7 Healthy Matcha Recipes | Smoothies, Cocktails, Cheesecake & More!

Hi friends!

I’m traveling this week (more on that later) but popping in today to share some delicious & nutritious recipes – all of which include matcha!

If you aren’t all that familiar with matcha, it’s a type of green tea made from grinding tea leaves into a powder. The leaves are left intact, as opposed to regular green tea, where the leaves are infused in water and then removed – which makes matcha super antioxidant-rich. Matcha has been grown and consumed in Japan for centuries, but it only become popular in the U.S. in recent years.

Matcha has a strong, earthy taste, but it can certainly be used for more than just a conventional cup of matcha tea. I create recipes for Shape, and recently they had me on a matcha kick developing several recipes using the green tea powder. I thought it’d be fun to share a round-up of recipes with you guys  that shows a bit of the diversity in how you can use matcha – from smoothies and muffins, to cheesecake and cocktails.

Are you ready for some matcha yumminess? Let’s get to it!

Raspberry smoothie bowl with a matcha almond butter swirl. It’s no secret that I’m a fan of smoothie bowls. I make one probably every other day! This smoothie bowl features frozen raspberries and banana, along with a matcha almond butter swirl (so good!). Check out my smoothie bowl recipe here.

Strawberry Matcha Lemonade. I love making a light, refreshing lemonade in warmer months. I don’t need a pound of sugar in there, I like to let the citrus shine instead. This strawberry matcha lemonade uses Meyer lemons, fresh strawberries, a bit of matcha and monk fruit sweetener.

Want to try it for yourself? Get my matcha lemonade recipe.

Strawberry Matcha Cheesecake Cups. Ever the fan of getting creative in the kitchen, when Shape asked me to come up with a healthy matcha cheesecake recipe, I said challenge accepted! I decided to make mini cheesecakes using a muffin pan to provide built-in portion control. To lighten these up from traditional cheesecake, I included vanilla Greek yogurt and Neufchâtel cheese as the stars of the cheesecake layer. And then the crust is made with graham cracker crumbs, oats, coconut oil and honey.

I also incorporated fresh strawberries into the mix because when I think of cheesecake, I can’t help but think of strawberry sauce. My grandma was known for her cheesecake recipe, and she usually made a strawberry sauce to go along with it. Coming it at just over 200 calories each, these matcha cheesecake cups prove you can have your [cheese]cake, and eat it, too.

Check out my healthy cheesecake cups at Shape.

Chocolate Chip Matcha Banana Muffins. Whipping up a batch of healthy muffins for the week is my jam! They’re great for a grab-and-go snack. I shared this chocolate chip banana muffin recipe on the blog a few years ago. Made with oat flour, maple syrup, and apple sauce, they’re a vegan + gluten free snack.

Chocolate Matcha Mint Cocktail. When I was tasked with coming up with a matcha cocktail, it took me a few tries to get it right. I found that incorporating matcha into herby cocktails, like a mojito, tasted too earthy to me… but when I tried using matcha in a chocolate martini recipe, I knew it was a winner. The matcha flavor blends in with the mint really well.

I get a craving for a dessert drink every now and then, and this chocolate matcha mint cocktail is my new go-to. It’s made with crème de cacao, peppermint schnapps, and half and half, and topped with shaved chocolate for a decadent cocktail. Get my chocolate martini recipe here.

Banana Coconut Matcha Smoothie. Matcha is great to throw in a smoothie for a little morning or afternoon pick-me-up. This easy smoothie  was shared on the blog awhile back, and includes frozen banana, almond milk, coconut, vanilla, cinnamon and honey (agave or maple syrup works too for a vegan option). Check out my matcha smoothie recipe here.

Matcha Latte. As a non coffee drinker (it gives me headaches, jitters, and actually makes me kinda sleepy!) I always felt left out of the whole fun drink scene at coffee shops… that is, until matcha became a mainstream thing. Nowadays, some of the local coffee shops around me offer matcha lattes. But you can easily make a matcha latte at home too, and you only need a couple of ingredients. This recipe uses vanilla almond milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and honey or agave, and after it’s heated, we vigorously whisk the mixture so it becomes frothy and latte-like. Check out my easy matcha latte recipe.

Tell me… Are you a fan of matcha? In general, do you prefer tea or coffee?