The powdered green tea is appearing in a growing number of drinks and desserts.
The ‘s’-shaped matcha croissant at High Street in Philadelphia draws consumers with its unusual shape and color.
Matcha — bitter, grassy, and gritty — doesn’t stand out as an obvious candidate for a trending ingredient, but many customers have taken a shine to it for its health halo as well as the vibrant green color that makes it pop visually.
The Japanese powdered tea, milled from dried premium tea leaves, is traditionally drunk hot and unsweetened, but these days it’s often mixed with different flavors and frequently consumed cold.
It’s also used as an ingredient in desserts.
“Our most popular matcha drinks are often indulgent, fun, and visually appealing,” said The Human Bean’s chief marketing officer, Janie Page, in an email.
“Our customers really enjoy adding fruity flavors like peach and strawberry, and sweet flavors like vanilla and white chocolate, either mixed within the matcha or on cold foam on top.”
In March, the chain of around 185 coffeehouses based in Medford, Ore., introduced a lavender cold foam matcha, which incorporated the herb into the foam.
Page said it performed “exceptionally well.”
“Matcha has become an increasingly important part of our beverage lineup,” she added.
“Sales of matcha-based drinks at The Human Bean have grown by approximately 50% year-over-year, underscoring its strong momentum with our customer base.”
And it’s not alone.
Technomic Ignite data reports that mentions of matcha on menus increased by 21.6% between the first quarters of 2024 and 2025.
That growth is even more pronounced in nonalcoholic beverages, mentions of which are up by 23.4%.
Matcha mentions in dessert are up by 24.4%.
One such dessert is the Matcha Croissant at High Street in Philadelphia.
Executive chef Christina McKeough forms the laminated pastry in a non-traditional shape, sort of like an ‘S’ turned on its side, so customers can see the flaky layers and the matcha colored pastry cream inside.
She also often makes brioche doughnuts filled with matcha pastry cream or topped with a combination of matcha, sugar, and a little salt.
“We try to have more of a balance between sweet and savory, and matcha is good for that,” she said.
Its color helps, too.
“It’s really nice to have different pops of color within our pastry display, as well as different shapes and sizes,” she said, adding that green attracts the eye a lot better than the usual brown of baked goods.
She said the matcha pastries tend to appeal to young and middle-aged adults — not so much children, who want chocolate, or the elderly.
She said matcha dessert buyers also tend to be “a little bit more adventurous … maybe they’ve read about it because of its antioxidants or because it’s a more health-forward ingredient.”
Matcha is, indeed, generally considered good for you, at least if it’s enjoyed without added syrups or other sweeteners.
Because the powdered tea is actually consumed rather than just steeped in water, it’s possible that the antioxidants in it provide even more benefits.
And of course, it’s also a good source of caffeine.
Regardless of the reason, McKeough’s matcha pastries sell out fast.
“We don’t make a ton, but if we make 12 a day they’ll be gone in the morning,” she said, adding that they also might be more of a morning pastry than an afternoon one.
“I think in the afternoon you’re getting things that are a little heavy, like a pecan bar, or something that’s a little sweeter.
Maybe in the morning they’re thinking, ‘I’m going to treat myself to a pastry, but it’s matcha so it’s okay.’”
It’s not a cheap ingredient, and recent shortages due to supply-chain issues and its increased popularity have caused the price to spike.
For Mark Yu, executive chef of 53, a pan-Asian restaurant in New York City operated by the Altamarea Group, that’s forced him to reevaluate its use in pastries.
He replaced his matcha ganache dessert, made with black tea crumble and black cardamom crumb, with a dessert that required less of the powdered tea.
Now on the menu is a matcha strawberry ice cream sandwich.
Technically, it’s a semifreddo, which he makes by adding matcha to heated milk, folding it into ice cream base, and adding sweetened condensed milk.
The semifreddo is layered with a strawberry-covered feuilletine — strawberry and matcha being a classic pairing and also a trendy combination this summer, he said — and sandwiching both of them between crisp mochi shells.
Matcha is also trending at 250-unit Peet’s Coffee, whose matcha latte sales are up by 40% year-to-date, according to head of retail product marketing Filipa Aguiar Loureiro.
Two-thirds of Peet’s matcha consumers are millennials or Gen Z, which she said skews younger than the chain’s average consumer.
“Additionally, we see a strong preference for iced matcha formats, which aligns well with the tastes and habits of this younger audience,” she said in an email, adding that more matcha items would be added for the fall and holiday seasons.
Starting in April, Peet’s added two more matcha drinks to its permanent menu: one made with coconut water and simple syrup, and another, called the Blushing Rose Matcha Latte, with milk, strawberry, and rose flavors.
Scooter’s Coffee offered a Strawberry Blossom Matcha at its 850 coffeehouses this spring.
It was made with matcha and milk topped with strawberry and rose-flavored foam.
The chain based in Omaha, Neb., also offers matcha lattes and smoothies, the latter of which can be combined with fruit flavors and/or added protein.
Vice president of strategy and insights Rebecca Speck said in an email that matcha appeals in particular to “Gen Z customers who are looking for alternatives to coffee with potential health benefits, including impacts to metabolism, detoxification, and concentration.
“They also love to customize matcha drinks, adding different flavorings or cold foam … whether they order a hot or iced matcha latte, or blended into a matcha smoothie,” she added.
Guests at Black Rock Coffee Bar, based in Scottsdale, Ariz., are similarly aged and health-conscious, according to chief marketing officer Jessica Wegener-Beyer, and they like it iced and with milk.
“Hands down, matcha lattes with cold foam or a top choice, especially when paired with flavors like vanilla, strawberry, or lavender,” she said in an email.
“Vanilla is the most popular, but each flavor lets our guests customize their drink to match their mood — whether they’re going for something sweet, floral, or bold, there’s a matcha combo that fits.”
Although matcha’s not Black Rock’s top seller, it does attract curious new guests and keeps the brand looking on trend, Wegener-Beyer said.
“It’s also visually striking,” she said.
“Those vibrant green drinks pop on social media, which helps us connect with a wider audience.”
Mooyah Burgers, Fries, and Shakes offered a matcha shake this past winter, blending the tea with vanilla ice cream.
The Plano, Texas-based chain’s senior director of brand & integrated marketing, Cait Dunn, said in an email that the shake was part of an effort “to expand our shake offerings into more modern and lifestyle-driven flavors.”
“While matcha wasn’t directly requested by guests, our team closely follows culinary and beverage trend forecasts, and matcha has consistently appeared on lists highlighting rising interest in functional and better-for-you ingredients,” she said.
“We saw an opportunity to lean into that excitement while still delivering indulgence in a way that felt fresh, relevant, and uniquely Mooyah.”
53 in New York City offers a strawberry matcha ice cream sandwich.
She said the wintertime launch also allowed the 73-unit chain to differentiate itself from the more wintry flavors offered by competitors.
“When we polled our guests prior to launching, they were excited about the prospect of trying a matcha shake,” she said, adding that it helped them reach a new audience segment, “and prompted great conversations on social media.”
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, a chain of around 200 coffeehouses based in Los Angeles, has had matcha on the menu for more than 20 years, according to president and head of Americas Tara Hinkle, but over the past year it “has been having a major moment across the globe,” she said in an email, and at her chain matcha drinks now account for around 10% of total beverage sales on an average day.
“What’s particularly noteworthy is that this growth has occurred despite rising prices, underscoring the enduring appeal and value our customers place on high-quality matcha beverage offerings,” she said.
The chain has also been innovating in the space, with a launch last September of iced matcha lattes with a choice of strawberry or mango cream.
They also introduced a Honey & Nut Matcha Latte in the winter, and this summer’s hit has been an Iced Ube coconut Cream Latte, which, since its June 4 launch, has accounted for about one-third of all limited-time-offer purchases.
Although many matcha drinks are sweetened, its consumers do want unsweetened options.
Starbucks has had matcha on U.S. menus since the introduction of the Green Tea Latte in 2006, but in response to customer requests, it introduced an unsweetened matcha powder in January and, as mentioned in its earnings call for the second quarter, sales of matcha are up by nearly 40% this year.