’t have to worry about a lot of sugar and fats from your drink.

How do you sweeten a matcha latte?

You can add pretty much any flavoring to a matcha latte. If it’s hot you can add sugar, stevia, honey, agave nectar, condensed milk, creamer, etc. If you want to sweeten an iced matcha latte then you can use honey, simple syrup, or other easily soluble sweeteners like creamers.

What type of matcha does starbucks use?

Starbucks uses sweetened matcha powder. This sweetened matcha powder is essentially just a matcha powder mixed with sugar. The downside to them using a presweetened matcha powder is that you can’t really ask for the drink to be made less sweet without losing out on matcha powder.

Why you’ll love it

Matcha powder: It’s of the utmost importance that you use ceremonial grade matcha as this is the matcha that is made for drinking. High-grade matcha is a higher quality matcha powder because of the way its harvested. When comparing culinary matcha to ceremonial matcha you’ll find that culinary matcha is more bitter tasting while ceremonial has natural hints of sweetness to it. You’ll also notice a big difference in their color, culinary will be a lighter green while ceremonial will be a darker green due to the concentration of chlorophyll in the leaves when the matcha green tea leaves was harvested and ground up.

Milk options: Any milk will work for a matcha latte. With that said the kinds of milk that taste the best in a matcha latte are…

  • Oat milk
  • Soy milk
  • Almond milk
  • Milk

This is because these kinds of milk aren’t too overpowering and don’t take away from the taste of the matcha. For example, coconut milk might come off too coconutty if used in a matcha latte and end up overpowering the matcha. The drink will still taste great but it might not be the flavor most people are looking for when making a matcha latte.

Hot vs Iced: Which Matcha Drink is Better?

Matcha lattes can be enjoyed hot or cold. If you enjoy the drink iced don’t forget to add extra matcha as the ice will most likely water down the drink and take away from the taste.

matcha latte ingredients

What’s in a Matcha Latte?

Milk

Ceremonial Grade Matcha Powder

Honey, sugar, stevia, monk fruit sweetener, etc.

Creamy Starbucks Matcha Latte Copycat Recipe

How to make a Matcha latte

Equipment:

  • Heat safe serving cup
  • Whisk
  • Microwave, stove top, or milk steamer
  • Measuring cups, spoons, etc.

Recipe Calls For:

  • 1.5 tsp matcha powder
  • 12 oz milk
  • 1 tsp sugar (or more as desired for sweetness)
  • 1tsp warm water

How to make it:

  1. heat your milk in the microwave, over the stovetop, or using a milk steamer.
  2. whisk 2 tsp matcha powder into 1 tsp warm water until there are no clumps and a paste-like mixture is formed.
  3. pour heated milk into a heat-safe cup.
  4. Add matcha to the heated milk and stir until the milk turns a light green color.
  5. Top with matcha powder or milk foam and enjoy!

Recipe notes:

  • This recipe calls for the use of regular milk, but any milk can be used such as non-dairy kinds of milk plant-based milks.
  • For toppings, you can sprinkle on matcha powder for decoration. If you want to take this recipe to the next step you can make a milk foam by simply frothing milk and pouring it over the top.
  • Be sure to use high-grade ceremonial matcha as this is the best matcha for making beverages due to its color and subtle natural sweetness.
  • Matcha pairs well with pretty much any flavoring so don’t be afraid to add a splash here and there of vanilla or almond extract to really boost the taste of your drink.

Refreshing and Easy Iced Matcha Latte Recipe

starbucks iced matcha latte copycat
We Paired This Recipe with Our Delicious Matcha Cold Foam! Make sure to check this recipe out so you can top your matcha drink with it ☺️.  If You prefer regular cold foam than try our Creamy Cold Foam Recipe instead ☺️

How to make an Iced Matcha latte

Ingredients and equipment

Milk

Ceremonial grade matcha powder

Honey, simple syrup, agave nectar, cream, maple syrup (easily soluble sweetener)

Ice

Serving cup

Whisk

Measuring cups, spoons, etc.

Shaker bottle, mason jar, blender, cocktail shaker, etc.

Recipe Calls For:

  • 2 tsp matcha powder
  • 12 oz milk
  • 1 tsp simple syrup
  • 1tsp warm water

How to make it

  1. whisk 2 tsp matcha powder into 1 tsp warm water until there are no clumps and a paste like mixture is formed.
  2. fill your mason jar with ice
  3. Pour cold milk into mason jar.
  4. Add matcha to mason jar, cover with lid and shake like crazy until fully combined and the milk is a light green color.
  5. fill the serving cup with more ice if needed.
  6. Pour the drink into your serving cup.
  7. top with matcha powder or milk foam and enjoy!
Step 1 if using a shaker bottle: Add matcha, ice, syrup, and milk and shake vigorously
Step 2: pour contents into a glass cup filled with more ice and enjoy! Don’t forget to top with our matcha cold foam that we linked above!

Recipe notes:

  • This recipe calls for the use of a mason jar but you can use almost anything to shake your drink.
  • You can use any type of milk for these recipes. If you’d like a vegan matcha latte then simply switch out regular milk for a plant-based or other non-dairy milk. And switch out honey for agave nectar!
  • For an iced drink, you will want to use an easily soluble sweeter like simple syrup or honey since sugars typically don’t like to dissolve in cold temperatures.
  • Ensure that you use a high-grade ceremonial matcha powder as this is the highest quality matcha powder and is perfect for beverages due to its dark green color and natural sweetness.
  • If your matcha comes out clumpy you can use a mesh sieve or use a blender or immersion blender next time to ensure that there are no clumps.
  • Matcha pairs well with pretty much any flavoring so don’t be afraid to add a splash here and there of vanilla or almond extract to really boost the taste of your drink.
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