This 4-ingredient homemade hojicha latte recipe can be prepared hot or iced. It's full of earthy, nutty and caramel flavors and can be made with either loose-leaf tea or hojicha powder.
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If you dislike the bitterness of green tea but crave its many benefits, this one's for you!
💌 Why I Adore This Recipe
- It takes less than 15 minutes to make
- Low caffeine content
- Works with either hojicha powder or loose-leaf hojicha
- Works with any milk
- It's suitable for beginners
- Can be served iced or hot.
🌱 What is Hojicha
Hojicha is a type of Japanese roasted green tea.
It differs from other green tea types because its leaves are roasted over charcoal. The roasting process helps removes any bitter flavors. Just like matcha, it's often ground into a fine powder.
This variety of green tea has a slightly nutty flavor and often brings together lovers of tea, coffee, and hot cocoa.
🥛 Ingredients
You'll need just a few ingredients to make this creamy hojicha latte.
Ingredient Details
Hojicha powder or loose-leaf hojicha tea - Using powder is more effortless and creates a more robust flavor. However, strongly brewed loose-leaf tea can be used instead.
Maple syrup - Instead of maple syrup, you can use white or brown sugar, golden syrup, agave syrup, or other liquid sweeteners.
Vanilla extract - Any vanilla extract will do. However, vanilla paste and natural vanilla extract are best.
Oat milk - Use any milk of your choice. I love reaching for unsweetened oat milk as it's naturally creamy but not overpowering in flavor.
Optional - ground cinnamon for topping off the drink.
Struggling to find hojicha? I recommend getting it online or checking out your local Japanese cafes or supermarkets.
Tip - Remember that hojicha powder is much more highly concentrated than loose-leaf hojicha. Opt for the powder if you want a strong hojicha flavor.
🥄 Equipment
- 1 small saucepan - for heating the milk
- 1 mug or large glass - for making and serving the tea
- Sieve/strainer - for straining the tea leaves
- Optional - Electric frother - for frothing the milk
⏲️ Steps
Here's how you can bring this delicious hojicha latte recipe to life in your kitchen!
Hint - find the FULL recipe with exact ingredients in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
Hot hojicha latte
1 - In a small mug, brew your hojicha tea.
2 - Add the vanilla extract and liquid sweetener. Stir well.
3 - Heat your oat milk in a small saucepan or microwave until steam rises from the pan/bowl. Don't boil.
Use a handheld milk frother to froth the milk. You can also froth it by whisking it by hand or quickly blending it in a blender.
4 - To serve, pour the frothed hot milk on top of your hojicha mixture.
5 & 6 - Sprinkle with ground cinnamon (optional). Stir and enjoy!
Iced hojicha latte
1 - In a small mug, brew your hojicha tea.
2 - Add the vanilla extract and liquid sweetener. Stir well and set aside to cool.
3 - Fill a glass with ice cubes, then add cold oat milk.
4 - Pour the hojicha mixture on top, stir, and enjoy!
This recipe allows for some flexibility. For example, if this is your first time making hojicha, you might want to start with a less intense version. Adjust the strength to your preference by adding more or less hojicha to the hot water.
💡 Pro Tips
- Mind the water temperature: The ideal temperature for brewing green tea is between 175-180°F (around 80°C).
- Adjust the sweetness to taste. You might prefer an additional teaspoon (or two) of maple syrup.
- Make it sugar-free. If desired, remove the sugar altogether by opting for unsweetened oat milk. Leave out the liquid sweetener or use stevia.
- Top it off. Add a custom amount of ground cinnamon, ginger, or pumpkin spice.
❓FAQ
Hojicha tea has earthy flavors, similar to other green tea varieties.
It's smoky, slightly sweet, and nutty and contains flavor notes of chocolate (Source: 3Leaf).
This depends on your personal preference.
Here's a quick comparison.
Matcha:
- tastes more bitter,
- is higher in the most potent antioxidants,
- has a more vibrant color,
- is about 20x higher in caffeine.
(Source: Hojicha Co).
No, hojicha contains considerably less caffeine than matcha or black tea.
It's made from parts of the tea leaves that are naturally lower in caffeine.
There are about 130 mg of caffeine per 100g of hojicha. In comparison, matcha contains about 3200 mg per 100g. (Source: CraftTeaFox)
🍓 Toppings & Add-ons
Here are some suggestions to take this hojicha latte to the next level.
- Caramel flavor: Add caramel syrup (to taste) directly to hojicha tea and stir well.
- Hojicha strawberry latte: Make a simple strawberry syrup (you can find the instructions for it in my strawberry bubble tea recipe) and stir it with hojicha tea.
- Coconut milk: Hojicha flavor pairs so well with that of coconut. If you want to emphasize the sweet and comforting aroma, coconut instead of oat milk will do just that!
📦 Storage
I recommend drinking your hojicha latte straight after serving it. Just like other lattes, this one doesn't keep very well.
If you would still like to store the leftovers for later, I recommend placing them in an airtight container. Keep in the fridge and use within 24 hours.
🍹 More Latte Recipes
Got questions about making this recipe? Let me know in the comments below, and I'll help!
Tried out this hojicha tea latte recipe? You can help me by leaving a star rating comment below. Your feedback supports my blog and helps me bring you more free recipes!
🍴Recipe
Hot or Iced Hojicha Latte - Roasted Green Tea Drink
Equipment
- 1 small saucepan for heating the milk
- 1 mug or large glass for making and serving the tea
- 1 Sieve/strainer for straining the tea leaves if not using powder
- 1 electric milk frother optional
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoon hojicha powder or 10g loose leaf hojicha
- ¼ cup (60 ml) boiled water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or more to taste
- ¾ cup (180 ml) oat milk or other plant milk
Optional
- ice cubes
- ground cinnamon
Instructions
Hot Hojicha Latte
- In a small mug, mix the hojicha powder (see Notes for instructions on how to prepare this if you are using loose leaf hojicha) with boiled water until no clumps remain.2 teaspoon hojicha powder, ¼ cup boiled water
- Add the vanilla extract and liquid sweetener. Stir well.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- Heat the oat milk in a small saucepan or microwave until steam rises from the pan/bowl. Don't boil.¾ cup oat milk
- Use a handheld milk frother to froth the milk. You can also froth it by whisking it by hand (using a metal whisk) or quickly blending it in a blender.
- To serve, pour the frothed hot milk on top of your hojicha mixture.
- Sprinkle with ground cinnamon (optional). Stir and enjoy!
Iced Hojicha Latte
- In a small mug, mix the hojicha powder (see Notes for instructions on how to prepare this if you are using loose leaf hojicha) with boiled water until to clumps remain.2 teaspoon hojicha powder, ¼ cup boiled water
- Add the vanilla extract and liquid sweetener. Stir well and set aside to cool.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- Fill a glass with ice cubes, then add cold oat milk.ice cubes
- Pour the hojicha mixture on top, stir, and enjoy! Add a sprinkle of ground cinnamon if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer: The nutritional information above is calculated automatically. The author of this post cannot guarantee 100% accuracy of this data.
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