Stop Using This Type Of Matcha In Your Baking — Here's What To Use Instead

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The recent rise of matcha has seen it go beyond a simple drink. It's now a standalone flavor that's added to seemingly everything from mochi to mayonnaise. It's has really become a fan favorite in baked goods, but if you're baking with matcha for the first time, it's not as simple as using some of your quality drinking stash.

We spoke to Jerrelle Guy, author of "Black Girl Baking" and the founder of Chocolate for Basil, about the best matcha for baking. "The ceremonial grade matcha is for ritual drinking, not baking," she explains. "Not only is it too delicate and too subtle that it would get overpowered by other ingredients, it's expensive."

There are three grades of matcha: culinary, premium (or daily), and ceremonial. With the highest price and the reputation for the best quality, ceremonial grade might seem the obvious choice to give you the best flavor, but it's not the case. "With food grade matcha, you'll get more of that anticipated green tea taste," Guy explains, "whereas the ceremonial grade will be muted after baking." So if you want your matcha muffins to taste like matcha, rather than just look the part, opt for the culinary grade.

The characteristics of culinary grade matcha that make it less desirable for adding to your matcha latte are what make it so good for cooking. "Culinary/food grade matcha has a stronger flavor," Guy explains, "it holds up to high heat baking, and is designed for standing [on] its own next to other ingredients."

With this in mind, you can pair matcha with strong tastes that will balance out the powder's grassy and bitter notes for an overall complex flavor sensation. Citrus is the perfect example of this, with lemon and yuzu being popular choices for adding matcha baked goods. For a more toned-down version, the combination of matcha and strawberries or other berries offers that same balance of sweet, tangy, and earthy. Try it in these vegan raspberry matcha bars — although they're technically not baked.

If you want to emphasize the taste of the matcha rather than balance it, try combining it with more complementary creamy or earthy flavors. Matcha powder is an easy add-in for an upgraded banana bread, while these matcha cinnamon rolls make the most of the earthiness of the cinnamon and plenty of creaminess from the frosting.