This Matcha Lemonade is crisp, refreshing, and perfectly quenches your thirst in this summer heat. BONUS: This under 10 minutes Matcha Lemonade recipe is SO much better than Starbucks!
Nothing pairs better with a hot summer day than an ice-cold refreshing drink in hand. This matcha lemonade is an Asian fusion spin on the classic Arnold Palmer, half black tea + half lemonade. This Matcha lemonade incorporates matcha instead of black tea. The sweetness in the lemonade balances the slightly bitter taste from the matcha making it the perfect balance of acidity, sweetness, bitterness, and caffeine in a cup.
Impress your friends and family with this Matcha Lemonade at your next backyard bbq served with my favorite Japanese hotdogs or Vietnamese Cajun Seafood Boil.
What is Matcha?
Matcha is a Japanese green tea powder made from finely powdered dried young tea leaves. It tastes slightly sweet and earthy. Matcha leaves are grown on green tea bushes and kept under shade. The shade increases the amount of chlorophyll content in the leaves, creating a bright green color packed with nutrients. Next, the leaves are picked by hand and their stems and veins are removed. The whole process to grind the leaves takes about an hour and is done in the dark to protect the nutrients.
What are Matcha tea benefits?
Matcha contains a class of antioxidants called catechins. Also, matcha contains high amounts of EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) which is believed to have cancer-fighting effects on the body. However, much of this research isn't from the clinical trials but rather from population-based studies. There are many studies that show associations between tea and better health, but no true causation has yet been proven.
Ingredients For This Recipe
- Lemons: Choose your favorite choice of lemons for this recipe. Meyer lemons are have a less tart, slightly sweeter juice which make them perfect for lemonade. However, if you like the tartness in a lemonade regular lemons work perfectly for this.
- Water: the water de-clumps the matcha and dilutes the lemon juice.
- Sugar: the sugar level is 100% based on your preference. If you want more sweetness, by all means add more sugar 1 teaspoon at a time. If you like a more tart lemonade than reduce the sugar.
- Matcha powder: you can use culinary, premium or ceremonial grade matcha for this recipe. The culinary matcha will have a more yellow/brownish tint whereas the premium or ceremonial grade matcha will have a bright rich green color. I used ceremonial grade matcha because I wanted that bright green color and crisper more refined taste.
How to Make This Recipe
- Make the matcha cold brew. Place matcha powder in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of cold water. Whisk vigorously to make a thin paste. Slowly add the remaining ¾ cup water and whisk vigorously until the clumps disappear.
- Make the lemonade. In a pitcher, stir together the water, lemon juice and sugar until the sugar has dissolved.
- Serve. In a long cup, pour the lemonade and add the ice. Make sure the ice is above the lemonade. Then slowly pour the matcha cold brew aiming for the ice cubes to create the perfect layering effect.
Tips For This Recipe
- Whisk the matcha separately with water using a matcha whisk before adding it to the lemonade. This prevents any clumps in your matcha lemonade.
- "Hit the ice." When layering the drink make sure the matcha hits the ice because there isn't a lot of density difference to keep the lemonade separate from the matcha. Hitting the ice instead of dropping the matcha right in gives the matcha tea something to deflect against and slow it down.
- You can make this a yuzu lemonade. Simply substitute the ½ the lemon juice with yuzu juice.
Storage Instructions
You can store this matcha lemonade in an airtight bottle in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. Stir thoroughly before serving.
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👩🏻🍳 Recipe
Matcha Lemonade (Matcha Palmer)
Ingredients
Matcha Cold Brew
- 1 ½ teaspoon matcha powder
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoon cold water
Lemonade
- ⅔ cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
- ⅔ cup cold water
- ⅔ cup sugar
Instructions
- Make the matcha cold brew. Place matcha powder in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of cold water. Whisk vigorously to make a thin paste. Slowly add the remaining ¾ cup water and whisk vigorously until the clumps disappear.
- Make the lemonade. In a pitcher, stir together the water, lemon juice, and sugar until the sugar has dissolved.
- Serve. In a long cup, pour the lemonade and add the ice. Make sure the ice is above the lemonade. Then slowly pour the matcha cold brew aiming for the ice cubes to create the perfect layering effect.
Notes
- Whisk the matcha separately with water before adding it to the lemonade. This prevents any clumps in your matcha lemonade.
- "Hit the ice." When layering the drink make sure the matcha hits the ice because there isn't a lot of density difference to keep the lemonade separate from the matcha. Hitting the ice instead of dropping the matcha right in gives the matcha tea something to deflect against and slow it down.
- You can make this a yuzu lemonade. Simply substitute ½ the lemon juice with yuzu juice.
N Q
Thank you! Made this and it was very refreshing.