Iced Matcha Lemonade Recipe

This iced matcha lemonade is a cool and refreshing drink perfect for any hot summer day! This easy lemonade recipe is made with freshly squeezed lemon juice, pure cane sugar, and energy-boosting matcha powder. It's sweet tangy, delicious, and perfect for matcha lovers!

Tangy homemade lemonade is combined with bright matcha powder and then served over ice. This is the best drink to serve at pool parties, family gatherings, or whenever you are craving something cold and delicious!

If you are missing your normal Starbucks Matcha Lemonade this homemade version tastes just as good (probably even better!) but is made without as much sugar using only 4 simple ingredients! This easy recipe is similar to an Arnold palmer but instead of black tea matcha powder is the star of the show!

I’ve been a huge fan of matcha green tea for the last several years now. I don’t like coffee so hot matcha tea or matcha lattes are one of my favorite ways to get an afternoon pick-me-up without having caffeine jitters!

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Key Ingredients in Iced Matcha Lemonade

Matcha powder - use high-quality matcha for the best flavor. 

Lemon juice - The juice of 2 large lemons gives the perfect tangy flavor. You can use more lemon juice if you like a tangier lemonade!

Cane sugar - You can use maple syrup or honey instead if you like.

Ice - For serving. Alternatively, you could use cold water and skip the ice entirely.

What is Matcha Powder?

Matcha powder is made by grinding young, tender Japanese green tea leaves into a fine powder. The quality and the color of the matcha powder depend on when the green tea leaves were dried and processed and where the matcha was sourced. The brighter and more vibrant the matcha powder the better. 

Matcha has been all the rage for many years now for its bright green color, light grassy flavor, and amazing health benefits. It’s full of powerful antioxidants and vitamins. It’s known to help reduce stress while providing an energy boost without caffeine jitters, so it's an excellent alternative to coffee.

More helpful resources and research on the benefits of matcha powder can be found by Dr. Axe “Matcha Green Tea” and from Matcha.com “Matcha Health Benefits”

Different Grades of Matcha

Matcha is sold in primarily two different grades- culinary and ceremonial.

The culinary matcha usually has a dull green color and an intense grassy/ earthy flavor. It’s used primarily for cooking and baking. 

The ceremonial grade matcha on the other hand is of higher quality and has a vibrant green color. It’s used when you’re drinking matcha as a tea, latte, or in lemonade! Ceremonial matcha has a much bright and smooth flavor and is not at all grassy. 

What Matcha Should You Buy?

So what kind of matcha should you buy? Is ceremonial grade really worth it? Or is culinary just fine? This really depends on you! Matcha can vary in price depending on the brand and the type of grade you decide to buy. Culinary grades are usually the cheapest and ceremonial grades are the most expensive. 

I have used culinary matcha for a long time to make my matcha tea and lattes because I actually like the grassy flavor. 

Recently, I started drinking ceremonial matcha, and OMG you guys, the hype is well deserved. Ceremonial grade really does taste amazing. It has a much smoother and boujee flavor that’s just so good. It's definitely worth the extra cost.

If you are new to trying matcha I’d recommend sticking to culinary-grade matcha from a high-quality brand, then working up to ceremonial grade.

I’ll link my favorites from both grades!

Culinary favorites: Navitas Organics and Camel

Ceremonial favorites: Matcha Love and Pique Life

How to Make Matcha Green Tea Lemonade:

All ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step three: Fill the glass of your choice with ice then pour over matcha lemonade. Serve with fresh lemon slices and enjoy!

Recommended tools

Bamboo matcha whisk or milk frother

Quart-sized mason jars or pint-sized mason jars

Lemon juicer

Helpful tips

• Roll your lemons on the counter to make them softer and to help the juice come out better. You could also use a citrus juicer, we love to use this one if we are juicing a lot of lemons at one time.

• Use warm water between 110 - 180 degrees Fahrenheit to make the matcha mixture. You don’t want boiling water because it can change the flavor of the matcha.

• Mix the matcha with a little bit of warm water before combing all the ingredients together. This is to ensure that the matcha mixes completely without any clumps. I also like to do this step because it helps to give the matcha a better flavor than just combining the powder with the cold water/ lemonade mixture.

• Add more sugar if you a sweeter matcha lemonade that tastes closer to Starbucks!

Make-ahead

You can make matcha lemonade up to 24 hours ahead of time. Make the recipe like usual but save the ice for just before you are ready to serve your lemonade, so it doesn’t get watered down!

Frequently asked questions —

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