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Green Tea Latte 抹茶ラテ

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This recipe shows you how to make a creamy and frothy cup of Matcha Green Tea Latte. Enjoy this delicious drink at home by mixing bitter sweet matcha green tea with warm milk.

Green Tea Latte | Easy Japanese Recipes at JustOneCookbook.com

One of my guilty pleasures was to swing by Starbucks in the afternoon to get their Matcha Green Tea Latte (with just one pump of syrup) before picking up my kids.  Usually by the afternoon, I’ve already had a few cups of coffee/tea/chai, so I need something with a mild sweetness for my midday pick-me-up.  A smooth cup of matcha green tea latte is just perfect.

Watch How to Make Green Tea Latte 抹茶ラテの作り方

Bitter and sweet taste of matcha green tea mixed with warm milk for a delicious latte. Top with foam and sprinkle with matcha green tea powder.

It feels like a special treat, before diving into the hurried tasks of midday. However the cost adds up very quickly! I soon came to realize that I can actually buy 1-2 packages of good quality matcha green tea powder with the same cost as 2 cups of Green Tea Latte at Starbucks.  Now, I am embarrassed to tell you that my pantry has been stocked up with many matcha green tea powder packages already. I use the powder for many of my green tea baked goods, but it just never crossed my mind to use it for my daily cup of latte.

Once I started making matcha green tea latte at home, I know I am onto an afternoon ritual that will last for a long time. Stirring the lovely green hue in a cup has the effect of calming my mind, allowing me to take a mental break on a busy day. It’s therapeutic almost. Unlike espresso, you don’t need any special machine to make the latte; all you need is milk and matcha green tea powder.

Green Tea Latte | Easy Japanese Recipes at JustOneCookbook.com

The slightly bitter and sweet taste of matcha, when blend in with milk and a tiny bit of sugar, it makes the perfect cup of drink.  On a chilly day, the warm latte tastes extra good as I take slow sips from the cup. If you prefer the iced version of matcha green tea latte, it is as easy as using cold milk and adding in ice cubes.

To Make Foamy Froth for Matcha Green Tea Latte

ZENPRO-w120To make nice foamy froth, I now use ZENPRO Milk Frother and I LOVE IT!  I used to use this $2 IKEA frother which works great too.  But if you make Green Tea Latte often like I do, the ZENPRO milk frother is definitely nice to have!  

If you are interested in this product, ZENPRO offers JOC readers 15% off discount code ZENPRO15 for all ZENPRO products!   It’s a great chance! 🙂

However, if you don’t care much about the froth on top of the latte, and it still tastes wonderful without it.

Green Tea Latte | Easy Japanese Recipes at JustOneCookbook.com

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Green Tea Latte
Green Tea Latte | Easy Japanese Recipes at JustOneCookbook.com
Print
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
10 mins
 
Course: Drinks
Servings: 1 Cup
Ingredients
  • 1½ tsp matcha (green tea powder)
  • 1 Tbsp water (hot water but not boiling water
  • 1 cup milk (cows, almond, soy, etc)
  • 1 tsp granulated sugar (optional)
Instructions

  1. Gather all the ingredients.

    Green Tea Latte Ingredients
  2. Sift green tea powder into the cup to get rid of the lumps in the powder.
  3. Add hot (not boiling) water and whisk briskly until powder is all dissolved. This prevents the tea having lump in it so do not skip. The green tea paste should be smooth and foamy. I use a frother but you can also use a small regular whisk or chasen (bamboo whisk used for Japanese tea ceremony).
    Green Tea Latte 2
  4. Add milk and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat the milk over medium heat until small bubbles start to appear around the edge of the saucepan. Do not bring the milk to full boil. Turn off the heat. (Or use cold milk for iced latte)
    Green Tea Latte 3
  5. Froth the milk until foamy, about 10 seconds with a frother. If you don't have a frother, you can skip.
    Green Tea Latte 4
  6. Add the hot milk and foam in the cup and dust the green tea powder on the top. (Add ice for an extra cold iced latte).
    Green Tea Latte 5
Recipe Notes

My frother is from IKEA. It was $2.50 and it works great!

Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.

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  6. Yea, sometimes we are just lazy, but I agree with you! it’s so much cheaper when we actually make it yourself, and you made it soooo deliciously, Nami! Green tea latte is my favorite, as well as french vanilla but I sometimes mix both together…now I am craving it!:) Gorgeous pictures, and yummy video ( I love that “where you going?” LOL!)…I feel I can just grab your latte and go hahaha…
    Thanks for sharing and have a great evening!!!

    6
    Reply to Sandra | Sandra's Easy Cooking'> Reply

  7. Kimmi

    Thanks for sharing this quick and economic recipe for a delicious green tea latte! I hardly get Starbucks for fear of the immense amounts of sugar and cream, so I’d definitely look forward to controlling the amounts myself. The green is so brilliant — I’m thinking this would be a good alternative to Christmas cocoa. =)

    7
    Reply to Kimmi'> Reply

    • Hi Kimmi! It is really economic! At Starbucks, I only ask for one pump of syrup and it’s actually decent. When I first order it, I could barely finish the whole cup because it was so sweet. And that amount of sugar is very dangerous… probably it has at least 1 Tbsp of sugar is in there! Thank you so much for writing! 🙂

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      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  11. Hi Nami, thank you for this wonderful sharing. This is my first time leaving a comment here just out of randomness as we are quite into matcha things lately haha. I’ve tried making your matcha icecream before and it was incredible. I recalled you like your matcha icecream slightly bitter and you found most of the brands available slightly too creamy. Just wondering with this recipe would it also be slightly bitter? I’ve had matcha latte that I know contains enough matcha powder but it doesn’t come with that pleasant natural matcha aftertaste. I’d wonder if you have any recommendation in selecting matcha powder? (P.S. will definitely give the recipe a go!)

    11
    Reply to Ricky'> Reply

    • Hi Ricky! So happy you did, and thank you for stopping by! 🙂 For matcha ice cream, yes I really like the dense matcha taste, instead of creamy kind. So happy you liked it too!

      This matcha latte however is not so bitter. Well, it depends on how much you put green tea powder and sugar amount. I like this portion – it has sweetness to it but not heavily sweet. Since majority of content is milk, it’s “milky” I guess, but not creamy (no cream in it). This one has more like matcha and milk aftertaste, not just matcha (like ice cream). But it has enough match powder. I don’t mind increasing to 2 tsp. as well, but most people think of matcha latte as this current recipe (because that’s how Starbucks serve in a way).

      To select matcha… I’m not an expert but I definiteley buy decent matcha powder. I’ve seen very dull (not beautiful color at all) matcha powders in stores (probably mixed with something else? or bad quality?) and food blogs. I don’t think they taste very good. For this recipe, I use Season with Spice matcha (very tasty) but I’ve been using Maeda-en’s matcha powder for years. Their culinary level is enough for baking and drinking. They have more expensive line for making matcha (the real tea ceremonial matcha tea), but it’s not that necessary because we drink with milk. This jar costs $4 and I can make many matcha latte. Maeda-en culinary one is around $7 or so for 1 oz (28.5 g). Hope this helps. 🙂

      The key is to mix matcha and hot water very well until foamy. Then no lumps when you add milk. 🙂 Good luck, and hope you enjoy it! p.s. Say hello to Daisy for me. 😀

      46
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  12. Oh I definitely need to get me one of those frothers! I have some matcha in the pantry but I have never been very successful at making a frothy latte and I’ve always added the hot milk to the powder; therefore, lumps!!! Thanks for the method and the video! I’ll be giving this a try during the holidays. Yours looks SO GOOD! I’ll also have to take advantage of that discount from SwS. 🙂

    12
    Reply to mjskit'> Reply

  13. Hi Nami,
    The first time I had green tea latte was in Thai airport Starbucks outlet. I love it very much from the very first sip. It is like what you mention I too love the slightly bitter and sweet taste of matcha, with a bit of sugar and blending in milk, it is indeed perfect. Love it!

    Thanks for sharing 🙂
    mui

    13
    Reply to Doreen'> Reply

  30. cristina

    A deliciously tasty latte, Nami! I’m going to try it with my stash of matcha tea powder…and yes, love that frother from Ikea. Bought one years ago and it makes all the difference in the texture of the milk for my chai lattes every morning. Looking forward to making me a frothy cup of that green tea. Thanks for the inspiration…and love your images!! 🙂

    30
    Reply to cristina'> Reply

  31. It looks breathtakingly beautiful! Such a typically calm elegant Japanese photograph… I love it. Unfortunately, I really hate all kinds of latte (I have never liked milk -even as a child – and if I have it in coffee, it’s just a splash… like in Italian espresso macchiato) and it applies to matcha latte too.

    31
    Reply to Sissi'> Reply

  38. I love sweetened yet still slightly bitter matcha drinks (especially to accompany sweets because they taste great in contrast to each other)! I never go to Starbucks but I used to order things like this from coffee shops in Japan and Korea…

    I’ve also never bought matcha powder for cooking with/drinking in my own kitchen because it’s soooo expensive that I just can’t justify it, but I LOVE your way of looking at it– that one jar of matcha powder costs as much as two fancy coffee shop matcha lattes but could be used to make many more– that makes it seem so much more economical! I think now I can finally justify letting myself buy some. 🙂 Thank you, Nami!

    38
    Reply to Allison (Spontaneous Tomato)'> Reply

  39. Cece

    Hi there, I have a question about the green tea powder.
    I love green tea dessert. I have been getting the VERY expensive (Culinary Grade) Green Tea Powder from Japan. I am wondering if the green tea powder that we can get from the store which does not say Culinary Grade can be used for baking? Can I use green tea powder for drinks for green tea chiffon cake as well?

    39
    Reply to Cece'> Reply

    • Hi Cece! I’ve been using Maeda-en culinary grade green tea powder ($7) that I can get in Japanese supermarkets here in the US. They are great for baking and drinking (especially with milk). How much is the green tea powder (that doesn’t mention grade)? The Maeda-en’s real matcha (for tea ceremony) costs close to $20. I think the cost of your matcha costs close to that, I think it’s almost “wasteful” to use for baking and drinking (mixed with milk, etc). I think culinary grade is decent matcha for baking and drinking. Hope you can compare the price to see what grade it is. If you are in the US, Season with Spice matcha powder is around $4, but I’ve tested out and it is great quality for baking and drinking. 🙂

      49
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

      • Cece

        Hi there, thank you for answering my question. I actually got the exact same brand that you suggested. It is 1 oz and sold in a small tiny silver tin with a black lid. I can only find the Maeda-en Matcha at Amazon.com because I never thought about going to a Japanese store. It cost me $9.66. What color is your Maeda-en tin container? We don’t have many Japanese grocery in Dallas, Texas. I have no clue where to go to get the Matcha. My sister said she found some matcha powder at Daiso in Hong Kong and the package came with sugar mixed in. Do you think it is okay to use that and then minus the sugar that I am going to add to my recipe?

        65
        Reply to Cece'> Reply

        • Hi Cece! Sorry about my late response. First of all, I’m pretty sure the matcha with sugar in it is meant for cold matcha drink. You just mix with ice water and get matcha drink. That’s not for baking, so I don’t recommend.

          My matcha from Maeda-en is Culinary grade and it’s $6.99 at a Japanese grocery store. They also have 2 grades higher than culinary (I think) $10 something for drinking as matcha and $20 for tea ceremony grade. Those are too expensive for baked goods.

          Season with Spice matcha is very good price (If you buy, use the promotional code written above this recipe). I’m not sure how long they will keep the promotional, so if you plan to buy more matcha, try theirs. I’ve been using their matcha as well and it’s pretty good. 🙂

          79
          Reply to Nami'> Reply

    • You’re in NY, right, Kate? I recommend Season with Spice’s $4 matcha that I use in this post (discount code in the box above recipe – the box will disappear when the promotion is over). Or visit Japanese supermarket. I use Maeda-en brand green tea (culinary grade) for years and I like it a lot – which is $7 for 1 oz (28.5 g). Culinary grade is good enough for baking and drinks (mix with milk etc). Hope this helps. 🙂

      50
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

    • Mary B

      I buy Matcha from http://www.ocha.com. it comes in a week’s time from Japan. It is far superior than anything you can buy in the United States and it is reasonably priced. They sell all different grades but the best stuff is from the city of Uji near Kyoto. I make lattes with this but also matcha brownies and cheesecake and ice cream 😁

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      Reply to Mary B'> Reply

  42. Nami – we are soo similar…green tea latte from starbucks is def one of my simple pleasures in life hahah (a good chai does it too!)….most days at work….id take a special break and head to the nearest starbucks 😛
    This trip to Japan, I’ve bought quite a bit of good quality matcha powder as well as the matcha wooden stirrer as I saw in your photos in the background! Can’t wait to make my own latte this weekend 🙂

    42
    Reply to Vivienne'> Reply

  52. I used to be the same… my weakness was Starbucks Espressos, but a double wasn’t cheap! Finally I realised how silly it was to buy one every day and I spent €100 on a cheap filter coffee and espresso/cappuccino machine (2-in-1 thing). My trips to Starbucks dropped so much after that, that the next time I went there the girl gave me a free coffee because it was “so long since she’d seen me” (or maybe it was just my handsome face :p)!

    Loved that machine… could steam milk and everything… had to give it away when we moved :(. In Sweden such a machine is CRAZY expensive… at least €400… I don’t understand why they’re so much more. I’m going to have to have one IMPORTED from Amazon France I think just to get one at a reasonable price!

    59
    Reply to Charles'> Reply

  57. Alina

    I have never had a green tea latte before and am generally not a fan of milky drinks, but surprisingly this was really nice. The matcha flavour was subtle and I really enjoyed it. Going have to try and make a cold one too. Thanks again Nami.

    64
    Reply to Alina'> Reply

  58. Tina Driz

    Hi Nami the matcha green tea powder that you use here for latte can also be use for baking and icecream too? thanks for sharing because I also buy Starbucks green tea latte too cheaper this way 😀

    66
    Reply to Tina Driz'> Reply

    • Hi Tina! Yes, you can use this green tea powder for baking and ice cream. 🙂 Definitely cheaper and you will be very pleased! You can make a lot of latte at home with one cup of Starbucks green tea latte! 😉

      81
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  63. Lava

    I love Matcha– anything! It’s my favorite tea and favor for wagashi:) so I bought lots of matcha powder in Japan.

    I have a question. What exactly are those bamboo matcha whisks for. On the back of the matcha powder packet i bought, it says you can make matcha by shaking it in a flask. I’ve done it that way a few times and it tastes the same, but i notice that some of it doesn’t dissolve and bits float around in the tea. I’ve also tried whisking it with a spoon. Was thinking of the whisk would help with the dissolving cuz I don’t like bits floating around in the tea, but I’m not sure whether to buy one or not. Thank you:)

    71
    Reply to Lava'> Reply

    • Hi Lava! Sorry for my late response. The bamboo matcha whisks help dissolve matcha powder. The whisk is much finer than regular whisk we use in the ktichen, so you create a nice bubbly foam after you whisk matcha with hot water. However, you can use regular whisk (especially small and shorter one that fits in the mug cup) to do the same process and it works fine too. Spoon doesn’t really give a good “whisk”. I use this small whisk 1-2 eggs or dressing etc too, so I use it all the time. 🙂 Make sure your matcha is all dissolved and nice paste before adding milk. 🙂 Hope this helps!

      83
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  70. I started making my own green tea latte a while back and my own version of Starbuck’s White Chocolate Peppermint Mocha. Starbuck’s is so expensive! And I think I might prefer homemade because it’s exactly to my tastes. Thank you for this recipe!

    84
    Reply to Stephanie'> Reply

  71. KN.W

    OH MI GOD i must try this. I’m a make-it-yourself person by buying my own Monin syrups, which I saw were used by the local Starbucks anyway 😀 I don’t see why I must spend so much on luxury coffee drinks when I’m just a student hehe. Not to mention I love the taste of sweetened green tea. I will add a scoop of vanilla ice cream as my dinner dessert :D. Thanks for sharing and lovely photography sets by the way!

    85
    Reply to KN.W'> Reply

  73. Helgee

    Hi, Nami,
    Thanks so much for posting this. I made it this morning and it was easy and fast and above all, quite delicious. I don’t like the Starbucks lattes because they are too fattening. This is such an improvement. All the people who wrote in to say it looks good, try it because it is fantastic. I will be trying more of your recipes!

    88
    Reply to Helgee'> Reply

    • Thank you so much for your kind comment! So happy to hear you liked this recipe! It’s quite simple to make. Starbucks one is a bit too sweet for me (even though I ask for just one pump of syrup)… Really glad you enjoyed this. Thank you! xo 🙂

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      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  75. I LOVE your videos. Simple, no nonsense, and so clear. Just wonderful!! Where do you even get the time nami, I am so impressed. Now can I please have one cup of that spectacular looking latte? And btw, you need to open a restaurant – the old world, charming restaurant that people would love to go to because the owner is the sweetst thing ever who cooks outrageously great food.

    92
    Reply to [email protected]'> Reply

  77. Patty

    I just tried a Green Tea latte at Starbucks the other day. So good! I don’t know why I didn’t try it earlier. It was later in the day I remembered this recipe. Yay! Now I don’t have to pay for it. 🙂

    94
    Reply to Patty'> Reply

    • Hi Patty! We tend to drink the same drink(s) and I also stick with the ones I like… Glad to hear you tried Green Tea Latte! Hope you enjoy homemade ones. It’s not as sweet as Starbucks one (even with one pump!). They must put tons of sugar… 🙂

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      Reply to Nami'> Reply

    • Hi Dianna! Do you always like your Green Tea Latte to be sweet like Starbucks? Then you need to add more sugar. As I mentioned in my post, I only ask for 1 pump of syrup (they put like 3???) when I order my green tea latte at starbucks. This is less sweet green tea latte. Please adjust to your level of sweetness.

      If you have never tried green tea latte or green tea powder (matcha) before… well I guess the flavor is personal taste. The powder itself doesnt’ taste “delicious” – it’s very bitter and earthy… but when you flavor the food/drink with matcha, it adds wonderful flavor (only if you like green tea flavor though)….

      Hope this helps!

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      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  81. Sherry Hobson

    Thanks so much for the recipe. I just returned from Tokyo where I had the Starbucks Macha Latte. I fell in love with it. While I had previously purchased Macha at Teavana, I brought home two packets.

    I will peek in on your page often to see what else is enticing such as the truffles.

    Thanks again.

    102
    Reply to Sherry Hobson'> Reply

  85. Joanne Yi

    Oh my gosh! It was me swung by Starbucks for Green tea latte a couple of days ago. I didn’t know that they use only few drop of syrup. I just tried to make one for myself with your recipe and I am really delightful to enjoy this. I can’t say thank you enough.:)

    110
    Reply to Joanne Yi'> Reply

  87. Josey

    I was skeptical bc the ingredient list seemed too simple. but I tried it and it’s absolutely perfect. I substituted the sugar with honey and I used almond milk. Never have to go to a boba or coffee shop to get my fix anymore. Thanks for the recipe.

    114
    Reply to Josey'> Reply

  88. Heather

    I tried this and it just tasted like plant flavored milk, no matter how much sweetener I added. I ended up putting at least twice as much sweetener in this 8oz cup as I ever put in my coffee (which may be about a teaspoon for 14 oz coffee). It just tasted vaguely of peas with a bitter finish. I don’t know what brand matcha I used as it’s all in Japanese.

    116
    Reply to Heather'> Reply

    • Hi Heather! First of all have you tried Green Tea Latte or matcha before? Can you send me a picture of your matcha via email or tweet me? This recipe is consist of matcha, milk, and sweetner and it has to be the matcha quality… Matcha has been pretty popular these days and there are a lot of not-so-good quality out there…

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      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  89. Heather

    To clarify, I’ve drunk brewed green tea and made a nice latte with strong brewed green tea and honey. I could only get a few sips into the matcha latte. Maybe I’ll try next time with only 1tsp. Very sad to waste my milk and honey :o(

    117
    Reply to Heather'> Reply

    • Hi Heather! Oops, sorry I didn’t see your new comment. What do you mean by “brewed green tea”? You just need to mix matcha (green tea powder) and small amount of warm water… No “brewing” like we do for green tea (NOT matcha, the tea that serves at restaurant etc).

      Matcha – powdered green tea, NOT green tea that we drink by brewing.

      119
      Reply to Nami'> Reply

  91. Kirthi

    Just made this and I love it! It’s absolutely delicious! Instead of one tsp of sugar, I did a little less than one tablespoon because I have a sweet tooth 😉 Works well without a frother too!

    122
    Reply to Kirthi'> Reply

    • Matcha powder is very expensive (very labor intensive to create the powder) and to keep the fragrance and unique flavor, it’s better not to mix with strong flavored foods. It’s very bitter by itself (Have you had a chance to taste the matcha tea served at Japanese tea ceremony?), so it’s often served with sweets or mix with sweetner to enjoy.

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  93. Mary B

    My best friend who lives in Tokyo introduced me to green tea lattes last Thanksgiving when we drank them in the middle of Japan’s first snowstorm in November in 53 years. When I came back to the States, I went to Starbucks but was so disappointed in their green tea lattes because they taste nothing like the ones in Tokyo. I discovered the difference is that Starbucks uses a green tea concentrate (blech, mostly sugar) instead of real Matcha.

    I use a similar technique to yours at home with a few differences. I do not bother to add water to the Tea. I place the Matcha and a spoon of sugar in a teacup. I then heat the milk as you do and froth it with the same whisk from Ikea. I then pour a little bit of the hot milk into the teacup to dissolve the tea and sugar. I then add the rest of the milk and top it with foam -once in awhile, I add a drop of almond extract because Matcha and almond is a marriage made in heaven.

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    Reply to Mary B'> Reply

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