This cool and creamy Copycat Starbucks Iced Matcha Latte Recipe brings all the sweet and earthy flavors to the comfort of your own home! It’s a super easy tea latte recipe you can make in less than 5 minutes!
I love a good latte, whether a classic almond, soy, or lavender tea latte. Matcha green tea lattes have become all the rage lately!
The Starbucks iced matcha latte has been on the menu for quite some time. Maybe you’ve enjoyed it or seen people walk out of Starbucks with an enjoyable bright green drink and wondered what they were drinking.
Since a grande Matcha Latte at Starbucks can run you $4 or more, 200 calories, 5 grams of fat, and 28 grams of sugar, I thought I should try making my own healthier version at home.
This frothy copycat recipe is quick and easy and only requires a few simple ingredients! It’s also all-natural, low in sugar, low in calories, and will give you energy without the jitters like coffee.
Jump to:
🍵 What Is Matcha?
Matcha is a fine powder made from green tea leaves. Unlike green tea, which comes in a tea bag, matcha is a powder you stir in hot water or milk.
It is grown in a shady area and harvested after 3-4 weeks. The stems and veins are removed, and the leaves are dried and ground into powder.
It’s a healthy alternative to coffee or other high-caffeine drinks. It is earthy in flavor. Sweetened and served over ice, it’s a refreshing summer drink!
Grades of Matcha
There are three main types of matcha powder; ceremonial, premium, and culinary. The kind that you use depends on the application.
Ceremonial grade matcha is the highest quality and the most expensive. It is used for preparing tea for the Japanese tea ceremony. It has a bright green color, is slightly sweeter, and is the most finely ground.
Premium grade matcha is slightly lower quality than ceremonial grade. It has a fine texture, a beautiful green color, and an earthy flavor. I recommend using premium-grade matcha for matcha lattes and drinks.
The lowest quality is culinary-grade matcha, used for cooking and baking recipes. It has a slightly duller color than ceremonial and premium-grade matcha.
Benefits of Matcha
Matcha offers a range of potential health benefits due to its high concentration of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
- It is rich in catechins, a type of antioxidant.
- L-theanine can improve focus, concentration, and cognitive function.
- Supports liver function
- EGCG may help boost the immune system and reduce inflammation.
💗 Why You’ll Love This Iced Matcha Latte Recipe
Cost-effective: Making your matcha latte at home is more economical than buying one at a cafe.
Customizable: You can adjust the sweetness, type of milk, and other ingredients to suit your taste preferences.
Healthier: By making it at home, you can control the quality of ingredients, such as using organic matcha and natural sweeteners.
Refreshing: A homemade iced matcha latte is a refreshing and energizing drink, perfect for any time of day.
🥣 Ingredients and Notes
Matcha Powder: You’ll find two main types when buying matcha powder. Ones that include added sugars and other ingredients, and pure matcha powder. Get the kind that is pure matcha powder, no extra stuff! There are three types of pure matcha: ceremonial grade matcha, premium grade matcha, and culinary grade matcha. I recommend using premium grade matcha. It’s not as expensive as ceremonial, but higher quality than culinary.
Dairy-Free Milk: I used unsweetened almond milk for my recipe, but I also recommend oat milk or soy milk. Oat and soy milk will allow the flavor of the matcha to shine through.
Maple Syrup: You can add more or less than one tablespoon of maple syrup to the recipe. However, I recommend starting with one, tasting, and adding more if you think it needs more sweetness.
Vanilla Extract: The vanilla extract hints at the flavor in the Starbucks version.
Variations
Vanilla Syrup: In the original Starbucks version, vanilla syrup is used as the sweetener. Instead of maple syrup, and vanilla extract, you can use this syrup to provide both the hint of sweetness and vanilla.
Dairy Milk: If you prefer, you can use regular milk instead of dairy-free.
👩🏻🍳 How to Make Copycat Starbucks Iced Matcha Latte Recipe
- Add your milk of choice, a teaspoon of matcha powder, maple syrup, and vanilla extract to your blender.
- Cover and blend for 30 seconds to a minute until smooth and creamy.
- Pour over ice, and serve! Enjoy immediately!
❓FAQS
The best milk to use is the one that is your favorite! Oat milk will give you a frothier texture, whereas coconut milk will give you a slightly sweeter undertone. You can also use whole milk or regular milk if you choose. If you allow the matcha to blend for a minute, it will become smooth and frothy and have an excellent flavor.
All you need to do to create a warm latte is to steam the milk. You can do this by warming your milk on the stovetop and using a bamboo matcha whisk to create a frothy texture, then adding the other ingredients and whisking continuously until combined. If you still see lumps of matcha, place them in the blender and blend on high for 30 seconds to a minute. Then pour it into a mug and enjoy!
Yes, you can use different sweeteners. I recommend using a syrup sweetener such as vegan honey, agave nectar, or simple syrup. If you don’t have a syrup sweetener, I recommend a natural sweetener such as coconut or organic cane sugar. Just be sure that the sugar dissolves fully.
Yes! Matcha does have caffeine. This recipe has one teaspoon of matcha with about 68 grams of caffeine. A cup of coffee has about 100 grams of caffeine. Matcha contains slightly less caffeine than a typical cup of coffee.
📝 Expert Tips
- Use a blender for best results. Simply whisking the ingredients together will not be enough to remove any lumps and create a creamy, frothy texture.
- Use a matcha whisk to whisk together the matcha in warm water to dissolve before adding all of the ingredients to the blender.
- If you don’t have a blender use an electric milk frother or an electric whisk.
- Be sure to use fresh cold milk. This will result in a creamier consistency.
- Make sure to use pure matcha powder, not matcha mixes. This is a healthier option, with less sugar and calories. You’ll get all the benefits of matcha without any bad stuff!
🎥 Video
🫙 Storage
Making in Advance: You can certainly make this ahead of time. I recommend making it the night before if you like to have your latte in the morning. Blend all of the ingredients, and store them in an airtight container. The following day, shake it up and pour over ice. Enjoy!
Fridge: Store your matcha green tea latte in an airtight container. I prefer a mason jar with a lid. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. When ready to enjoy, give it a good shake and pour it over ice to enjoy.
😋 More Matcha Recipes!
Recipe
Copycat Iced Starbucks Matcha Latte Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk or milk of choice
- 1 teaspoon matcha powder pure matcha/no added sugars
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add your milk of choice, matcha powder, maple syrup, and vanilla extract to your blender.
- Cover and blend for 30 seconds to a minute until smooth and creamy.
- Pour over ice, and serve! Enjoy immediately!
Video
Notes
- Use a blender for best results. Simply whisking the ingredients together will not be enough to remove any lumps and create a creamy, frothy texture.
- Use a matcha whisk to whisk together the matcha in warm water to dissolve before adding all of the ingredients to the blender.
- If you don’t have a blender use an electric milk frother or an electric whisk.
- Be sure to use fresh cold milk. This will result in a creamier consistency.
- Make sure to use pure matcha powder, not matcha mixes. This is a healthier option, with less sugar and calories. You’ll get all the benefits of matcha without any bad stuff!
- Serve immediately over ice.
Holliday
10 stars out of 5! Oh my gosh SO GOOD! I have been trying to make a good matcha latte for months and this is SO good. It’s perfect. Best recipe.
Anthony
I’m a new Starbucks Match tea snob. It’s so good and I have been missing out on this delicious drink.
I found this recipe and had to try since I just bought matcha tea.
And I was so good. Thank you.
Alison Corey
So glad you enjoyed it!
Caitlyn Erhardt
This is one of my favorite drinks from Starbucks! Can’t wait to try this homemade version it looks so yummy!
Beth
This drink is going to be my daughter’s favorite! So excited to share this recipe with her! Perfect for summer too!
Biana
This matcha latte looks amazing! A perfect summer drink.
Jeff Albom
So good, I’ve been wondering how to make these. Thanks for the recipe.