Matcha Latte Recipe: Easy, Hot or Iced, in 5 Minutes

Quick answer: To make a matcha latte, sift 1 teaspoon of matcha, whisk it with 2 tablespoons of hot water at about 175°F, then add 1 cup of milk, warm or over ice. With 2% milk and a teaspoon of maple syrup it has about 139 calories, and the matcha adds roughly 38 to 88 mg of caffeine.

A good matcha latte is three things: matcha, a little hot water and milk. This matcha latte recipe takes five minutes, needs no machine, and works hot or iced. Below you will find the steps, a quick comparison of five milks with real USDA numbers, and what the caffeine and the "benefits" really amount to.

Matcha latte milks at a glance

Milk (1 cup)	Calories	Protein	Good to know
2% dairy milk	About 122	About 8 g	What our recipe numbers use
Whole dairy milk	About 149	About 8 g	Richer, more calories
Soy milk, unsweetened	About 80	About 7 g	Closest plant milk in protein
Oat milk, unsweetened	About 118	About 2 g	Similar calories to 2% milk, much less protein
Almond milk, unsweetened	About 47	About 2 g	Lowest in calories

Values are from USDA FoodData Central for one cup (244 g, or 243 g for soy) and are estimates. Brands differ, so check your label.

Matcha latte recipe: how to make it

1. Sift 1 teaspoon of matcha into a wide mug or bowl. Matcha clumps easily, and sifting means smoother results.
2. Whisk with 2 tablespoons of hot water, about 175°F, until smooth and foamy. Use a bamboo whisk or a small milk frother.
3. Add the milk. Warm for a hot latte, or pour over ice for an iced one.
4. Sweeten to taste with a teaspoon of maple syrup, or skip it.

The step photos are on the recipe card below.

What is the golden ratio for a matcha latte?

There is no single ratio for a matcha latte recipe. Love & Lemons uses half to one teaspoon of matcha, Naoki Matcha suggests 1.5 teaspoons with about an ounce of water as a starting point, and A Cozy Kitchen and Amy's Nutrition Kitchen use about 2 teaspoons per serving or two servings. Ours sits in the middle: 1 teaspoon (about 2 g) of matcha, 2 tablespoons of hot water and 1 cup of milk.

Use that as a start and adjust. More powder makes it stronger and greener, more milk makes it milder, and more powder also means more caffeine.

Is there a difference between matcha and a matcha latte?

Matcha is the powder, and also the drink made by whisking it with hot water. A matcha latte is matcha whisked with water and then mixed with milk, usually with a little sweetener.

How to make matcha tea (the base of every latte)

Sift the powder, add a small amount of hot water and whisk until smooth. Breville's guide says to keep the water no hotter than 175°F, because hotter water extracts more astringent flavors. Whisking with only a little water first, as A Cozy Kitchen does, keeps the matcha from being watered down before the milk goes in.

Iced matcha tea latte recipe and the hot version

For the iced version, fill a glass about three quarters full of ice and cold milk, then pour the whisked matcha on top. A Cozy Kitchen and Amy's Nutrition Kitchen chill the whisked matcha for a few minutes first, so it does not melt the ice too fast. For the hot version, warm the milk until steaming but not boiling and add it to the matcha.

Sweetener tastes different in cold and warm drinks, so taste before you add more. We use maple syrup, but you can use any sweetener you like.

Tips for a smooth matcha latte recipe

• Sift first. It is the easiest way to avoid green clumps.
• Use only a little water to whisk. Dilute it after you add the milk.
• Do not use boiling water. Let it sit for a minute or two.
• Match the whisk to the glass. A bamboo whisk works well in a wide bowl. A small milk frother works in a tall glass.
• Add the milk last. It keeps the foam on top.

How many calories are in a matcha latte?

For this matcha latte recipe, with 1 cup of 2% milk and 1 teaspoon of maple syrup, about 139 calories, 8 g of protein, 16 g of carbohydrate and 5 g of fat per latte. Of that, the milk is about 122 calories and the maple syrup about 17 calories (USDA data). We did not count the matcha powder, because USDA has no matcha entry and the amount is small, so the total is an estimate.

Without the maple syrup, it is about 122 calories with 2% milk. With almond milk it is about 47 calories before the sweetener.

What are the benefits of drinking a matcha latte?

We looked for studies on matcha lattes and found none. What we did find are reviews of matcha itself. A 2026 review in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (PMID 41645939) says matcha contains caffeine, polyphenols and amino acids, and also says that studies on matcha remain limited. A 2026 review in Molecules (PMID 42654013) says the amounts of these compounds vary significantly with harvest season, cultivar and growing practices, and that matcha on the market ranges widely in quality.

So we cannot promise a health effect from a matcha latte. What you can count on is the milk: with 2% milk you get about 8 g of protein per cup (USDA). The rest is taste and a nice five-minute break.

Safety: caffeine in your matcha latte

A latte made with the matcha latte recipe above, 1 teaspoon (about 2 g) of matcha, has roughly 38 to 88 mg of caffeine, using the range of 19 to 44 mg per gram reported for matcha powder. That is our multiplication, not a lab measurement. A cafe latte can use two teaspoons or more, which doubles it. Our article explains the numbers on matcha vs coffee caffeine.

Mayo Clinic and MedlinePlus say up to 400 mg of caffeine a day seems safe for most adults. People who are pregnant, trying to become pregnant or breastfeeding, who have anxiety, an irregular heartbeat or a sleep disorder, who take certain medicines, and children and teens should check with their healthcare professional about caffeine.

If you want a warm drink without caffeine, try our ginger water recipe.

How we researched this

• Recipe pages: we read four matcha latte pages on October 18, 2026 (A Cozy Kitchen, Love & Lemons, Naoki Matcha and Amy's Nutrition Kitchen) for ratios and technique, and we write our own steps. A fifth page could not be read.
• Nutrition: values come from USDA FoodData Central for the milks and maple syrup. The matcha powder is not counted.
• Matcha research: we cite the PubMed reviews linked above, after reading their abstracts.
• Caffeine: see our matcha vs coffee article for the sources (Mayo Clinic and MedlinePlus).
• Not tested by us: we did not measure the caffeine or the taste of any cup in a lab.

Good to know

This article is general information. It is not medical advice, and it does not replace a conversation with your doctor or a registered dietitian. Nutrition values are estimates. If you have a health condition, take medicine, are pregnant or breastfeeding, ask your healthcare professional before changing your caffeine intake.