Iced Matcha Latte w/ Honey Cashew Milk

Many people have been asking me how I prepare my matcha latte. Now, I’m no expert, and I’m not one to toot my own horn, but I do think I’ve figured out how to make a pretty freaking good matcha latte.

I can’t lie, I used to be a matcha naysayer. I was simply not the biggest fan, but I now understand that this was because I never had it prepared quite right.

1. You need a quality matcha. It can be confusing with culinary matcha for baking, green tea powder, and other matcha products that aren’t necessarily the good stuff that you want to be making your morning latte with. When I first tried matcha I ordered some on amazon and it was a very light green colored powder, the color of a matcha latte for reference. It should be a deep and vibrant green color. I use the brand Ippodo tea. It is a little pricey but so worth it. You can buy it here at a discount and use VIBRANT10 for 10% off your order.

2. I believe the type of milk you drink it with is very important. I was using coconut milk for some time, but found it to be a bit chalky after a while. This cashew milk recipe is perfect for a creamy matcha latte, in my opinion.

3. I think a little touch of sweetness goes a long way when it comes to a matcha drink. Matcha is such an earthy and unique flavor, and I think having a slight degree of sweetness creates a perfect flavor balance. I love raw honey because it’s perfectly sweet and it also has numerous health benefits.

OKAY, so here’s how you make the milk + the latte:

Honey Cashew Milk:

1 cup raw cashews (soaked six hours-overnight)

4 cups filtered water

2-4 tablespoons raw honey (can use regular if you don’t have raw)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

**use more or less honey depending on how sweet you want it, I recommend using 2 tablespoons, then tasting and adding more if needed.

Directions:

1. Soak cashews in enough water so that they’re completely submerged. You’ll want to let them soak at least six hours, or as long as overnight.
2. Drain the water from the soaked cashews and give them a good rinse. To your high speed blender (I use a vitamix), add the soaked cashews, 4 cups of filtered water, 3 tablespoons honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt.
3. Blend on high for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
4. Using a nut milk bag or cheesecloth, pour the milk into the bag/cloth and squeeze out all the liquid (that’s your milk) so that you only have pulp left. You can save the pulp to use in recipes. Here’s a great resource for those interested in nut milk pulp recipes from my girl Blair Flynn of balancewithb.com
5. Store milk in an airtight jar for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.

Matcha Latte

1 teaspoon high quality matcha (my favorite is Ippodo ‘ummon-no-mukashi) *you can use VIBRANT10 for 10% off

1/2 cup hot water (very hot, but not quite boiling)

1 cup honey cashew milk

*optional: 1 teaspoon vanilla bean ghee, if you want to make it bulletproof style.

** this makes a pretty large iced latte, if you want a smaller latte, use 1/2 cup -3/4 cup milk instead of 1 cup.

Directions:

1. First, mix 1 teaspoon of matcha with 1/2 cup hot water in a little bowl and whisk it up until all clumps are gone. If you are using ghee, add it in at this time to let it melt before blending.
2. Pour the matcha and water contents into the high speed blender along with 1 cup of honey cashew milk. Blend on high for about 20 seconds.
3. Pour over ice and enjoy!

It’s seriously so delicious when made right. I hope you all enjoy this matcha latte recipe, let me know you have any questions!