Matcha Coffee (Dirty Matcha Latte) Recipe with 3 Layers

Matcha coffee is an irresistible fusion of creamy, earthy matcha and rich, slightly acidic coffee. This delightful drink brings together the best of both worlds, offering a unique caffeine kick that satisfies when you can’t decide between tea and coffee. The striking green and deep brown hues of our matcha coffee are not only delicious but also a feast for the eyes.

After experimenting with various ratios to achieve the perfect balance, we’ve perfected our matcha coffee recipe. It’s smooth, customizable, and never clumps—ideal for both matcha aficionados and coffee lovers alike.

In our guide, we’ll walk you through creating both hot and iced matcha coffee, share tips for achieving beautiful, distinctive layers, and suggest some exciting ingredient variations. Dive in and discover your new favourite drink with our matcha coffee recipe!

Jump to:

• Dirty Matcha Coffee Ingredients
• How To Make Dirty Matcha (Iced)
• Dirty Matcha Coffee Recipe (Hot or Iced)
• How To Make Matcha Coffee (Hot)
• Can I Blend Matcha In A Blender?
• Variations

Dirty Matcha Coffee Ingredients

Dirty matcha is made of green tea powder, milk, sugar, and coffee. Unlike a matcha latte, it includes coffee.

Cafes will layer the liquids to complete a pretty 3 colour-layered drink.

Matcha

For this fusion beverage, we recommend using ceremonial-grade matcha powder. You can also use culinary-grade green tea powder, but it might yield a more bitter drink. 

For our recipe, we like to use 1 teaspoon of matcha powder for 200 ml of dairy milk. This gives us a fairly balanced drink. Additionally, using too much powder (more than our recommended ratio) may result in a stronger and more bitter taste.

Coffee

For the coffee, we recommend a ratio of 1 espresso shot to every 1 cup of milk. If you're using instant coffee, then dissolve 2 teaspoons of instant coffee in 2 tablespoons of hot water for every serving.

It's best to start with our recommended ratio of 1:1 which is 1 espresso shot and 1 teaspoon of matcha powder. If you want a stronger matcha flavour, then add more green tea powder, or reduce the amount of coffee.

Another tip is to include freshly made espresso from high-quality beans in the list of dirty matcha ingredients. While you can also use instant coffee in powder form, a fresh espresso shot will taste the best. The coffee should be piping hot to allow the green tea or milk to mix smoothly.

Milk

For this concoction, you can use any milk of your choice. Full fat dairy milk is still the best as it's neutral in flavour, but adds a lot of creaminess to the drink. We recommend frothing the milk for both hot and cold drinks to add a thicker texture.

Sweetener

We recommend using white sugar for our dirty matcha latte recipe. It's a convenient option and helps add a neutral sweetness that allows you to taste the matcha coffee combo better. Otherwise, you can also use a simple syrup.

Another option is to use brown sugar, which will add a toffee-like sweetness to the drink. So, if you like your drink to taste fairly sweet, then go for brown sugar. We recommend avoiding dark brown sugar and muscovado if possible as it oftentimes makes the drink too sweet and outshines the taste of other ingredients.

How To Make Dirty Matcha (Iced)

Here's a simple recipe for making an iced matcha coffee latte.

The first step is to brew coffee. If you're using instant coffee, stir and dissolve it with hot water in a cup, and then put it aside to cool. If you're using espresso, prepare the espresso and then allow it to cool down on the side. Move on to the next steps.

Add sugar or sweetener to green tea powder in a bowl. Next, pour hot water over the sugar and green tea, and whisk them until there are no more clumps and well dissolved. Then, pour the green tea mixture into a glass and add ½ cup of ice. 

Then, froth the milk in a separate mug with an electric milk frother. Pour frothed milk over the mixture. Add more ice cubes if you need them. 

The last step is to add the coffee. It needs to cool down completely before you add it so it does not dissolve into the previous layers. Add coffee on top to make matcha coffee. To store this drink, simply place it in the fridge.

Three Layers

To achieve three layers in your iced dirty matcha latte, you will need to add sugar according to the order of your matcha coffee components. 

The sugar content is what keeps the layers separated. Without sugar, the layers will dissolve into each other easily. The liquid that has the most sugar will sink to the bottom. Therefore, you should see that the different coloured layers in this drink are layered according to the sweetest component. For example, you would add more sugar to the milk than the coffee but less than the green tea to achieve a brown, white and green layering.

Another trick that helps is frothing and whisking the milk. Froth the milk in a milk jug using an electric whisk until it becomes airy and slightly thick. The thicker consistency will help prevent the three layers from immediately combining with one another, and help maintain that aesthetic look for a while longer.

You can also get away with adding less sugar to the drink by using more ice and slowly pouring the layers in. However, the layers will not last very long without the sugar. Firstly, add matcha to the bottom, then the ice. Then, pour the frothed milk on top of the ice before gently adding your expresso shot.

How To Make Matcha Coffee (Hot)

Here's our simple recipe for making a hot matcha coffee latte. 

Add the tea powder, sugar, and warm water (below 80 degrees Celsius) to a glass. Combine the three ingredients with a matcha whisk or an electric milk frother.

Froth the milk in a separate mug with a whisk. If you do not have a whisk, pour the milk into a jar with a tight lid. It should fill only ⅓ of the jar. Shake the milk vigorously in the jar. Then, pour milk over the green tea mixture. Finally, add the coffee on top.

Hot, dirty matcha coffee is typically a single-coloured drink with no distinct layers. The drink's colour will depend on the ratio of green tea powder to the coffee used. You may get a light ombre effect, but the java will dissolve quickly in hot water. Therefore, there are no discernible three layers, as you would get with an iced dirty matcha latte. 

If you need to make dirty matcha ahead of time, you can. For example, you can brew espresso and store it in the refrigerator until ready to use. You can also mix the green tea powder with water to create a green tea concentrate and keep it in the fridge until ready to use. Store it in the fridge without the milk or any cream. To ensure freshness, add the milk or cream just before serving the final concoction.

Can I Blend Matcha In A Blender?

You can use a blender, but only if you are preparing a larger batch and you're looking to save time. If you're making just one serving, we don't recommend using a blender.  There's a strong chance that the matcha powder will stick to the wall or the blades of the blender, creating waste and not blend as well.

Personally, we love using the traditional preparation method of using a matcha whisk. The whisk, also known as a chasen in Japanese, can mix green tea powder, water and air into a frothy drink. The whisking process releases aromas in the foam on the surface. Ultimately, it's not just about dissolving the powder in the water.

A chasen also has more prongs than a standard baking whisk and will not scratch your bowl. These tools can also help create a smooth beverage without clumps. Whether you use a blender or a chasen really depends on how much time you have. A blender is faster, but a chasen helps to release the aroma of green tea leaves. Although once mixed with milk, the fragrance may not be so noticeable.

Variations

This beverage is incredibly customisable. There are a plethora of variations that you can try to introduce more interesting flavours and textures to your drinking experience. So, why not have some fun experimenting with your icy or hot matcha coffee? Here are some of our favourites.

Dalgona Matcha Coffee

Dalgona matcha is a variation of this drink where instant coffee, sugar and hot water are whipped together until soft peaks form and then combined with green tea powder. First, combine instant coffee or espresso, sugar and hot water in a tall container. Then you must whip using a handheld milk frother until soft peaks form. Next, mix the green tea powder into the drink. The drink tastes lighter and much airier than a regular dirty matcha latte. 

Dirty Chai With Matcha

Dirty chai is typically made by combining espresso, chai tea mix and sweetener with some boiling water. You could try experimenting by adding green tea powder to our recipe for a dirty chai.

Dirty Matcha Boba

Add store-bought boba pearls to the bottom of a glass to make a boba version of our drink. You can also make your own using our homemade tapioca pearls recipe. The tapioca pearls add a fun and chewy texture to the drink. You might also like our matcha milk boba and coffee boba if you enjoy this combination.

If you enjoyed making this frothy, energising drink, why not tag us on Instagram @honestfoodtalks? We also feature other unique and creative recipes there, so follow us for more Asian recipes that you can use to wow your family and friends.