What Is Blue Matcha? Comparison With Green Matcha 2025

If you’ve been on Instagram or TikTok in the last couple of years I can guarantee you have seen a vibrant blue latte made from blue matcha.

While the name may suggest that it is related to green matcha, they are in fact two different plants.

Blue matcha is all the rage in the wellness and culinary world thanks to its absolutely unbelievable color. It can range from a light blue to a deep purple depending on how it’s used and what it is combined with.

While you may have seen it cropping up everywhere, you might not actually know what blue matcha is, where it comes from, or how you can use it in your kitchen.

That’s what today’s article is all about! I’m going to teach you everything you need to know about blue matcha.

So, what is blue matcha? It’s an herbal tea made from ground Blue Butterfly Pea Flowers. The flavor is mild and floral, it has a beautiful blue color, and it is completely caffeine-free. This tea is a great choice for folks who don’t love the stronger taste of green matcha or who are looking for a no-caffeine alternative.

Read on to discover the difference between blue and green matcha, what it tastes like, what it’s made from, how to use it in your kitchen, a delicious blue matcha latte recipe, and some blue matcha cashew bombs!

What’s The Difference Between Blue Matcha And Green Matcha?

First of all, I think it’s worthwhile to define what matcha means before we dig into the differences between blue matcha and green matcha. The word matcha is a Japanese word that’s broken down into two parts: “ma” and “cha.”

In a rough translation to English, “ma” means ground or rubbed and “cha” means tea. So when taken together, matcha means ground tea.

While we typically associate matcha with green tea matcha, there can be other types, and that’s where blue matcha comes in.

Now that we know what matcha means, we can dig into the differences between green and blue matcha tea. The most obvious difference is of course their color. Green matcha is a light to deep green color, while blue matcha is a vibrant blue.

These color differences stem from the fact that these two types of matcha come from completely different plants.

Green matcha is the ground leaf of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis. This plant is the one that is used to make white, green, and black teas and contains caffeine.

Blue matcha is made from ground blue butterfly pea flowers. These beautiful flowers are a vibrant blue, caffeine-free, and give this matcha a floral flavor.

What’s The Taste Difference Between Blue Matcha And Green Matcha?

It should come as no surprise that since blue matcha and green matcha come from different plants they won’t have a similar taste.

Green matcha is much more potent. It tastes a little bitter and has a very strong green tea flavor since it is made from pure green tea leaves ground up.

The notes of green matcha are more earthy and grassy. Personally, I’m a fan of green matcha, but I know it isn’t for everyone since it can be quite strong.

Green matcha can be a bit of an acquired taste and some people may never actually enjoy it plain.

However, it tastes wonderful when used in baking, cooking, lattes, smoothies, energy balls, and other preparations. The bitterness and herbaceousness cut through the richness and add a lovely layer of flavor.

Blue matcha, on the other hand, is much more delicate. It has a milder flavor that is more floral than green matcha.

Since it is so mild, it can be used as a food dye, in addition to highlighting it in cooking, baking, smoothies, and lattes.

Many folks enjoy blue matcha and don’t need to acquire the taste for it since it is so delicate and floral.

It’s really lovely for folks who may be a little put off by how strong green tea is, but still want a beautiful ground tea to add to their lattes and smoothies.

What Are The Blue Butterfly Pea Flowers?

Butterfly pea flowers are common in Southeast Asian cuisine and have made their way to North America thanks to their amazing flavor, versatility, and stunning color.

While blue matcha is made from ground flowers, you can steep the whole flowers in water to create a vibrant color.

In fact, butterfly pea flowers are used to give Empress Gin its stunning purple color. That’s because the blue can change to purple if you add an acid to the mix.

So adding something like lemon can change the pH and thus change the color, making this ingredient super fun to work with in the kitchen.

This flower comes from the vine of the Clitoria ternatea plant (also known as Asian pigeonwings), which is a tropical plant from the Fabaceae (legume) family.

This plant is which is native to Southeast Asia and often used in Malaysian and Thai cooking to give dishes a stunning color.

You can steep the flowers to get tea, which you can then use as a dye or to cook rice and other dishes.

Unlike other herbal teas, which you want to steep in already boiled water for a short amount of time, blue butterfly pea flowers need a slightly different touch.

Follow these steps to steep whole butterfly pea flowers:

1. To extract the color and flavor, bring the flowers to a boil. The petals will expand and the color will start to infuse into the liquid.
2. Continue boiling the flowers for a couple of minutes.
3. Remove the pot from the heat and squeeze the flowers- no more color should run out of them.
4. Discard the petals. Use the liquid as a tea, a dye, or to prepare your other dishes.

Does Blue Matcha Contain Caffeine?

Since blue matcha is made from the Blue Butterfly Pea Flower, it doesn’t contain any caffeine.

That makes it a great choice for folks who are sensitive to caffeine, trying to cut down, or just looking for a caffeine-free option for their afternoon latte.

Personally, I’m incredibly sensitive to caffeine, so I can’t drink anything caffeinated after about 1 pm without it impacting my sleep that night.

I’m also a huge fan of a cozy afternoon pick me up in the form of a frothy latte, so I love having blue matcha as an option in my pantry.

What Does Blue Matcha Taste Like?

Unlike green matcha, which can be quite strong, a little bitter, and kind of grassy, blue matcha is smooth, delicate, and floral.

The flavor isn’t overpowering, which is nice because I’ve definitely accidentally tipped too much green matcha into my latte and struggled with the powerful flavor.

If you are a fan of floral herbal teas like lavender, rose petal, and jasmine, then I can almost guarantee you will enjoy the flavor of blue matcha. I love combining it with local honey in my latte for layers of floral, sweet flavors.

What Are The Nutrition Benefits Of Blue Matcha?

Like most plant foods, blue matcha is a great source of antioxidants and plant phytochemicals. One in particular is called anthocyanidins.

This flavanoid is what gives the flower its beautiful blue color. It also provides us humans with some great benefits.

Phytonutrients and flavonoids are compounds produced by plants that typically help them stay alive and which provide us with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant health benefits.

Since inflammation can be a root cause of various health conditions, incorporating colorful plant foods is a great idea.

Aside from the antioxidant benefits of blue matcha, the calorie content is pretty negligible and there aren’t a ton of vitamins and minerals.

It makes a beautiful addition to the diet, but it’s not necessarily the superfood everyone makes it out to be.

Is Blue Matcha Better Than Green Matcha?

This question is a little misleading because they are two completely different types of tea. In terms of which has been studied more for its potential health benefits, green matcha definitely takes the lead.

Blue matcha just doesn’t have the same kind of scientific studies available to back up some of the claims you may see companies making about it online.

That doesn’t mean it’s not a great addition to your culinary repertoire; just take any outrageous health claims with a grain of salt.

In terms of flavor, that is going to depend entirely on the individual taste buds of whoever is enjoying it.

If you like earthier, stronger flavors then you’re definitely going to prefer green matcha. If you’re looking for a subtle, floral flavor then you’re going to enjoy the blue matcha more.

Finally, for coloring purposes, both green and blue matchas can be used in the kitchen! However, green matcha is going to impact the final flavor a lot more than blue matcha will.

So if you want something that is going to dye your food without a ton of flavor, blue matcha takes the cake.

How Can You Use Blue Matcha?

Blue matcha is an incredibly versatile ingredient. You can use it for its flavor or its color or for both, depending on your recipe. Some popular ways to use this special ingredient include:

• As the base for a creamy latte. For a vegan version, just use your favorite non-dairy milk like oat, coconut, almond, cashew, or macadamia. Sweeten with honey for an extra special floral note.
• Add it to your smoothies. Since the flavor is so delicate, it may not shine through in a packed smoothie. But you can still get the nutritional benefits.
• Use it to color a milkshake. If you want to add some beautiful color to a regular or vegan milkshake, stir in a small amount of blue matcha for a magical hue.
• Add it to your baking. You can add blue matcha to almost any baked goodie if you want to change up the color. If you want to highlight the flavor, use vanilla to complement the natural floral notes. And remember that acidity changes the color so a lemon loaf could turn purple!
• Add it to energy balls. I love making green matcha energy balls, so using blue matcha is a natural alternative.
• Color puddings, custards, whipped cream, and other pastries and desserts. You can take your desserts to the next level by coloring them with blue matcha. The subtle flavor will also complement most sweets!
• Add it to rice. It’s pretty common in Thailand and Malaysia to use blue butterfly pea flowers to color rice. It adds a fun presentation to an otherwise pretty basic side dish.

Blue Matcha Latte Recipe

If you want to try making your own blue matcha latte recipe, try out this simple one below.

If you have a milk steamer or frother, it can take it to another level, but don’t worry if you don’t. Just follow these steps for a soothing, beautiful blue matcha latte recipe!

Ingredients

• ½-1 tsp. blue matcha tea powder
• ½ cup coconut milk
• ½ tsp. vanilla
• ½-1 tbsp. honey
• 1 cup boiled water

Directions

1. Combine your blue matcha, coconut milk, and vanilla in a large mug.
2. Stir everything together until the ingredients form a smooth paste and there are so unincorporated chunks of blue matcha left.
3. Pour the boiled water over the paste and whisk everything together.
4. Add honey to your personal taste. You could also use sugar, maple syrup, coconut palm sugar/syrup, or agave.
5. Enjoy!

Blue Matcha Cashew Bombs Recipe

Another great way to use blue matcha is to make some gorgeous, delicious, and filling blue matcha cashew bomb energy balls! They’re super simple and make a great afternoon snack.

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups raw cashews
• ½ cup shredded coconut
• 2 tbsp. blue matcha powder
• pinch of sea salt
• ½ cup soaked dates, drained
• 2 heaping tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Directions

1. Blend together the cashews, coconut, blue matcha, and sea salt until a crumbly texture is achieved. Remove from mini food processor and place in a mixing bowl.
2. Blend together dates, coconut oil, and vanilla until smooth. You may need to add an extra tablespoon of date liquid if it isn’t sticking together.
3. Add the date mixture to the cashew mixture and combine everything by hand. Then roll out the mixture into bite-sized balls and place it in the freezer to set for about an hour.
4. Enjoy!

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