This Oat Milk Matcha Latte is a creamy, easy matcha drink made with matcha powder, hot water and oat milk. You can make it hot or iced in just a few minutes, with a little honey or your favorite sweetener if you like your matcha on the sweeter side.
If you enjoy ordering matcha lattes at your favorite coffee shop, this is an easy one to make at home, and you only need a few simple ingredients. I usually enjoy mine warm in the morning, but once the Southern California temperatures start climbing, I’m definitely making the iced version.
If you are newer to matcha and want to learn what it tastes like, the different grades, and how to choose a powder, read my beginner’s guide to matcha. And if you want something sweet to go with it, try my matcha chocolate chip cookies or these strawberry scones.
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 3 minutes to warm the milk
- ⏳ Total Time: 8 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 1 latte, hot or iced
- ⚡ Calories: 193kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Earthy, lightly grassy matcha softened by naturally sweet, creamy oat milk
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, a handheld frother is the only gadget
Quick Answer
Add half a teaspoon of matcha powder to your serving mug, pour in 2 ounces of hot water around 175 degrees, and aerate with a handheld milk frother until a light foam forms. Heat 6 to 8 ounces of oat milk in a small saucepan, milk warmer or the microwave, pour it into the mug, dust with matcha, and drizzle in honey if you like it sweeter. For the iced version, pour the whisked matcha over cold oat milk and ice instead.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- 175 degree water, never boiling. Very hot water scalds matcha’s delicate compounds and turns the cup bitter; just-under-simmer water keeps it smooth and sweet.
- Matcha meets water before milk. Whisking the powder into a small amount of water first is what prevents clumps; dry matcha stirred into a full cup of milk never fully blends.
- The frother does a bamboo whisk’s job. A handheld frother aerates the matcha into the same light foam, no ceremony required.
- Oat milk is the dairy free foam champion. Its starches hold bubbles the way dairy fat does, which is why coffee shops reach for it; barista versions froth even better.
- Sifting fixes clumps before they happen. Matcha is so fine it clumps in the tin; a quick sift means a silky latte.
- Sweetener goes in last because oat milk is already a little sweet; tasting first keeps the honey honest.
- The same build goes iced: whisk the matcha hot so it dissolves, then pour it over cold milk and ice.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s quick. Ready in about five minutes once the matcha is in the pantry.
- It’s creamy. Oat milk has a naturally creamy texture that works especially well in lattes.
- You control the sweetness. Leave it unsweetened, or add honey, maple syrup or another sweetener to taste.
- Hot or iced. Warm in the morning, over ice when the afternoon heats up.
- Less expensive than the coffee shop. One tin of matcha makes weeks of lattes and lets you skip the line.
- A matcha habit comes with homework I’ve done: the iced blueberry version, iced matcha lattes and a shelf of matcha desserts.
Key Ingredients
Four ingredients, one of them optional. Quantities are in the recipe card below.
- matcha powder. Finely ground green tea powder gives the latte its beautiful green color and distinctive earthy flavor. I like a good quality matcha for drinks since there are so few ingredients; ceremonial or a good culinary grade both work. My beginner’s guide to matcha walks through choosing one.
- Hot Water. Hot rather than boiling; I use water around 175 degrees F.
- Oat Milk. Gives this latte its creamy texture. I like a barista style oat milk because it froths nicely, but use your favorite.
- Honey, optional. Start with a small amount, taste, and add more if you want it sweeter.
- A frother stands in for a bamboo whisk and lives in the drawer afterward.
See the recipe card below for exact quantities and full instructions.
Variations & Substitutions
- Make it iced: prepare the matcha with hot water as directed, fill a tall glass with ice and cold oat milk, pour the matcha over and stir.
- Change the milk: almond, coconut, soy or regular dairy milk all work if you prefer.
- Change the sweetener: maple syrup, agave, vanilla syrup or your favorite, or leave it out completely.
- Make it stronger: gradually increase the matcha powder to suit your taste.
- Vanilla matcha: a drop of vanilla extract in the warm milk reads like the coffeehouse version.
- More matcha moods: the Trader Joe’s matcha latte, the Starbucks iced matcha copycat and the green smoothie bowl all start from the same tin.
How to Make an Oat Milk Matcha Latte
- Add the matcha powder to the serving mug.
- Pour in the hot water, around 175 degrees F.
- Using a stick milk frother, aerate the water and matcha.
- Keep frothing until a light foam is created, then heat your oat milk using a small saucepan, milk warmer, or the microwave.
- Pour the warm oat milk into the mug.
- Dust the top with matcha powder through a small sieve.
- Optional: drizzle your honey into the mix. Stir and enjoy.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Don’t use boiling water. Very hot water can make matcha taste more bitter; around 175 degrees works well.
- Sift your matcha. If you find little green clumps floating in your latte, sifting the powder before whisking makes a big difference.
- Whisk the matcha with water first. Don’t add dry powder directly to a full cup of oat milk; making the matcha mixture first helps it blend smoothly.
- Start with less sweetener. Oat milk already has some natural sweetness, so taste before adding too much honey.
- Use barista oat milk for more foam if you like that coffee shop style frothy top.
- Drink it fresh. Leftovers keep covered in the refrigerator up to a day; the matcha settles, so stir or shake before drinking, and add ice only at serving time.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
This latte is especially good with something sweet: my matcha chocolate chip cookies if you really love matcha, or a slice of afternoon tea cake for a simple afternoon treat.
On a drink board it sits between the blueberry mint iced tea, the butterfly pea latte, the chai protein shake and a pitcher of hibiscus green tea, with how to brew Earl Grey and the whole tea beverages archive for everything else. Until next time, keep life sweet, one sip at a time.
Oat Milk Matcha FAQs
Yes. A small handheld milk frother works very well and is what I often use. The important part is getting the matcha thoroughly mixed with the water before adding the oat milk.
Absolutely. Whisk the matcha with hot water first, then pour it over ice and cold oat milk. Stir and add your favorite sweetener if desired.
Matcha powder is very fine and can clump. Sifting it before adding the water and then whisking thoroughly will give you a smoother latte.
Both ceremonial grade and good quality culinary matcha work well. Since you’re adding oat milk and possibly a sweetener, you don’t need the most expensive tin available. My beginner’s guide to matcha goes into more detail if you’re still deciding.
Yes, from the matcha itself: roughly a third to half the caffeine of a cup of coffee at this amount, released more gently thanks to matcha’s L-theanine.
Its natural starches stabilize the bubbles the way dairy fat does, which is why coffee shops favor it. Barista versions add a little extra fat for an even thicker foam.
Oat Milk Matcha Latte (Hot or Iced)
Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon matcha powder + extra for dusting
- 2 oz hot water best at 175 degrees
- 6-8 oz oat milk
- 1 tablespoon honey optional
Instructions
- Add the matcha powder to the serving mug.
- Pour over the hot water (175 degrees) and using a handheld milk frother, aerate the water and matcha until a light foam is created.
- Heat your oat milk using a small saucepan, milk warmer, or the microwave.
- Pour the warm oat milk into the mug.
- Dust with matcha powder.
- Optional: Drizzle with honey, stir, and enjoy.
Notes
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- For a smoother latte, sift the matcha powder before whisking. Use hot water rather than boiling water. For an iced version, prepare the matcha mixture first, then pour it over cold oat milk and ice. Honey can be replaced with maple syrup, agave, vanilla syrup, or your preferred sweetener.
