11 Best Starbucks Matcha Drinks to Try
Starbucks matcha drinks are popular due to their antioxidants, slow-burn caffeine, and grassy, earthy flavor.
Matcha is a Japanese green tea processed into a finely ground powder and lauded for its antioxidants and non-coffee caffeine.
Starbucks has a few matcha drinks on its menu, though they can make several other off-menu or “Secret Menu” matcha drinks, both hot and iced.
All matcha drinks at Starbucks contain caffeine, and none of them can be made unsweetened.
This is because Starbucks combines finely-ground matcha tea powder with sugar to create their matcha tea blend, which is used in all their matcha drinks.
Starbucks Secret Menu drinks are fan-created drinks that can be made, but they’re not official Starbucks beverages.
Since Starbucks baristas aren’t trained in how to make these drinks, you’ll have to order them by their recipe rather than their name.
In this article, we’ve rounded up the best Starbucks matcha drinks, including the secret menu drinks and how to order them.
11. Green Drink (Secret Menu)
The Starbucks Secret Menu Green Drink is a good way to load up on a ton of non-coffee caffeine, but it’s not the best Starbucks matcha drink.
It’s essentially a blend of black tea, matcha, and coconut milk, and while none of those flavors are bad, they’re better on their own than they are together.
This is an unfortunate case of the whole being less than the sum of its parts.
If you’re still intrigued, go for it, but if you’re on the fence, we suggest trying an Iced Matcha Latte or a Green Tea Matcha instead.
How to Order It:
Ask for an Iced Black Tea (any Starbucks size) with no water, sub coconut milk. Add Matcha.
You can order this drink in person, online, or on the Starbucks app.
10. Polyjuice Potion Frappuccino (Secret Menu)
This Secret Menu Starbucks matcha drink isn’t as gross as it sounds (or looks!), but it’s not really great, either.
It’s a Strawberry Crème Frappuccino with matcha-tinged white mocha drizzle swirled inside the cup, and vanilla syrup and espresso added.
It doesn’t taste like as much of a muddy mess as you might think, but there is too much going on here.
However, it’s a great excuse to live out your Hogwarts covert potion-making fantasies, so it’s still one of the best Starbucks matcha drinks (if only barely.)
How to Order It:
Ask for a venti Strawberry Crème Frappuccino with drizzle made from the white mocha sauce and matcha lining the cup.
Add two pumps of vanilla syrup and two shots of espresso.
Note that you can’t ask for the white mocha/matcha powder concoction on the Starbucks app or online, so you’ll have to order this Secret Menu drink in person.
9. Iced Matcha Lemonade
If you’re looking for a dairy-free Starbucks matcha drink that’s not too sweet, you might like the Iced Matcha Lemonade — but be forewarned, it’s not for everyone.
It’s earthy and citrusy, and while it is sweetened, it lacks the balance of some of the drinks on this list.
The Iced Matcha Lemonade is made from a combination of lemonade and Starbucks’ sweetened ground matcha powder. The drink is shaken and served over ice.
It’s available in tall, grande, venti, and trenta sizes.
A grande contains 120 calories, 27g of sugar, 0g of fat, and 80mg of caffeine.
8. Peppermint Pow Frappuccino (Secret Menu)
The Peppermint Pow Frappuccino is more of a mint-flavored drink than a matcha-flavored drink.
Still, the matcha adds a fresh vegetal, grassy flavor that combines nicely with the peppermint in this frappuccino.
This one often gets compared to a mint milkshake, and we see no problems with that!
How to Order It:
Ask for a venti Vanilla Bean Crème Frappuccino with three pumps of peppermint syrup and three scoops of matcha green tea powder.
This drink is easy to order in person, online, or on the app.
7. Matcha Pink Drink (Secret Menu)
The Matcha Pink Drink from the Secret Menu is one of the prettiest Starbucks matcha drinks.
It’s a good option for someone who wants a little bit of matcha flavor without a whole matcha drink, but if we’re honest, this one’s more about aesthetics.
It’s a Pink Drink topped with a drift of “matcha-ified” vanilla cold foam.
You’ll get some matcha flavor, but the matcha powder is really just used for its color here.
How to Order It:
Ask for a Pink Drink (any size) topped with vanilla sweet cream cold foam.
Ask the barista to blend a scoop of matcha powder into the cold foam.
This drink must be ordered in person since there’s no way to ask for matcha in your cold foam via the app or online ordering.
6. Green Vanilla Frappuccino (Secret Menu)
The Green Vanilla Frappuccino is the best Starbucks matcha drink for anyone who wants to try matcha but may be worried that it might be too strong a flavor for them.
It’s essentially a vanilla-flavored drink with a hint of matcha.
It’s creamy, dreamy, and a beautiful soft green color.
How to Order It:
Ask for a venti Vanilla Bean Crème Frappuccino with 2.5 scoops of ground matcha powder.
This one is easy to order in person, but unfortunately, there’s no way to order it online or on the Starbucks app.
5. Cha Cha Latte (Secret Menu)
While it may not be as good as a dirty chai, the Starbucks Secret Menu’s Cha Cha Latte is surprisingly tasty.
The flavors of matcha and chai combine for an earthy, spicy latte that’s complex and caffeinated.
How to Order It:
Ask for a venti Matcha Tea Latte (hot or iced — your choice!) Add two pumps of chai.
This drink can be ordered in person, online, or on the Starbucks app.
You can find “add chai” under the “tea” modification submenu.
4. Green Tea Matcha (Secret Menu)
The Green Tea Matcha is Starbucks’ plain matcha tea. It used to be on the official menu, but now it’s been relegated to Secret Menu status.
Luckily, it’s still simple enough to order and available hot or iced.
If you’re looking for a dairy-free matcha drink with a ton of flavor and antioxidants, this is the one for you.
How to Order It:
If you’re ordering in person, just ask your barista for a Green Tea Matcha or a Matcha Tea.
If you feel you need to be more specific, ask for matcha powder in hot or iced water.
Unfortunately, there’s no way to order a hot Green Tea Matcha online or on the app.
However, you can order an Iced Green Tea Matcha by selecting Iced Matcha Lemonade (any size) and modifying the “lemonade” drop-down menu to read “no lemonade.”
3. Matcha Crème Frappuccino
The Matcha Crème Frappuccino is one of the best matcha drinks at Starbucks. It’s creamy, earthy, grassy, and a little sweet.
This is also a great gateway matcha drink for non-matcha drinkers.
The cool creaminess of the frappuccino mellows out some of the natural bitterness of the matcha.
The Matcha Crème Frappuccino is made with sweetened ground matcha tea powder blended with milk and ice. It’s then topped with whipped cream.
This frappuccino is available in tall, grande, and venti sizes.
A grande contains 420 calories, 61g of sugar, 16g of fat, and 70mg of caffeine.
2. Matcha Tea Latte
The Matcha Tea Latte is one of the best Starbucks matcha drinks.
This classic way to consume matcha is simple and perfectly balanced.
It’s the coziest matcha drink on our list and is the best option if you like your matcha hot.
This Starbucks latte is made from finely ground matcha powder that’s sweetened with sugar.
The drink is combined with steamed milk and topped with milk foam.
The Matcha Tea Latte is available in short, tall, grande, and venti sizes.
A grande contains 240 calories, 32g of sugar, 7g of fat, and 80mg of caffeine.
1. Iced Matcha Tea Latte
The Iced Matcha Tea Latte is the best Starbucks matcha drink.
It’s energizing, creamy, and sweet without being too sweet.
Less is often more when it comes to matcha drinks, and this three-ingredient (four if you count the ice) beverage hits all the right marks.
It’s also just as satisfying as the Matcha Crème Frappuccino, with fewer than half the calories.
The Iced Matcha Tea Latte is made from finely ground matcha sweetened with sugar.
The matcha is combined with cold milk and served over ice.
The Iced Matcha Tea Latte is available in tall, grande, and venti sizes.
A grande contains 200 calories, 28g of sugar, 5g of fat, and 80mg of caffeine.
Conclusion
Many people love matcha for its antioxidants, non-coffee caffeine, and earthy flavor. However, the taste isn’t for everyone.
If you’re a matcha lover, you’re sure to find a drink you love on Starbucks’ menu or, at the very least, the Starbucks Secret Menu.
While you can customize most matcha drinks, they can’t be served unsweetened. Starbucks’ matcha powder is finely ground with sugar before it’s used as the base for all their matcha drinks.
Next time you’re in the mood to order a matcha drink at Starbucks, use our list to find something that sparks your interest.
For more information about Starbucks, check out the articles below.
