It’s October, not St. Patrick’s Day, I know, but I couldn’t resist DAVIDsTEA’s limited edition Pumpkin Pie Matcha, which is what made my pancakes green. I bought 2.5 oz of it thinking that would be a good amount & after making these pancakes, I bought more the next day. I couldn’t resist. I’m that person who loves pumpkin, but to be fair, I love all squash! The shaming of people who love pumpkin flavored things has become so mainstream that it’s now trendy to bully someone who loves autumnal flavors. I can’t tell you how many times people come into work, ask about our pumpkin flavored teas, & then apologize for being that person. Stop apologizing!!! I don’t apologize for being obsessed with sushi or chocolate, why should you apologize for being obsessed with an orange seasonal squash?! Madness, I tell you. /pumpkin rant.
Let’s talk more about matcha because not everyone’s heard of it & let’s face it, green is the new black. That’s right all you black tea lovers, green tea is getting its righteous revival–& I’m not even referencing Selena Gomez’s new album, but there, now I’ve plugged it because it’s pop royalty. Green tea was actually the first tea to be discovered, but black tea was made popular by the British, especially since it fared the journey from China to the UK much better than green tea. Green tea has fantastic health benefits (antioxidants, longevity, antibacterial properties, etc) & although it has a significantly shorter shelf-life than black tea (1 year-ish vs. several years), it’s making its comeback. While black tea is the most popular tea and makes up about 80% of the sales in the West, matcha is changing the game. So imagine a whole pound of beautiful Japanese green tea that has been pulverized & that’s what matcha is: powdered green tea. It’s not artificially colored, it’s just that beautiful & green. Not only are you reaping all the benefits of green tea, but you are now actually consuming entire tea leaves. Amazing, right?
Pumpkin Pie Matcha Pancakes
Let’s say you really want to attempt this recipe, but alas, DAVIDsTEA no longer supplies the Pumpkin Pie Matcha, so what do you do? Pretty easy, really: use 1 tablespoon of matcha (lowest grade is fine, you’re making pancakes not celebrating a job promotion) + 1 Tbsp canned pumpkin pie mix. Or you could just use 1 banana + 2 tsp matcha + 1.5 tsp pumpkin pie seasoning. The possibilities are endless with matcha & when you can sneak it into your breakfast, it’s all the better. I will not eat green eggs & ham, Sam, but I will definitely be eating some green pancakes.
BONUS SUPER FUN TIPS: If you’re not sold on the awesomeness of matcha or you just want to make some green pancakes right meow, try mashing up avocado or stick the eggs + butter + milk in a blender or food processor with some spinach et voilà green pancakes that are healthier than the typical pancake.
Tara
MMMMMM. Green pancakes do sound way better than green eggs and ham (ick!). I’m with you that matcha is awesome. I’d got addicted to iced matcha latte lately, and your post is now making me want to drink some more of it.
But oh, man, those pancakes look so delicious and healthy! I’m drooling over here XD
Tiff
I loveeee me some matcha lattes. I try to drink different tea lattes at work so that I’m no always using my one allotment of lattes on matcha–so I just add a little soy milk to it instead. Definitely get your hands on some matcha yourself so you can make your own! Plus, it’s healthier. & also, you can stick it in pancakes :D!
Meaghan
I love matcha! I actually work for a matcha company that’s getting pretty big… (it’s called Encha, in case you were wondering lol). I actually had no idea you could bake with it, because I’ve never seen food items besides ice cream/mochi until I started working there.
You should try matcha waffles! They’re so good! My boss made them for me a couple months ago & I’ve been craving them since!
Oh, matcha isn’t the entire leaf. Matcha is the leaf without the veins or stems, so the color is more vibrant. Sencha is the entire leaf & the color is duller and more yellow-toned. 🙂
Shihoko
Yumummmuuuuummm! I LOVE matcha! Whenever I’m back in Japan, I love to eat and drink matcha everything! Especially any sweet matcha desserts. But I don’t buy it a lot in Australia because it’s a bit expensive but I think I might just have to so I can make these, they look so yummy and I’ve never had matcha pancakes before!
Cat
Ah! I should buy some matcha! I’m currently enjoying loose leaf Dragonwell green tea from a local tea shop. Sadly, I don’t think they have matcha, so I guess I’ll buy online. These pancakes look really good! I like the idea of matcha pancakes 😀
Tiff
I love Dragonwell! 🙂 Seriously get your hands on some matcha from DavidsTea. Every order comes with 3 samples of loose leaf tea, so you really can’t go wrong. I’d recommend Matsu for cooking since it’s the least expensive of the 3 straight ones DT carries. It’s also less grassy than Ceremonial–which is always amazing to drink, but I feel bad cooking with it because it’s expensive & I would rather just drink it. DT also has 3 different flavored matchas! Super delicious. Adagio also has amazing teas & their prices are solid!
Tess
Oh my goodness!! Well done on another fabulous recipe!! I’m a MASSIVE fan of matcha and I love its taste… the best is when it is a mochi! My sister-in-law loves DavidsTea and I love their cups, everything they have in their store is top notch. Have you tried Steeped Tea’s matcha? It’s pretty great as well