This mocha maca matcha it the perfect healthy and low carb pick me up drink to start your morning. It’s full of healthy and energizing ingredients and you can make it in minutes.
You might also like these 5 morning matcha drink recipes!
Recently both my stepdaughter and a good friend have told me that they tried maca and it was giving them so much energy. Of course I have tried maca before (I’ve tried just about every crazy healthy food out there) so I knew what it was but at the time it didn’t seem to give me any energy.
However that was quite a while ago and I thought it might time to give it another try. Hence the mocha maca matcha drink recipe!
What is maca?
Maca is a starchy tuber that looks like a radish. It’s grown in Peru and is thought to do everything from treating infertility to depression. There has also been research on it’s effectiveness as a treatment for low libido in men and small studies on improving mood and libido in women too.
It’s generally considered safe but if you are pregnant, breast feeding or have a hormone sensitive condition, you should check with your doctor first. Learn more about maca here.
Now for the Mocha Maca Matcha recipe!
This mocha maca matcha recipe is an adaptation of the one my lovely stepdaughter gave me that was delicious! It had a lot of ingredients but I felt they were all good for you and added to the taste of the drink.
I included matcha to the recipe and it certainly gave me energy. I’m just not sure if it was the matcha or the maca….or perhaps both? Regardless this is the perfect energizing yet low carb drink to start your morning; especially in winter when a smoothie just doesn’t seem appealing.
Mocha Maca Matcha Ingredients
To make this drink (please see the recipe below) you need maca, matcha, raw cacao, coconut oil, turmeric, cayenne, cinnamon, almond milk and sweetener.
TIP! That’s a lot of ingredients but you can make a double or triple batch without the coconut oil and refrigerate it. When you want to make a batch just heat it, add your coconut oil and blend. Back to the ingredients.
Let’s go over the great health benefits of these ingredients.
- maca: treats infertility and female hormonal imbalances, naturally stimulating similar to ginseng
- matcha: great source of anti-oxidants and phytochemicals, less caffeine than coffee gives you a boost of energy without the jittery side effects (You can learn all about the wonderfully properties of match tea in my post Matcha Magic. )
- raw cacao: has a wide variety of antioxidants, supports healthy heart functions, enhances physical and mental well being
- coconut oil: protects against infections and may protect against heart disease
- turmeric: anti-inflammatory and improves brain health (Learn more about turmeric in my post Turmeric Tonic.)
- cayenne: stimulates digestion, breaks up congestion and anti-fungal
- cinnamon: anti-inflammatory effects may help lower the risk of disease, can improve cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure and has a potent anti-diabetic effect
Mocha Maca Matcha Recipe in a nutshell
- Boil your water or if you are using almond milk heat it on the stove.
- Add it to your blender along with all the other ingredients (cacao powder, coconut oil, maca, matcha, turmeric, cayenne, sweetener, cinnamon) ] and blend until frothy.
- Pour, sip and enjoy!
- (Note: I use half almond milk and half water but sometimes I just use water and it tastes fine to me. For sweetener you can use pure maple syrup, stevia or what ever sweetener you like. To me it does need sweetener.)
The nutritional information for 1 serving is:
189 cals / 17.3g fat / 7.3g carbs / 4.4g fiber / 2.8g protein = 2.9g net carbs
For more great Matcha and other tea recipes, check out my Pinterest board called Tea Please! Also I buy my Matcha from my friend Debbie who sells the best tea around, Steeped Tea. You can find some on her site if you are interested.
Mocha Maca Matcha - an energizing, low carb breakfast drink
Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon matcha powder
- 1/2 teaspoon maca powder
- 1 tablespoon raw cacao powder
- 1 cup water or almond milk or a combination of the two
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder or black pepper
- sweetner to taste, I used stevia but you can use maple syrup if you aren't low carb
Instructions
-
Boil your water.
-
In a blender add your boiling water and all the ingredients.
-
Blend on high until frothy.
-
Pour and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
The nutritional information for 1 serving is:
189 cals / 17.3g fat / 7.3g carbs / 4.4g fiber / 2.8g protein = 2.9g net carbs
Rachel B.
Hi!
I’m doing research on raw vs. gelatinized maca powder. I’ve read that our bodies don’t have the digestive enzymes to break down raw maca powder & this is why many people who are mixing it into their smoothies, etc. are getting extreme indigestion/stomach pains. Would you mind clarifying which you use, as well as sharing the brand of maca you use? Thank you! Blessings.
Denise
Hi Rachel I am not a maca expert by any means. I have not had any problems myself. This is the maca brand I use: https://amzn.to/3jiTaCY
Stefanie
Hi,
I made with Coconut Milk rather than Almond Milk/Water. Still a very good flavor, I should’ve known it’d be a bit too spicy for my delicate palate LOL :0) overall i think this will be my new afternoon pick me up!
Thanks for sharing!
Denise
Hi Stefanie, I’m glad you found a way to adapt it. Enjoy!
Tammy
Are the nutritional amounts for the recipe made with water or almond milk? It looks delicious!
Denise
Hi Tammy, the nutritional information is with the almond milk. I hope you like it!
Natalie
I switched from coffee to matcha and needed to kick it up a bit today and this recipe is so satisfying! Thanks
Denise
Hi Natalie,
I love matcha! It’s a gentle caffeine kick and it’s good for you. I’m glad you liked the mocha maca too. I have lots of matcha recipes on the blog if you are interested. Here’s a link to most of them. https://mylifecookbook.com/?s=matcha
Michelleeyy
Just made this to warm up on a chilly fall day! I totally forgot the coconut oil but it still came our great! I also skipped the blender and just whisked together the powdered ingredients and almond milk on the stove and added a little agave. Thank you!
Denise
Hi Michelle, I’m so glad it worked out for you and thanks for sharing your ideas!
Jasmine
As I sip on this, all I can think of is WOW! The flavor is so AMAZING that I did without the sweetener. Thank you for sharing!
Denise
Hi Jasmine,
So glad you liked it and thanks for taking the time to comment!
Tessie Morford
Thank you for this recipe! It’s a beautiful incorporation of healthy things. For the past few weeks in these hot summer months I have been liking coffee less and less, but I’m looking forward to this fresh new idea! Also, thank you for the clarification on Maca! I was having a hard time understanding the difference between maca and matcha, which is actually why I clicked your pin!
Excitedly, Tessie
Denise
You are welcome Tessie!
Amanda
Can you mix this with your coffee?
Denise
Hi Amanda,
I don’t see why not. I’m not sure how all of it would taste with coffee but I don’t see why it would be bad.
Let me know if you try it!
LUna
Love that you combined some tough flavors for me to ingest in such an appealing recipe! I was mixing in ice cream like a child trying to take the medicine!
Denise
Yes the mocha really helps!
Kristine
Would it be okay to use regular cocoa, as that is all I have? Have your tried adding reishi powder to this, or would that taste weird?
Denise
Hi Kristine, cocoa powder would definitely be fine. However I have never tasted reishi powder so I don’t know, sorry. Good luck and let me know if you use reishi powder and your results if you get a chance!
joan
I take maca and matcha powder every morning diluted in a mixture of orange juice and water.
Also put it in protein shakes.
Love your recipe, will try it in the a.m. before working out with my trainer.
Thank you.
Denise
Hi Joan,
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you like it!
Laurel
Hi Denise!
This sounds amazing! So many super food ingredients 🙂 I will definitely be giving this recipe a try!
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Laurel
Denise
Thanks for story by Laurel. I hope you like it!
Christina
How does it taste? I have all these ingredients but it sounds like it make for a very different tasting drink.
Denise
Hi Christina,
To me it tastes a bit like a Mexican hot chocolate. Turmeric, maca and even matcha can have an odd taste but the cacao, cinnamon, cayenne and sweetener somewhat mask their tastes. If you were worried, I would just add a bit more cacao and make sure to sweeten it. I hope you like it! Let me know if you have any more questions.
Christina
Have you looked up the turmeric/pepper rule? I keep seeing recipes on pinterest offering turmeric as a miracle spice and it is, however, your body cannot absorb it without being taken along with an adequate amoubt of black pepper. If you happen to find a scientific article stating otherwise or just like the flavor there’s no reason to add turmeric to an otherwise mildly sweet drink.
I try to add it to vegetable juices in the morning witha little black pepper and it’s really good!!
Denise
Hi Christine,
I just found an article that stated the same information. It says that turmeric is poorly absorbed into the bloodstream and that piperine in the black pepper helps it absorb the turmeric greatly. I also read that it is a fat soluble substance so taking it with a healthy fat would help with it’s absorption. That being said, you could easily add some pepper in place of the cayenne in this recipe and I think it would taste delicious. I am by no means an expert and I just like to pass along things I find interesting. I always want to learn
something new, so thanks for pointing this out! Here is the article I found and the article they referenced.
http://authoritynutrition.com/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-turmeric/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9619120
Lisa
I wonder if the cayenne pepper would work the same tho as the black pepper?
Denise
Hi Lisa, I am no expert. I was just reading that it might have the same action as the piperine in black pepper but to be honest I really don’t know.
Chad
Denise,
To clarify, the piperine in black pepper is what aids in the absorption of turmeric. Cayenne contains capsaicin, not piperine so cayenne will not help with turmeric absorption.
I like this recipe for the health benefits thus, I use black pepper, provides plenty of spice.
Oriana
You can buy both classic and premium matcha from MatchaBar, a specialty Matcha cafe in NYC.
http://matchabarnyc.com/health#shop
They source all their matcha directly from an independent family farm in Nishio, Japan.
Classic is fine for cooking but if your drinking the matcha straight up I’d recommend the premium!
Melissa
Where do you buy maca and matcha?
Denise
Hi Melissa,
I buy my maca from Vitacost.com. They seem to have the best price. And I but my matcha from Steeped. My good friend
sells it and if you are interested here is a link to her page. http://www.mysteepedteaparty.com/KT200196/shop/catalog.aspx
I’ve never bought it anywhere else so I’m not sure of other places. I’m sure there is other places online or try a local Asian market.
Thanks for stopping by my blog!
Denise
Audrey
Wow that definitely sounds like an energy booster with all that goodness inside. I’ve never heard of maca, but I will be on the hunt for it now.
Thanks for sharing on Tasty Tuesdays. Hope to see you next week.