With its humble origins dating back to 11th century Japan, matcha has taken the world by storm with its bright green color and sweet, grassy flavor profile. Essentially ground up young green tea leaves, matcha also has numerous health benefits. Along with being packed with antioxidants, matcha contains high levels of L-theanine, an amino acid that slows the body’s absorption of caffeine. Because of this, matcha makes a great alternative to people who want the energy boost of coffee without the caffeine jitters and 3 p.m. energy slump.

Michelle Lee / Daily Nexus

Matcha is also super versatile and with just a few tweaks, you can completely transform this green powder into a refreshing, delicious drink that suits your taste buds. Here are four matcha drink recipes to get you started!

Michelle Lee / Daily Nexus

Matcha Latte – The drink for those who like simple, not-too-sweet drinks.

Ingredients:

  • 2 teaspoon matcha powder 
  • ¼ cup hot water 
  • 2 teaspoon of simple syrup (Make this by combining 1 cup white sugar with 1 cup water in a pot and stirring it over medium-high heat until sugar completely dissolves.)
  • ¾ cup of milk of your choice 
  • Optional: ½ cup of ice 

Directions:

  1. In a small bowl or mug, pour in the water and the matcha powder. Using either a wooden matcha whisk, fork or electric whisk, beat water and matcha powder until well combined and the mixture looks foamy. 
  2. Add simple syrup to the matcha mixture. You can adjust the sweetness of the drink by adding less or more simple syrup.
  3. Heat up the milk using a milk frother or microwave. 
  4. In a mug/cup, combine the matcha mixture with the milk. 
  5. Optional: To make this an iced matcha latte, simply pour the milk and matcha mixture over ice. 

Michelle Lee / Daily Nexus

Dalgona Matcha – The sibling to the TikTok-famous dalgona coffee! 

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup cold heavy whipping cream
  • ¼ cup of white sugar 
  • 2 teaspoons of matcha powder 
  • ¾ cup of milk of your choice 
  • ½ cup of ice 

Directions:

  1. In a small bowl, combine the cold heavy whipping cream, sugar and matcha powder. Beat until stiff peaks form.
  2. Add the ice to a glass cup and pour in the milk.
  3. Top the glass off with the matcha cream foam. Sprinkle on a little bit of matcha powder over foam for decoration, and enjoy!

Michelle Lee / Daily Nexus

Matcha Strawberry Milk – For all you strawberry lovers out there!

Ingredients: 

  • ¾ cup of chopped strawberries (frozen is okay, just let it thaw out in fridge before use)
  • 2 tablespoons of white sugar 
  • 2 teaspoons matcha powder 
  • ¼ cup hot water 
  • ¾ cup of milk of your choice
  • ½ cup of ice

Directions: 

  1. After dicing up strawberries into small quarter-inch pieces, combine the strawberries with the sugar. Let sit for 15-30 minutes, or until the strawberries look juicy.
  2. Prepare matcha by whisking together the hot water and matcha powder in a separate bowl.
  3. In a glass cup, spoon in the strawberry mixture and top it off with ice and milk. 
  4. Pour matcha mixture on top. Stir together and enjoy!

Michelle Lee / Daily Nexus

Matcha Spritzer – A drink that tastes like summer.

Ingredients: 

  • 12 ounces (1 can) of club soda or sparkling water
  • 2 teaspoon of simple syrup 
  • 2 teaspoons of matcha powder
  • ¼ cup of hot water
  • ½ lemon
  • ½ cup of ice 

Directions:

  1. Prepare matcha by combining the matcha powder and hot water, beating it with an electric whisk, matcha whisk or fork until well combined and foamy. 
  2. Add the simple syrup into the matcha mixture. Adjust the sweetness of the drink by adding more or less simple syrup.
  3. In glass cup, add in the ice, club soda and the juice of half of a lemon.
  4. Top off the cup with matcha mixture. Stir together and enjoy!
Print
Michelle Lee
Michelle Lee (she/her/hers) is one of the Co-Editors for On the Menu for the 2021-2022 school year. She is an avid sourdough bread enthusiast and loves a good tote bag.