Imagine a glass of vibrant green matcha latte—whether iced in the summer or hot in the winter—made perfectly frothy and irresistibly creamy. Welcome to my blog, where I share everything about lattes. I am obsessed with crafting delicious, healthy, and unique drinks. In this post, we will explore the best milk choices for your matcha latte together with a delicious matcha latte recipe! Ready to find your perfect matcha latte? Let’s dive in.
I got all the different milks and compared them side by side.
Introduction to the Best Milk for Matcha Latte
Originating in Japan’s monasteries, matcha—a finely ground green tea powder—evolved from a ceremonial staple to a global phenomenon. Now, I’ve heard that matcha latte has become so popular in the U.S. and around the world! That makes me so happy that people are starting to love these amazing drinks.
There are so many different kinds of matcha latte, though, and I am so glad you are here to learn about them! Well, the thing is, “the best milk” for a matcha latte depends on what you are looking for. Also, the matcha latte recipes differ slightly depending on the kind of milk you are using.
Whether you are prioritizing a velvety texture, health benefits, or unique flavor, I’ve got you!
Interested in knowing how to pick the best matcha powder? Here’s all my knowledge on how to pick one!
Best Matcha Powder for Lattes in 2025 | My Top 3 Picks for Home Café
Try this best matcha powder for lattes to enjoy health benefits (including skin health) and to bring a cafe to your home. Here are my top 3 based on key metrics.
Plant-Based Milks for Your Matcha Lattes
Here, I have several suggestions of plant-based milk for your best matcha lattes! Why do I have plant-based milks for matcha lattes, you might ask? Well, first of all, there are already many matcha latte recipes with cow milk. But I am not quite certain about matcha lattes with dairy milk, because dairy can overpower matcha’s delicate umami taste and scent. Also, I know many of us who are lactose intolerant or allergic to milk. So why don’t we go for plant-based milk that goes even better, is delicious, is packed with antioxidants, and is environmentally friendly?
Key Points of Plant-Based Milk for Matcha Lattes
- Smooth taste that doesn’t overpower delicate flavors of matcha
- Great choice for those of us who are lactose intolerant or milk allergic
- A variety of choices
- Packed with antioxidants
- Numerous health benefits
- Environmentally-friendly
Alright, then let’s look at how to choose the right milk for your matcha latte!
Best Milk for Creamy Matcha Latte | How to Choose Your Favorite
Let us begin with how to choose the right milk for you.
How to Choose the Right Milk for You
Selecting the perfect plant-based milk for your matcha latte is a journey of balancing many factors. There is no “best milk” type that fits everyone’s needs; there are just perfect types of milk for different occasions.
From left to right: Oat milk, oat milk barista, soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk, and rice milk.
Every milk has a different taste, color, and texture. Oat milk and soy milk have a warm color. Almond milk has a slightly grey-pink color. Coconut and rice milk have a close to white color, and they are light.
The five key factors to look for are taste preference, texture and creaminess, frothing ability, health benefits, and dietary restrictions.
1. Taste Preference
First and foremost, it depends on your taste preference! Oat milk, for instance, offers natural sweetness that is easy to like for many. If you like strong and unique taste, you might want to choose coconut milk.
2. Texture and Creaminess
Did you know that plant milk can be even creamier than dairy milk? Fat content impacts mouthfeel, making some plant milk like coconut or cashew milks richer and velvetier. It gives luxurious feel when we take a sip!
3. Frothing Ability
Protein and fat content determines the foam stability. Soymilk and coconut milk usually froths well, but you can always look for barista-grade plant milk to ensure you get the froth you want.
4. Health Benefits
You can specifically choose the type of milk that offers the kind of health benefits you are looking for. For instance, you can choose soymilk if you want the most plant protein content.
5. Dietary Restrictions
You might want to avoid certain plant milk if you are allergic to nuts, gluten, or soy. If you are also looking for low-calorie options, almond or rice milk are g reat choices!
Now that we have looked at factors to consider in choosing the right milk for you, let’s look at the six types of milk: soy, oat, coconut, almond, rice, and cashew.
1. Soy Milk for Matcha Latte
Soy milk is one of my favorite choices for many reasons. Soy milk has been part of East Asian culinary culture, and that also contributes to why I love it so much. Matcha latte with soymilk is also incredibly filling, so it could be a great choice for those of you who are on a diet.
👅 Taste preference: Soymilk has a mild, slightly nutty taste that complements matcha’s earthy, umami notes. You can use unsweetened soymilk for maximum umami flavor, while sweetened soymilk can be a great option to make a matcha latte like at a cafe without adding sweetener.
🍦Texture and Creaminess: Soymilk delivers a smooth, velvety texture, very close to dairy milk.
🍵 Frothing Ability: Soy milk’s high protein content (7-9 g per cup) and balanced fat create dense, stable foam, making it ideal for matcha lattes with a frothy top!
🌟 Health Benefits: With a high amount of protein per cup, soymilk supports muscle health and keeps you full for a long time. It also contains healthy unsaturated fats and isoflavones, improving heart health.
🥜 Dietary Restrictions: Soymilk is free of dairy, lactose, and gluten, as well as low in carbs, making it suitable for most people, especially those who seek low-carb options. However, it is not for those of you with soy allergies.
2. Oat Milk for Matcha Latte
Oat milk is probably the most widely loved plant-based milk. And for a good reason! It is so easy to love—the natural sweetness without strong flavor.
👅 Taste preference: Oat milk’s subtle, natural sweetness enhances matcha’s earthy, umami flavors, creating a balanced, approachable latte without added sugars.
🍦 Texture and Creaminess: Oat milk has a nice, smooth mouthfeel, but it is not as strong as soy milk or dairy milk.
🍵 Frothing Ability: To make a good froth on an oat milk matcha latte, you need barista-grade oat milk. The barista-grade oat milk has better creaminess than dairy milk, even without frothing it.
🌟 Health Benefits: Oat milk provides fiber (1-2 g per cup) and is often fortified with B12, calcium, or vitamin D.
🥜 Dietary Restrictions: Oat milk might not be suitable for those with gluten sensitivities.
3. Almond Milk for Matcha Latte
Almond milk, in my opinion, is most similar to dairy milk when it comes to taste.
👅 Taste preference: Almond milk’s mild, slightly nutty, low-sweet flavor resembles dairy milk very much. It is neutral and therefore can be used versatilely in many dishes that require regular milk.
🍦 Texture and Creaminess: However, almond milk is lightweight and silky, making it a bit like low-fat dairy milk. You can opt for barista-blend almond milk to achieve a richer texture in your latte.
🍵 Frothing Ability: If you choose barista-grade almond milk, it makes decent frothing. If you choose regular almond milk, it won’t create the foam.
🌟 Health Benefits: Almond milk has the lowest natural sugar and calories, making it ideal for many of you on a diet! Not only that, but almonds have vitamin E, which supports skin health.
You can read more about how almonds promote skin health in my post: All Natural Beauty Tips | 3 Proven Foods for Healthy Skin.
🥜 Dietary Restrictions: Almond milk is soy-free, gluten-free, and low-carb. It is also quite accessible for most people around the world. But almond milk is not for those of you with nut allergies.
4. Coconut Milk for Matcha Latte
We had a transit at Bangkok Airport, Thailand. And there I saw a matcha coconut latte! At first, I was skeptical enough about mixing strong coconut milk flavor with matcha, but I soon changed my mind. It was surprisingly good, and perhaps people who are not huge fans of matcha can like this latte.
👅 Taste preference: Coconut milk has distinct, sweet, tropical flavors. I find the tropical taste (which also reminds me of Southeast Asian flavor) of coconut milk and the East Asian flavor of matcha make a unique appeal.
As coconut milk has distinct and strong flavors, this goes well with culinary-grade matcha. For more information on culinary-grade and ceremonial-grade matcha, you can check out my post Best Matcha Powder for Lattes.
🍦 Texture and Creaminess: Coconut milk has high fat content, making it exceptionally creamy and velvety. Not only does this top the plant-based milk in creaminess, but coconut milk is even creamier than dairy milk.
🍵 Frothing Ability: You don’t need to look for barista-grade coconut milk to froth well. You can just use regular coconut milk, and you should be able to make good frothing for both hot and iced lattes.
🌟 Health Benefits: Coconut milk contains MCTs (Medium-Chain Triglycerides), which may support energy metabolism and ketosis.
🥜 Dietary Restrictions: Coconut milk is great for anyone, as it is nut-free, soy-free, and gluten-free, and has low carbs if you choose unsweetened coconut milk.
See my post: Creamy Vegan Coconut Milk Matcha Latte Recipe | Hot or Iced!
5. Rice Milk for Matcha Latte
There is a very popular drink in Korea made with rice, called Achim-hessal (아침햇살). I’ve loved it since my childhood. If you haven’t tried it, I hope you give rice milk a try! Even unsweetened rice milk is very sweet; you’d be surprised.
👅 Taste preference: Rice milk is almost intensely sweet. You’d not find sweetened rice milk, as rice milk has natural sugar. It has a nutty, umami flavor with sweetness that is great for matcha lattes with no additional sweetener.
🍦 Texture and Creaminess: Rice milk provides a light and silky mouthfeel that is great for a refreshing matcha latte.
🍵 Frothing Ability: Rice milk usually offers light to no frothing, as it does not have much fat or protein.
🌟 Health Benefits: Rice milk is very low in fat but has a higher amount of natural sugar. It might be a good choice to choose rice milk if you want a naturally sweet matcha latte without having to add additional sweetener. Also, its mild composition is gentle on the stomach.
🥜 Dietary Restrictions: Rice milk is the most allergen-friendly. It is naturally free of dairy, soy, nuts, and gluten. Just make sure to check the packaging of the rice milk to ensure that it is not processed in the same factory as the allergic ingredients!
6. Cashew Milk for Matcha Latte
Cashew milk is not available at most groceries, and therefore, you might need to make it at home. This not only means less accessibility but also that many cashews are harvested in bad labor conditions. Many workers are processing cashews without proper safety equipment, and their hands get hurt so badly from the acidity of the outer layers of cashew nuts. But you can still get some cashews that are fair-trade cashews and make cashew milk at home. Then, cashew milk is undeniably good!
👅 Taste preference: Cashew nuts have natural sweetness and soft nutty flavors that create a sophisticated taste!
🍦 Texture and Creaminess: Cashew nuts have natural healthy fat that delivers a rich and velvety texture.
🍵 Frothing Ability: Cashew milk created at home can be frothed well if you make the milk thick. It should be able to produce light foam.
🌟 Health Benefits: Cashew nuts contain healthy monounsaturated fats and some magnesium and copper, supporting heart health and compliment matcha’s antioxidant benefits.
🥜 Dietary Restrictions: Unless one has nut allergies, cashew milk can be a great choice of milk as it is naturally free of soy and gluten. It is easy to digest and a good low-carb option.
So what are my best picks? Here are my final thoughts.
Summary of Best Milk for Matcha Latte
So here are the comparisons and a summary of each milk for your best matcha latte. I have the overall ratings, but obviously, these can differ from your own preference.
🍵 SOY MILK
Ratings: 5/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
- A traditional East-Asian plant milk choice, perfect for a “real” matcha latte
- High protein (7-9 grams per cup)
- Makes good, frothy foam
- Best for: An authentic, frothy, high-protein matcha latte!
- My Choice of Soy Milk: Edensoy Unsweetened Eden Organic Soymilk
🍵 OAT MILK
Ratings: 4.5/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟✨
- Natural sweetness and neutral taste
- Needs to opt for barista-grade for froth
- Best for: A matcha latte that is easy to love & brings out the matcha flavor the best
- My Choice of Oat Milk: Oatly Full-Fat Oat Milk
🍵 ALMOND MILK
Ratings: 4/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟
- A light and low-carb plant milk
- Unsweetened regular almond milk is very much like light dairy milk
- Needs to take a barista-grade for froth
- Best for: A matcha latte with unsweetened almond milk, with barista-grade almond milk foam would be one of the best matcha lattes to bring out the matcha flavor.
- My Choice of Almond Milk: 365 by Whole Foods Market, Organic Almond Milk Unsweetened
🍵 COCONUT MILK
Ratings: 4/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟
- A rich and strong tropical flavor
- Great for those of you who want a tropical and unique matcha latte
- Rich foam with high fat content
- Best for: A unique tropical matcha latte that works well with culinary-grade matcha
- My Choice of Coconut Milk: 365 by Whole Foods Market, Organic Unsweetened Coconut Milk
🍵 RICE MILK
Ratings: 3.5/5 🌟🌟🌟✨
- Naturally sweet
- Light, low-fat & Allergen friendly (soy-, nut-, and gluten-)
- Best for: A matcha latte that is allergen-sensitive and needs no additional sweetener
- My Choice of Rice Milk: Woongjin Morning Rice Drink – This is not a 100% rice milk, but a rice drink. But this is perfect for a gourmet matcha latte. If you are to make a matcha latte with this Woongjin morning rice drink, I would give that matcha latte 5 stars!
🍵 CASHEW MILK
Ratings: 3/5 🌟🌟🌟
- Naturally sweet and velvety
- Best for: A unique and gourmet matcha latte. Might need to make cashew milk from scratch at home.
- My Choice of Cashew Milk: Silk Cashew Milk, Unsweetened
Plant-Based Matcha Latte Recipe
Vanilla Matcha Latte Recipe | Japanese Matcha Drink Recipe
This vanilla matcha latte recipe is a beautiful green tea matcha drink recipe! You’ll fall in love with the earthy, round, slightly bitter, and sweet flavors. 
Oat Milk Matcha Latte Recipe | Everything About Matcha
Learn how to make a matcha latte using premium ingredients (I have recommendations!) with an original Japanese taste. Try this best matcha latte recipe with oat milk.
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