Breakfast you make the night before and forget about. The matcha steeps into the oats overnight, so you wake up to something creamy, green and quietly energising, with none of the morning faff. It is the kind of thing that makes a Monday feel slightly more sorted than it has any right to.
The recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Whisk the matcha with a splash of the milk until smooth.
- Stir in the rest of the milk, the oats, yoghurt and honey.
- Add the chia seeds if using.
- Cover and chill overnight.
- In the morning, stir, loosen with a little milk if needed, and top with fresh fruit.
Tip Whisk the matcha into a little milk first, so it never clumps in the cold oats.
Stopping the clumps
The one rule is to whisk the matcha into a little of the milk first, until it is smooth, before you stir in everything else. Add matcha powder straight to cold oats and it will sit in stubborn little lumps. A few seconds with a whisk, or even a fork, sorts it.
Why matcha for breakfast
A morning matcha behaves differently to a morning coffee. The caffeine is there, roughly the same as a strong cup of tea, but it comes wrapped up with L-theanine, which tends to smooth the edges off and hold the lift steady rather than spiking and dropping. Folded into oats with slow-release carbs and a little protein, that turns into the sort of breakfast that carries you to lunch without a mid-morning slump. It is gentle, not jittery, which is the whole appeal.
Toppings and swaps
Fresh berries, sliced banana and a drizzle of honey are the easy wins. A spoon of nut butter stirred through in the morning makes it richer and more filling. Chia seeds thicken it further and add body. For a thinner, more pourable bowl, loosen it with a splash of milk when you take it out.
Make ahead
It keeps for two to three days in the fridge, so a couple of jars on a Sunday evening sorts the start of your week. Layer it with yoghurt and fruit in a glass and it doubles as a very smug-looking breakfast pot.
Common questions
Which oats should I use?
Rolled porridge oats are ideal. They soften overnight but keep some bite. Steel-cut oats stay too firm for a no-cook method, and instant oats can turn to mush, so rolled is the happy middle.
Can I make it warm?
Yes. It is designed to be eaten cold straight from the fridge, but a minute in the microwave turns it into a warm bowl of matcha porridge on a cold morning. Give it a stir and add a splash of milk if it has thickened too much overnight.
Do I need ceremonial grade?
Not for oats. The other flavours are gentle enough that a good culinary matcha works well and keeps the cost down. If you already have ceremonial open, it tastes a touch cleaner, but this is not the recipe to save your best tin for.
If you would rather drink your matcha than spoon it, start with the matcha latte. Not sure which grade belongs in your cupboard? The find your matcha quiz takes about a minute.
