What is in a Starbucks Green Tea Latte? (How to order, recipe, nutrition + more FAQs)

Green tea is considered one of the healthiest teas and Starbucks has a latte inspired by this tea. So, what is in a Starbucks green tea latte?

The Starbucks Green Tea Latte is prepared with steamed milk and a sweetened matcha green tea blend. This matcha tea blend has sugar and ground Japanese Green Tea. The iced version of this beverage includes ice in addition to steamed milk and matcha tea blend. I love green tea and after learning that Starbucks has a green tea latte, I went to Starbucks to try it. Additionally, I did research on this latte and in this article, I am sharing everything I discovered. To learn about the nutritional contents, taste, the ingredients used and how you can prepare it in your kitchen, continue reading.

What is in a Starbucks Green Tea Latte (Ingredients)?

The Starbucks Green Tea Latte’s ingredients are milk and the Starbucks matcha tea blend. The matcha tea blend that Starbucks uses has ground green tea and sugar. On the other hand, the iced green tea latte has all the mentioned ingredients plus ice.

On the official Starbucks website, the company has stated that it cannot warrant that the Green Tea Latte is allergen-free. This is because any products that have been unpacked in the store are at risk of allergen contamination due to sharing of storing, serving and preparing equipment. Starbucks’ customers, especially allergy-prone customers, are encouraged to go through the ingredients of the products before making any purchase.

How do you make a Starbucks Green Tea Latte at home (recipe)?

The Starbucks Green Tea Latte can be prepared at home with the following ingredients; 3 cups of milk (your preferred kind), 2 teaspoons of matcha powder, 3 teaspoons of honey, 1 tablespoon of vanilla syrup, 2 tablespoons of water and 1 cup of ice (optional).

So, to prepare the Starbucks Green Tea Latte, first, mix the water and matcha powder in a small bowl and stir until you get a smooth, clump-free mixture. Then, place the matcha mixture, milk, honey and vanilla syrup in a cup and stir thoroughly with a spoon or a milk frother until well combined and enjoy. If you placed the mixture in a shaker or covered container, shake thoroughly for a few seconds until well mixed and enjoy your latte.

If you want an iced green tea latte, you will serve the well-mixed latte over ice and enjoy. You can prepare a vegan green tea latte by using non-dairy milk like almond milk, coconut milk, oat milk or soy milk. Whatever kind of milk you prefer can be used in this recipe.

The vanilla syrup and honey in this recipe are sweeteners and therefore if you do not want a sweetened green tea latte, you can take them out. 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract can be used in the place of vanilla syrup and maple syrup can also be used as a sweetener in this recipe.

How do I order a healthy green tea latte from Starbucks?

To order a healthy green tea latte from Starbucks, you simply order a regular green tea latte but customize it with the healthier ingredient options available. For instance, in place of steamed milk, ask for non-dairy milk.

In a tall green tea latte, for example, ask for almond milk instead of dairy milk, 1 scoop of matcha powder instead of 3 scoops and 3 pumps of sugar-free vanilla syrup. Although this beverage doesn’t have water, ask the barista for a 1/8 cup of water, as it will help the matcha powder mix well and reduce the number of calories.

With the few changes provided above, the 190-calorie green tea latte will become a 90-calorie green tea latte. The fat will reduce from 5g to 4g, the carbs from 25g to 10g, the sugars from 24g to 9g, the protein from 10g to 2g and the caffeine from 55mg to 30mg.

Nutritional information of a Starbucks Green Tea Latte

A short (8fl oz.) Starbucks Green Tea Latte has 110 calories, the tall (12fl oz.) has 190 calories, a grande (16fl oz.) has 240 calories and a venti (24fl oz.) has 320 calories.

Out of the 110 calories in a short, 30 calories are from fats. Other nutritional facts of the short include; total fat- 3.5g, saturated fat- 2g, trans fat- 0g, cholesterol- 15mg, sodium- 80mg, total carbs- 14g, dietary fibre- 0g, sugars- 14g, protein- 6g and caffeine- 30mg.

The dietary facts of the tall are; 50 calories from fats, total fat- 5g, saturated fat- 3.5g, trans fat- 0g, cholesterol- 20mg, total carbs- 25g, sodium- 125mg, dietary fibre- 1g, sugars-24g, protein- 10g and caffeine- 55mg.

The nutritional information of the grande is; 60 calories from fats, total fat- 7g, saturated fat- 4.5g, trans fat- 0g, cholesterol- 25mg, sodium- 160mg, total carbs- 34g, dietary fibre- 1g, sugars- 32g, protein- 12g and caffeine- 80mg.

Finally, the dietary information of the venti Starbucks Green Tea Latte is; 80 calories from fats, total fat- 9g, saturated fat- 6g, trans fat- 0g, cholesterol- 35mg, sodium- 210mg, total carbs- 45g, dietary fibre- 2g, sugars- 43g, protein- 16g and caffeine- 110mg.

The nutritional values provided are in relation to a daily 2000-calorie diet.

What does a Starbucks Green Tea Latte taste like?

The Starbucks Green Tea Latte without sweeteners is frothy with a grassy and subtly bitter taste and a vegetal aftertaste. However, with sweeteners, it is sweet and delicious but with a slight umami flavour.

FAQ Section

How many pumps of vanilla are in a Starbucks Green Tea Latte?

The number of vanilla pumps used in the Starbucks Green Tea Latte depends on the size of the beverage. A short has 2 vanilla syrup pumps, a tall has 3, a grande has 4 and a venti has 5 pumps of vanilla syrup. However, a customer can request more or less vanilla pumps in their green tea latte. They can also opt out completely of having vanilla in their green tea latte.

Is there caffeine in the Green Tea Latte at Starbucks?

Yes. This is because the matcha powder used in the green tea latte at Starbucks has caffeine. A short green tea latte at Starbucks has 30mg of caffeine, a tall has 55mg, a grande has 80mg and a venti has 110mg of caffeine.

Where does the sugar come from in the Starbucks matcha green tea latte?

The sugar in the Starbucks Green Tea Latte comes from the sweetened matcha powder used in the latte. The matcha powder in this beverage has two ingredients; ground green tea and sugar.

Additionally, customizations like the addition of sweeteners like vanilla syrup, also add sugar to the latte. Sugar content in a green tea latte (without vanilla syrup) is; 14g in a short size (8fl oz.), 24g in a tall (12fl oz.), 32g in a grande (16fl oz.) and 43g in a venti (24fl oz.). The amount of sugar in the Starbucks matcha powder is quite significant.

What brand of green tea does Starbucks use?

Starbucks uses Japanese ground green tea. A blend of the Japanese ground green tea and sugar is used in the matcha present in the Starbucks Green Tea Latte, called the Matcha Tea Blend.