Iced Vanilla Matcha Latte (Vegan!)

Hello, my beautiful chickpeas! Today we are making the perfect drink to welcome in spring - my Iced Vanilla Matcha Latte! This delicious drink is creamy and energizing, and takes less than 10 minutes to make. It's also super easy to adjust the sweetness levels to your preference. Be sure to make this vegan matcha latte in your very own kitchen next time you want a little treat!

I will warn you, learning how to make your own matcha lattes at home is a dangerous thing. You'll want to make them all the time! But let's do this.

Inspiration for Iced Vanilla Matcha Latte

An iced matcha latte is one of my go-to orders at any coffee shop. I decided to start making my own at home a few months ago, tweaked the recipe over time, and landed on this version that I now make regularly!

If you aren't familiar with matcha powder, it is made from finely ground green tea leaves. From researching all about matcha, I learned that matcha itself originated in China. However, the methods we now use to turn matcha into tea came from Japan. The traditional methods include just matcha powder and water.

Today's recipe is not going to be the authentic Japanese version, but instead is my take on an iced matcha latte! We are using almond milk for some creaminess, maple syrup for a hint of sweetness, and vanilla extract for some extra flavor and flair. It's so easy to make and I hope you enjoy this one all spring and summer long!

Ingredients

This recipe uses pretty basic matcha ingredients. Let's talk about them.

• Matcha powder: obviously a necessity for a matcha latte. I use culinary grade matcha for this recipe, which is less expensive than ceremonial grade will be.
• Hot water and almond milk: the base of our latte today! The hot water helps to evenly incorporate the matcha into our drink, and the almond milk makes everything nice and creamy.
• Maple syrup and vanilla extract: the maple syrup adds sweetness, and the vanilla extract adds flavor!

How to Make Iced Vanilla Matcha Latte

This recipe is so easy and only takes 5-10 minutes!

1. Combine hot water, matcha powder, vanilla extract, and maple syrup. Whisk until fully incorporated.
2. Add ice to a cup. Pour almond milk over the ice, followed by the matcha mixture. Mix to combine, add more sweetener if desired, and enjoy!

Tips & Tricks

This recipe is pretty simple, but here are some ideas if you want to mix it up a bit.

• I use culinary grade matcha powder in this recipe. This is because culinary grade is cheaper than ceremonial grade, and I personally don't taste a huge difference once we add milk and sweetener to it. However, if you'd like to be a little fancier and experiment with ceremonial grade you can. Just know that it will likely be less bitter, so you may not need as much sweetener.
• Another way to make this a bit fancier is to use a matcha whisk when combining your hot water and matcha! I do not personally own one of these at this time, but they are supposed to be the best way to uniformly combine your matcha and water. Definitely not a requirement for this recipe, but could be a fun investment if you think you'll be making this regularly!
• I personally love almond milk for this vegan matcha latte, but any creamy nondairy milk will work! Feel free to use whatever you have, just keep in mind that different milks may alter the overall flavor a bit.
• Looking for more refreshing beverages? You may also love my Blueberry Coconut Smoothie!

Enjoy!

Happy cooking! If you made this recipe don’t forget to tag me (@joyfulbalanceofficial) on facebook or instagram so I can cheer you on for your matcha-latte-making ways.

Stay joyfully balanced!