Matcha is incredibly versatile. You can add it to your favorite milk to whip up a latte or stir the powder into cake batter. The possibilities are endless. And if you haven’t already tried adding a scoop of ice cream to make a matcha affogato, you’re missing out.

Coffee Bae founder Vivian shared a matcha affogato on her TikTok account and all we can say is yum. Below, you’ll find steps to make this delicious dessert, plus recommendations for what to look for when buying matcha powder and the best plant-based ice creams to use.

How to make vegan matcha affogato

1. Choose your matcha

The better the quality of the matcha you use, the better it will taste. Tomoko Honda, the manager of the Ippodo tea store in New York City and the company’s leader of global operations, says to look for authentically grown matcha.

“Green tea is grown in shaded fields and also in open fields with no shade,” says Honda. “Both are often ground up and sold as a powder, but truly authentic matcha only comes from shaded green fields, ground into powder using a stone mill.”

We’re big fans of the pure matcha ($28) from Golde, a Japanese-owned brand. It’s made from shade-grown green tea leaves from Uji, Japan.

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Golde Pure Matcha — $28.00

Learn about the nutritional difference between matcha and green tea:

2. Make the matcha

Following the directions on your matcha, you’ll use a chashaku ($10) to scoop out a few spoonfuls of matcha powder into a cup and top it with a bit of hot water. “The best temperature is 175°F to 185°F,” says  Candice Kumai, classically trained chef and author of Kintsugi Wellness ($23). “Boiling water makes the matcha too bitter and unpleasant in taste.” Once you add the water, mix the matcha with a chasen ($27), or bamboo whisk. “Whisk by making vigorous ‘m’ or ‘n’ motions quickly flicking the wrist,” says Kumai instructs. After about 15 seconds, you’ll start to see little bubbles form on top and you’ll know that it’s ready. Feel free to add a bit of sweetener like honey, but if you don’t like your matcha too sweet, you may get enough from the ice cream alone.

Mizuba Tea Co. Sesame Chashaku Matcha Scoop — $10.00

Mizuba Tea Co. Chasen Bamboo Whisk — $27.00

3. Add a scoop of ice cream

Any vanilla ice cream works wonderfully with this dessert. You can make it vegan with plant-based ice cream. Oatly, So Delicious, and Snow Monkey all make delicious dairy-free ice cream to make the perfect vegan matcha affogato. Take this dessert to the next step by using matcha ice cream.

Learn how a dietitian feels about Snow Monkey and other “healthy” ice cream brands:

4. Finish off with toppings

Try enjoying your vegan matcha affogato topped with cinnamon, chocolate shavings, nuts.

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