Iced Peppermint Matcha Latte (With Peppermint Cold Foam)

If you love peppermint and matcha, then you’ll love a peppermint matcha latte! This recipe uses homemade peppermint simple syrup which is easy to make but you can buy it!

A matcha latte is one of my favorite drinks. It’s earthy flavor is soothing and it tastes great hot or cold. It’s also interesting when prepared with other flavors, like peppermint!

There was a café in my area that sold a peppermint matcha latte last winter. Since I couldn’t find any place locally that sold them this year, I came up with a recipe so we can make a holiday matcha right at home.

What Is Matcha?

Matcha is the name for green tea leaves that are ground into a fine green powder. Instead of steeping green tea leaves, you drink the green tea powder which provides more antioxidants, anti-inflammatory effects and more caffeine (source).

Like other teas, the flavor depends on the quality of the tea leaves, the production process, and how fresh it is.

Did you know that after opening matcha, it’s only good for about 3 weeks? You can still drink it after this time, but the flavor may not be as fresh and the color can fade to a dull green.

Recommended Tools For Making Matcha

Using tools that have been designed for preparing matcha can enhance the process. I was gifted traditional tools and find a lot of joy in using them, but of course you can use what you have.

• Bamboo whisk (chasen) – The whisk helps to get rid of clumps and blends/aerates matcha powder and water easily.
• Whisk holder (chasen kusenaoshi) – This holder helps your whisk keep its shape and dry better – allowing your whisk to last longer!
• Matcha bowl (chawan) – Perfectly shaped bowl to whisk your matcha powder and water.

Ingredients List

One of the most important parts about making a matcha latte is to use fresh, ceremonial grade matcha powder. Ceremonial grade is for drinking while culinary grade is used for baking.

Before you make a delicious drink, you need to gather a few ingredients:

• Ceremonial grade matcha powder
• Water
• Peppermint syrup (store bought or make it yourself)
• Milk of your choice
• Ice cubes (I used these cute snowflake ice cubes)

Homemade Peppermint Simple Syrup

A simple syrup is made with equal parts water and sugar, heated in a sauce pan over the stove for a few minutes to dissolve the granulated sugar. Simple syrup is useful to add to cold drinks because if you add granulated sugar, it won’t easily dissolve.

Peppermint simple syrup is when you make simple syrup and add peppermint extract! It’s incredibly easy and you keep it in your refrigerator for a month. You can add it to so many different drinks!

How To Make Cold Foam

This is optional! But if you enjoy cold foam on top of your drinks, you can easily add it to an iced peppermint matcha latte. You can also flavor your milk with a little peppermint simple syrup to make peppermint cold foam (yum!).

Either use a whisk, handheld frother, or an electric milk frother and steamer machine. I have a whole post on how to make cold foam. Milk high in protein like non-fat milk or unsweetened soy milk will help to make sturdier foam due to the high amounts of protein.

Iced Peppermint Matcha Latte (Step-by-Step)

Gather your ingredients. Add ice, milk of choice, and peppermint simple syrup into a glass. Add your matcha powder to a bowl and whisk until no lumps are left. The mixture should look slightly frothy.

Pour the matcha mixture into the milk and stir together. *Optional* Add a candy cane for garnish!

For cold foam, pour your milk into a glass and either use a whisk, handheld frother, or a milk frothing machine to aerate the milk. To make peppermint cold foam, add your simple syrup to the milk before whisking.

Serve right away with a candy cane or crushed candy canes and enjoy the lovely taste of matcha and peppermint! Note that matcha powder settles at the bottom of the glass. Just give it a quick stir and enjoy.

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