This recipe for Matcha Milk Jam/Green Tea Milk Spread is rich and creamy in texture. It has a slight earthiness from the matcha, balanced with a little sweetness. Use it on toast, or as a filling for baked goods.
This post first appeared on Sift & Simmer in February 2017. Updated May 2021.
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
It's funny how you learn about new things nowadays.
Especially on social media.
Everything is so fast-paced; this minute it's in, the next minute, it's out.
I first learned of Korean matcha milk spread on Instagram, and when my friend was in Korea, I messaged her to ask her to bring one home for me.
Unfortunately, she had just left Korea and wasn’t able to get her hands on it despite having seen the item herself.
Matcha Milk Jam is a creamy condiment made of milk, cream, matcha and sugar.
At the time of this original post, no one carried matcha green tea milk spread in Vancouver.
It was expensive to order it online from Asia, so I decided to make it myself.
Why you'll love this recipe
This green tea milk spread is rich and creamy in texture, with a slight bitter overtone from the matcha, balanced by a little sweetness.
It's a versatile filling: use it on toast, pancakes, waffles, or in buns.
This spread doesn't contain any chemicals (that are commonly found in store-bought milk spreads).
It only contains 6 ingredients.
6 ingredients you'll need
My Matcha Milk Jam recipe contains only 6 ingredients:
- high quality matcha powder: it's important to choose a good culinary or ceremonial matcha powder for not only taste and flavour, but also for colour. A lower grade matcha can taste overly bitter and yield a yellow-green hue.
- water: dissolve the matcha powder in hot boiled water to ensure no lumps.
- whole milk: use whole milk, which has about 3.5% MF (milk fat).
- heavy cream: use a heavy cream with 36% MF (milk fat) for a richer texture; you can certainly use a cream with less milkfat, but may need to stir the mixture longer.
- skim milk powder: helps to thicken up the milk jam and add some additional flavour; if you don't have skim milk powder, you can substitute with cornstarch.
- granulated sugar: adds sweetness; you can increase or decrease the amount of sugar to your preference.
All recognizable ingredients!
How to make it
The one caveat to making matcha milk jam is that you need patience.
In order to thicken the jam to a rich, creamy consistency, heat the ingredients over low-medium heat.
- First, dissolve the matcha, sugar, and milk powder with the hot water so that there are no lumps.
- Next, heat the cream and milk in a small saucepan.
- Whisk in the the matcha mixture into the cream and continue to whisk over low-medium heat.
- It's important not to walk away from the mixture at any time as the cream may boil over.
- Continue to whisk until the mixture thickens and reduces by about half.
Note: the matcha milk jam will continue to thicken once cooled.
Watch how to make it
FAQs & troubleshooting
Can I use non-dairy milk?
Yes, you can -- depending on the consistency of the non-dairy milk, you may need to reduce the milk jam a little longer.
See below on how to make a vegan variation.
Do I need to add milk powder?
It adds thickening power and flavour to the milk jam, however, you can substitute cornstarch instead.
Can I store it at room temperature?
No, as the milk jam is not pasteurized (with a canning process method), it is not safe to store the matcha milk jam at room temperature.
Store in the milk jam in the refrigerator.
How long will it last?
The matcha milk jam will last about 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator.
My milk jam didn't thicken, what went wrong?
Depending on how strong your heat source is, you may need to continue whisking until the mixture does thicken.
Otherwise, you can try adding a little more cornstarch/milk powder.
Ways to use it
Try it as a filling for doughnuts.
Use it on in Matcha Strawberry Fruit Sando.
Flavour variations & substitutions
For a vegan variation, substitute canned coconut milk for the heavy cream and use a non-dairy milk.
Replace the milk powder with cornstarch.
Other recipes you may like
Be sure to check out these recipes:
Matcha Cream Puffs (Choux au craquelin)
And if you love matcha as much as I do, subscribe to my blog and be on the list to receive my free Matcha Recipe e-book!
When I posted this matcha milk jam to my Instagram account @siftandsimmer, I was surprised at the requests for this recipe! As a result, the wait is over -- you can now make your own Matcha Milk Spread easily from scratch.
If you try this recipe, tag me @siftandsimmer on Instagram, or leave a comment/rating and let me know!
Matcha Milk Jam/Green Tea Milk Spread
For accuracy and precision in baking recipes, use weight (metric) measurements when available.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoon good quality matcha green tea powder sifted
- ¼ C hot boiled water
- 3 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon dry milk powder or cornstarch
- ½ C whole milk or non-dairy alternative* (see note 3)
- ½ C heavy cream (at least 36% milkfat) or canned coconut milk
Instructions
- Place sifted matcha powder into a heat-safe jar or bowl.
- Carefully add hot boiled water to the matcha.
- Stir in sugar and milk powder and mix until everything is completely dissolved.
- Heat whole milk and heavy cream in a small saucepan.
- Bring to a simmer over medium heat and while whisking, gradually pour matcha mixture over a sieve into the saucepan. If there are any lumps remaining in the sieve, add some of the milk from the saucepan over top of the sieve and push through with the back of a spoon.
- Whisk periodically until mixture has thickened and reduced by half, about 20 minutes over low-medium heat. It should be smooth and creamy.
- A way to tell if it's ready is when you scrape the mixture in the pot with a spoon or whisk, there should be a line that is visible, meaning it has thickened enough. If you scrape the pot and can't see a line, continue whisking over heat.
- Once it has thickened enough, remove from heat. Let cool.
- Pour into a jar and refrigerate. The spread will be a little more thicker once it has cooled.
- Best consumed in 1 week.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided should be considered as approximate and is not guaranteed. Please use your best judgment to ensure food is safely prepared and/or a good fit for your diet.
Tara
Oooh this looks amazing! I bookmarked your hojicha milk jam recently to use up some leftover hojicha powder, but now I really want to make this Matcha Milk Jam too! Sounds incredible paired with toast.
Izabel
Looks awesome! Could I use tapioca starch instead of corn starch?
Michelle
I personally haven't used tapioca starch, but you should be able to. Let me know if you try it out!
Simone
I made this last night and I love it. I added an extra teaspoon of cornstarch because I was impatient. Checked it this morning and its perfect. I can't wait to try other recipes.
Best, from SF
Michelle
Hi Simone, glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Tara
Delicious! Easier than caramel and less sweet!
Michelle
Thanks for making the recipe and sharing it with me on Instagram, Tara! Glad you enjoyed it!
Cara
So perfect - super creamy but not too sweet!
Michelle
Thanks for trying the recipe, Cara! 🙂
Jess
I love when I can make something at home better than I can get it at the store!
Toni
My daughter loved it!! She enjoys matcha!! Thanks for the recipe!
Michelle
Glad your daughter enjoyed it, Toni!
Claudia Lamascolo
Super flavors easy to make and we just love this its our go to recipe!
Angela
If I want to make this spread using boba bubble tea powder instead of matcha powder, what would I have to change? Thank you!
Michelle
Hi there, sorry I have not tried using boba bubble tea powder in this recipe.
Shoshi
Lovely flavours - thanks for the recipe. I used glutinous rice flour instead of corn starch / skim milk powder and it worked really well!
Linsey
Not too sweet, so smooth, rich and creamy, perfect on the toast!!
Michelle
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Linsey!
Kristin
I made this today during a rainy afternoon. I flavored the matcha with some honey and the milk jam has a wonderful earthy, slightly sweet, and lightly bitter taste. I spread it on some challah and it was delicious.
Michelle
Thanks for your comment, Kristin! Honey sounds like a delightful addition to the matcha 🙂
Andrea
Does it matter which milk powder I use? Can I use full cream milk powder?
Michelle
Hi Andrea, you can use whole milk/full cream or skim milk powder. Full cream will give the milk jam a richer flavor. Hope that helps!
Anna
Hi Michelle, is there any way to make this recipe so that it can be stored at room temperature?
Michelle
Hi Anna, unfortunately, due to the milk jam's dairy content, it is challenging to make shelf-stable at room temperature. The recipe does not contain enough acid or sugar to be safely canned or preserved.