Ready for a delicious matcha parfait? Here are seven great options.
When it comes to tea parfaits, matcha is probably the easiest tea to use as your base because it mixes so smoothly with all kinds of creamy ingredients – yogurt, pudding, whipped cream, and more. Here are six easy ideas that don’t require a recipe, plus one unique parfait that requires quite a few steps but is worth the effort.
These options rangy from healthy breakfast parfaits to decadent desserts.
Matcha Parfait Getting Started Guide
In general, parfaits are very forgiving and allow you to use your creativity. Think of these as idea sparks for your own innovative matcha parfaits. I’ve purposedly omitted exact ingredient measurements for these parfait ideas to give you the option to customize to your own needs and preferences (except for the last idea which requires precise steps).
That said, if you want a little help figuring out recipe proportions here are some guidelines that I normally follow:
- The Matcha: 1 teaspoon ceremonial or culinary-grade matcha powder, mixed with 1 tablespoon of warm water until smooth (use less for a lighter matcha flavor)
- The Base : 3/4 cup yogurt, pudding, or whipped cream
- The Sweetener: 1 teaspoon liquid sweetener of your choice (up to 1 tablespoon if you like things sweet)
- The Fruit: 1/4 cup diced
- The Crunch: 1/4 cup of your favorite granola
Pro Tip: Whisk your matcha with a small portion of warm water first to avoid lumps and only then mix with your yogurt, pudding, etc. Mixing matcha directly into something cold will leave green specks in the parfait instead of smooth color.
Vegan Matcha Coconut Parfait
Mix matcha into coconut milk yogurt (such as So Delicious or Harmless Harvest) with a bit of pure maple syrup. Layer slices of mango or pineapple – tropical fruits go well with coconut base. Top with your favorite granola. I think Anahola Tropical Granola goes particularly well with this parfait. Perfect for vegans or those who need to avoid dairy.
Pro Tip: Sweeten with monk fruit drops instead of maple syrup to reduce sugar.
Matcha Vanilla Pudding Parfait
If you prefer pudding to yogurt, this idea is for you. Whisk matcha with prepared vanilla pudding – Simple Mixes and Petit Pot are both good choices. Layer with crushed graham crackers and some fresh berries.
Alternatively, if you want to prepare pudding from scratch there are two excellent recipes depending on what you have available:
High Protein Vanilla Pudding from Moderately Messy RD (uses Greek yogurt as the base)
Vegan Homemade Vanilla Pudding from The Carrot Underground
Both types of puddings go really well with matcha – they are neutral and creamy bases to which you add matcha after preparation or warming.
Berry Matcha Parfait with Greek Yogurt
This is the most straightforward idea on this list. Stir matcha and some honey into Greek yogurt and layer with granola and mixed berries in a tall glass repeating layers two or three times.
Matcha Tiramisu Parfait
An alternative to the original one. Prepare matcha with hot water (without any sweetener) and dip ladyfingers into it instead of using espresso. Layer with mascarpone-whipped cream mix and dust the top with matcha powder instead of cocoa. Assemble in individual glasses rather than preparing one big portion to present it as a parfait.
Pro Tip: do not soak ladyfingers too long – a couple of seconds per side is enough. Matcha is more bitter than espresso so soaking it longer will accentuate bitterness while coffee makes dessert sweeter.
Related Read: Irish Tea Brands: 5 Favorites to Try
Matcha Pistachio Overnight Oats Parfait
Use pistachio milk as an oat soaking liquid (Elmhurst and Three Trees both produce great pistachio milks) and stir matcha in before leaving it overnight. The next morning, layer the prepared oats with chopped pistachios and some yogurt mixed with dried fruit (apricots work well).
The matcha and pistachio combination works well together as both ingredients are nutty and slightly bitter. If desired, you can sweeten your matcha oat layer with a bit of maple syrup, monk fruit, or stevia.
White Chocolate Matcha Parfait Mousse
This is a decadent dessert parfait!
Mix melted white chocolate with whipped cream and matcha and use it as a base layer alternating with crushed graham cracker crumbs and fresh raspberries. Drizzle a bit of white chocolate on top for a decorative touch.
Kyoto-Style Matcha Parfait
This is the parfait idea that requires following a traditional recipe. Kyoto matcha parfait is assembled by stacking matcha ice cream, matcha jelly or kanten, shiratama mochi (small chewy rice dumplings), sweet red bean paste (anko) and whipped cream topped with a crisp tea wafer/cracker.
Osada Tea Japan and Bento & Co both have great, if slightly different, recipes for creating a traditional matcha parfait similar to what you might find in Japan.
Fun Fact: Kyoto’s Uji region is considered one of the premier green tea growing areas in Japan, and that reputation is part of why the matcha parfait became such a signature dessert there — the tea houses had exceptional matcha on hand and built an entire dessert culture around showing it off.
Marvelous Matcha Parfait Guide: The Last Sip
Six of these parfaits are simple enough to put together without a written recipe — matcha blends into yogurt, pudding, oats, and mousse the same way every time, so once you’ve got the ratio of matcha to liquid down, you can build any of them on instinct.
The seventh, the Kyoto-style version, is a different project entirely and is worth following an actual recipe. Whatever you choose, Between there’s a matcha parfait here for ever taste and timeframe.
