Matcha Green Tea Coconut Latte

By Jennifer Provenza at Good Food From The Heart

Whole food plant based, oil free, sugar free, gluten free, soy free, nut free

This creamy, rich, and warm coconut flavored matcha green tea latte is the perfect morning or afternoon treat.

A Comforting Treat

So, you all know how much I love coffee. (So much!) But, a close runner up for me is matcha green tea. It gives a gentler caffeine kick and for that reason, it’s my favorite late afternoon beverage. Coffee that late in the day can keep me up too late. The matcha green tea lattes you get at coffee places can be really sugary and high in calories, which is why I love making my own. Bonus: it actually tastes even more delicious. I promise!

Anyway, by late afternoon I’m often feeling like I need a bit of a caffeine boost as well as something that tastes sweet. There is nothing like taking some time for self care (maybe a long walk?), a good book, and a hot cup of tea. Oh, yes. Treat yourself.

Ingredients

Matcha: First of all, you will need to get some matcha green tea powder. Matcha can be a little pricey, but don’t worry, a bag of this stuff goes a long way. Each latte only used 1/2 teaspoon of the powder, so it takes quite awhile to get through a bag, even if you have one every day. Make sure to get a high quality matcha powder, as it really makes a difference for this drink. Navitas is the brand I use. (I get it at Sprouts).

Coconut Milk: For this recipe, you want to use canned coconut milk, for a rich, creamy texture (not the kind you find in a milk carton). I use the light version, but you can go full fat if you prefer. If you want a really rich, sinful version of this drink, feel free to use all coconut milk, but I like to mix with a lighter plant based milk as well.

Plant Milk: Use whatever variety you prefer (soy, almond, coconut, oat, etc…) I usually use unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Watch for added sugars. For an even lighter beverage, feel free to use all unsweetened plant milk. I do think the coconut milk really makes this recipe delicious, though.

Sweetener: I avoid even unrefined sugar for the most part because it still has empty calories and because of my husband’s diabetes. Therefore, I tend to use pure liquid stevia to sweeten beverages. (The powder often has fillers I like to avoid). However, feel free to use maple syrup to sweeten this drink, if you prefer. Coconut sugar would work as well.

How to Make This Coconut Matcha Green Tea Latte

Luckily, making this latte could not be easier! First, mix the plant milk with the coconut milk and heat until bubbly. (I always heat it until it is a little bit hotter than would typically drink it, because the blender cools it down a bit.) You can heat in the microwave or on the stove top. Personally, I do 2 and a half minutes in the microwave in an oversized cup, so it doesn’t bubble over.

Next, simply pour the warm milk mixture into a blender, add the matcha powder and the liquid stevia or maple syrup and blend at a low speed until the mixture is well mixed and frothy. It will be light green with no lumps of matcha when it is properly mixed. Pour into a mug and serve. It is extra delicious with whipped coconut cream on top, for a special treat.

This coconut matcha green tea latte goes perfectly with any breakfast. Try it with my Caramelized Banana French Toast!

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