Boost Your Mornings With a Milk-Powered Maple Matcha Latte

Move over coffee, there’s a new latte in town. If you’re looking to shake up your morning routine (literally), might we suggest a maple matcha latte made with real dairy milk? With just three quality ingredients and an easy hack to get creamy foam without any special equipment, you can have a tasty, energizing pick-me-up in a few minutes and for a fraction of the cost than at your favorite café.

Health enthusiasts have been singing the praise of matcha for ages, and it’s easy to see why: It has twice as much caffeine as green tea and the same amount as coffee, while also boasting a heavy dose of good-for-you antioxidants. Many people also claim that matcha is a mood-booster that is energizing without giving you those caffeine jitters.

Now pair that with real dairy milk—a naturally nutrient-rich beverage—and you’ve got yourself a drink that tastes great and has nutrients you need. Dairy milk has B vitamins for energy, high-quality protein for lean muscle, vitamin A for a healthy immune system, and four bone-building nutrients, including calcium and vitamin D. Most non-dairy options don’t offer the same naturally occurring nutrients, creamy texture, and great flavor as real dairy milk.

After a lot of experimentation, we’ve also come up with a low-tech hack for getting barista-level foam from your milk. All you need is a jar and a microwave. Simply add milk to a large glass jar (mason jars work great here) and shake vigorously for about a minute, until the milk has just about doubled in volume and is a little frothy. Next, remove the lid and microwave for 30 seconds. Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t spill over, but if there’s enough space in the jar, this shouldn’t be a problem. Pour your foamy milk over the matcha that you’ve whisked with a spot of hot water and some maple syrup, and you’ve got yourself one dreamy drink.

Before you add your milk, be sure to whisk the matcha, hot water, and maple syrup well to prevent your finished drink from having a grainy texture. You can use a dedicated wooden matcha whisk or a regular wire whisk. If you know you like a sweeter drink, then add up to 1 tablespoon of maple syrup (bonus: no refined sugars!).

Maple Matcha Latte

Yield: Serves 1
Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

1 tablespoon hot (not boiling) water
2 teaspoons maple syrup, or to taste
1 teaspoon matcha powder
3/4 cup dairy milk

Directions

1. Put hot water, maple syrup, and matcha powder into your serving cup and whisk until matcha is fully dissolved (now’s the time to break out your matcha whisk if you have one, otherwise a regular metal one works fine). Set aside while you froth your milk.

2. To froth milk, put it in a large, microwave-safe jar with a lid. Close tightly and vigorously shake the jar for 30 to 60 seconds, until milk is frothy and doubled in volume. Remove the lid and microwave for 30 seconds, keeping an eye on it and stopping the microwave if jar starts to overflow. (Alternately, use whatever frothing method you prefer.)

3. Slowly pour frothed dairy milk over matcha mixture, using a spoon if necessary. Top with additional matcha powder for decoration, if desired, and serve immediately.