Iced strawberry matcha latte: a slow, simple recipe
Astrawberry matcha latte is built in three layers. Crushed strawberries at the bottom. Cold milk in the middle. A thin pour of matcha on top. It tastes bright at the start, creamy through the middle, and grassy on the finish. This guide gives you the recipe, the ratios, and the small steps that keep the colours clean.
Crush 120g of strawberries with a teaspoon of honey. Spoon them into the base of a tall glass. Fill with ice and 180ml of cold milk. Whisk 1g of matcha with 60ml of warm water, then pour it slowly over the back of a spoon onto the milk. Stir before drinking. Serves one. Takes five minutes.
- 1g of matcha (about half a teaspoon)
- 60ml of warm water, around 70°C
- 120g of fresh strawberries (about half a 250g punnet)
- 1 teaspoon of honey, maple syrup, or sugar (optional)
- 180ml of cold milk
- Ice
- A tall glass
- A small bowl and chasen, or a hand frother
- A fork or potato masher
First time making matcha? Our matcha tea sets include the bowl, whisk and Everyday matcha you need for this recipe. Three pieces in one box.
If you only drink matcha for this kind of recipe, Sipspa's Everyday Matcha is the practical choice. It is bright, well-balanced, and holds up under the sweetness of fruit and milk. Save the Ceremonial Grade for bowls where the flavour does all the work.
- Crush the strawberries. Hull them, then mash in a small bowl with a fork. Add the honey if using. You are not making jam. Some texture is good.
- Spoon the strawberries into a tall glass. Press them gently into the base.
- Add ice on top of the strawberries. Fill about three quarters of the glass.
- Pour in the cold milk. Slow and steady, against the side of the glass. The ice keeps the milk from sinking into the strawberries.
- Whisk the matcha. Sift 1g into a small bowl. Add 60ml of warm water. Whisk in a quick W motion until smooth and slightly foamy. About 15 seconds.
- Pour the matcha onto the milk. Tilt a teaspoon against the surface of the milk and pour the matcha over the back of it. Slowly. The matcha sits in a clean green layer on top.
- Stir before drinking. All three layers come together as you sip.
The strawberry layer can be raw or cooked. Both work. Cooked compote keeps for a week in the fridge and pours smoother.
To make a small batch:
- Hull and roughly chop 250g of strawberries.
- Put them in a small saucepan with one tablespoon of honey, maple syrup, or sugar.
- Cook over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring now and then. The strawberries release their juice and break down.
- Take it off the heat while there are still some pieces. Let it cool. Store in a jar in the fridge.
Use a heaped tablespoon per latte. The cooked version layers more cleanly than raw because it is denser.
The layers hold because each one is denser than the one above it. Crushed strawberries sit at the base. Milk is lighter than the strawberries but heavier than whisked matcha. Matcha floats on top because it is mostly water and air after whisking.
Three things help:
- Ice between the layers. It physically slows the milk from sinking into the strawberries.
- Pour against the back of a spoon. It breaks the fall and stops the matcha from cutting through the milk.
- Pour slowly. Speed is the main reason layers blend on the way in.
The layers will hold for one or two minutes. Long enough for a photo. Stir before you drink.
Different milks change the texture and the way the layers behave. There is no single best option. This is a guide to what to expect.
| Milk | What it adds | Layers cleanly | Sweetness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole dairy | Rich, creamy | Yes, the cleanest | Neutral |
| Oat | Smooth, creamy | Yes | Naturally a little sweet |
| Almond | Lighter, faintly nutty | Mostly | Faintly sweet |
| Soy | Creamy, full | Sometimes splits | Neutral |
| Coconut | Tropical, distinctive | Yes | Sweet |
If your compote is very acidic and you are using soy, add a splash of milk to the bowl first to test before building the glass.
Frozen strawberries. Thaw them in a bowl first, then crush. The juice is more intense and slightly sweeter than fresh. Useful out of season.
Blended. Skip the layering. Blend 120g of strawberries with the milk and a handful of ice. Pour into the glass and top with the matcha. Smoother, creamier, faster.
With vanilla. Add half a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the strawberries. It rounds the sweetness.
Hot version. Warm 180ml of milk to around 65°C. Skip the ice. Spoon warm compote into the base of a mug. Add the milk, then the matcha. The layers are softer but still visible.
Strawberries on their own are sweet enough most of the year. If you start there, you control everything else.
- Skip the honey in the compote and let the fruit speak for itself.
- Use unsweetened milk. Plain oat and almond both add a faint sweetness without being sugary.
- Reduce the strawberry layer to one tablespoon.
- Add a small pinch of salt to the strawberries. It dampens perceived sweetness and brightens the flavour.
For a cleaner-tasting drink, switch to Ceremonial Grade matcha. The natural sweetness in first-harvest leaves means you can pull back the strawberry and still have a balanced glass.
Can I use frozen strawberries for a strawberry matcha latte?
Yes. Thaw them in a bowl first, then crush. Frozen strawberries release more juice than fresh, which gives a slightly thinner compote but a stronger flavour. They work especially well from autumn through winter, when fresh strawberries in Australia are paler and less sweet.
What milk works best with strawberry and matcha?
Oat milk is the most forgiving. It is creamy, slightly sweet, and does not split when it meets the strawberry layer. Whole dairy gives the cleanest layers. Almond is lighter and lets the strawberry flavour come through more clearly. Soy can curdle if the compote is very acidic, so add a splash to test first.
How do I keep the layers separated?
Pour slowly, use plenty of ice, and pour the matcha over the back of a spoon. The ice physically separates the milk from the strawberries. The spoon stops the matcha from punching through the milk on the way in. The layers hold for one to two minutes before they merge naturally.
Is a strawberry matcha latte healthy?
It depends on how you make it. Matcha gives you a small dose of L-theanine and antioxidants. Strawberries add fibre and vitamin C. Sweetness is where it tips. A drink with one teaspoon of honey and unsweetened milk is light. The same drink with two tablespoons of syrup and full-cream milk is closer to a dessert. Make it at home and you decide.
Do I need a chasen to make a strawberry matcha latte?
No, but it makes a smoother matcha layer. A small hand frother works well. So does a tightly sealed jar shaken hard for 20 seconds. A regular kitchen whisk is the least effective because the wires are too thick to break up the powder properly. Read how to make matcha properly here.
A strawberry matcha latte is one of the easier modern matcha drinks to make well. The recipe forgives most mistakes and the colour does most of the visual work. Once you have the layering down, you can swap the fruit with the seasons. Raspberries and rhubarb both work. So does mango in summer.
If you want to keep things simple, Sipspa's Everyday Matcha and a fresh punnet of strawberries are all you need.
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