The BEST Vegan Matcha Latte (Hot or Iced!) (2024)

Matcha is a green tea powder which is made by finely grinding the leaves of certain green tea plants. Matcha is often described as having a mild, grassy taste with sweet, nutty and bitter undertones. To prepare matcha, you whisk the matcha powder with hot water until it's fully dissolved and smooth. Then you can either add more water for plain matcha tea or add milk for a matcha latte.

How To Choose the Best Matcha Powder?

The first step when choosing matcha powder is too look at the color. You want to select one with a vibrant, deep, green color. If the color is yellow-ish, brown-ish or a darker green, that indicates the matcha is low quality, made from old leaves which grew towards the bottom of the plant or leaves that weren't properly shaded.

The second quality to look at is the texture and feel of your matcha powder. High quality matcha should have a fine, silky feel while low quality matcha will be coarser in texture.

Another test you can perform if you happen to have two or more brands of matcha on hand is to place a small spoonful of each on a table. Use your finger to pull some of the matcha down into a line on the table. If the line is uninterrupted and smooth, then that indicates your matcha is high quality. If the line is broken and sandy in texture, then the matcha is probably low in quality or even fake.

Step 1: Place your matcha powder and boiling water into a small bowl and whisk them together until no clumps remain.

Step 2: Pour the matcha mixture over non-dairy milk. For iced, use cold milk and add ice cubes. For a hot matcha latte, warm up your milk (and froth it if desired) before adding your matcha mixture.

I've never stored matcha latte in the fridge before because I personally like to enjoy mine fresh. However, if you enjoy iced vegan matcha lattes, you could make a double or triple batch and store the extra in the fridge for 1-2 days. Just don't add the ice until you're ready to enjoy your drink. If the matcha mixture and the non-dairy milk separate while in the fridge, just shake everything together well before enjoying.

✔️ Expert Tips

👉 If you're new to matcha, you may want to start with ½ teaspoon of matcha powder instead of the full 1 teaspoon. At this point I like to use 1 ½ teaspoons of matcha, so you'll probably grow to like the taste even more the more you make this vegan matcha latte.

👉 If you're lazy like my husband and I (or should we say efficient!), we almost always just add all of the ingredients into a wide mouth liquid measuring cup and blend everything together at once using an immersion blender. It works great and cuts out a few steps!

👉 Before you add your matcha mixture to your non-dairy milk, make sure you've whisked out all of the clumps. Drinking clumpy matcha lattes isn't very fun!

Is a matcha latte dairy-free?

This all depends on what milk you're using and whether you're using a matcha powder that is mixed with milk powder. If you make your matcha latte at home and use traditional matcha powder, you can make dairy-free lattes simply by using a non-dairy milk.

Which non-dairy milk is best for matcha lattes?

Barista oat milk works beautifully in non-dairy matcha lattes. If you don't have barista oat milk, another kind of barista non-dairy milk would work. You can even use plain non-dairy milk instead of the barista edition, but your matcha latte won't be as creamy and the milk won't froth well if you're making a hot matcha latte.

Does a matcha latte with almond milk have dairy in it?

This depends on where you are ordering your matcha latte from. If you are ordering a matcha latte from Starbucks and ask for almond milk, your matcha latte will be dairy-free.

Does Starbucks matcha have dairy in it?

No, Starbucks Matcha does not have dairy in it. So if you want to order a dairy-free matcha latte from starbucks, be sure to ask for almond, oat or coconut milk. If you don't specify what milk you want, they will automatically use cow's milk.

Is Starbuck's matcha latte dairy-free?

If you ask for almond, coconut or oat milk when ordering a Starbucks Matcha Latte, then your matcha latte will be completely dairy free! There is no dairy in the Starbucks matcha powder.

Vegan Matcha Latte

Faith VanderMolen

This sweet and creamy Vegan Matcha Latte is delicious both iced and hot and is a great substitute for coffee!

Nutrition

Calories: 146kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 5gFat: 2gSodium: 93mgPotassium: 98mgFiber: 1gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 569IUCalcium: 261mgIron: 3mg