At upwards of $5 a cup, matcha lattes don’t come cheap. Good matcha lattes with quality matcha and an oat milk upgrade even less so.
We tinkered with different brands of oat milks, sweeteners, proportions and ratios and eventually landed on what you see below. A refreshing matcha oat milk latte which strikes a harmonious balance between deep matcha flavors, nice creaminess and a light, balanced natural sweetness.
An important note about oat milk and sweetener
Most brands of oat milk are naturally sweeter than regular milk. The sweetness comes from starch in oats being broken down into simple carbohydrates (i.e. sugars). When making matcha lattes, you should account for this sugar in oat milk too.
Our preferred brand (Oatly) has about 8 grams of sugar per cup. When using Oatly, we only add half a teaspoon of powdered brown sugar. We like our matcha lattes mildly sweet so we can taste the matcha and find this to be the perfect level of sweetness.
To calibrate the sweetness to your liking, be sure to read the labels of your oat milk brand and adjust the added sweetener accordingly. We know that certain oat milk brands like Pacific Foods come sweeter, and you may not need to add any extra sweetener at all.
Best way to mix the matcha and water
Where possible, we try to only incorporate tools most people already have in the kitchen. But for this recipe, our recommendation is to mix the matcha and water in a separate bowl using a bamboo whisk.
- We do not recommend the shaking method because the matcha mixture is quite thick. Shaking it up in a bottle may result in some wastage if you cannot get every drop out easily.
- We also do not recommend battery-operated frothers because these tend to clump up the matcha. They do best where there is a lower amount of matcha compared to water.
- You may use a blender if you prefer that. We usually avoid blenders because of the extra cleanup required.
- If you are using a tall glass to make your matcha latte, consider purchasing a longer bamboo whisk. These also come with smaller heads that allow you to whisk your matcha in a smaller bowl/glass.
How to make the matcha oat milk latte
Makes 1 cup
Ingredients
- 2 tsp matcha powder
- 1.5 oz/50 ml water at a temperature of 175F (80C)
- 8 oz/230 ml oat milk
- 0.5 tsp powdered brown sugar (adjust based on desired sweetness)
Directions
1. Measure out 2 tsp matcha powder and 1.5 oz/50 ml of water at a temperature of 175F (80C).
2. Add the water and matcha into a bowl and whisk it up using a bamboo whisk.
3. Pour the matcha mixture into your cup. Use a spoon to get all the matcha out. Add 0.5 tsp of powdered brown sugar (or equivalent if using other preferred sweeteners). Mix well.
4. Heat 8 oz of oat milk to a temperature of about 150F (65C). Use an automatic frothing machine if you have one.
5. Pour the milk over the matcha mixture and stir well.
Make it an iced matcha oat milk latte?
Use warm or room temperature water to make the matcha mixture instead. Once done, set aside the matcha mixture. Pour your oat milk into the glass and add the sweetener. Pour the matcha mixture into the oat milk.
