How to Make a Strawberry Matcha Latte

Easy Strawberry Matcha Latte Layered with Fresh Strawberries

A Strawberry Matcha Latte is a layered milk tea beverage that combines sweetened strawberries, milk and matcha green tea. This iced drink has three beautiful, vibrant layers and is best served with a boba straw for mixing and sipping.

Strawberry and matcha are a delicious duo and this latte does not disappoint.

Sweet, juicy strawberries taste absolutely delicious combined with the more complex, vegetal flavors matcha is known for.

Since matcha contains caffeine, this fruity latte gives you a little pick-me-up, as well.

Why You’ll Love this Drink

Aesthetic – This eye-catching strawberry matcha milk tea latte has three colorful layers: red, white and green. If you drink with your eyes first, then you’ll love making this latte for yourself or guests.

It’s a fun drink to serve at brunch, and spring and summer holidays like Mother’s Day or Easter. It also works for Cinco de Mayo since the colored layers mimic the flag of Mexico.

Fruity – This matcha latte is sweetened with fresh strawberries macerated in sugar. This berry layer is bursting with real strawberry flavor which pairs perfectly with the matcha.

Customizable – This iced matcha latte is easy to switch up. Add in boba to make a strawberry matcha boba. Or switch the type of fruit. Raspberry and mango are two of my favorites.

Looking for more strawberry matcha recipes? Try out this strawberry cream matcha latte. It’s topped with a rich layer of strawberry cream cold foam.

Strawberry Matcha Latte Recipe

Ingredients

• Strawberries
• Sugar
• Matcha powder
• Water
• Milk
• Ice
• Fresh strawberries to garnish (optional)

Strawberries + Sugar: For real strawberry flavor, I recommend macerating finely diced, fresh strawberries in sugar. This brings out lots of strawberry juice and softens the berries.

You can also make homemade strawberry puree for drinks. It’s simple to blend up a batch with fresh or frozen strawberries, sugar and lemon.

The puree is good for 4-5 days in the refrigerator, so you can make the puree in advance and then assemble a strawberry matcha latte when ready.

To make a quick, individual serving of puree, macerate chopped fresh strawberries in sugar for about 5 minutes, then mash or blend them up to a smooth consistency for drinking.

Matcha Powder: For the best-tasting matcha latte, use ceremonial grade and make sure it’s a product of Japan. My go-to is encha ceremonial matcha powder.

When it comes to matcha, you definitely get what you pay for! There is a world of difference between cheap matcha and ceremonial matcha.

Steer clear of the olive, drab-colored matcha and go for bright green.

Water: The matcha powder is combined with a little bit of hot water. I always use filtered water for clean, crisp flavor that’s free of impurities.

You can filter tap water with a Brita water filter pitcher. I highly recommend getting one for all your tea and coffee beverages and for making ice.

Milk: The type of milk you use is totally up to you. My preference is 2% dairy milk, but you can certainly use your favorite non-dairy milk such as almond, oat, soy or coconut.

Step-by-Step Instructions

The first step to making a layered strawberry matcha drink is to prepare the strawberries. Next, make the matcha and then assemble the latte.

1. Macerate the strawberries.

Finely dice fresh strawberries. Then, combine the strawberries and sugar in a small bowl and let the mixture macerate (get juicy) while you prepare the matcha.

If you prefer strawberry puree, simply blend fresh or frozen strawberries and sugar until smooth. Add in fresh lemon juice and lemon zest, if desired.

2. Prepare the matcha.

Heat water to 160-175 °F. Sift the matcha into a small bowl and pour in the hot water. Using a matcha whisk or battery-operated matcha frother, vigorously whisk the matcha until it’s blended and foamy on top.

3. Assemble the latte.

Add macerated strawberries or strawberry puree to bottom of drinking glass. Add ice cubes followed by the milk. For unmixed layers, slowly pour the matcha on top of the milk layer. Garnish with fresh strawberries, if desired.

Detailed recipe and instructions are in recipe card at bottom of post.

Recipe Notes

Use sweetened strawberries or strawberry puree, not strawberry syrup. Strawberry puree and strawberry syrup are not the same thing. The puree contains the whole fruit and has much more strawberry flavor compared to syrup.

Strawberry syrup is simply strawberry flavored simple syrup which is liquid.

Do not exceed 175 °F for the matcha. Matcha leaves are delicate and should never be mixed with boiling water. This changes the flavor for the worse. For this iced matcha latte recipe,160 °F is all that’s needed. You can even use cold water.

Make it a boba drink. To make a strawberry matcha milk tea boba, add prepared boba before the strawberry puree layer.

Tips for Layering the Strawberries, Milk & Matcha

If you want to present a nicely layered drink, the order the components go into the glass matters. Serve it with a straw so it can be stirred.

• Layer 1: strawberries (bottom of glass)
• Layer 2: ice and milk
• Layer 3: matcha
• Layer 4: fresh strawberries to garnish (optional)

Start with the strawberry puree, followed by ice, then milk and matcha.

For a tall strawberry layer, use a glass that’s narrower at the bottom so the red layer comes up higher in the glass.

Be sure to add the ice before the milk. This keeps the milk from combining with the puree layer.

When you add the final matcha layer, pour it in slowly and directly onto an ice cube. If you pour it into the space between ice cubes, the matcha plunges into the milk and the layers won’t be as distinct.

More Matcha Recipes

Love matcha? Here are some more recipes where matcha is the star of the show!

• Easy Strawberry Cream Matcha Latte
• Homemade Banana Matcha Smoothie
• 3-Ingredient Matcha Milkshake
• 5-Minute Matcha Affogato
• Homemade Starbucks Iced Chai Latte with Matcha Cream Cold Foam

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