24 Refreshing Green Tea Recipes

Matcha-Glazed Donuts Recipe

These easy baked donuts benefit from matcha in the batter and in the glaze, where it lends beautiful color. If you’re unfamiliar with matcha, it’s high-quality green tea that’s ground into a fine powder. Matcha has a powerfully earthy, bitter flavor, so a little goes a long way. For the most vibrant color, seek out a reputable brand (some lower-quality brands have a dull, olive-green color). We recommend Maeda-en Matcha Green Tea Powder, culinary quality; Aiya Matcha, ceremonial grade; or Eden Matcha. We love the color and flavor of the coconut and goji berry garnishes; if you can’t find goji berries, you can use dried cranberries instead.

Tropics on Ice With Matcha Syrup Recipe

Nashville, Tennessee might not be the first place you think of when it comes to après-ski, but the lack of snow and proximity to big mountains doesn't prevent Embers Ski Lodge, a winter sports-inspired bar and restaurant, from paying homage to the ritual of mountain happy hour. Even if you are familiar with mountain happy hours, a pineapple juice-based cocktail with homemade matcha syrup might not be an obvious choice. But Embers Ski Lodge draws its inspiration from lodges out in the Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountains where, according to Zak Klapperich, the bar lead at Embers, "It's actually pretty common for west coast ski lodges to fill their menus with tropical items as they are inspired by the Pacific islands and certain Asian cultures."

When you think about it though, a tropical-inspired drink is kind of the perfect beverage for a ski lodge, even one located below the Mason-Dixon Line. "The idea originally was to make something fresh and tropical but not super sweet for a nice summer morning drink," explained Klapperich, that'll wake you up and prep you for a day on the slopes—or just a leisurely brunch. 

Enter the Tropics on Ice, a spiked, fizzy, and fruity drink that's become a bar favorite, made with pineapple juice and a unique matcha syrup. "The matcha syrup we make was an experiment gone right," said Klapperich. "Teas are often introduced in cocktails for their ability to flavor a drink without dominating it, and matcha in particular is really growing in popularity so we gave it a try. It has a subtle earthy flavor and a cool color which equally translates well into cocktails." Especially those that are meant to be enjoyed on the slopes of a mountain, when you want something to warm you up a little bit.

So kick off your ski boots—or flip-flops, as the case may be—and pour yourself this tropical inspired, après-ski-friendly beverage for brunch. You'll feel ready to hit the slopes or the sand or whatever else might come your way, guaranteed.

Tropics on Ice with Matcha Syrup

Ingredients

Green Tea Soup Recipe

A simple broth of green tea poured over brown rice and fish makes an easy and healthful weeknight meal. Try shredded leftover chicken or diced tofu instead of black cod. We're partial to the extra-chewy texture of short-grain rice for this soup, but it's also a great way to use leftover rice of any sort. Garnishes and flavorings are equally flexible—cilantro, hot sauce, or nut oils would be fun to experiment with. Prep and Cook Time: about 1 1/4 hours. Notes: Black cod is also known as sablefish or butterfish. You can use leftover fish in this soup if you like. Nori (dried sheets of seaweed) is available at Asian markets and some supermarkets; genmaicha (green tea with roasted brown rice) is also available at Asian markets and specialty-food stores.

Avocado Matcha Banana Bread Recipe

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with banana bread. It’s a breakfast classic, like a plain bagel or a glazed doughnut. However, there are times when a classic just doesn’t thrill. That’s when we pull out the green stuff. Avocado and matcha green tea powder may not be part of your regular baking routine, but not only do they dye banana bread a delightful deep green, they add earthy flavors that tone down the banana-ness of the loaf.

Pureed avocado adds moisture to make the quick bread even more tender, plus a mild vegetal note you just can’t find in plain ol’ sweet banana bread. Then, a hit of matcha ups the complex flavors where avocado drops off, and doubles up on the vibrant color. Slice into the bread while it’s still warm (or pop it in the toaster) and smear it with a thick swipe of cream cheese or Greek yogurt.

Avocado Matcha Banana Bread

Minty Iced Green Tea Recipe

Fresh mint leaves and green tea make this iced tea a summer standout.  Sweeten with honey or agave if you desire.

Cran-Berry Green-Tea Smoothie Recipe

The best smoothies combine great nutrition with even better flavor. Cranberries and green tea pack this drink full of healthy antioxidants, while berries and banana add essential vitamins and nutrients.

Matcha Whoopie Pies Recipe

"I grew up inhaling whoopie pies, bless my mother's soul," says Bay Area cookbook author Eric Gower, the creator of these fantastic, tender little cakes. "While I would like to offer her recipe, I'm afraid that just reading the quantities of trans fats (Crisco) called for might incite immediate cardiac arrest! This relatively healthier version tastes even better."

Green Tea Granita Recipe

Any flavor of tea will work in this recipe. Brew it stronger or weaker according to your preference. Garnish this delicate dessert with wafer-thin slices of lemon.

Frankenstein Cookie Bars Recipe

These bars make a fun Halloween treat, and they're very flavorful: the green tea frosting cloaks a chewy-soft coconut-lime cookie. They're easy enough that the kids can help you make them.

20-Minute Baked Matcha Doughnuts Recipe

Invest in a doughnut pan and you can whip up a batch of these earthy baked goods in just 20 minutes. The forever-trendy Japanese green tea powder matcha is packed with antioxidants, and studies show it can reduce stress, boost metabolism, lower cholesterol, and even lower the risk of cancer. Its bright, emerald color shines in these soft, cakey donuts, which are coated in a simple, sweet, powdered-sugar glaze. With a quick clean-up and no oil splattering all over your kitchen, you won’t miss the deep-fried version. 

Homer Simpson would approve.

Baked Matcha Doughnuts

Ingredients

Matcha-Steeped Salmon With Ginger-Toasted Panko Recipe

Matcha is a powder-fine green tea, quite intense in flavor, with tannins dominating the mouth-feel (think red wine). It's rendered glorious with a splash of cream, and its boldness is a striking companion to salmon's richness. The trick in this recipe is to cook as gently as possible. If you can get your hands on truly fresh wild salmon, feel free to undercook this dish to your liking.

Matcha-Macaron Ice Cream Sandwiches Recipe

The French macaron is a simple cookie made with almonds, sugar and egg whites. The recipe here includes green tea powder (matcha), which gives it a delightful flavor. Chef Way David Myers's complex dessert parfait combines matcha crème, gelée, mochi and macaron with muscovado and vanilla crème. Easy Way These ice cream sandwiches layer store-bought green-tea and vanilla ice creams on crispy, chewy green tea macarons.

Jasmine Chicken Soup with Green Tea Soba Recipe

Eating this soup from Eric Gower, author of The Breakaway Cook, makes you feel energized--almost like you've had an immunity boost. Feel free to substitute different vegetables. And if you have extra broth, just simmer more vegetables in it the next day to create a fantastic, and nearly instant, soup.

Supercharged Kale-Avocado Smoothie Recipe

This hydrating smoothie is jam-packed with nutrients, delivering one-third your daily goal of vitamin A and 100% of vitamin K—two important nutrients many of us don't get enough of. Matcha green tea powder delivers a jolt of caffeine without the jittery side effects, helping you power through your holiday to-do list with sustained energy and alertness.

Green Tea-Ginger Ice Cream Recipe

Creating the coolest scoops is as easy as 1, 2, 3.

Green Tea-Honeysuckle Cake Recipe

Matcha, a Japanese green tea powder, adds vivid green color and a delicate flavor. Look for it in Asian grocery stores and gourmet markets, or order online. Store tightly covered in the fridge. (It oxidizes quickly.) If you can't find matcha, pulverize regular green tea in a spice grinder.

Sparkling Matcha Mint Cocktail Recipe

Floral honey, fresh herbs, and verdant green-tea powder make for an effervescent springtime sipper.
 

Green Tea-Kiwi and Mango Smoothie Recipe

Make a colorful and healthy smoothie by pureeing mango, kiwifruit and spinach wtih yogurt and honey and spooning into glasses in two layers.

Matcha Profiteroles Recipe

Matcha Baked Doughnuts Recipe

These bright green baked goods will give you all the delight of a doughnut without any of the regret afterwards. Baking makes these vegan doughnuts delicate and soft without excess oil and the matcha has a range of health benefits. 

Scallops with Green Tea Cream Recipe

This dish makes a uniquely delicious first course. Look for matcha, a Japanese green tea powder with a vibrant color and deep, somewhat bitter, flavor in Asian grocery stores or gourmet markets. If you can't find it, pulverize regular green tea in a spice grinder.

Green Tea Honey Cake Recipe

If you can't find green tea powder, available at many Asian markets, use a clean coffee grinder to pulverize green tea leaves. We used gunpowder green tea.

Iced Green Tea with Ginger and Mint Recipe

Japonica Ice Cream Sundaes Recipe

For this gorgeous combination of green tea ice cream and ripe red plums poached in sweet sake, be sure to use fresh matcha (Japanese powdered green tea) and keep it tightly covered in the fridge--it oxidizes very quickly.