Iced Matcha Strawberry Latte

SnackHealthyGluten-FreeVeganVegetarianEasy / BeginnerLactose-freeSugar-FreeDairy-FreeSweet10 minute

15 May

Written By Claudia

This iced matcha latte is mixed with strawberry milk cream to create a refreshing, sweet and creamy matcha fruit drink with a beautiful swirling pattern of pink and green :)

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CONTENTS OF THIS RECIPE POST

I always recommend reading the entire post to get the best understanding of the recipe, helpful tips, information about ingredients, storage advice etc. Here’s a look at what topics are included in this recipe post :)

WHAT INGREDIENTS GO INTO AN ICED MATCHA STRAWBERRY LATTE?

MATCHA

What makes this a latte, is the matcha. It also gives the beautiful green colour to this drink which blends so well with the pink layer to create a beautiful effect. There are 2 ingredients needed to prepare matcha.

Matcha Powder
I recommend using a high quality matcha powder with a vibrant green colour for the best result in terms of both flavour and appearance. If you can get it, japanese ceremonial grade matcha powder is generally the highest quality available.

Water
Whisking hot water with matcha powder is what creates the matcha. The water should not be hotter than 80°C (175°F), to prevent scorching the matcha powder and bringing out a bitter flavour.
I always use a Japanese tea set containing a tea bowl, bamboo scoop and bamboo whisk to measure and prepare my matcha because it gives the best and most authentic result - a smooth matcha with no clumps and a delicate, frothy layer of foam on top. If you would like to know more about properly preparing matcha using a tea set and some helpful tips and information on creating the best matcha at home, read this post.

FOR THE STRAWBERRY MILK CREAM

Thickened Cream a.k.a Heavy Cream
This will thicken the milk and add a creamy texture and flavour to the latte.
Milk
This will make the cream more liquid so that even when blended it will still pour into and swirl in combination with the green layer to create a beautiful pattern in the glass. If it were just cream and strawberry puree - with no milk - then it would instead be a strawberry foam which would sit as it’s own separate pink layer on top of the green matcha latte without combining; and would create a different appearance and drinking experience.
Strawberry Puree
This adds a fruity flavour and sweetness, as well as providing the beautiful pink colour when blended with the dairy ingredients. I use homemade strawberry puree which contains strawberries, lemon juice and sugar.

FOR THE ASSEMBLY:

Ice
It wouldn’t be an iced latte without the ice! You can use as much ice as you like in your lattes. I don’t provide a quantity as I know it is a matter of personal preference :)
Milk
I first pour milk into the serving glass over the ice, then add the prepared matcha. These two combine to create a soft green coloured layer. I then pour over the strawberry milk cream foam.

Preparing your matcha using a Japanese tea set containing a chawan (tea bowl), chasen (bamboo tea whisk) and chashaku (bamboo tea scoop), will create the best and most authentic matcha.

Perfectly smooth with no clumps and a delicate, frothy layer of foam on top :)

ADDING SWEETENER

If you want more sweetness in your latte to balance the strong matcha flavour, you can mix some maple syrup, simple syrup, sugar or honey into your milk before adding it to the glass and once you have poured in the matcha, stir to combine it well with the milk before adding in the strawberry milk cream. You could also add some sweetener to the strawberry milk cream if you like :)

CAN I MAKE MY ICED STRAWBERRY MATCHA LATTE LACTOSE-FREE?

Yes, of course! :)

You just need to substitute the milk with a lactose-free milk or even a plant-based milk if you like.

Then substitute the thickened cream with a lactose-free thickened cream or vegan thickened cream.

Your results will be the same but you won’t have to worry about any lactose being in your delicious iced matcha strawberry latte!

CAN I MAKE MY ICED MATCHA STRAWBERRY LATTE VEGAN?

Yes, you can! :)

Using a vegan milk such as oat milk or soy milk for this latte rather than dairy milk will work perfectly.

As for the strawberry milk cream foam, you will need to substitute the thickened cream with a vegan thickened cream product or other vegan substitute for thickened cream you may be accustomed to using in recipes. You can let me know in the comments what you normally use as a substitute and if it works well with this recipe :)

RECIPE

ICED MATCHA STRAWBERRY LATTE

Serves: 1

Time: 10 minutes

Difficulty: Easy / Beginner

INGREDIENTS

Ice, as much as you like
40ml milk

FOR THE MATCHA

2g (2 chashaku scoops) matcha powder
80ml (1/3 cup) water

FOR THE STRAWBERRY MILK CREAM

60ml thickened cream (a.k.a heavy cream)
40ml milk
2 tbsps strawberry puree, or more as desired

METHOD

To prepare the matcha: (Click here to see video)
Start by preheating your chawan (tea bowl) with 80°C (175°F) water and soak your the tines of your chasen (bamboo whisk) in this water for 1-2 minutes. Remove the chasen, drain the water and wipe the chawan dry with a soft, clean cloth.
Sift matcha powder into chawan. Heat the 80ml (1/3 cup) of water to 80°C (175°F) and pour over matcha powder.
Using your chasen, whisk rapidly back and forth in a “W” or “M” shape, being careful not to rub your chasen against the chawan. Use the wrist and not the arm to make this whisking movement and whisk for 20 - 30 seconds until a delicate and frothy layer of foam has developed on the surface of the matcha.
For more information on preparing traditional matcha with a japanese tea set, you can read this post.
To prepare the strawberry milk cream:
Add thickened cream, milk and strawberry puree to blender and blend until it resembles a thickened strawberry milk.
To assemble:
Place ice in glass and pour over milk, then pour over matcha. The two will blend to create a soft green coloured iced matcha latte. Next pour over the strawberry milk cream and watch as the pink and green layers swirl together to beautiful pattern! :)