Strawberry Matcha Latte: The Layered Pink-and-Green Recipe

A strawberry matcha latte is easy to make at home once you know the order: mashed strawberries on the bottom, cold milk in the middle, whisked matcha on top. This version uses a no-cook strawberry base and a roomy 500–600 mL (17–20 fl oz) glass, and it takes about 25 minutes, most of it waiting while the berries sit.

Strawberry Matcha Latte Recipe (Iced, Layered)

Strawberry Matcha Latte

A layered iced strawberry matcha latte with mashed fresh strawberries, cold milk and whisked matcha poured gently over ice.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Resting Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Servings: 1 drink

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 100 g fresh strawberries hulled (about ⅔ cup sliced)
• 12 g granulated sugar 1 tablespoon
• 100 g ice
• 120 ml cold milk ½ cup
• 3 g matcha 1½ level teaspoons
• 100 ml water at 80°C 176°F

Equipment

• 500–600 ml glass; small bowl and fork; fine sieve; matcha bowl and whisk or frother; kettle and thermometer

Method

 

1. Rinse the strawberries under cold running water. Hull and slice thinly, stir with the sugar in a small bowl and leave for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat water to 80°C (176°F) with a temperature-controlled kettle, or let boiled water cool and check it with a thermometer.
3. Mash the strawberries with a fork, leaving a few small pieces. Spoon all the fruit and juice into a roomy 500–600 ml clear glass.
4. Sift 3 g matcha into a bowl. Add 100 ml water at 80°C and whisk in a zigzag for about 15 seconds until frothy. Let stand for 1 minute.
5. Add the ice to the glass on top of the strawberry base.
6. Pour 120 ml cold milk slowly over the ice or the back of a spoon held just above it.
7. Pour the whisked matcha slowly over the ice last. Serve immediately and stir before drinking.

Notes

Layers vary with milk and syrup. Hot: same strawberry base, 120 ml milk warmed to 60–65°C, and matcha from 2 g powder and 60 ml water at 80°C; use a 350 ml mug and omit ice. Dairy-free: same milk quantity. Prepare the fruit base fresh. Stir before drinking.

The Strawberry Base: Fresh, Frozen or Syrup

The recipe uses a fresh, uncooked base, because it takes the least effort and keeps the berries tasting like berries. Rinse the strawberries under running water without soap, as the FDA recommends. Hull and slice them thinly, stir in the sugar and leave the bowl for 15 minutes so the juice pools. Then mash with a fork until it is jammy, with a few small pieces left.

This makes exactly one drink’s worth of base, so all of it, juice included, goes into the glass. There is no cooling step.

Frozen strawberries: use 100 g, thawed in the refrigerator in a covered bowl with the sugar, then mashed. The base will be looser, so taste it and add sugar a teaspoon at a time.

Strawberry syrup: skip the fruit and sugar and start with 1 tablespoon (15 mL) in the glass. Syrups vary in sweetness, so taste and add more if needed. You lose the fruit texture, and the color and layering will depend on the syrup.

How to Layer a Strawberry Matcha Latte

The matcha comes first on the counter and last in the glass. Sift 3 g (1½ level teaspoons) into a bowl. Ippodo’s iced matcha latte uses about 3 g of matcha with 100 mL of water at 80°C (176°F), whisked for around 15 seconds. Use a temperature-controlled kettle or check with a thermometer. Pouring boiled water into another cup helps it cool, but the temperature drop varies. Over-whisking adds bitterness, so stop at about 15 seconds.

The pour order is:

1. Strawberry base into the empty glass.
2. Ice on top of the base.
3. Cold milk, poured slowly over the ice.
4. Whisked matcha, poured slowly over the ice last.

Pour in a thin stream onto the ice, or onto the back of a spoon held just above it, so each layer lands gently on the one below. Let the whisked matcha stand for a minute first, because hotter liquid melts more of the ice. Perfect layers are not guaranteed with every milk or syrup. Stir before drinking.

Hot and Dairy-Free Variations

Hot version: a hot strawberry matcha latte is a variation, and you should not expect the same layered look. Put the same base in a mug of at least 350 mL (12 oz), pour in 120 mL of milk warmed to about 60 to 65°C (140 to 150°F), then top with matcha made from 2 g (1 level teaspoon) and 60 mL of water at 80°C, which is Ippodo’s usucha measure. A roaster’s guide suggests that milk range.

Dairy-free: use the same quantities with your preferred plant milk. Soy milk can separate in some drinks: research on soy milk in coffee found that temperature and the mixture’s proportions affected separation. That study did not test strawberries. For this iced version, keep the milk cold and serve promptly; if one brand turns grainy, try another.

The Matcha Matters

A harsh powder still tastes harsh under fruit. Choose a bright green powder from a seller who explains how to prepare it; you do not need anything labeled ceremonial. Our guide to the best matcha powder explains what to look for.

For a shortcut, check what the product is. Some are pure matcha made to mix into cold liquid; others are sweetened mixes, such as the matcha Sazen lists as designed for milk. For a sweetened mix, start with less or no sugar in the strawberry base, then adjust to taste. Our list of the best instant matcha covers the options. Follow the package for amounts.

Troubleshooting

Clumpy matcha

Sift the powder before adding water and whisk in a zigzag for about 15 seconds. If clumps remain, pour the matcha through the sieve before adding it to the glass.

Weak strawberry flavor

Mash the berries finer and give them the full 15 minutes with the sugar. Next time try 125 g of strawberries with the same sugar.

Too sweet

Cut the sugar to 2 teaspoons (8 g). The base is the only sweetened part of this recipe.

Layers blending

Slow the pours and aim them at the ice or a spoon, with the matcha last. A very runny base may mix more readily, so spoon in the fruit first and add the juice gradually. If it still blends, stir and drink it.

More Matcha Drinks

If you want the matcha without the fruit, our matcha latte recipe covers the plain hot and iced version.

Strawberry Matcha Latte FAQ

Can I make the strawberry base ahead?

For the freshest flavor, make the single-serving base when you need it. If you prepare it ahead, cover and refrigerate promptly at 40°F (4°C) or below. CDC guidance includes cut fruit: refrigerate within two hours, or within one hour above 90°F (32°C). This recipe does not specify a multi-day storage life.

Can I make it without a bamboo whisk?

Yes. Sift the matcha into a tall cup and use a small electric frother or mini whisk with the same water. Whisk until no powder is visible.

For more recipes and guides, visit the matcha hub.