Strawberry matcha latte — a layered iced latte recipe with strawberry purée

If one photo took matcha into the chain cafés, it was the photo of a strawberry matcha latte: three clean storeys in a tall glass. The good news is that it comes out identically at home, from the same three ingredients: strawberries, milk and matcha. The foundation is an ordinary matcha latte, or more precisely its iced version — the only thing that changes is what lies at the bottom of the glass.

One rule governs the whole recipe: the layers arrange themselves by density. Strawberry purée with sugar is the heaviest, milk is lighter, and matcha whisked in plain water is the lightest. That is why only the bottom is sweetened, and the matcha is never mixed with the milk before pouring.

The base recipe: iced strawberry matcha latte

Ingredients for one tall glass (about 350 ml):

• 60 g strawberries — fresh or frozen (4–5 berries),
• 10 g sugar (2 level teaspoons) or 10 ml syrup,
• 150 ml cold milk, dairy or plant-based,
• ice to the top,
• 2 g matcha (a level teaspoon),
• 40 ml water at 70–80 °C.

1. Mash the strawberries with the sugar using a fork into a thick purée; thaw frozen ones first. For a smooth layer, blend them.
2. Spoon the purée into the bottom of a tall glass and spread it across the base.
3. Fill the glass with ice to the top, then pour in 150 ml of cold milk — over the ice, so it does not mix with the strawberries.
4. In a bowl, sieve 2 g of matcha, add 40 ml of water at 70–80 °C and whisk with a chasen or a frother in a W motion for 15–20 seconds.
5. Pour the matcha slowly over the ice cubes, from the top — the green layer will stay on the milk.
6. Serve with a straw or a long spoon; stir from the bottom before drinking.

Time: five minutes, three of them mashing strawberries. In season, fresh fruit gives a lighter, pink layer; frozen fruit a darker, juicier one, because it releases more juice. Both versions work.

Why the layers hold — and when they do not

• The sugar in the strawberries is not just for taste. It weighs down the bottom layer and sharpens the line against the milk. Unsweetened purée is thinner and travels upward faster.
• Milk over the ice, not into the strawberries. A stream poured straight into the purée breaks it up and mixes it. The ice takes the impact and the milk slides down gently.
• Matcha on water, unsweetened. The same as in an ube matcha latte: matcha that is sweetened or whisked in milk is heavier and sinks. It has to be light and green.
• Boiling water ruins the top. Above 80 °C matcha turns bitter, and in this drink there is nothing to cover that bitterness — the strawberries are at the bottom. Stick to 70–80 °C.

The strawberry syrup version

Cafés make this drink with syrup, because purée has to be prepared for each shift. At home, syrup has two advantages: no seeds and no time. The downside: the taste is flat, more candy-like. The ratio: 20 ml of strawberry syrup at the bottom instead of purée, everything else unchanged. If you want something in between, mix 10 ml of syrup with 30 g of mashed strawberries — you get the colour and texture of purée for half the work.

The ratios in one place

Which milk

For layers, a thick, white milk is best: dairy 2–3.2 % or barista oat milk — both give a clear, white middle layer and do not separate with fruit. Soy milk can be troublesome: the acid from the strawberries can curdle it into small flakes. Almond milk is too thin to hold a storey; coconut milk suits the taste but is beige, so the colours are less clean. The full comparison: which milk for a matcha latte.

Caffeine and calories

The caffeine comes solely from the matcha: 2 g is about 60–70 mg, roughly an espresso, and the effect is usually felt for 3–6 hours. Strawberries and milk add nothing here — this is an afternoon drink, not an evening one.

Calories with no extra sweetening: 60 g of strawberries about 20 kcal, 10 g of sugar about 40 kcal, 150 ml of 2 % milk about 75 kcal, 2 g of matcha about 6 kcal — about 140 kcal in total. The unsweetened almond milk version is about 85 kcal, barista oat about 160 kcal; the breakdown for other milks is in the matcha latte calorie table.

Three mistakes that ruin the drink

• Warm milk. A hot version has no layers and no point — warm milk with strawberries and matcha gives a grey-brown soup. This recipe is iced only.
• Too many strawberries. Above 80 g the purée takes up a third of the glass and the matcha never gets a word in. 60 g is the ratio at which you taste both.
• Stirring before serving. The drink is served in layers and stirred at the table — stirred in the kitchen it looks like a pink-green smoothie and loses the whole effect.

For cafés

Behind the bar, purée is replaced by syrup or a ready fruit purée from the fridge, dosed at 20 ml; the matcha is whisked to order, as with every latte. The ingredient cost is one serving of matcha plus about 20 ml of topping — the same sum as for a matcha latte with a small surplus, while the menu price is usually higher, because the drink reads as premium on sight. 500 g and 1 kg packs: the business offer.

Where to start

A fruit drink suits a mild, creamy matcha that does not fight the sweetness of strawberries — SABI 30 g is the safer choice here than the more intense IKI. A 30 g tin makes 15 glasses. If you are still assembling your equipment, the article on matcha sets says what is really needed.