• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Delicious Not Gorgeous logo
  • Coffee
  • Cantonese
  • Recipe Index
  • About
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Coffee
  • Cantonese
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Berries

    Strawberry Matcha Latte

    Jul 15, 2020 · 10 Comments

    • Share
    • Tweet
    Jump to Recipe

    This creamy strawberry matcha latte is inspired by the version from Boba Guys*, a pearl milk tea empire that originated in the Bay Area.

    I love that this drink is strong on the matcha, and that it tastes like real strawberries. No artificial, cough medicine hued strawberry milk here!

    (If you haven’t tried Korean style fresh strawberry milk though, do that asap).

    Clear glass with 3 layers: red strawberry compote, creamy milk and green matcha.

    How to Make It

    Matcha

    First step: make your matcha. Combine matcha powder with hot water and whisk until the matcha is completely combined.

    Ideally, this would be in a bowl with a matcha whisk, since this set of tools help aerate the mixture, but you can slide by with a metal whisk in a pinch, too.

    You definitely need to use a whisk, since the prongs get rid of lumps in a way that a spatula or spoon doesn’t.

    And someone might be asking, why do I need hot water for an iced drink? It does sound counterintuitive, I get it.

    However, matcha and cold water don’t mix together very well, so it’s worth a few extra minutes and using ice in your drink to transform the hot matcha into a refreshing strawberry matcha latte.

    Maybe you’re on the lookout for other matcha drinks – how about this mango matcha, or this watermelon matcha? Or maybe you're in the mood for something less fruity and a iced earl grey and matcha latte is more similar to what you're craving.

    Strawberries

    Then, onto the strawberries. Roughly chop them (doesn’t need to be pretty), then mix with the sugar and let them sit for a bit.

    This step (called maceration) softens the strawberries as the sugar draws out the liquid of the fruit and gets them a little juicy.

    I like pulp in my drinks, so I roughly mash the strawberries and call it a day.

    If you are looking for something smoother, you can blend and/or strain the strawberry puree, though you might have a harder time trying to build clean layers later on.

    Assembly

    This is delicious not gorgeous after all, so be my guest should you want to dump everything into a cup and stir.

    For anyone looking for that pretty layered effect, here are a few tips to get you there:

    • Add the ice in first, since you don’t want the ice disrupting the layers at the end
    • Ideally, you should be layering in the most dense and coldest item first, and finishing with the least dense and warmest item on top.
      • Having a cold, roughly mashed strawberry puree rather than a smooth syrup, as well as using warm or lukewarm matcha helps with this.
    • When you pour the matcha on top, do so gently and slowly. You can even position a spoon with the tip against one of the inside walls of the cup, and pour the matcha into the bowl of the spoon so that it dribbles out onto the surface of the milk.

    Variations

    Fruit

    This drink is ideal for ugly strawberries or frozen strawberries. Because there’s matcha coming in to play, this probably isn’t the place to devote your perfect farmers market fruit to.

    You might be weary of using frozen strawberries for this drink, but as long as you defrost them and are open to adding a teensy bit more sugar than you would with fresh, you should be good to go.

    I know this is a strawberry matcha latte recipe and post. However, you can use any other fruit you would like instead.

    I know that mango matcha lattes are popular too, even if I personally prefer the sweet tart flavor that strawberries and other berries (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, etc) contribute.

    Milk

    You can use whichever kind of milk you would like. That being said, my vote is to let the strawberries and the matcha shine, so I’d recommend using a mild flavored milk.

    Make sure you adjust the amount of sugar you season the strawberries with if you end up using a sweetened milk. You probably don’t want it tasting as sweet as trashy candy corn.

    Sugar

    My philosophy on sugar is similar to that of milk: pick something that is mild so that you can taste the rest of the drink. Granulated sugar, mild honey and agave are all good go to’s.

    I wouldn’t pour in pancake syrup or maple syrup in this situation, since those can be overwhelming.

    Hot

    I’m seeing some interest for hot strawberry matcha lattes – I can’t say that it sounds good to me (maybe I’m biased against the sound of hot strawberries??), so I haven’t tried this before.

    If you’re stubborn and set on trying a hot version out, you could warm up the milk and ignore the ice. The volume will look smaller, since there’s no ice bulking up the drink.

    *Note July 2020: after hearing about the rampant racism and sexism at Boba Guys, I no longer support their stores, and would recommend that you either make this at home or find another place to get your strawberry matcha latte fix until they address these issues.

    Placing the ice on top of the strawberry puree helps the layers separate (at least until you stick a straw in and mix it up!). #strawberry #matcha #greentea #matchalatte
    4.27 from 26 votes
    Clear glass with 3 layers: red strawberry compote, creamy milk and green matcha.
    Print
    Strawberry Matcha Latte
    Prep Time
    15 mins
    Total Time
    15 mins
     
    This strawberry matcha latte combines sweet strawberries, creamy milk and slightly bitter matcha into a drink that's refreshing and decadent.
    Course: Drinks
    Cuisine: Asian, Fusion
    Keyword: berries, boba guys, egg-free, fruit, gluten-free, grain-free, green tea, matcha, milk, milk tea, non-alcoholic, nut-free, strawberries, tea, vegetarian
    Servings: 1 person
    Calories: 194 kcal
    Ingredients
    • ⅓ cup chopped strawberries frozen okay
    • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
    • 1 teaspoon matcha
    • ⅓ cup hot water
    • ½ cup whole milk
    Instructions
    1. Combine the strawberries and sugar in a small bowl. Let sit for 15-30 minutes, or until the berries are juicy. Mash them coarsely with a fork, or pulse it in a food processor/blender until the berries are broken down a bit.
    2. Whisk the matcha and hot water until frothy.
    3. In a serving glass, add a couple spoonfuls of your mix-in. Spoon in the strawberries, then fill the rest of the glass with ice (or don’t; I like light ice, so I only added a handful). Add the milk, then the matcha. Make sure to pour gently and slowly if you want to make sure the layers stay distinct.
    Recipe Notes

    Adapted slightly from Honeysuckle Catering.

    More Berries

    • Strawberry Yakult
    • Strawberry Popcorn
    • Korean Strawberry Milk
    • Strawberry Sandwich Cookies

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Shauna says

      July 19, 2018 at 5:54 pm

      Just tried this and it is delicious!! I wouldn't have thought to pair strawberries with matcha but it works!5 stars

      Reply
      • Heather says

        July 28, 2018 at 10:12 pm

        oooh glad you liked it! anything tangy goes well with the matcha; i know some people like mango, but the sweet/tart strawberries go better with matcha in my opinion (:

        Reply
    2. GiGi Eats says

      July 20, 2018 at 7:00 am

      First off, how you made a drink look good for a photo is BEYOND ME. And secondly, this looks phenomenal and sounds phenomenal too! I am not really a matcha person but mixed with everything else, yes please!5 stars

      Reply
      • Heather says

        July 28, 2018 at 10:16 pm

        the strawberry and milk tame the matcha so it's perfect for someone who wouldn't want straight up matcha (;

        Reply
    3. aunt binas kitchen says

      July 24, 2018 at 5:36 am

      Wonderful recipe, last week I created this recipe. Everybody liked it. Thanks5 stars

      Reply
    4. Heather says

      July 28, 2018 at 9:56 pm

      thanks, laura! you can just do a plain matcha latte too (just omit the strawberry), and that's super tasty (:

      Reply
    5. Alyssa says

      March 27, 2019 at 1:02 am

      Heather, bravo! I cooked it with strawberries, it turned out just amazing!!! Thank you!5 stars

      Reply
    6. Tiff says

      August 22, 2020 at 9:02 am

      Omg I had the best strawberry matcha and wanted to make it at home!
      This is AMAZING! I added boba to mine 🙂5 stars

      Reply
    7. Marouna Gomes says

      October 01, 2020 at 8:16 am

      this was incredible! i should’ve added a little less sugar but overall such a yummy drink ❤️✨5 stars

      Reply
      • Heather says

        October 01, 2020 at 10:37 pm

        glad you liked this! honestly, if your strawberries are super sweet, you can definitely decrease or even cut out the sugar completely and that might make it even better next time (:

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Popular Recipes

    • Nutella Waffles
    • Lemon Ginger Cucumber Water
    • Wife Cakes (Lou Po Beng)
    • Furikake Chicken
    • Blood Orange Vodka
    • Grinch Mimosa
    • Kung Pao Paneer
    • Oolong Milk Tea
    Picture of Chinese American woman in front of a blurred building
    Hi, I'm Heather!
    More about me →









    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer

    Contact

    • Contact

    Copyright © 2022 Delicious Not Gorgeous