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This antioxidant-rich matcha green tea frappe is a deliciously frothy, creamy treat that is perfect for an afternoon pick-me-up! Add in a variety of other superfoods and you have one kick-up-the-energy drink. Skip the local coffee shop and turn your own kitchen into your favorite cafe with this easy recipe.
If you’ve been around this site for any amount of time, you know that I was once a Starbucks® addict. Yes, yes I was. As I started learning more about health and nutrition AND started paying attention to my own health, I realized that the amount of caffeine and sugar I was consuming on a regular basis in my fancy coffee shop beverages was not really serving my health very well. Not to mention the dairy, which at the time I didn’t realize was a major food sensitivity of mine.
I went through a phase where I actually gave up caffeine completely. In 2012, when I got my autoimmune diagnosis, I really started focusing on my endocrine system, specifically the thyroid, adrenal glands, and blood sugar regulation system. Turns out, caffeine just wasn’t something that just wasn’t working for me (read this post: 4 Solid Reasons to Give Up Coffee and Caffeine).
I gave up coffee cold turkey and even gave up caffeinated teas like black, green, and white while I sorted through my health and figured out what I could tolerate and what I was sensitive to. Over time I started adding a little bit of those teas back in but really kept it to a minimum (like some iced tea at a family lunch).
A couple of years into my official healing journey I decided to try to introduce coffee back into my diet. It didn’t go well and I discovered that coffee was a migraine trigger for me. Within just a few minutes of consuming coffee during my test run, I came down with a horrible migraine. For those of you that have experience migraines, you know that it’s not something you really want a repeat. So after that experience coffee and I parted ways for good.
Reintroducing Matcha Into My Life
About a year-and-a-half ago I started experimenting with adding green tea back into my diet. Up until that point I had been pretty strict with the no caffeine thing but I really was craving some variety in my tea routine and matcha green tea in particular. I love the earthy grassy taste of matcha, but because it was higher in caffeine than what I was used to I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to tolerate it. I wrote all about my matcha green tea experiment in the post The Amazing Health Benefits of Matcha Green Tea.
Long story short, matcha and I are friends! Yay! I don’t drink it every single day, but it is a pretty regular part of my routine. I really love the taste and for me, it is yet another thing that helps recreate that ritual around the coffee shop beverages that I missed so much.
You can check out my creamy Superfood Matcha Latte Recipe here, and if you want something nice and cold, check out my Iced Superfood Matcha Latte recipe here. Both are absolutely delicious and completely customizable based on your own dietary needs. And I’m even more excited about today’s Matcha Green Tea Frappe as an addition to the matcha latte family of recipes. 🙂
Health Benefits of Matcha
Not only does today’s Matcha Green Tea Frappe taste amazing, matcha is actually a powerhouse of antioxidants and has quite a few health benefits:
- Matcha is estimated to be 10 times stronger than regular brewed green tea, so it has extremely therapeutic effects on the body.
- Matcha contains over 70 times the antioxidants of fresh orange juice and over 9 times the beta carotene of spinach.
- Matcha contains high amounts of L-Theanines, a unique set of natural amino acids.
- Matcha is the healthiest energy drink with basically zero calories and without any side effects that can be found in the high-sugared typical energy drinks sold in stores.
- You consume an entire tea leaf when you drink a matcha beverage, so you’ll get the full amount of antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and fiber in one drink!
Some other health benefits of matcha include reduced stress and anxiety, enhanced mood, increased focus and clarity, lowered blood sugar and pressure, reduced inflammation, improved immune function, and more.
Creating My Matcha Green Tea Frappe
One thing that I have been loving this <extra hot> summer is my homemade Matcha Green Tea Frappe. Sure, iced matcha lattes are delicious and all, but sometimes you want something frozen. This recipe was inspired by the matcha Frappuccinos that I would get from Starbucks® during the summer all those years ago.
On a whim, I recently looked up the ingredients for that drink and was surprised that it didn’t have as much stuff in it as I had expected. Sometimes coffee shop beverages can be loaded up with additives but for the most part, their matcha latte mix isn’t too bad. But, it does come with cane sugar already in it (I thought maybe ordering one unsweetened would be an option), and since I can’t tolerate cane sugar very well, it’s a no-go for me. Plus, it’s still cheaper to make my own Matcha Green Tea Frappe at home.
I took my trusty Blendtec blender out and got to work. I knew that I had to make something that was not only delicious but added some extra nutrition into my day. Smoothies and blended beverages are a great way to throw some extra things in there that you might otherwise not take. So I started experimenting with different proportions and flavors and this recipe was born.
I add some optional superfoods in there just to give you a little nutrition boost, but if all you have is the matcha, milk, some ice, and some sweetener then you’re good to go to create a delicious Matcha Green Tea Frappe. Feel free to adjust all of the proportions to suit your taste. This is what made my taste buds sing and I’m hoping it will yours as well. If you wanted a little sweeter, add a little more sweetener of your choice. If you really don’t like things sweet at all, you can easily omit the sweetener and have this beverage unsweetened.
Make sure you read this post about how to select a matcha brand. I use a couple different matcha brands in my house, all culinary grade. The ceremonial grade matcha is nice, but it’s really expensive and since I use matcha pretty regularly the grocery budget just can’t afford them. These are the three brands I am using currently:
- Epic Matcha (my favorite brand, very affordable, and the owners are SUPER nice!)
- Sunfood Superfoods
- Four Sigmatic Organic Mushroom Matcha with Lion’s Mane and Ginger
Giving Up Coffee and a Solution
If you had to give up coffee and/or other coffee shop favorites, I would love to have you check out my DIY Herbal Coffee Substitutes Guide. Back in 2012, when I gave up coffee cold turkey, I knew I had to have a replacement. Coffee not only was a flavor sensation for me, it was a ritual that I truly enjoyed each day. I started experimenting with different herbs and finally created a blend that tasted so much like coffee that my cravings for a “cuppa joe” became satisfied once again.
I started selling these herbal “coffee” blends on Etsy, but then closed my shop and decided to turn everything into an eBook so that I could reach more people who were also faced with giving up coffee for health reason, but really missed the taste and ritual that coffee gave them. This eBook went on to become my best-selling product and includes the exact formulas that I used to sell, plus a couple extra formulas that were in development at the time I closed my shop.
If you have had to give up coffee for whatever reason, be at health, or just personal choice, but are still missing that rich robust flavor, this is the eBook for you. I’ll teach you exactly how to make your own herbal coffee blends at home, plus you’ll get a ton of coffee shop inspired beverage and pastry recipes so that you can recreate your favorite cafe experience in the comfort of your own home. And what’s even better is that you’re in control of the ingredients so no matter what your dietary style is, there is something to suit you.
Special Coupon Code for the DIY Herbal Coffee Guide!
For a limited time, I am offering Delicious Obsessions readers a special 50% OFF coupon code for my DIY Herbal Coffee Substitutes Blending Guide. Use coupon code COFFEE at checkout to save. Learn more and download your copy today here.
And now, who is thirsty for a Matcha Green Tea Frappe? Ready for the recipe? Let’s dive in!
Matcha Green Tea Frappe :: Dairy-Free, No Refined Sugar, Superfood Options
Antioxidant-rich matcha green tea blended with milk, ice, and sweetener of your choice into a deliciously frothy, creamy treat. Add in a variety of other superfoods and you have one kick-up-the-energy drink. Skip the local coffee shop and turn your own kitchen into your favorite cafe with this easy recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tsp matcha powder
- 2 tbsp hot water
- 1 cup coconut milk, or milk of your choice
- 1 tbsp grass-fed collagen powder
- 1/4 tsp whole food vitamin C powder (helps the collagen work better in the body)
- 1/2 tsp Four Sigmatic Superfood Blend, optional
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1 tbsp erythritol, or granulated sweetener of your choice
- 5-8 drops liquid stevia
- 2 cups of ice, or whatever brings the frappe to your desired consistency
Instructions
- Pour 2 tbsp hot water over your matcha in your blender carafe or a small bowl and whisk. Let sit for 3 minutes.
- Pour the tea into your blender and add the rest of the ingredients, except the ice.
- Blend until combined and frothy.
- Add the ice and blend on low until the ice is broken down (about 30-45 seconds depending on your blender). Then, turn the blender up to high and blend until super smooth (about 15-30 seconds more depending on your blender).
- Turn off the blender and pour into your favorite glass. Add a straw, sit back, and relax.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 290Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 107mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 0gSugar: 3gProtein: 10g
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered from Nutritionix. Nutrition information can vary for a recipe based on many factors. We strive to keep the information as accurate as possible, but make no warranties regarding its accuracy. We encourage readers to make their own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Not Ready for Green Tea or Caffeine?
If you are still deep in your healing journey or just avoiding caffeine for other reasons, then I have a great option for you: herbal “coffees”! I developed these herbal blends when I had to give up coffee completely and needed something to take its place. Coffee, for me, was always a bit of a spiritual experience. It was something that calmed my soul, especially during a time in life where I was needing a lot of extra soothing.
When I gave up coffee completely, I tried to focus solely on herbal teas as a replacement, but the taste, aroma, and mouthfeel was beyond lacking for me. That’s why I decided to turn to herbs that could give me a similar experience as a freshly brewed cup of coffee. Thankfully such herbs exist and I created a handful of blends that did just the trick. It took a lot of experimenting, but I finally got the proportions right and had a new cuppa joe to soothe my soul. 🙂
I now have these recipes (the very ones that I used when I sold this line of herbal “coffees” online), in my DIY Herbal Coffee Substitutes Blending Guide. Not only do you get access to the recipes I created, you get a TON of info about coffee, caffeine, health, and the nutrition of these herbs. Oh, and did I mention that there are a bunch of coffee shop inspired beverage recipes too? If you’ve got a favorite, then it’s likely in there.
If you’ve had to give up caffeine and herbal coffee is just not cutting it, then this is the book for you. Not only will these recipes soothe your coffee tooth, they will also support (and possibly) improve your health thanks to the nourishing herbs used.
For a limited time, I am offering Delicious Obsessions readers a special 50% OFF coupon code for my DIY Herbal Coffee Substitutes Blending Guide. Use coupon code COFFEE at checkout to save. Learn more and download your copy today here.