This Butterfly Pea Flower Latte can be enjoyed hot or iced, with an optional whipped chocolate twist. Also known as a Blue Matcha Latte, this brilliantly-colored drink has an herbaceous vanilla undertone with a creamy finish, making it the perfect hot chocolate alternative.
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About this recipe
Use for Blue Matcha Powder: If you haven't tried butterfly pea powder, it's a mildly herbaceous blue flower with incredible dyeing power. It's native to a large swath of South & Southeast Asia, and offers a great alternative to green matcha for those who don't like or want caffeine.
Hot Chocolate Alternative: Whether you enjoy it hot or over ice, this blue butterfly flower latte is a great alternative to hot chocolate. You can top it with the chocolate whipped cream or enjoy it as-is, but just remember to strain or blend it well to avoid any clumps.
A butterfly pea flower latte is sometimes also called a: butterfly pea latte, blue latte, blue moon latte, blue bantha milk, moon milk, butterfly pea milk tea, or even a mermaid latte (which sometimes also has green matcha added).
Ingredients
Full-Fat Milk: any type of milk would work in this recipe, but I like using macadamia or coconut milk.
Butterfly Pea Flower: also known as blue matcha powder, this bright blue, ground botanical has a mild herbal flavor most comparable to chamomile.
Honey: not only is local honey great for warding off seasonal allergies, but its antimicrobial qualities make it great for the gut, as well. You can use as much as you want, but I recommend starting with half a tablespoon to a full tablespoon. A good vegan alternative is agave.
Vanilla Powder: this adds a sense of sweetness and extra complexity to the butterfly pea milk tea, and although it's optional, it really complements the chocolate whipped cream.
Chocolate or Cocoa Powder: vegan or not, you can use any type of chocolate you'd like, but to increase the nutrition of your hot chocolate, I recommend using a craft chocolate with at least 70% cacao.
Heavy Cream: the cream is optional, but it does a great job of lightening the overall impact of the latte, and acts as a great foil to the chocolate or cocoa powder. A good vegan alternative is coconut cream.
How to prepare butterfly pea latte: step-by-step instructions
Step 1. Heat the water over low until just starting to simmer.
Step 2. While the water heats, if making the chocolate whipped cream, add your cream and powdered chocolate (*see notes) to a bowl and whip until stiff.
Step 3. Once water is hot, turn off the heat and add the blue matcha powder, honey, and vanilla and stir very well, ideally with a tea whisk, then add it to your glass of choice. If using whole butterfly pea flowers, you'll want to strain them out before adding the blue tea to your glass.
Step 4. If you want to froth your milk you should do so quickly now, and then pour it carefully into your glass, over your blue matcha concentrate. If using the chocolate whipped cream, dollop it atop your butterfly pea flower latte and enjoy!
Recipe notes & tips
Brewing Blue Tea: When you only have or can find the whole butterfly pea flowers, you can also use them to make this blue moon latte. I would start with a teaspoon of the flowers and then if the color isn't vibrant enough for you, add another teaspoon and steep for 2 more minutes. Then simply strain out the flowers before pouring the concentrate into your glass.
*Chocolate Powder: If using drinking chocolate or other high-fat chocolate, you'll need to warm it in the microwave on 30-40% power for about 30 seconds before adding several drops of the heavy cream and mixing it well until the chocolate is a bit liquidy, and then adding the rest of the cream and whipping as described.
Butterfly Pea Flower Latte Recipe Card
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📖 Recipe
Butterfly Pea Flower Latte (Chocolate Cream Optional)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon cocoa or chocolate powder optional
- 1 cup milk of choice
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon honey or agave optional; can use less
- 1 teaspoon blue matcha powder or flowers
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla powder or ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat the water over low until just starting to simmer.
- While the water heats, if making the chocolate whipped cream, add your cream and powdered chocolate (*see notes) to a bowl and whip until stiff.
- Once water is hot, turn off the heat and add the blue matcha powder, honey, and vanilla and stir very well, ideally with a tea whisk, then add it to your glass of choice. If using whole butterfly pea flowers, you'll want to strain them out before adding the blue tea to your glass.
- If you want to froth your milk you should do so quickly now, and then pour it carefully into your glass, over your blue matcha concentrate. If using the chocolate whipped cream, dollop it atop your butterfly pea flower latte and enjoy!
Mark Joyce
Hi Max! Thanks for making us aware of the Butterfly Pea Flower. We ordered some this morning to start playing with. We enjoy your site, recipes and reviews. Envious of the your travel! Lots of great info on this site. Mark and Yuri, Blue Spruce Chocolates.
Max
Awww that's so sweet, thank you, Mark! I'm glad you're hvaing fun with it; the flavor is so delightfully complex - I'm actually enjoying one of your passion fruit bars right now, too!