The salted cheese foam craze never left, and it’s so good in a cheese foam matcha latte. If you love sweet and salty flavors, this is such a treat and tastes similar to a matcha cheesecake! It’s sweet, tangy, creamy, and works so well with umami matcha. While it might look complicated, cheese foam is actually easy to make and cheaper than buying it from your local boba shop. I’ll tell you all the secrets, including how to get it smooth and silky.

Here’s how to make a cheese foam matcha latte at home!

Cheese Foam Matcha Latte Takeaways

• Use a small amount of salt! You don’t need much to taste it.
• Use a bolder, more umami or bitter matcha powder to balance out the creaminess.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Recreate an iconic boba shop recipe that will make you feel like a practiced barista!
• It’s super simple and easy to make all your favorite cheese foam drinks at home.
• The cheese foam pairs so well with matcha, a must try drink.
• It’s sweet, salty, tangy, and creamy, it’s truly a flavor bomb.

What is Cheese Foam?

Cheese foam is a cream cheese-based cold foam that you add on top of tea, lattes, milk teas, and more. It became popularized with Happy Lemon and Gongcha, which are Asia based milk tea brand that started the trend back in 2015-2017. I remember when they first appeared, people went crazy for their salted cheese foam teas and milk teas. 

It’s not as popular as back then, but it’s still going strong, showing up in new drinks and forms. And while it might sound unique, it’s no different than making a cheesecake cold foam or tiramisu mascarpone cream for drinks. The cheese gives it a slightly savory, tangy, and creamy texture which makes it so addictive.

What Does Cheese Foam Taste Like?

Salted cheese foam tastes like a sweet and savory cheesecake, literally, since it’s made from cream cheese. The little bit of salt helps round out the flavors and brings out the sweetness! The foam without salt is still delicious, but it leans more dessert and less balanced. The foam alone is so good you could eat it by itself, which would be similar to a salted cheesecake ice cream.

In a drink, it adds a nice saltiness that balances out the sweet tea underneath. Milk tea is notorious for being a sugar bomb, so the little bit of salt really helps make it less cloying and more enjoyable!

What is a Cheese Foam Matcha Latte?

A cheese foam matcha latte is a matcha latte that has the salted cheese foam topping. It’s a decadent and creamy drink where the most prominent flavor is sweet milk, followed by the matcha, and a subtle saltiness. It’s not as popular as its milk tea counterparts, but it’s such an underrated flavor combination. I love anything that has salt added to it, so this is no exception.

Do Matcha and Cheese go Together?

Surprisingly, yes! Matcha itself is quite bitter, savory, and strong, so it pairs best with something fresh or creamy. While I’ve never had matcha with savory cheeses like cheddar, it’s great with soft, spreadable cheeses like ricotta, cream cheese, and mascarpone. The fattiness of the cheese helps make the matcha taste less bitter and earthy, with more of that distinct tea flavor coming though. That’s why desserts like matcha cheesecakes, matcha yogurt parfaits, and danishes are so popular! You really get the best of both worlds. 

How to Make Cheese Foam

Ah, what we’re all dying to know! Cheese goat is actually quite simple to make; all you need is cream cheese, heavy cream, a little bit of milk, salt, and sugar. That’s it! The ingredients are simple, but what’s most important in cheese foam is the ratio. Too much cheese and you have a thick, whipped creamy cheese topping that’s hard to scoop out. Too little cheese and you’ll have barely any tanginess. 

Normally, people use about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese to a 1/4 cup of heavy cream and a splash of milk to get a silky smooth and fluffy texture. Most shops blend their foam so it’s super luscious, but for a single serving, a handheld frother works best. Another tip is to let your cream cheese come to room temperature so that it doesn’t clump up. If you’re still struggling with a clumpy foam, try blending the cream cheese into a paste before whipping it, or making a large batch in a blender. 

Cheese Foam Matcha Latte Recipe: Ingredients 

Here’s what you’ll need to make this cheese foam matcha latte at home:

• Cream Cheese — Any plain cream cheese will do. Make sure you let it come to room temperature before whipping; it will be chunky.
• Heavy Cream — Heavy cream has 35% milk fat or slightly more. This is ideal for making fluffy creams; something like half and half won’t have enough fat to create that same texture. 
• Milk — I use 2% milk for the perfect creamy balance, but you can use whole milk or your favorite milk alternative.
• Sugar — Regular granulated white sugar works best. You can take it up a level by making it into a simple syrup that will make sweetening your drink easier.
• Salt — Iodized table salt or any flaky salt works! Just note that the smaller the granule, the less you need to use. 
• Matcha Powder — I like using an umami-forward matcha powder so that the flavor comes through the creaminess. My favorites include Ippodo’s Ummon, Rocky’s Matcha’s ceremonial powder, and the Komorebi matcha from Little Matcha Studio.
• Hot Water — The ideal matcha water temperature is just below boiling, at 175 F. A good range to hit is 155 – 175 F, as boiling water will scorch the tea.
• Milk 
• Ice 
• Sugar or Simple Syrup 

How to Make a Cheese Foam Matcha Latte

1. Whip Cheese Foam. Add room temperature cream cheese, heavy cream, sugar, milk, and salt to a cup, then whip using a handheld mixer until soft and fluffy. For an even smoother cream, blend the cream cheese with milk until smooth, then add the heavy cream and whip. 
2. Whisk Matcha. Sift matcha powder into a matcha bowl and add hot water around 175 F. Vigorously whisk the tea using a matcha whisk in a zigzag motion for 20 – 30 seconds until a velvety foam forms. 
3. Assemble Drink. Add sweetener and milk to a glass with ice, then stir to dissolve. Add your whisked matcha and top with your whipped cheese foam. Garnish with a dusting of matcha powder.
4. Mix and Enjoy! Serve with a straw and mix to enjoy!

Tips for the Best Matcha Latte

• Use Room Temperature Cheese: Cold cheese from the fridge will be very hard to whip as it will stick to itself and create clumps. Leaving the cheese out on the counter for 20 minutes will make it much easier to use. 
• Use a Blender: Most coffee and boba shops will prepare their cold foams using an immersion blender or regular blender for a super luscious and fluffy foam. However, it only really works when you make large quantities or if you have a small blender. To get a similar texture, I’d blend the cream cheese with a little but of milk, then add it to heavy cream and whip.
• Add Salt Sparingly: You really don’t need much salt to taste it in the foam; a small pinch is more than enough. If you accidentally add too much salt, balance it out with more sugar and heavy cream. 

FAQ’s

Can I substitute cream cheese?

Yes, you can use Mascarpone cheese or ricotta cheese to replace cream cheese. While the texture is similar, they aren’t as tangy as cream cheese, so you might want to add the tiniest drop of lemon or yogurt to mimic that flavor. For a lower-calorie option, you could even use strained Greek yogurt with heavy cream!  

How much caffeine is in this?

Matcha is actually high in caffeine! One teaspoon of matcha has around 50 mg of caffeine, which is roughly the same as one shot of espresso. Most matcha drinks contain 3-4 grams of matcha, which brings the caffeine amount to somewhere around 100 mg of caffeine. 

Other Matcha Recipes to Try

Hopefully, you feel like a proper home barista after making this matcha latte! If you love making boba shop drinks at home, then you need to try these other incredible matcha recipes next: 

• Tiramisu Matcha Latte
• Tres Leches Matcha Latte
• Earl Grey Cream Matcha Latte
• Thai Tea Cream Matcha 
• Salted Vanilla Matcha Latte