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Embracing the Power of Green: Matcha Smoothie Recipe
Matcha—a green powder that looks absolutely lethal…but is incredibly healthy. And you can make delicious treats with it. Get the low down on matcha and a scrumptious recipe for a matcha smoothie.
Matcha: The Low Down
You’ve probably heard of matcha, but what is it made of?
It’s made from the same plant as green tea (Camellia sinensis) and ground into a powder. BUT it’s grown differently from regular green tea. In fact, it’s grown mainly in the shade, which increases the amount of chlorophyll and amino acids in the plant. The leaves are harvested and the stems and veins removed before the leaves are ground into a powder.
The end result? More nutritious and caffeinated than regular green tea (some say you get a nicer "buzz" from it than coffee—you becomce energized, but without the jitters associated with drinking coffee). It also has a ton of antioxidants which help fight free radicals (those pesky little things that cause cell damage).
So, even though it looks poisonous, matcha tea is actually very good for you. In fact, studies have found that it might improve brain functioning, protect your liver, help prevent cancer, promote heart health, and assist with weight loss.
From the beginning, match was simply used as tea, but much like other so-called superfoods it’s made its way into just about every possible recipe—from matcha sponge cakes to whiskey highballs.
It’s made from the same plant as green tea (Camellia sinensis) and ground into a powder. BUT it’s grown differently from regular green tea. In fact, it’s grown mainly in the shade, which increases the amount of chlorophyll and amino acids in the plant. The leaves are harvested and the stems and veins removed before the leaves are ground into a powder.
The end result? More nutritious and caffeinated than regular green tea (some say you get a nicer "buzz" from it than coffee—you becomce energized, but without the jitters associated with drinking coffee). It also has a ton of antioxidants which help fight free radicals (those pesky little things that cause cell damage).
So, even though it looks poisonous, matcha tea is actually very good for you. In fact, studies have found that it might improve brain functioning, protect your liver, help prevent cancer, promote heart health, and assist with weight loss.
From the beginning, match was simply used as tea, but much like other so-called superfoods it’s made its way into just about every possible recipe—from matcha sponge cakes to whiskey highballs.
Matcha Smoothie Bliss
Now that you know how good matcha is for you, chances are you feel inspired to use it. One of the easiest ways is to make a smoothie. It takes about zero skill, five minutes, and a blender. What's more, as matcha has a strong taste, it can be a nice "gentle" way to try it out. And once you get used to it, the taste is weirdly addictive.
Ingredients
- 2 bananas, frozen
- 1 cup almond milk (or any other milk)
- Matcha powder—a few teaspoons to a few tablespoons depending on your tastebuds (start with just a little bit if you aren't used to the taste as it can be overpowering)
- Vanilla bean—a tiny scrape from about 1-inch of the pod
- A few handfuls of ice
- Honey, agave, or sweetener of choice (optional)
Instructions
Blend everything together. Taste and adjust to your liking. Add some sweetener if you wish.
Swedishness Tip
Want to get even more healthy? Add half an avo (ripe and fresh, NOT frozen) and half a cup of greens (spinach or kale). The avo will make the consistency more silky and if you have a really good blender (so that there aren’t any small pieces left) you won’t even taste the greens.
Vanilla Matcha Smoothie
Author: Jeanine Donofrio (with some tweaks from Swedishness)
Recipe type: BeverageServes: 3 small smoothies, or 2 larger ones
- 2 bananas, frozen
- 1 cup almond milk (or any other milk)
- Matcha powder—a few teaspoons to a few tablespoons depending on your tastebuds (start with just a little bit if you aren't used to the taste as it can be overpowering)
- Vanilla bean—a tiny scrape from about 1-inch of the pod
- A few handfuls of ice
- Honey, agave, or sweetener of choice (optional)
Instructions
Blend everything together. Taste and adjust to your liking. Add some sweetener if you wish.
Swedishness Tip
Want to get even more healthy? Add half an avo (ripe and fresh, NOT frozen) and half a cup of greens (spinach or kale). The avo will make the consistency more silky and if you have a really good blender (so that there aren’t any small pieces left) you won’t even taste the greens.
In fact, you can pop half a cup of greens into just about any smoothie without affecting the flavor too badly, granted you don’t let the smoothie sit. Then weird things start happening to the consistency…
If you want to make it extra festive, add some (sweetened and mashed) strawberries at the bottom.
Other Ways to Use Matcha
As mentioned, there are a ton of different ways to use matcha. If bitten by the matcha bug, you might want to try these recipes:
Now that you know what magic you can create, it's time to buy some matcha and get creative!