How to Make a Green Tea Latte: Four Delicious Ways

Live Demo (Recording) of How to Make Easy Matcha Latte

My good friend, Pat from AllDayIEat and I did a Facebook Live session to show how to make an easy matcha latte. You can watch the recording of the session below.

Do you want to learn how to make a green tea latte taste delicious? You're in the right place! Today we're going to cover how to make a green tea latte the traditional way, as well as fast, cold, and coffee house options.

There are different ways to make a green tea latte, but all of them involve matcha, which is fine powder made from grinding a special variety of green tea.

Matcha has two unique characteristics in its farming and processing: first shade-grown for three weeks before it is harvested. Second, the plant`s stems and veins are removed when it`s processed.

In other words, matcha is not simply ground green tea leaves of any variety.

(If you're a matcha fan, you won't want to miss "25 Matcha Trivia You (Probably) Didn’t Know" for all kinds of interesting information!)

So, first things first: if you want to make a delicious green tea latte, you will need real matcha.

Pat has released a book (Simple Japanese Tofu Recipes to Cook Healthier at Home), which you can find out more about by clicking here.

Here is a link to the premium matcha I use in the video. This matcha is the one that won the Global Tea Championship in 2018.  Click here to get yours today.

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How To Make A Green Tea Latte: Traditional Version

Ready to learn how to make a green tea latte the traditional way? This method takes the most time but will generally yield the best flavor!

• Start with a wide mug that’s at least eight ounces in size.
• Using a fine sifter, sift about one teaspoon of matcha into the mug. The sifter helps break up clumps that may happen in storage. It’s important to use wide mugs as the tools to make the latte work better with more room.
• The next step is to heat some water. You can use either a tea kettle or a saucepan for this step, but the important thing is not to use boiling water in your latte.
• Remove 1/4 cup of water before it reaches a boil, or let the water stand after boiling for about a minute to reach the correct temperature. Boiling water will negatively affect the taste of the matcha and may make it taste harsh.
• Pour the hot water into the mug with the matcha, then combine it into a paste. You can use either a whisk or a handheld frother for this step. Bamboo whisks  are traditional and work the best, but the other methods will also work. Make sure the end result is a smooth paste with no lumps.
• At this point, you can heat up 3/4 cup of milk and one teaspoon of sweetener, such as sugar or honey. Use more or less sweetener as desired. Any milk can be used, including non-dairy and low-fat milk. However, take note that low-fat milk will produce less foam and have a less rich taste. Full-fat cow`s milk, coconut, or almond milk tend to work best.
• As with the water, do not let the milk boil. The best way to do this is to use a thermometer and only let it reach about 150 degrees Fahrenheit.

Green Tea Foam

In order to produce foam, you have a couple of options:

• If you have a handheld frother, you can run it for 30 seconds just below the surface of the warm milk.
• If you don’t have a frother, you can whisk the milk after you pour it into your mug.

Now you're ready to enjoy your latte!

Speed It Up: How to Make Green Tea Latte FAST

If you have less time, you might want to consider this faster method for making green tea latte.

This method involves combining the 3/4 cup of milk with the 1/4 cup of water in a microwave-safe jar.

• Place it in the microwave, uncovered, and cook it for two minutes. Watch it carefully to make sure it doesn’t boil.
• When the milk and water mixture is hot, sift in one teaspoon of matcha and your desired amount of sweetener. (In the quick method, it’s better to use a powdered sweetener such as sugar or a sugar alternative.)
• Seal and cover the jar, then shake it for a full minute.

Use a towel or potholder to protect your hands. If the jar does not have a lid, you can also use an immersion blender. This method only takes about 20 seconds.

This method doesn’t look as pretty as the long way, but it should have a similar taste.

Another method is heat the milk in the microwave oven and use a handheld frother to make it creamy. Put a teaspoonful of matcha powder in a cup and whisk it with 1/4 cup of hot water using a mini hand whisk. Pour the frothed milk into the cup of whisked matcha (add a sweetener if desired), mix with a teaspoon, and it is ready to drink!

Cool It Down: How to Make an Iced Green Tea Latte

In the summer, an iced green tea latte is just the thing to cool down and still get the same calming energy of matcha.

For this method, you’ll need a cocktail shaker, a jar with a lid, or a wide glass. Cocktail shakers work best for creating froth and making your latte nice and cold.

(Need to stock up on matcha? Shop our collection here)

• Put one cup of ice into the cocktail shaker, and then sift two matcha teaspoons into the shaker.
• Add half a cup of water and, half a cup of milk, and the desired sweetener. Again, higher-fat milk will produce more froth.
• Close the cocktail shaker and shake it for a full minute.

(If you don`t have a cocktail shaker, combine the above ingredients except for the ice using a stainless steel water bottle, either whisk or use an immersion blender to mix.)

• Once the mixture is combined, you can use it to create two smaller lattes or one large one.
• Add ice to serving glasses, and strain the mixture from the cocktail shaker into the glass.

If you used one of the other methods, then simply pour it in. If the mixture isn’t cold enough, try chilling it for a few minutes in the freezer first.

Iced green tea lattes are perfect, with a small amount of whipped cream to finish.

Unique, Fun Ways to Make Matcha Latte

Iced Matcha Banana Latte

Blend one sliced banana, drop of vanilla, and a glass of milk. Whisk the matcha with hot water as you usually do. Pour the banana mixture into the glass, then pour the matcha mixture.

Matcha White Chocolate

You can also use your favorite milk chocolate or cocoa bar in this recipe, although you matcha will become visible when you use white chocolate.

Chop your white chocolate bar into pieces, or use chocolate chips. Melt these in your saucepan. Slowly add half or one cup of milk while melting the chocolates. After the chocolates are melted, let them cool a bit and make your matcha mixture in your cup or mug. Then, pour the white chocolate mixture into your matcha mix. You can add whipped cream or foamed milk and sprinkle some matcha powder on top.

Strawberry Matcha Latte

This drink is frequently ordered in cafes, and now you can make it yourself with strawberry bits on top.

Combine strawberries and sugar in a blender to make strawberry syrup and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into your glasses, filling about 1/4 of each glass. Then. make your matcha mixture.

Like a matcha latte, put ice on the glasses and fill them with milk and the matcha mixture. You can put strawberry bits on top or slice a strawberry and put it on the side of the glass for decoration. Then, you can eat that strawberry after drinking your strawberry matcha.

How to Make a Green Tea Latte: Coffee House Style

Making a green tea latte similar to those found at coffee houses such as Starbucks differs only slightly from the methods we've covered. One difference is that vanilla syrup is often used as a sweetener.

• For an iced green tea latte, you can add about four teaspoons of matcha powder to one cup of milk and blend with a frother or electric whisk.
• Then add one cup of ice and mix in your desired amount of vanilla syrup.

Starbucks uses a premade blend of matcha powder and sugar that goes into the cup first and is followed by steamed milk. Some coffee houses also use premade matcha and milk bases that can be added to ice, blended with ice, or heated up.

Sprinkling edible rose petals on top adds a garden aesthetic to your drink.

How To Make Matcha Latte Art

Latte art is all the rage...and it's no surprise! If you want to learn how to make matcha latte art for yourself, we've got you covered. Here is a video of my friend Yi from Yi Reservation making matcha latte art. Click here for his matcha macaron video recipe.

We first published this post in 2017, and it was updated in 2024 just for you.

This article was originally published on T-Ching, where my article is featured.

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- Kei and Team at Japanese Green Tea Co.