Sure, there are people who can get up and function in the morning without a jolt of caffeine. Most of us, however, are not those people. Which means that, when we’re trying to feel a little less dependent on the life force that is coffee, we turn to matcha—a powder made from green tea that’s (bonus!) high in antioxidants. In our latest installment of Kitchen Lab, host Gabe Kennedy is making a lightly sweet, super-green matcha smoothie with food journalist Candice Kumai. Here’s how to make your own.
A dose of bright-green matcha is great—an added handful of kale is even better. As Chandler Bing would say, “could this smoothie be any healthier?”
Store-bought will always do in a pinch, but nothing beats the flavor (and richness!) of homemade.
The magic of matcha is that it perks you up, without the crazy-making properties of coffee.
Try giving your smoothie a pinch of chia seeds or flax, which will keep you fuller, longer.
Kumai recommends adding greek yogurt (or another probiotic, like kefir) to your green smoothies.
If you don’t have time to savor your smoothie while the golden morning light casts itself across your kitchen, pack your smoothie in a mason jar and sip it at your desk.