Matcha Milk Tea Recipe + Video

Matcha milk tea is a delightful beverage we can't get enough of - it's sweet, creamy, rich, and earthy. Not to mention the tiny yet moreish boba pearls, which are fun to chew on.

Our recipe covers how to make matcha milk tea with brown sugar boba and a few other topping variations, including red bean and cream cheese foam top.

Along the way, we'll also give you some helpful tips on getting a silky texture from whisking and getting aesthetically pleasing white and green layers for your drink. We don't want to brag, but we spent quite a while perfecting it.

Jump to:

• What Is It?
• Ingredients
• Matcha Milk Tea Recipe
• Cooking Tips
• Using Matcha Milk Tea Powder
• Using Tea Bags
• Calories
• Variations

What Is It?

Matcha milk tea is made from Japanese green tea powder, hot water, and milk. If you prefer it to be sweeter, add a sweetener like honey or simple syrup. 

Matcha milk tea differs from a matcha latte as tapioca pearls are added inside, and a lower amount of green tea powder and water is used.

Matcha milk tea tastes deliciously sweet, earthy and creamy. Thanks to the unique combination of sweetness from boba, milk's creaminess and matcha's earthiness. Therefore, this leads to a drink that's quite unlike a matcha latte. The final taste is a more earthy alternative to boba milk tea.

Ingredients

To make matcha milk tea, you'll need Japanese green tea powder, milk of your choice, tapioca pearls, and a sweetener.

Matcha green tea

You'll need Japanese green tea powder and hot water for the base drink. We'll use ceremonial-grade powder for our recipe, but you don't need expensive matcha powder to make this drink.

As you mix it with milk and sugar, the creaminess and sweetness of these ingredients will mask much of the green tea's bitterness from lower-grade or culinary-grade powders.

However, if you're a connoisseur, we recommend using ceremonial grade. High-quality green tea powder is beautiful - it can be delightfully flavoursome and fresh. It's typically finer and produces a sweeter, more robust, earthy taste that's great for drinking directly.

Tapioca boba pearls

Tapioca pearls add a lovely chew and fun element to this drink. We like to add 2-3 tablespoon per 250ml serving. You can add either regular tapioca pearls or ones coated in brown sugar syrup.

For our recipe, we'll use brown sugar boba to sweeten our drink, so we won't need to add more sweeteners later.

While you can make homemade tapioca pearls yourself, it's often easier to buy them yourself. Then, you can add them to your drinks however much you like. Also, we'd recommend getting some that do not need to be cooked before use. Those instant boba pearls will help reduce a lot of prep time.

Milk

You'll also need to use some milk. For our recipe, we'll be using fresh, full-fat milk for the creaminess it adds. 

However, you can also use plant-based milk. If you choose this option, remember these few things. 

Try going for some plant milk, where the flavour will complement the taste of green tea and the sweetener in the drink. We'd recommend soy or almond milk for an irresistible, nutty, creamy flavour, especially when making matcha milk tea.

The other thing to watch out for is that plant-based alternatives are typically more watery. This could mean you might not get as vivid green and white layers when you assemble your drink later.

Sweetener (Optional)

If you want to add some extra sweetness, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of liquid sweetener. We don't recommend using granulated sugar as it won't dissolve properly in cold drinks.

Most boba shops use simple syrup or brown sugar syrup. To make simple syrup, combine equal parts of sugar and water. Meanwhile, mix 30 ml of water with 40g of brown sugar to make brown sugar syrup. This will be enough for 2-3 servings, depending on your taste.  

Generally, people use honey as it has a unique flavour that pairs well with matcha milk tea. If you're not a fan, you could use maple syrup, which tastes delightful and distinct. 

As a final note on honey - it's worth spending a little more on artisanal stuff. The pure ones have a robust fruit flavour and typically crystallise in the jar a little. Cheaper honey can be mostly sugar syrup, which pads out a small proportion of honey.

Ice

Finally, you'll need some ice. We recommend using crushed ice to help support your drink's two white and green layers.

Ice is used for serving, so you can also use a fancy ice cube tray. The appearance can boost your drink's appeal. Add some ice-shaped animals or small ice spheres for a cute, aesthetic drink.

Cooking Tips

To successfully make your matcha milk tea, you must watch out for a few things about the tea brewing process.

Water temperature

Firstly, ensure that your water is at about 80˚C. You can get this temperature by boiling hot water and then transferring it into a mug. Depending on your room temperature, you'll need to leave it for 15-30 seconds to let it cool down before using it.

Whisking green tea

We recommend using a matcha chasen whisk to whip the mixture to a froth. Whisking in a 'w' shape in the bowl is the best way to ensure maximum bubbles as quickly as possible.

You can also use an electric whisk instead. However, when we used an electric whisk, we realised we had to use a lot more water for the whisk to work properly. This also means that you'll get a more diluted taste. To avoid this, we recommend adding an extra 1 teaspoon of green tea powder while whisking.

Boba pearls are too soft or too hard

If you leave the pearls to cook for too long, they will become too soft. It's also important not to leave them in the ice bath or the fridge for too long as they will otherwise become too hard.

Using Matcha Milk Tea Powder

Here's what you need to know if you're using a premade mix of matcha milk tea powder instead of fine powder mixed with water and milk.

The main benefit of using powder is that it's convenient and much cheaper to make in bulk. First, you only need to mix the powder with water. Then, you'll be able to create the liquid content of the drink easily and quickly.

The downside is that pre-mixed powder isn't as flavourful as green tea powder. High-quality matcha powder has an utterly unreplicable flavour, which makes it genuinely remarkable when prepared, as in our recipe below. 

The other problem is that you won't be able to customise the creaminess of the drink as typically premade mixes will already have a set amount of milk powder or non-dairy creamer inside.

You'll lose some of the flavours by using a poor imitation, so that's something worth considering.

Using Tea Bags

Using matcha tea bags is another way to save costs. However, it would be best if you brewed several bags to make matcha milk tea with tea bags. It's also worth remembering that the drink isn't authentic as the flavour will be less intense.

If you don't mind making something different to authentic matcha, tea bags can be cheaper and more convenient.

Calories

A 250ml serving of our matcha milk tea will have about 280 calories. Most of the calories come from the sweetener you use. Many boba stores tend to opt for a simple syrup with a stronger concentration.

Of course, this calorie figure will vary slightly depending on your ingredients. For example, plant-based milk is typically less caloric than full-fat dairy milk.

Matcha milk tea benefits mostly come from the rich green tea in the drink. It is high in antioxidants, boosts brain function, and can help you lose weight. Another great treat is our vegan ice cream recipe or green tea tempura ice cream.

Variations

Instead of serving this drink as an iced matcha milk tea, try it hot, add different toppings, or a simple latte.

Hot

Hot matcha boba is a relatively simple affair. Instead of using cold milk, like in our main recipe, you can use warm milk. You can also strengthen the base and add other types of sweeteners.

This contrasts with the simpler iced green tea - which wouldn't usually contain milk. You can generally find this drink served in modern boba stores such as Gong Cha, which allows for more personalisation.

Bubble tea toppings

Other than tapioca pearls and brown sugar boba, matcha milk tea pairs well with many other boba toppings. Some of our favourites are red bean paste, cream cheese foam, strawberry tapioca pearls and different berries.

For a fruity twist, add a handful of mashed blueberries or strawberries with ½ tablespoon of sugar to the bottom of your drink.

Strawberry tapioca pearls or crystal boba are perfect for adding a slight fruitiness while keeping the fun, chewy pearls element.

With red bean and salted cream cheese foam

Red bean paste is one of our favourite toppings because its subtle sweetness and nuttiness complement matcha's earthy taste. You can buy smooth red bean paste online. However, try our homemade red bean paste recipe if you prefer a coarser texture.

Cream cheese foam is a salty and sweet addition to matcha milk tea that works surprisingly well to make this drink so moreish.

Latte

A matcha latte is a delicious treat commonly served as an alternative to coffee in coffee shops. Matcha is traditionally prepared in a small bowl using a bamboo whisk. The base drink is typically quite strong because steamed milk is added to it.

If you have, save our recipe on Pinterest and check out more on our YouTube Channel.