You already know that green tea is a delicious, healthy beverage, but you might not be aware of just how versatile your favorite tea can be. A wide variety of beverages, desserts, and baked goods blend the rich, satisfying taste of milk with the subtle, earthy flavor of green tea. The possibilities are endless, but we’ve listed ten of our favorite green tea recipes below.
1. Matcha Green Tea Latte
Matcha lattes are delicious, healthy, and easy to make. For the uninitiated, matcha is a powder made of ground green tea leaves. Whereas green tea leaves are steeped in hot water before use, matcha powder is blended directly into recipes or beverages. If you’re drinking matcha by itself, a fine “ceremonial grade” matcha powder is recommended. For a nice latte, on the other hand, a more affordable “culinary grade” powder will do the trick.
To begin, use a bamboo whisk to blend a teaspoon of matcha powder into 1/4 cup of boiling water. Then, add milk and sweeten the latte to taste with agave nectar or other natural sweeteners. It’s that simple! This tried-and-true latte recipe is delicious hot, but you can also combine the ingredients cold in a jar with ice and shake vigorously for a yummy, chilled alternative.
2. Matcha Cupcakes
Culinary grade matcha is perfect for baking. Not only is it healthy and flavorful, but it adds a dramatic splash of green to baked goods without the use of artificial dyes. Adding matcha powder to your next batch of treats will imbue them with an eye-catching grass green color derived from a natural, healthy source.
Cupcakes are the perfect confectionary candidate for the vivid green of matcha powder. Just add two tablespoons of matcha green tea powder to your favorite vanilla cupcake recipe for every cup of milk or buttermilk. Don’t forget to sprinkle a little matcha powder onto your decadent frosting of choice.
3. Green Tea Pudding
Lots of delicious, milky desserts benefit from the earthy flavors of matcha powder. For example, adding a tablespoon of culinary grade matcha powder to your favorite pudding recipe will add both color and flavor to a classic sweet treat. For extra presentational flair, sprinkle additional matcha on top of the pudding.
4. Green Tea Lassi
Lassi is a traditional yogurt-based Indian beverage. A version of lassi with turmeric powder is a popular folk beverage all across India, but lassi with green tea also has devotees all over the world. Sip this mild, chilly beverage on a warm summer day and you’re sure to understand why.
Lassi is very simple to prepare. You’ll just need equal parts plain yogurt, milk, and a teaspoon or two of matcha powder. Beat the ingredients together thoroughly and sweeten to taste with agave nectar. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can add a teaspoon of lemon juice for a little citrus kick.
5. Matcha Donuts
As with cupcakes, donuts are great for showcasing personality through playful presentation. The vivid green color of matcha can give your next batch of donuts an eccentric style all their own.
A few tablespoons of culinary grade matcha powder will blend well into any donut recipe, but you should also consider whipping up a sweet matcha glaze to get the full effect. Our favorite matcha glaze recipe calls for half a cup of whole milk, two cups of powdered sugar, and two tablespoons of matcha powder.
6. Green Boba Tea
Boba tea is a popular treat throughout East and Southeast Asia. It’s also sometimes called “bubble tea”, a reference to the black tapioca pearls that rest at the bottom of the cup. The classic black tapioca bubbles can be purchased at many Asian supermarkets. They’re also widely available online.
The body of the drink calls for a handful of ice cubes and equal parts brewed green tea and milk. An optional teaspoon of matcha powder can add a splash of rich green color. Mix everything together in a cocktail shaker and you’ll have a full serving of naturally colorful milk tea ready to pour. If you’re adding tapioca pearls to your beverage, make sure that you drink it through a wide enough straw to get the full boba tea experience.
7. Green Tea Ice Cream
Green tea is one of the most delicious ice cream flavors. Many popular brands offer their own spin on green tea ice cream. Alternatively, you can make your own by adding a tablespoon of culinary grade matcha powder for every cup of wet ingredients in your favorite ice cream recipe.
8. Matcha Custard
For the ultimate marriage of healthful green tea and decadent dessert, we highly recommend incorporating the flavors of green tea into your next batch of custard. Only a teaspoon of culinary grade matcha powder is required for every cup of wet ingredients. The results are visually stunning, rich in antioxidants, and absolutely delicious.
9. Milky Green Tea Popsicles
Just like all the best homemade popsicles, green tea popsicles are very simple to make. The recipe calls for two teaspoons of culinary grade matcha powder for every cup of milk. Sweeten the mixture to taste with agave nectar and freeze it for five hours in your favorite popsicle mold.
10. Matcha Smoothies
Adding green tea to your favorite healthy smoothie is a simple way to give it added flavor and a little kick of caffeine. The taste of green tea pairs well with just about every fruit combination under the sun, but our personal favorite recipes bring together matcha powder, milk, and vanilla for a rich, refreshing flavor.
You can adjust our simple vanilla variation with mint, citrus, or even a little protein powder if that’s your style. You can also mix a few teaspoons of matcha into your own go-to smoothie for an easy antioxidant upgrade.
Conclusion
The delicious flavor of green tea can spruce up your favorite go-to recipes or inspire you to try something outside your comfort zone. As these lattes, cupcakes, and custards prove, matcha and milk are truly a match made in heaven.
Read more matcha and green tea recipe through my book.
A Book about homemade recipes using the amazing matcha & green tea that every American can enjoy.
The recipes in this wonderful cookbook by Kei Nishida highlight the uses of matcha and green tea as main ingredients. It educates and informs readers on the essence and importance of green tea to health and our overall well-being. Readers gain basic knowledge needed about brewing tea, modernized varieties of green tea beverages such as smoothies and cocktails and pastries such as bread, cakes, and the making of sweets.
The book also has over 200 clear images of most of the ingredients and food mentioned so that readers can get a vivid visualization and step-by-step guide to all the recipes given.
Editor’s note: This post has been updated from the original two-part 2018 version.
Photo “Matcha Banana Smoothie” is copyright under Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic License to the photographer “jamieanne” and is being posted unaltered (source)
I love the growing popularity of using matcha in baking and drinking interesting beverages. You’ve made it exceptionally simple to create something unusual and delicious.