Matcha Milkshake

With only three ingredients, you could be enjoying a Matcha Milkshake, packed with antioxidants and creamy sweetness, in just minutes. Add whipped cream, sprinkles, and mini donuts for some extra fun!

Jump to:

• 🍵 Benefits of matcha
• ❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
• 🗒 Ingredients
• 🥤 How to make a matcha milkshake
• 🎉 Variations on recipe
• 🍦 More milkshake recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Do you remember when it was really cool to wear a feather in your hair? OK, maybe it was never "really cool," but it was definitely a trend... I want to say back in 2011. When my hairdresser told me she could give me one for $15, I went for it.

I felt so cool for like a week and then the feather started to get ratty looking and gross from being washed and dried so many times. I'm pretty sure the trend lasted like 2 months and then disappeared never to be seen again.

Some trends are incredibly fleeting and probably never should be brought into existence. And some trends are brilliant and will remain for so long that they won't be considered trends after a while. Think quinoa. It was considered super trendy, but never disappeared and is now just a normal part of most of our lives.

That is what I predict for the future of matcha. Matcha, a type of green tea, seems so trendy in the U.S. right now (and many are listing it among the top food trends of 2018), but I don't think it's going away any time soon. I've been loving matcha water with honey and lime for a while now and have now started incorporating it into more of my baking, like in these Matcha Cranberry Donuts. 

There are a million creative ways to use matcha powder out there these days and I think that list is going to grow and grow.

🍵 Benefits of matcha

Do you know about the benefits of matcha? There are a ton, but some of the biggest include the fact that it's super high in antioxidants (including EGCg, a cancer-fighting catechin), it can boost energy in a healthier more sustained way than other forms of caffeine while also promoting focus and memory (due to the properties of L-theanine), it can help detoxify (due to chlorophyll), and more (source).

Since it's such a beneficial ingredient, I figured why not add ice cream to it? Seriously though, I love the flavor of matcha and when combined with something a little sweet and creamy, it's a dream come true.

That's why matcha lattes are so popular, after all.

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

If you're a fan of matcha, but also love the idea of a sweet and creamy dessert, give this milkshake recipe a try!

It's super easy to make and is the prettiest color!

🗒 Ingredients

This matcha milkshake only involves a few ingredients and while I was tempted to add a few more components in, once I tasted it, I realized I had to leave it as is.

Though you can customize them any way you want, here's everything I use (be sure to check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions):

• Vanilla bean ice cream
• Coconut milk: or the milk or dairy alternative of your choice. You can use sweetened or unsweetened, depending on how sweet you want your milkshakes to be (I usually use unsweetened since the vanilla ice cream has a lot of sugar)
• Matcha powder: I used unsweetened
• Sprinkles: optional, but fun! To adhere them to the glass, you'll likely want to use simple syrup or frosting
• Whipped cream: optional

I also topped my milkshakes with cute little mini donuts! If you want to do the same, you can use this mini donut recipe, omitting the espresso powder.

I also made an icing with matcha powder in it. The icing is just powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and either matcha powder or food coloring.

🥤 How to make a matcha milkshake

This matcha powder is my current favorite. I always look for a quality matcha that has high reviews, but also doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

The milkshakes are SO simple to make. All you need to do is combine the ice cream, milk, and matcha powder in a blender and blend until smooth.

These matcha green tea milkshakes ended up being so flavorful and perfect and really wouldn't have benefited from any other additional ingredients. If you use a quality vanilla ice cream (I recommend vanilla bean), you will get a marvelous vanilla flavor, but if you find it lacking, you can certainly add some vanilla extract.

If you want to rim your glasses with sprinkles, brush glasses with frosting or simple syrup and roll in sprinkles. 

Divide the milkshake between glasses and top with whipped cream and more sprinkles, if desired. And mini donuts if you want!

Of course, I did sprinkle up my glass before pouring the milkshake in. Since you know as well as I do that everything is more fun with sprinkles.

I also served the milkshake with whipped cream on top just because I wanted to.

I couldn't get over the color of this milkshake. Sometimes the color of matcha can be a little intense and crazy, but when combined with ice cream and coconut milk, it becomes subdued and minty and reminds me so much of the springtime.

St. Patrick's Day is coming and Shamrock Shakes (another "trend" that just won't go away!) are going to be everywhere. I've actually never had one, but though this milkshake doesn't involve any mint, I think it could be an excellent Shamrock Shake substitute. For green color and deliciousness alone.

And Easter. Matcha milkshakes are a wonderful Easter treat for anyone who is looking for a little sweetness while also still getting a health boost. And I think you can safely serve this to your family and friends without them thinking you're trying to pull one over on them.

I gave one to Chris who happily sipped it up and told me it was awesome. He had NO idea there was matcha in it and has previously been very "meh" about all kinds of green tea.

I'm thinking if I drink my matcha water six days a week, I should be allowed a matcha milkshake every Friday. Right?? I mean, if it's going to get me an antioxidant boost and help me focus on my work, you can't really argue with that.

Remind me of the benefits of vanilla ice cream again? Oh, happiness? That's what I thought. Those donuts don't hurt either.

🎉 Variations on recipe

I love how simple and easy these matcha milkshakes are, but there are so many ways you could make this drink to suit your tastes! Here are some ideas:

• Use the flavor ice cream of your choice. Chocolate, pistachio, mint chocolate chip, and coconut would all be delicious.

• Add vanilla or almond extract to add even more levels of flavor to the milkshake.

• The addition of cinnamon, nutmeg, or cardamom would add some fun spice!

• Adding fruit to the milkshake can be delicious, though it will definitely change the flavor quite a bit. Banana, strawberry, or cherry would all be tasty.

• Mixing in avocado would add even more nutrition benefits and creaminess to the milkshake.

• If you love chocolate, consider mixing in cocoa powder or chocolate chips.

• A shot of espresso will change the color of these matcha milkshake, but will make them a morning treat!

• Turn the milkshakes into matcha milkshake popsicles by freezing the mixture in popsicle molds. Once frozen, I'd spread a little frosting on them and add sprinkles!

🍦 More milkshake recipes

The weekend is almost here, February is half over, and temperatures in the Boston-area are almost up to 50 degrees... And that, my friends, is more than enough reason to treat yo'self with a matcha milkshake.

Plus? These are going to be in style for way longer than feather hair extensions. I promise.

Do you like matcha? What's your favorite way to enjoy it?

If you want more recipes that involve matcha powder, check out my Chocolate Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream. I'm also dying to make this Iced Watermelon Matcha from Tara's Multicultural Table!

📖 Recipe