Matcha Milk Tea Recipe: Hot + Iced Bubble Tea (With Video)

If you love boba tea, you can make your own green tea boba with this matcha milk tea recipe. With plant-based milk, it’s a refreshing drink for everyone, especially a matcha lover like you! Enjoy this as an iced matcha, or make it hot to delight your taste buds!

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Fresh ingredients: While you may love popping by a bubble tea shop for this delicious drink, making it yourself ensures you’re only getting fresh and pure ingredients. At a shop, you may be drinking down dangerous chemical sweeteners.
• Delicious: With my favorite Jade Leaf Matcha and a few simple ingredients, you’ll love the flavors.
• Hot or cold: Choose a cold serving of this refreshing matcha bubble tea or make it hot to suit your tastes.
• Simple: Faster than it takes to stop at a boba shop and order, you’ll be sipping on this matcha drink with pure bliss!

What Is Milk Tea?

Milk tea is a style of different tea drink that basically consists of tea with milk in it. But there are so many kinds from around the world. Generally, you’ll find them with milk and a sweetener added to a robust style of tea. This serves to create a mellow and balanced flavor that even those who find tea astringent in taste enjoy. 

In the UK, milk tea is usually made with English breakfast tea and a splash of milk, sometimes with sweetener. In Japan, Hokkaido milk tea and Okinawa milk tea are popular options. For Hokkaido, the milk tea starts with black tea sweetened with honey or brown sugar. Okinawa milk tea also uses black tea along with milk and a special kind of brown sugar. 

Meanwhile, boba, or bubble tea as it is called, is a unique creation from Taiwan. What makes it special is the addition of boba pearls. There are so many flavors of bubble tea, which is why this matcha milk tea recipe is going to clearly become a favorite for you and your family. 

Where Is Matcha Tea From?

Matcha tea is rooted in ancient practices from Chinese Buddhist monks. The preparation was seen as meditative, a ritual with a precise step-by-step process. In the 11th century, it was shared with the Japanese, becoming an instant sensation. Matcha is a powdered tea that has since been associated with Japan, the name ‘matcha’ signifying ‘rubbed tea.’

Matcha is made from green tea leaves ground into a fine powder. The tea leaves are grown in the shade, preventing them from being impacted by direct sunlight. 

Is Matcha Milk Tea Good For You? 

Yes, you’ll be happy to know that matcha milk tea is as healthy as it is refreshing. You get health benefits from vitamins like vitamin C, plus minerals and antioxidants. It’s also great to revive your energy in a healthier way over something like coffee. 

Matcha powder can be good for skin health, oral health, and keeping cholesterol levels on an even keel. And since it’s so delicious to drink, it will be even easier to keep up with your best health this way. 

What Does Matcha Milk Tea Taste Like?

Matcha boba tea has a sweet and rich yet earthy taste. It’s incredibly unique, thanks to the matcha powder. Then add to it oat milk and maple syrup for natural sweetness. I always recommend choosing high-quality matcha to use, like Jade Leaf Matcha. It has a vibrant green color and will ensure you get the best flavors. 

Honestly, it’s creamy and dreamy, with just the right sweet flavors. You can drink to your health while enjoying the delicious flavors of matcha milk tea. 

What Are The Different Types Of Matcha?

You might be surprised to learn that there are different types of matcha available in different grades. This doesn’t mean one grade is better than the other, but rather, they have different uses. 

Ceremonial Grade Matcha

The first leaves, called Ichibancha, are used for ceremonial grade matcha. These give a smoother flavor ideal for traditional tea preparation methods. They’re more vibrant in color and more expensive, too, as they are the highest quality. But the difference is so noticeable in matcha milk tea, hence why this is the one I recommend you use. 

Culinary Grade Matcha

The second harvest tea leaves, or Nibancha, are beautiful in color and rich in flavor. These are often used in lattes or smoothies, but for a milk tea, the ceremonial grade will be a better option. 

Ingredients + Notes

There’s really nothing to it when it comes to making matcha bubble tea. These simple ingredients will have you turning your kitchen into your own cozy boba shop in no time!

• Tapioca Pearls: Subtly sweet tapioca pearls or boba are what you need to make a true matcha milk tea. These chewy little delights are easy to prepare from the package, giving you that textural sensation in every sip. 
• Matcha: Go with the ceremonial grade matcha for the best flavor here. It is more expensive, but choosing a cheaper option means leaving you with a bitter taste in your mouth. 
• Maple Syrup: If you love boba tea, don’t get it from a shop where they put chemical sweeteners into your drink. Choose pure maple syrup instead.
• Oat Milk: When I make matcha milk tea, I use oat milk, though you can use your favorite plant-based milk. 
• Water/Ice Cubes: You’ll use water to boil the tapioca balls and the ice cubes for the cold version of this drink. 

Step-by-step Instructions Iced Matcha Milk Tea Recipe

Whether you want it hot or cold, it takes hardly any time at all to make a boba tea. Simply gather all your ingredients and get started!

1. Make The Boba: Add two cups of water into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Scoop tapioca bubbles into the water and boil until the pearls start floating to the top. (This usually takes about 4-5 minutes.) (If you don’t have quick-cooking tapioca pearls, follow your package directions.) Scoop floating boba into a metal mesh strainer and rinse with cool water. (If you are making the hot version, don’t rinse.)

2. Tea Instructions: Heat water in a teapot or electric tea kettle to 175°F or 79°C. Sift the matcha green tea powder into a small bowl. Pour hot water over the matcha powder and whisk thoroughly with a bamboo matcha whisk. Remove the whisk and stir in maple syrup.

3. Assemble The Milk Tea: Scoop the boba into a serving glass. Add ice on top of the tapioca pearls. Pour oat milk in next, followed by the matcha. Stir and enjoy with a reusable boba tea straw.   

Matcha Milk Tea Recipe Video

Recipe Variations

Maybe you’re ready to make your boba tea right now, or perhaps you’ve got some other ingredients on hand that you’re not sure will work. Here’s how to vary the recipe. 

• Sweeteners: I’m a fan of maple syrup because it dissolves seamlessly into the matcha mixture. But if you don’t have maple syrup, you could use whatever you have on hand and like to use, such as agave, cane sugar, or brown sugar. If you add cane sugar to the hot matcha mixture, it should dissolve well. If you have simple syrup on hand, that would work, too.
• Milk: The choice of milk you use is up to you, and while I tend to use oat milk, feel free to use soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk, or whatever you have on hand. 
• Matcha: The flavors of your matcha milk tea will be best with the ceremonial grade. If you can’t find it, you could use the culinary grade. However, you may need to adjust the flavors with more sweetener. 
• Crystal Boba: I am a big fan of the chewy tapioca pearls, but you can use agar boba, which will be a bit chewy, too, but they do lend a slightly fruity flavor. 
• Strawberries: Put in some more fruit, like some cut-up strawberries. Make sure you cut the pieces small enough to fit up the boba straw!
• Vanilla Extract: Add a splash of vanilla extract if you like!

Storage Tips

As refreshing and delicious as matcha milk tea is, you might not be able to finish it all. Ideally, you will want to take the boba pearls out before storing as they can get hard and not keep the delightful texture. 

Fridge

Without the tapioca balls, you can keep your bubble tea in the fridge for 1 to 2 days. I recommend only preparing as many boba as you need to make your drink so that you don’t wind up with too many balls. For more details, you can read How Long Does Milk Tea Last In The Fridge?

Freeze

I don’t recommend freezing this recipe. Between the plant-based milk and those tapioca pearls, it’s best to make it when you’re ready to drink it. 

Meal Prep

While you don’t want to prepare the chewy boba pearls too far in advance, you can prepare for a boba tea party ahead of time. I recommend not doing so more than 24 hours in advance, though. Ideally, 12 hours ahead is best. You can save some time by steeping your tea, though, and having that ready. 

Hot Matcha Milk Tea Recipe + Instructions

Ingredients

Boba Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• ⅓ cup tapioca balls

Matcha Milk Tea Ingredients

• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon Ceremonial Grade Matcha Green Tea Powder
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 3/4 cup oat milk

Instructions

1. Make The Boba: Add two cups of water into a smaller saucepan and bring it to a boil. Scoop the tapioca balls into the water and boil until they start floating to the top. (This usually takes about 5 minutes.)

(If you don’t have quick-cooking tapioca pearls, follow your package directions.) Scoop floating boba into a metal mesh strainer to remove excess water.

2. Tea Instructions: Heat the water in a teapot or electric tea kettle to 175°F or 79°C. Then, sift the ceremonial-grade matcha tea powder into a small bowl. Pour hot water over the matcha powder and whisk thoroughly with a bamboo matcha whisk. Remove the whisk and stir in the maple syrup.

3. Warm The Milk: In a small (microwave-safe) pitcher, heat your oat milk in the microwave for one minute.

3. Assemble The Milk Tea: Scoop the boba into a serving glass (that is safe for hot liquid). Pour hot oat milk in next, followed by prepared matcha tea. Stir well and sip through a reusable bubble tea straw.  

Homemade Milk Tea Equipment

More Bubble Tea Recipes

• How To Make Milk Tea
• Taro Milk Tea Recipe
• Classic Milk Tea
• Oolong Milk Tea Recipe Hot + Iced
• Brown Sugar Milk Tea
• Coffee Boba Recipe
• Jasmine Milk Tea Recipe

Recipe

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