Pink Drink with Matcha Cold Foam
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This pink drink with matcha cold foam combines a chilled strawberry açaí and coconut milk drink with a creamy green matcha topping. The fruity base and earthy matcha are kept in separate layers, giving the drink its distinctive pink and green appearance.
You can prepare the drink at home with a bottled or concentrated strawberry açaí refresher. The matcha foam takes only a minute or two with a handheld frother, French press or milk frother that has a cold setting. I like to use unsweetened matcha so the vanilla syrup controls the sweetness.
Pink Drink with Matcha Cold Foam at a Glance
- Total time: 5 minutes
- Servings: 1 large iced drink
- Drink style: Starbucks-inspired strawberry açaí refresher
- Main ingredients: Strawberry açaí refresher, coconut milk, matcha and vanilla syrup
- Equipment: Cocktail shaker or jar and a cold milk frother
- Caffeine: Varies according to the refresher and matcha products used
- Storage: Assemble immediately before drinking
Why It’s Worth Making at Home
The homemade drink takes just five minutes and lets you adjust the amount of coconut milk, vanilla syrup and matcha. You can make the foam lightly sweetened or add more matcha for a stronger green tea flavor.
Preparing the two components separately also gives you a clear layer of green foam above the pink drink. Mixing matcha directly into the strawberry base creates a duller color and loses the pretty layered look.
What is a Pink Drink with Matcha Cold Foam?
The standard Starbucks Pink Drink contains strawberry açaí refresher base, coconut milk, ice and freeze-dried strawberries. Matcha cold foam is added as a customized topping.
At Starbucks, you can ask for vanilla sweet cream cold foam with matcha blended into it. At home, heavy cream, milk, vanilla syrup and matcha create a similar pourable foam. It should be thick enough to float briefly over the drink.
Ingredient Notes
- Strawberry açaí refresher: Use a ready-to-drink refresher or prepare a concentrate according to its label. Don’t use undiluted concentrate unless the packaging specifically says it is ready to drink.
- Coconut milk beverage: Choose the refrigerated or shelf-stable drinking variety. I experimented with canned coconut milk but because it’s considerably thicker, it overpowered the more delicate strawberry flavor.
- Freeze-dried strawberries: These add strawberry pieces without watering down the drink.
- Matcha powder: Use unsweetened green matcha rather than a sweetened latte mix.
- Vanilla syrup: This sweetens the foam and softens the grassy taste of the matcha.
- Heavy cream and milk: Heavy cream helps the foam expand while 2% milk keeps it pourable.
How to Make Pink Drink with Matcha Cold Foam
Shake the prepared strawberry açaí refresher, coconut milk, ice and freeze-dried strawberries in a cocktail shaker or tightly closed jar. I find that shaking chills the mixture and distributes the coconut milk more evenly than stirring it in the glass.
Froth the cream, milk, vanilla syrup and matcha in a separate container. Stop when the mixture has expanded and thickened slightly. Pour the pink drink into a tall glass, then add the matcha foam slowly.
How to Order It at Starbucks
Order a Pink Drink in your preferred size and ask for vanilla sweet cream cold foam with matcha powder blended into the foam. Some locations may list matcha cold foam as a direct customization. If it doesn’t appear in the app, you can just order at the counter and explain that you want the matcha blended into the cold foam instead of added to the pink drink itself.
Is Pink Matcha Really Matcha?
Traditional matcha is a finely ground green tea made from tencha leaves. Its natural color is green. Products labelled pink matcha are often made with dragon fruit, strawberry, beetroot or hibiscus powder.
Some contain green matcha blended with fruit powder, so the ingredient list is the quickest way to find out what you are buying.
Dragon fruit powder can create a strong pink color, while freeze-dried strawberry powder adds a more familiar berry taste. These fruit powders can make attractive caffeine-free drinks, although they aren’t traditional matcha when no green tea is included. You can read more about other types of tea here.
What About Blue and Red Matcha?
Blue matcha is a marketing name commonly applied to powdered butterfly pea flowers. Red or ruby matcha may refer to hibiscus, beetroot or other red botanical powders. These ingredients come from different plants and don’t have the same taste, caffeine content or preparation method as green matcha.
A colored powder can still be blended with genuine matcha. Check whether the ingredients include matcha, green tea or tencha before assuming that a pink, blue or red powder contains tea.
Substitutions and Variations
- Lighter foam: Replace half the heavy cream with additional 2% milk. The foam will be thinner and may sink more quickly.
- Dairy-free foam: Try a chilled barista oat cream with oat milk. Results vary between brands because plant-based products contain different amounts of fat and stabilizers.
- Less sweetness: Reduce the vanilla syrup or leave it out when using sweetened matcha powder.
- Stronger matcha: Increase the matcha gradually and froth again after each addition.
- No coconut milk: Oat milk or dairy milk can be used in the pink base, although the flavor will differ from the Starbucks drink.
Tips for Smooth Matcha Cold Foam
- Keep the cream and milk well chilled before frothing.
- Sift the matcha into the liquid to break up dry clumps.
- Use a narrow container when working with a handheld frother.
- Stop frothing while the foam is still pourable. Whipped cream is too firm for this drink.
- Add the foam after the pink drink has been poured over fresh ice.
How to Store
You can combine the strawberry açaí refresher and coconut milk up to one day ahead. Cover and refrigerate the mixture, then shake it before adding ice and strawberries. Prepare the matcha cold foam shortly before serving for the best volume.
Leftover foam can be refrigerated in a covered container until the following day. Froth it again briefly before use. Don’t freeze it though, because the dairy emulsion can separate when you thaw it out again.
Pink Drink with Matcha Cold Foam FAQs
It usually does. Matcha naturally contains caffeine, and many strawberry açaí refreshers contain green coffee extract. Check the refresher label because the amount varies between products.
Not necessarily. Genuine matcha is green tea powder made from tencha. Pink matcha products may contain fruit or flower powder, green matcha blended with fruit or no tea at all.
You can use a barista-style plant cream or frothable milk, although the foam may be looser. Heavy cream creates the most reliable volume when mixed with a smaller amount of milk. See recipe notes for more substitutions.
A coconut milk beverage is a better choice. Canned coconut milk is much richer and thicker, so it can make the drink too thick and rich, and also mask the strawberry açaí flavor.
Sift the matcha first, then froth it with the cream, milk and vanilla syrup. I find that a small handheld frother breaks up the remaining specks more effectively than stirring with a spoon.
Iced Pink Drink with Matcha Cold Foam
Ingredients
- ½ cup prepared strawberry açaí refresher, 120 ml
- ½ cup chilled coconut milk beverage, 120 ml
- 1 cup ice
- 2 tablespoons freeze-dried strawberry slices, optional
- ¼ cup heavy cream, 60 ml (see notes for substitutions)
- 2 tablespoons 2% milk, 30 ml
- 1 tablespoon vanilla syrup, 15 ml (regular or sugar-free)
- 1 teaspoon unsweetened matcha powder
Equipment
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Cocktail Shaker or Jar
- Milk Frother or Narrow Container
- Serving Glass Large
Method
- Add the prepared strawberry açaí refresher, coconut milk, ice and freeze-dried strawberries to a cocktail shaker or tightly covered jar.
- Shake for 10 to 15 seconds, then pour everything into a tall glass.
- Add the heavy cream, milk, vanilla syrup and matcha powder to a narrow container or cold milk frother.
- Froth for 20 to 30 seconds, or until the mixture has expanded and thickened while remaining pourable.
- Pour the matcha cold foam slowly over the pink drink. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Use strawberry açaí concentrate only after preparing it according to the package directions.
- Sift the matcha before frothing if it contains visible clumps.
- Reduce the vanilla syrup if you’re using a sweetened matcha latte powder.
- I’ve tried making this with a French press instead of a frother and that worked well. Add the foam ingredients and pump the plunger repeatedly until the mixture expands.
- I recommend using refrigerated or shelf-stable coconut milk for this, not canned coconut milk, for the best flavor.
- Not in the US? Use whipping cream. I tried double cream but had to increase the milk a little so it didn’t come out too thick (either 60 ml whipping cream with 30 ml semi-skimmed milk or 45 ml each of double cream and semi-skimmed milk).
More Cold Drinks to Try
This pink drink with matcha cold foam has enough sweetness to work as an afternoon treat or an alternative to iced coffee. For another tea-based drink, read about chai and chai latte. You might also enjoy my watermelon smoothie, peanut butter wolf cocktail or Texas ranch water.
