This Almond Milk Matcha Latte is a healthy, delicious boost of energy for any time of day. Matcha (a powdered form of green tea) is mixed with plain almond milk and a bit of honey. It’s simple and easy to make and a great alternative to coffee.
And by making a matcha latte with almond milk, it’s also dairy-free. Plus it’s naturally gluten-free, Paleo and can be made vegan.
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Why this recipe works
Matcha lattes have become popular in the U.S. in the past 5-10 years. There’s even a version at most coffee shops now, like Starbucks. But matcha has been popular in Japan, where it’s mostly grown, for much longer. It was originally introduced to Japan from China around the 1100s.
Matcha tea is made from the same plant as green tea yet it’s prepared differently. The most obvious difference is that it’s ground into a powder and dissolved in water. Green tea, on the other hand, is consumed by steeping whole leaves in water.
This, plus other differences in the way it’s processed, gives matcha a different nutrient profile than green tea. For more information on matcha and how it’s difference from green tea and coffee, please see the FAQ section below.
To make your own matcha latte at home, you can use just about any milk you like. But we’re making this matcha latte with almond milk. Not only does it taste good, it also makes this a dairy-free matcha latte.
And while I like to use an instant read thermometer to warm the milk up to 150°, it’s not absolutely necessary. If you have one, great. If not, don’t worry about it.
And you don’t even need any special equipment to froth the milk! I show you my favorite method, requiring only a glass jar and a towel. (But if you have a milk frother, it’s fine to use that instead. You could also just blend it in a blender but it won’t get as frothy.)
Because matcha can taste a little bitter on its own, adding a bit of honey helps balance the flavors without making it too sweet. But you can use maple syrup or agave nectar to make it vegan.
And while you can use the traditional tools to make a matcha almond milk latte – a bamboo whisk, scoop and stirrer – you can also use other tools you probably already have instead.
What you need
Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon matcha tea – it comes in culinary grade or ceremony grade; you want ceremony grade
- 2-3 tablespoons (approx. 1 oz.) hot water – doesn’t need to be boiling and in fact shouldn’t be as this would be too hot; bring the water just barely to a boil and then let it sit for about 3- minutes
- 1 teaspoon honey, or more depending on your taste – use maple syrup/agave nectar for vegan
- 1 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
Equipment:
- a bowl, preferably with a spout (like this matcha bowl) – but you can also use a measuring glass
- a teaspoon-sized bamboo scoop – but a teaspoon from a set of measuring spoons is just fine too
- a bamboo whisk – before I bought one, I used a clean vegetable brush and it worked fine!
- a mug
- a bamboo stirrer – but a small whisk or even a spoon works too
- a small saucepan
- an instant read thermometer (optional)
- a heat-proof glass jar with a tight lid
- a kitchen towel
How to make an Almond Milk Matcha Latte
Step 1
Add the matcha to a bowl (or measuring glass). Add the hot water.
Step 2
Using a bamboo whisk or vegetable brush, whisk in an “M” motion to dissolve the tea in the water. This will dissolve the tea quickly and evenly. If you do it quickly (but not too quickly or it’ll spill over the sides), it’ll also get a bit frothy which is nice.
Step 3
Pour the dissolved tea mixture into a mug.
Add about 1 teaspoon of honey and stir until dissolved, using a bamboo stirrer, small whisk or spoon.
Step 4
Pour the almond milk into a saucepan and set it over medium heat. Once it starts to just barely bubble around the edges (or reaches 150° on an instant read thermometer), take it off the heat.
Step 5
Pour the hot milk into a heat-proof jar and seal the lid tightly. Wrap in a towel (because the jar will be hot) and shake vigorously for about a minute. This is a fast and easy way to froth milk! You can also use a milk frother.
Step 6
Pour the frothy milk into the tea, spoon over any froth left in the jar on top of the tea and enjoy!
FAQ
Coffee is made from a coffee bean (actually a seed) that is dried, roasted and ground. One cup (or 8 oz.) of brewed coffee contains about 95 mg of caffeine. It contains antioxidants and other nutrients.
Matcha is made from a plant grown in the shade. The leaves are stripped of their stems and veins and then ground into a powder. One cup (or 8 oz.) of matcha prepared in water contains about 20-44 mg of caffeine.
Matcha is high in antioxidants and a compound called L-theanine. This compound helps stabilize the energy boost you get from matcha’s caffeine so you don’t get the same energy crash you can from coffee.
Matcha is a type of green tea. Both matcha and other green teas are made from the sample plant (Camellia sinensis). Whole matcha leaves are ground into a powder. Green tea leaves are left whole and steeped in water.
Because of the way its grown and consumed, matcha contains more antioxidants than other types of green tea.
One cup (or 8 oz.) of matcha prepared in water contains about 20-44 mg of caffeine. One cup of green tea has about 30-50 mg of caffeine.
Matcha tea has an earthy, bitter flavor. While some people like it (if not immediately, then they get used to it and eventually come to enjoy it), others do not. That’s why matcha is often sweetened to make the drink more balanced.
Most coffee shops either use a pre-made, sweetened mix for their matcha lattes that they then blend with frothed milk, or they prepare their own matcha from scratch and add sweetener directly to the tea.
There are many ways to sweeten matcha. The easiest way is to add sugar or honey to hot matcha once the tea has been dissolved in water. You can also use maple syrup or agave nectar (especially if you’re vegan).
I don’t recommend date syrup as its taste is much too overpowering.
I recommend starting with about 1 teaspoon of sweetener for every 8-10 oz. of prepared matcha or matcha latte. You can always stir in more if you want it sweeter.
One cup (or 8 oz.) of matcha prepared in water contains about 20-44 mg of caffeine. By comparison, coffee contains about 95 mg of caffeine per cup. Green tea typically contains about 30-50 mg of caffeine per cup.
You can use sugar or maple syrup in place of the honey.
For a vegan option, use sugar, maple syrup or agave nectar.
You can use unsweetened plain cashew milk in place of the almond milk.
You can add ¼-½ teaspoon of vanilla extract to the milk before frothing it.
You can store the prepared matcha latte in the fridge for up to 5 days (or by the expiration date on the almond milk, if it’s sooner). You can then warm it up in a saucepan over low heat but the milk won’t be as frothy anymore.
Other recipes you might like:
- Matcha Chia Pudding (dairy-free, vegan, Paleo)
- Paleo Gingerbread Latte (dairy-free, vegan)
- Mango Kale Smoothie (dairy-free, vegan, Paleo)
- Frozen Pineapple Virgin Margarita (dairy-free, vegan, Paleo)
- Honeydew Mint Cooler (dairy-free, vegan, Paleo)
Almond Milk Matcha Latte
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon matcha tea
- 2 tablespoons hot water (bring water to a boil, then remove from heat for about 3-5 minutes)
- 1 teaspoon honey or more to taste (see notes)
- 1 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
Instructions
- Add the matcha to a bowl, preferably with a spout (or measuring glass). Add the hot water.
- Pour the dissolved tea mixture into a mug. Add about 1 teaspoon of honey and stir until dissolved, using a bamboo stirrer, small whisk or spoon.
- Pour the almond milk into a saucepan and set it over medium heat. Once it starts to just barely bubble around the edges (or reaches 150° on an instant read thermometer), take it off the heat.
- Pour the hot milk into a heat-proof jar and seal the lid tightly. Wrap in a towel (because the jar will be hot) and shake vigorously for about a minute. This is a fast and easy way to froth milk! You can also use a milk frother.
- Pour the frothy milk into the tea, spoon over any froth left in the jar on top of the tea and enjoy!
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