Banana Matcha Latte
A naturally sweet, iced twist on the matcha latte: matcha whisked into a smooth paste, blended with a ripe banana and milk, and poured over ice. The banana does the sweetening and gives it a creamy, smoothie-like body, so you often don't need any added sugar. The one rule carries over from a plain matcha latte — make the paste first, or it turns gritty.
Ingredients
- 4 gmatcha powder, ceremonial-grade
- 1 pcsbanana
- 300 mlmilk
- 15 ghoney
- 60 mlhot water
- 150 gice
Method
- Sift 4 g of matcha through a fine sieve into a small bowl or cup. Matcha clumps the moment it meets liquid, and sifting is the single step that keeps the drink from turning gritty.
- Add the hot water — around 75 to 80 °C, not boiling — and whisk vigorously in a zig-zag or W motion for 20 to 30 seconds until you have a smooth, lump-free paste with a light foam. Boiling water scorches matcha and makes it bitter.
- Stir the honey into the matcha paste while it's still warm, so it dissolves evenly. If your banana is very ripe, you can skip the honey entirely.
- Peel the banana and add it to a blender with the milk. A frozen banana gives the thickest, coldest result; a fresh one is lighter.
- Blend the banana and milk until completely smooth, 20 to 30 seconds, with no visible banana pieces left.
- Fill two glasses with ice. Pour in the banana milk, then slowly pour the matcha paste over the top for a layered green-and-cream look before stirring.
- Stir to combine just before drinking. Taste and add a little more honey only if the banana wasn't sweet enough.
FAQ
Matcha clumps the instant it hits liquid, and a blender won't fully break those clumps — you get bitter green specks. Whisking it smooth with a little hot water first dissolves it evenly so the whole drink tastes clean.
Both work. A frozen banana makes it thick, cold, and milkshake-like and lets you skip the ice; a fresh banana is lighter and pourable. If you use frozen, you may not need any ice at all.
Use oat milk, which froths and blends well and is naturally sweet, and swap the honey for maple syrup. The banana already carries most of the sweetness, so the drink barely changes.
Around 75 to 80 °C — roughly a minute or two off the boil. Boiling water scorches matcha and turns it harsh and bitter; water that's too cool won't dissolve the paste smoothly.
Yes. A bamboo whisk (chasen) helps, but a small regular whisk or a milk frother works if you go fast in a zig-zag rather than stirring in circles. The banana and milk get blended anyway, so the paste is the only part that needs whisking.
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