5 Ways to Enjoy Matcha Green Tea

Sometimes I forget how much I love matcha green tea. I think I get in too much of a coffee drinking rut. But I seriously love the flavor, and knowing it’s a great source of antioxidants doesn’t hurt either.

Of course you can easily just make a cup of hot or cold green tea or even a green tea latte. Recently I decided to challenge myself to think outside the box and find a few more ways to enjoy matcha green tea.

I’m excited to share my favorite five with you all! Warning: these are pretty diverse and sort of random, but they are the five that I found I liked the most out of everything I experimented with. 🙂

I call this one The Green Monster. It honestly tastes a lot like some of the fresh juices you can buy at health food stores (or if you have a juicer, maybe you make your own?). But you don’t need any special equipment besides a blender.

Also, if the sound of fresh juice makes you nervous that this is going to be “healthy in a gross way” (as I tend to think sometimes…just being honest), you’re wrong. This is actually lightly sweet and really refreshing, along with being packed full of good things. Try it!

The Green Monster, makes one big serving (about 10 oz.)

1 1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon matcha powder 1 banana, frozen
1 spinach cube (I’ll explain in a second)
1 granny smith apple
2-3 fresh mint leaves

First, let’s talk about spinach cubes. If you’re looking to make some green smoothies anytime soon, I highly recommend you blend together 8 oz of well-rinsed spinach with 2/3 cup water. I usually do this in a food processor but a blender would work well too.

Then freeze the spinach mixture in a an ice cube tray, and use those cubes throughout the week to make green smoothies. This ensures your spinach won’t go bad before you can use it all, and I think it blends into the smoothie better so you don’t have little leafy bits. 

I also like to remove ripe bananas from their peel and cut them into 5-6 pieces. Then I freeze those in a ziplock and use throughout the week too. I usually freeze 4-5 bananas at once so I will have enough to last a little while.

For the green tea, I like to whisk together the matcha and water first. This helps to ensure you don’t have any powder clumps left in your mixture. Also, peel and remove the apple core before use.

In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. The frozen banana and spinach will make this smoothie just chilled, so add a few ice cubes (before or after blending) if you want it really cold. 

Next is a vanilla matcha breakfast smoothie. This is so creamy and (lightly) sweet that it almost feels like a dessert. Almost. Also, can I just confess that for many years I thought protein powder was only for boys.

Now I realize I was totally wrong! It can actually be really tasty and a good option for getting some much needed protein into your breakfast routine. I like vanilla whey, but I don’t really have a favorite brand yet as I’m still trying a few out. If you have a favorite I should try, let me know!

Vanilla Matcha Breakfast Smoothie, makes one

1 cup milk (or water)
1/2 teaspoon matcha powder 2 frozen bananas
1/2 scoop (or suggested serving size) vanilla protein powder

Whisk together the milk and matcha powder until no powder clumps remain. Then blend all the ingredients together for 2 minutes. You really want to blend well here, otherwise the protein powder can feel a little chalky. 

Have you guys ever tried chia water before? I think it makes an awesome afternoon pick me up (instead of my usual cup of coffee). I drink this unsweetened, but you could easily add some honey or other sweetener to this if you like.

Chia Green Tea, makes one serving

1 1/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon matcha powder 1 tablespoon chia seeds
juice from 1/4 lemon or lime

In a tall glass or jar, whisk (or shake if you’re using a jar with a lid) together the water and matcha powder. Stir in the chia seeds and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes. Give the water a stir if it looks like the seeds are sticking together.

The longer they soak the more gelatinous they will become. Before serving, squeeze in a little lemon juice. 

Have you ever heard of bulletproof coffee? I forget where I first heard about it, but I do remember thinking, “That sounds interesting.” And I’ll pretty much try anything that I think sounds interesting. Why not? I will say though that I’ve read some sources that recommend drinking this type of thing every morning in place of breakfast, which I do not agree with.

I am not a dietitian, but this just doesn’t strike me as a good idea (and I think you’ll agree once you see the ingredient list). For me this is just a tasty alternative to coffee or plain green tea, but not something I would drink everyday.

But if you’ve never tried bulletproof coffee, or if you have and didn’t like it, I still say try this green tea version as I like it even more than the coffee version. 

Bulletproof Green Tea, makes one serving

2 cups hot water
1/2 teaspoon matcha powder 1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 tablespoon coconut oil

Heat your water until just before it boils. Add the matcha and whisk until no powdery clumps remain. In a blender combine the green tea with the butter and coconut oil.

Place a towel over the top of the blender (in case any hot liquid seeps out) and blend for 30-45 seconds on high. The butter and oil will dissolve and the high speed will incorporate some air, giving you a little foam on top (like a latte). Serve hot. 

This is sort of like a green tea Arnold Palmer. Very refreshing and more fun to drink than water (ha!). I don’t sweeten my version, but feel free to add a little honey or other sweetener if you like.

Green Tea Lemonade, makes one serving

1 1/2 cups cold water
1/4 teaspoon matcha powder juice from 2-3 lemons
ice

In a tall glass, combine the cold water and matcha. Whisk until no powder clumps remain. Then stir in the fresh lemon juice and add ice. 

What about you? Do you have a favorite way to enjoy green tea? xo. Emma