Start your morning with this delicious and refreshing Matcha Smoothie made with banana, almond milk, and green tea powder.

Glasses containing Green Tea Smoothie.

Need a picker-upper? Made with banana, almond milk, and green tea powder, this vegan Matcha Smoothie (抹茶スムージー) is the perfect refreshing drink for mornings or after your run.

Out of the wide variety of smoothie recipes offered on the internet, this one is the way to go. Matcha is a delicate flavor, and when combined with banana, it makes an unmatchable creamy deliciousness. As a traditional flavor, matcha is used in many Japanese desserts and drinks; however, its integration into smoothie culture has transformed it into a refreshing and energizing treat to be enjoyed.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • It provides you a long-lasting energy without the crash. Matcha is well-known for its ability to energize because the caffeine is let out slowly, giving you a longer hit of energy, unlike your average shot of espresso.
  • Matcha has many health benefits, which include vitamin C as well as antioxidants.
  • Helps curb your midday sugar cravings. My recipe includes banana and no other sweeteners. With the natural sweetness from bananas, you’ll feel full and satiated for a long time. It’s the perfect healthy and tasty refreshment.

As a matcha lover, this drink is the perfect break from your average Matcha Latte or Iced Matcha Latte. With the health benefits and tastiness this drink brings, this easy recipe is perfect for anyone looking for a nutritious supplement.

Glasses containing Green Tea Smoothie.

How to Make Matcha Smoothie Recipe

The Ingredients You’ll Need

  • Banana (or Frozen Banana)
  • Ice cubes – Leave out the ice cubes if you use a frozen banana.
  • Unsweetened almond milk – Alternatively, you can use dairy milk, coconut milk, and oat milk.
  • Ceremonial-grade matcha (green tea powder)

The Cooking Steps

  1. Put ice and a banana at the bottom of your blender. If using frozen banana, you can skip the ice.
  2. Pour almond milk (or your choice of milk) and add matcha green tea powder on top.
  3. Blend well until smooth and thoroughly combined.
  4. Serve as is in glasses or chilled.

Matcha vs. Green Tea

First, let me clarify that there is a common misconception between green tea and matcha. Unlike regular green tea, matcha is made from shade-grown tea leaves that have been stone-ground into fine powder.

While green tea is an infusion of tea leaves, matcha incorporates the entire leaf, resulting in a more concentrated source of nutrients and caffeine. Thus, matcha is not something you can make by grinding green tea leaves that you would normally drink at home or in a restaurant. For this recipe, you must use matcha (green tea powder) and not green tea leaves.

You can read all about matcha in this article.

Matcha Shopping Tips

For great quality matcha, I recommend Ippodo Tea (一保堂). They have a store in NYC and you can also purchase their tea on Amazon!

You can also find a small tin or bag of matcha powder imported from Japan at Japanese grocery stores like Mitsuwa, Marukai, and Nijiya, or local tea shops.

Ceremonial grade matcha is what you need for making matcha beverages.

Recipe Tips and Techniques

  • When making a smoothie, make sure to add the most difficult-to-blend ingredient (ice for this instance) at the bottom of your blender first.
  • If the consistency isn’t right, try adding more liquid.
  • If the taste/lack of sweetness isn’t to your liking, try adding a tiny spoonful of honey or agave syrup to sweeten the smoothie in a healthy manner.
  • To achieve an even more creamy texture, try adding yogurt to the mixture. 
  • To amp up the nutrients of the matcha smoothie, feel free to sneak in some greens. A handful of chopped kale or baby spinach works well with this smoothie. Use less if you don’t wish to overpower the taste of matcha.

How to Store Matcha Smoothie

  • To Store: Refrigerate leftover matcha smoothie in an airtight container or mason jar for up to 2 days for maximum freshness.
  • To Freeze: Freeze the matcha smoothie in a well-sealed container for up to 3 months. Defrost before enjoying.
Glasses containing Green Tea Smoothie.

More Matcha Drinks & Desserts to Enjoy

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Glasses containing Green Tea Smoothie.

Matcha Smoothie

4.84 from 25 votes
Start your morning with this delicious and refreshing Matcha Smoothie made with banana, almond milk, and green tea powder.

Video

Prep Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 3 minutes
Servings: 2

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 banana
  • 5 ice cubes
  • ¾–1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or cow‘s milk, coconut milk, and so on)
  • 1 tsp matcha (green tea powder)
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.

Instructions
 

  • Gather all the ingredients.
    Green Tea Smoothie Ingredients
  • Peel 1 banana. Add the banana and 5 ice cubes to an electric blender/mixer or NutriBullet.
    Green Tea Smoothie 1
  • Pour ¾–1 cup unsweetened almond milk and add 1 tsp matcha (green tea powder) on top.
    Green Tea Smoothie 2
  • Blend until all the ingredients are combined and smooth. Pour into individual glasses and serve.
    Green Tea Smoothie 3

Nutrition

Calories: 72 kcal · Carbohydrates: 14 g · Protein: 2 g · Fat: 1 g · Saturated Fat: 1 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g · Sodium: 124 mg · Potassium: 211 mg · Fiber: 2 g · Sugar: 7 g · Vitamin A: 138 IU · Vitamin C: 5 mg · Calcium: 117 mg · Iron: 1 mg
Author: Namiko Hirasawa Chen
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: green tea powder, matcha, smoothie
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4.84 from 25 votes (20 ratings without comment)
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This has become my twice daily comfort drink during the pandemic of 2020. Thank you for posting this, Nami!5 stars

Hi there! I am interested in making this for my family, but I have a couple of members who are allergic to banana 🙁

Any chance you could recommend a substitute ingredient?

An over ripe pear would be pretty close, but other fruit like mango or papaya could work. I bet even berries would be great, especially blueberries.

I’m in love with this smoothie! It’s very easy to make, healthy and refreshing. Great snack for summer. Sometimes I freeze the banana beforehand and just skip the ice cubes. Thanks for the recipe.

MMMM I made this matcha smoothie and it is so yummy and simple. I like how there is no need to add any sugars or syrups. Nice, healthy, and simple recipe 🙂

You should freeze the banana, and ditch the ice cubes

i like to make matcha smoothies too on my fr

Love this recipe! I’m always looking for new ways to enjoy my matcha. I can’t get enough. Your site rules btw!

Thanks for sharing this recipe. It was excellent. I also ordered some stuff from Season with Spice and it came within a day. Wow. Thanks again!

Can this be made without banana?

Hi! I love your website and your recipes and I wanted to give this green tea smoothie a try. It looks yummy!

However, I do have a question before I make this smoothie. Now, I have matcha at home but I can’t eat bananas because I have a banana-intolerance. Can I use silken tofu as an alternative or are there other alternatives?

Oh, Nami! As I’m typing this I’m sipping my matcha smoothie and it is my NEW FAVORITE MID MORNING SNACK!
I know my family will love it, too because it will satisfy their sweet tooth! Thank you, thank you, for sharing this and I hope you have more smoothie recipes!

Thanks for posting this. I’ve been having smoothies for breakfast daily now and it’s been great. Very filling and at the same time, I’m having my daily portions of vegetable without having to chew anything… I usually use spinach or kale for my green smoothies.

Nami! Have a great trip to Japan! I can’t wait to read about all the food you eat and all the places you go. Are the kids doing some school in Japan again? Take care and bon voyage!

I actually make these all the time, instead of going to starbucks for the green tea frappuccino! But I never thought of adding bananas. I’ll try that next time! Bullets are great at making smoothies!

I tried it, and it was amazing! I love the hint of banana 🙂 It makes the smoothie thicker too! Thanks for the great idea 😀