Pumpkin Spiced Matcha Latte
Pumpkin Spiced Matcha Latte- A seasonal alternative to coffee, this dairy free green tea drink will warm you up from the inside out.
November 12, 2021 by Nicole Collins
I don't even recognize myself these days.
Somehow, I've turned into Miss Pumpkin lover over here.
I don't think I've ever said the word pumpkin as much in my life as I have the past couple weeks, let alone cooked with it.
My friend sent me this meme the other day saying something about how pumpkin spice is going to be replaced in the blink of an eye once peppermint season strikes. “Minter is coming” was that tag line. So, that inspired me to run a poll in my Instagram stories to see if we have more people on team pumpkin or team mint.
Can you guess which one won?
Team pumpkin.
I think I was kinda shocked by this revelation. But let's be honest, I've basically been enabling the pumpkin behavior left and right lately.
Though today's recipe doesn't actually have any pumpkin in it, it has all of the the warm flavors we typically associate with sweet pumpkin.
So today, we're making Pumpkin Spiced Matcha Latte!
It's no secret that we're never going to see a coffee recipe here on The Yummy Muffin. So, consider this my seasonal coffee alternative for those of us who either can't stand or can't have coffee. Despite not actually having any pumpkin in this drink, we're getting all the flavors we love when we think about pumpkin spiced things in this dairy free, green tea alternative drink.
So, let's get into it!
Let's talk matcha powder. You typically will see 2 varieties of matcha powder available for sale: culinary grade and ceremonial grade. When I'm cooking with matcha or mixing it into a smoothie, I tend to go for culinary grade. But when I'm pretty much drinking straight matcha without many extra frills, I like to use a ceremonial grade powder. At the end of the day, these are mostly interchangeable. You can absolutely drink culinary grade matcha. However, ceremonial grade matcha is a little smoother and less bitter, primarily because it's made from younger tea leaves, so that's why it reigns supreme when you're drinking it straight.
Typically when making matcha lattes, you use a traditional bamboo whisk to break up the matcha powder clumps in some hot water to create a fluffy paste. But, we're going to cheat a little bit. I like to use a little handheld frother to whisk my matcha in preparation to make the drink for a couple reasons. One, we're already going to use this device to froth our milk...so less items to clean. And two, it's just faster. Plain and simple. So, we'll sift our matcha powder into our drinking glass. We'll add in a little hot water. And, we'll use our frother until the matcha is light and foamy. It only takes a couple of seconds.
Once our matcha is ready, we'll work on our milk. I chose to use an oat milk for this drink to keep it dairy free, but you could also use an almond or dairy milk for this drink too. It's totally you're choice. We're going to heat the milk to our desired temperature. (I just use the microwave.) Then, we're going to add in some pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, and maple syrup to sweeten up our drink. From there, we'll use that handheld frother again to blend everything together while also making our milk fluffy and foamy. It's pretty incredible, but we actually whip so much air into this milk that it doubles in size.
From there, we pour our frothy milk right over top of our foamy matcha, and the two will magically blend together. If you have any latte art skills, or have an accidental moment of brilliance like me, feel free to put those to good use here. If not, grab a stirrer, mix everything together, and it's time to sit down an relax with a warm cuppa by your side.
This drink hits so many flavor notes. You have the earthy tones from the matcha powder. You have the warm spice thanks to the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves in the pumpkin pie spice. You have the maple syrup which sweetens the deal. And, that splash of vanilla ties all of the flavors together. It's light and comforting and refreshing all in one sip.
Ok, everyone. I don't have any more pumpkin themed recipes planned for the blog this season, but make sure you're following me on Instagram where the pumpkin content is due to continue!
I hope you all enjoy. And, let's drink!
Pumpkin Spiced Matcha Latte
Serves: 1 Print
Ingredients:
1 tsp matcha powder (I used ceremonial grade)
¼ cup hot water
1 cup oat milk
¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice
¼ tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ tbsp maple syrup
Directions:
Using a small sieve, sift matcha powder into your serving glass. Add hot water, and use a handheld frother to loosen up the matcha powder until the matcha is frothy. This will only take a few seconds.
Heat oat milk to desired temperature. Add pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and maple syrup. Use the handheld frother to froth the milk until it's doubled in size.
Pour the milk mixture over the matcha mix. Stir, serve, and enjoy!
Recipe notes:
*Traditionally, matcha is blended into a paste with water using a bamboo whisk. You can certainly use this method. However, using a handheld frother is super simple and quick. This is the frother I use.
*You can use whatever kind of milk you prefer. This works with dairy and non dairy milk. To heat the milk, I use the microwave. But you could heat it over the stovetop, if you prefer.
*You could use culinary grade matcha powder for this recipe, but I prefer ceremonial grade when I'm making drinks. It's a little lighter and brighter.
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