All you need are a few simple ingredients to make a cafe-quality iced matcha latte at home! This homemade matcha latte is lightly sweetened with maple syrup and ready in a couple of short minutes.
I love how easy it is to make an iced matcha latte. While I go the traditional route of using a bamboo whisk, you can make this without any equipment! Some days when I’m feeling fancy (or cold lol), I’ll bust out my milk frother for some warm, frothy milk for a warm matcha latte, but most days, an iced matcha latte gets the job done since it’s quick, easy, and tasty.
Why You’ll Love This Iced Latte Recipe
- According to my partner, this iced matcha latte tastes even better than the one at Starbucks. I love a good copycat recipe that costs a fraction of the original! Despite living a walking distance from a coffee shop, making iced lattes at home is a much more budget-friendly option.
- It’s easy to make. Because it’s an iced latte, there’s no need to heat up the milk, and the matcha latte comes together in only a couple of minutes.
- You can easily make this vegan.
What You’ll Need to Make an Iced Matcha Latte
- matcha powder — a finely grounded powdered green tea, matcha is full of antioxidants and health benefits! Make sure to good good quality matcha powder for the best results. I recommend using ceremonial grade matcha as it’s made with the premium, first harvest of the year. Ceremonial matcha has a deep green color and tastes more rich and more vibrant. Culinary-grade matcha may taste more bitter.
- milk — I’m using whole milk, but you can also use a non-dairy alternative such as almond milk.
- maple syrup — make sure you use real, pure maple syrup and not pancake syrup. They’re not the same! If you don’t have maple syrup, you can also use honey.
- ice — you can even make it with my Matcha Ice Cubes for more matcha flavor!
- water — make sure the water is hot but not boiling. Around 176°F (80°C). If the water is too hot, it will burn the matcha and leave a bitter taste.
Tools to Make Matcha
- matcha bowl (chawan) — you can use any bowl to whisk matcha in! Just make sure it has high walls so you can whisk the matcha without it spilling out. A spout is great as well, as it’ll make pouring the matcha easier. I have this beautiful ceramic bowl from ceramic artist Yutaka Ono.
- bamboo whisk (chasen) and whisk stand — a whisk is essential for matcha as it will whisk out the clumps and make the matcha frothy. If you do not have a bamboo whisk, you can use a small kitchen whisk or an electric whisk for frothing milk. If that’s still not an option, you can always add the matcha to a mason jar with the water and shake vigorously. The bamboo whisk should be soaked in warm water for a few minutes before using it to help to soften up the bristles to prevent them from breaking when you use it. The whisk stand is there to help the bamboo whisk retain its shape as it dries. The whisk can become moldy or crack if not dried properly.
- tea sifter — you’ll need a tea sifter (or any small sifter) to help remove any clumps from the matcha powder.
- bamboo tea scoop or ladle — or a measuring spoon of sorts. You’ll need it to scoop the matcha and to push it through the sifter.
How to Make Iced Matcha Latte
- Using a fine-mesh strainer, sift the matcha into a small bowl.
- Add the hot water to the bowl and whisk the matcha vigorously in an M shape until the matcha is frothy and there are no clumps.
- Add maple syrup to a glass of ice.
- Add the milk to the ice.
- Pour the matcha mixture into the milk. Stir until combined, and enjoy!
Tips
- Matcha is technically tea leaves grounded into powder, so it will never completely dissolve in water. So, it’s normal to see some flecks of matcha in your mixture.
- You can adjust the amount of water and milk added to the iced matcha latte depending on how creamy you prefer your latte.
- For good quality matcha, I like purchasing from Ippodo Tea, but sometimes I get dinged by duties. If you’re Canadian, Matsu Kaze Tea is a great alternative to order Japanese matcha!
- Try my Strawberry Matcha Latte for a matcha latte variation!
- If you want to change things up and not use maple syrup to sweeten your matcha latte, try using my homemade brown sugar syrup!
Matcha has more caffeine than regular brewed green tea but less than coffee and black tea.
Matcha is green tea that has been finely ground up into a powder.
Store your matcha in a cool, dry spot or in the fridge if you prefer. If you are storing your matcha in the fridge, be sure to bring the matcha to room temperature before using it. Good quality matcha tend to come in a tin of sorts because you want to make sure the matcha is in a dark, airtight container so it doesn’t oxidize as quickly. It’s best not to buy matcha in large quantities as the freshness will fade as it oxidizes after being opened.
If your matcha has a yellowish or brownish color to it, this usually indicates that mature leaves were used to make your matcha, making it a lower-quality matcha powder. This leads to your matcha tasting more bitter.
Iced Matcha Latte
Ingredients
- 1½ teaspoons matcha
- ¼ cup hot water, 176°F (80°C)
- ice cubes
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup, or honey
- ½ to 1 cup milk, or non dairy alternative
Equipment
- Bowl
- Whisk
- Sifter
Instructions
- Using a fine-mesh strainer, sift the matcha into a small bowl. Add the hot water to the bowl and whisk the matcha vigorously in an M shape until the matcha is frothy and there are no clumps.
- Add maple syrup to a glass of ice. Then top it off with milk and the matcha mixture.
- Stir to combine.
Nutrition Per Serving
More Drinks to Try
- Hojicha Bubble Tea
- Thai Bubble Tea
- Matcha Bubble Tea
- Vietnamese Coffee
- Earl Grey Milk Tea
- Vanilla Bean Latte
- Iced Caramel Latte
- Brown Sugar Latte
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Jeannie says
this is a good break for my regular hot matcha drink
nancy says
you make the match latte photos looks so pretty
Christina says
This is amazing! I tried it with soy milk and it’s so good!! Thank you 😊
Carmy says
Yay! Happy soy milk came out wonderfully!