Vegan lemon matcha latte recipe

With its vibrant green colour, almost miraculous health benefits and naturally creamy taste, our matcha latte recipe may just be the morning pick-me-up you didn’t know you were missing.   For most of us, the best way to shake off a sluggish start to the day is a hot cup of coffee. Whether you take yours as an Americano, a cappuccino, or even a double espresso (if you really need a hand getting going), coffee has kept us functioning through many a slow morning.

Coffee has its benefits. It provide that much-needed hit of caffeine. But it may protect us from some common diseases. One study found that mortality rates were lower for coffee drinkers than non-drinkers, which provides a fairly compelling reason to continue with your latte habit.(1)

That said, coffee can also have its downsides. The main reason you might be keen to put down your coffee cup is that the sudden hit of caffeine can cause unpleasant side effects.(2)

Drinking too much coffee - or simply being sensitive to its effects - is associated with anxiety, insomnia, restlessness and even panic attacks.

A matcha latte recipe to start your day

Imagine if there were a delicious hot drink which gave you the sense of energy and alertness that coffee provides, without the jitters?

It turns out that this drink not only exists, but Japanese people have known about it for thousands of years.

Matcha is a very high quality type of green tea. It’s made with only the finest and youngest tea leaves, which are ground into a fine powder. Rather than steeping the leaves, you simply mix the powder with water and drink them whole.

This gives you access to even more of green tea’s well known health benefits. Just another reason to swap over to a green tea latte.

Restful alertness

Like coffee, matcha green tea contains caffeine. A cup of matcha contains slightly less caffeine than a cup of coffee, but still enough to keep you feeling energised.

However, matcha also contains another, less well-known nutrient, called l-theanine.

It’s a non-protein amino acid which is associated with lowering stress. It helps to put you into a state of relaxation.

But the best thing? When l-theanine meets caffeine, it tones down its effects. Unlike coffee, matcha won’t give you any jitters or feelings of anxiety. This is because l-theanine stops the effects of caffeine from overwhelming your system.

Not only that, but l-theanine is associated with improved memory and focus.(3) That makes matcha the perfect drink to enjoy before tackling an important task. If you’re approaching a big meeting, take a moment to enjoy a quiet matcha latte beforehand. It may not only relax you, but help improve your overall performance.

Lemons to lift

For those who haven’t yet tried matcha, it has a naturally creamy and slightly sweet taste, with a hint of fresh grassiness. Ceremonial Grade Matcha like ours is the highest possible quality of matcha.

It’s so revered in Japan that it’s usually reserved for traditional tea ceremonies, where it is served to honoured guests.

You can drink matcha made simply with hot water, using your bamboo whisk to blend the fine powder into a little hot water to make a paste. Then simply top up with as much hot water as you would like.

However, for those special days when you’d like an extra boost, our lemony matcha latte is a delicious treat.

Infusing the matcha with lemon zest provides a citrus note that pairs beautifully with the naturally fresh flavour of the green tea.

Peel your lemon zest into long strips to increase the surface area for infusing, and to make it nice and easy to remove when you’re finished.

Almonds to soften

There’s something incredibly comforting about warm milk. Perhaps it stems from the bedtime treats of childhood. Or, maybe, it’s the moment of mindfulness we experience when we curl our hands around the warm mug. Either way, adding warm milk to coffee or this matcha latte recipe softens the flavour and soothes us as we drink.

You could easily substitute ready-made almond milk to this recipe, but when it’s so easy to create your own, why not do it at home? We love the additional transparency, and the knowledge that our matcha latte is made purely of natural, organic ingredients with no preservatives, chemicals or hidden sugars.

It’s also great to know that if we have a pack of almond flour on hand, we can easily mix up some fresh almond milk whenever we need it.

If you’re not keen on almond milk, try experimenting with other plant-based milks. Coconut would add richness and flavour, while oat, with its fairly neutral taste, would allow the matcha to shine.

In hot weather, you could also try making this recipe with cold almond milk. Technically speaking, this would turn your latte into a matcha milk tea, a cold matcha drink which is also very popular in Japan. The lemon zest would add a refreshing burst of flavour on a warm day.

It’s all about the foam

Like a good cappuccino, a matcha latte is best drunk with a thick creamy foam resting on top. Matcha lends itself to foaming even when simply served with water, and the addition of milk makes the froth even more luxurious.

You can achieve this simply by whisking with your bamboo chasen. If you don’t have one at home, try using an electric milk frother. You can also make our latte in a blender or smoothie maker, which will blend all the ingredients perfectly and provide a foamy top.

You can even experiment with a little latte art. Matcha’s joyful, bright green hue makes a lovely change from the deep, chocolatey brown shade of coffee. Be playful: whip up a thick foam and create swirling shapes of white and green before drinking.

After all, making our matcha latte can be as much of a moment of self-care as drinking it. So, savour this moment to yourself, experiment and enjoy.