Starbucks Iced Dubai Chocolate Matcha Latte Recipe

Learn how to make the NEW Starbucks Iced Dubai Chocolate Matcha at home! A pistachio flavored matcha latte is topped with a rich chocolate sweet cream to make a dreamy and delicious iced latte!

I’m sure you’ve seen Dubai chocolate bars all over the place on social media and in stores these days. And for good reason: the combination of sweet chocolate and nutty, crunchy pistachio filling is wonderful.

But you know a trend has reached the mainstream when Starbucks starts incorporating it into their drinks. Sometimes the results are dubious, but in this case I think it’s a decided success.

The pistachio and chocolate flavors actually pair really well with matcha, and the whole drink is a scrumptious, sweet treat.

But of course when you make it at home, you can save quite a bit of $$$, and customize it to your personal preferences.

Today I’m going to share 3 different ways you can make this drink:

1. First, a simple version that’s pretty easy to put together without a lot of components.
2. Then, a from-scratch version that’s still pretty easy to make, but requires a few more ingredients.
3. Finally, another simple version that’s really good, but requires a limited edition product.

Okay, let’s make them!

Video Tutorial

Here’s a video overview in case you find it helpful to watch a demonstration. The full written tutorial is below, and the printable recipe is at the bottom of this post!

Simple Version: Ingredient Notes

The first version I’ll show you how to make is fairly simple since it utilizes a premade ingredient:

• Pistachio Syrup: Obviously this is what will impart that signature pistachio flavor. I was able to find it at a big box grocery store, but I’ll have it linked in the recipe box in case you can’t find it. Now, Starbucks uses their proprietary blend of flavorings to achieve the pistachio flavor in their pistachio sauce. It would be basically impossible to recreate their flavor with 100% accuracy. BUT you can still make a delicious dupe at home!
• Matcha Powder: I tested this recipe using a ceremonial grade matcha powder, and that’s what I recommend here. Please don’t use low-quality matcha powder unless you truly love it. See the section below for brand recommendations!
• Salt: The Starbucks version tasted a little salty to me, so I made sure to include a pinch of salt in this recipe.
• Water: You’ll want to whisk the matcha with water first to get rid of any lumps. You can use either room temperature or warm water for this version of the drink.
• Ice: I like a medium sized ice cube for this drink, but use whatever you have access to!
• Milk: The Starbucks version is made with 2% milk, but I prefer whole milk here for a more creamy drink.
• Chocolate Syrup: This is what will give the sweet cream that chocolate flavor, of course. I used my homemade chocolate syrup recipe here, but a store-bought syrup will work as well.
• Cream: This is what will thicken the sweet cream and give it its richness.
• (More) Milk: But you’ll also add some milk to help thin out the cream. If you use just cream, it will be too thick.
• Butter Cookie: Starbucks uses their Butter Cookie Flavored Topping to top this drink. But to keep things simple, I used a crumbled shortbread cookie with a little sprinkle of salt mixed in (the Butter Cookie Flavored Topping is a bit salty).

Can’t I just use pistachio extract?!

I tried a couple of pistachio extracts to try to find an easy way to get that pistachio flavor in this drink, but sadly they just weren’t good. The flavors were a bit strange. They would probably be lovely in baked goods, but not in a drink.

Then I tried a premade pistachio coffee syrup, and the flavor was so much nicer. So if you don’t mind buying a premade syrup, I highly recommend just going that route. It’s more affordable, and you can often find it at large grocery stores.

What Matcha Powder Should I Use?

I’m always going to advocate for using a high quality, ceremonial grade matcha powder. If you’ve had a matcha drink that was very bitter and overly grassy, it was probably made with low quality, culinary grade matcha.

That being said, I have a whole post reviewing 14 different matcha powders, and I included a couple of culinary grade and latte grade powders that are quite good. So make sure to check out that post for a full review!

But my top picks for this drink are the Encha Matcha ceremonial or latte grade, and Thrive Market ceremonial grade.

Simple Version Step-by-Step Instructions:

Okay, now that you have all of your ingredients assembled, the steps to actually putting the drink together are quite simple:

1. Measure the pistachio syrup into a 16 ounce glass.
2. Add the matcha powder on top.
3. Pour the water on top of the pistachio syrup/matcha.
4. Whisk with a milk frother until completely smooth and no lumps remain.

You can also whisk everything together in a matcha bowl using a matcha whisk, then pour it into your serving glass.

Pour the milk on top of the matcha/pistachio mixture.

Now the matcha latte part of the drink is done!

But now it’s time to give it that signature Dubai Chocolate flavor.

Measure the cream, milk and chocolate syrup into a small glass or measuring cup.

Whisk with a handheld milk frother until the mixture thickens somewhat and expands in volume.

You don’t want to over whip it or it will get too thick.

Pour the chocolate cream over the matcha latte in the glass.

Now isn’t that pretty?!

Serving

Crumble the butter cookie and mix in a bit of salt.

Sprinkle that over the chocolate/matcha mixture.

Now that’s happiness in a cup for sure for sure.

“Natural” From Scratch Version: Ingredient Notes

Now, if you prefer a drink with a more “natural” flavor (or you don’t want to buy a whole bottle of pistachio syrup), I’ve got you covered! This won’t have a super strong, unnatural pistachio flavor, but it’s still a lovely drink!

• Pistachio Butter: The Starbucks pistachio sauce actually contains pistachio butter, so it was a no brainer to use it here. It lends a subtle, nutty pistachio flavor to the drink.
• Almond Extract: To evoke more of that signature pistachio flavoring, I included just a bit of almond extract. You don’t want to add too much, though. It can easily overpower the other flavors.
• Vanilla Bean Paste: The Starbucks iced Dubai chocolate matcha has an almost caramel flavor to me, so I wanted to add a couple of flavors that nudge the overall vibe in that direction.
• Brown Sugar: The other ingredient I used to give that caramel flavor is brown sugar, specifically dark brown sugar. You can use light brown sugar if that’s all you have on hand, but the dark brown will lend a richer flavor.
• Matcha Powder: Again, I highly recommend skipping the culinary grade matcha and opting for at least a mid grade, but preferably a ceremonial grade matcha powder. See the section above for brand recommendations.
• Salt: The Starbucks version tasted a bit salty to me, so I included a pinch in the drink. If your pistachio butter is salted, leave this out.
• Hot Water: Since the base of this version of the drink contains pistachio butter, you’ll want to make sure you use very warm or even hot water. This will help everything to mix and melt together. Don’t go over 170° F (76° C).
• Ice: I like a square, mid-size iced cube, but again, use whatever you have access to!
• Milk: Starbucks uses 2% milk for their version, but I prefer whole milk here.
• Chocolate Syrup: I used my Homemade Chocolate Syrup for Coffee recipe (it’s super easy, promise!) to test this recipe. You can use a premade chocolate syrup if you prefer.
• Cream: To thicken the sweet cream, you’ll need to use some heavy cream. No half and half here, please!
• (More) Milk: You also add a splash of milk to thin out the sweet cream.
• Butter Cookie: This is optional, but I like to add a crushed butter cookie mixed with a little salt to mimic the Starbucks salted brown butter cookie topping. It’s not a 1:1 recreation, but still delicious!

A quick word about pistachio butter…

This is going to sound super obvious, but your final drink will only be as smooth as your pistachio butter. I sourced one online that has a lovely flavor, but it’s a bit chunky. I threw some pistachios in my high powered blender, and I was able to get a much smoother consistency. And of course the latte I made with it was smoother than the one made with store-bought butter.

Also, it may be difficult to find pistachio butter at your local grocery store. But most stores carry pistachios. So if you already own a high powdered blender, you might want to just make your own pistachio butter!

Just keep in mind that if the pistachios are salted, you won’t want to add extra salt to the matcha latte portion of the drink.

Making the From-Scratch Version:

Place the pistachio butter, almond extract, salt, brown sugar, vanilla bean paste, matcha powder, and water in a tall glass (at least 16 ounces).

Whisk everything together with a hand held milk frother. I wouldn’t recommend using a bamboo whisk for this version since it contains pistachio butter.

You’re aiming for a smooth consistency with little to no lumps.

Pour the milk on top of the matcha/pistachio mixture.

The matcha base is done!

Make the chocolate sweet the same as for the previous method.

Pour that on top of the pistachio matcha latte for a creamy finish!

Sprinkle the butter cookie and salt on top for that salty brown-buttery topping, and the drink is finished!

I personally really like the flavor of this version since it tastes less processed. It does require a few extra ingredients, but they’re mostly ones that you can use in other recipes as well!

Option 3: Pistachio Flavored Matcha Powder

You may have seen this Pistachio Matcha Latte Mix at Target. It’s limited edition, so I don’t know how long it will be around. BUT I wanted to give it a try to see if it’s a good option for this drink.

And y’all, it’s so good!

It’s a pre-sweetened powder, so there’s no need to add extra syrup or sugar. I would say it’s a culinary grade matcha powder, so the matcha flavor isn’t quite as nice as you get from making it with ceremonial grade.

You can either make the simple version of this drink but substitute 2 teaspoons of the pistachio matcha powder for the matcha and pistachio syrup, or use 1 teaspoon of the pistachio matcha and 1 teaspoon of a ceremonial grade matcha to boost the matcha flavor.

I personally think the pistachio flavor is the nicest in the pistachio matcha powder, but since it’s a limited edition product I didn’t want to rely on it for this recipe.

What’s in the Starbucks Iced Dubai Chocolate Matcha?

Here is the full list of ingredients:

• Milk
• Ice
• Chocolate Cold Foam [vanilla sweet cream (cream (cream, mono and diglycerides, carrageenan)), milk, vanilla syrup (sugar, water, natural flavors, potassium sorbate, citric acid), mocha sauce (water, sugar, cocoa processed with alkali, natural flavors)],
• Pistachio Sauce [invert sugar, condensed nonfat milk, water, pistachio butter (ground pistachios), natural flavors, cocoa butter, salt, potassium sorbate, xanthan gum, tocopherols, monoglycerides],
• Matcha [ground green tea],
• Salted Brown Butter Cookie Flavored Topping [sugars (sugar, powdered sugar), corn starch, sea salt, fruit and vegetable color (pumpkin, sugar beets, apple, carrot, hibiscus), natural flavors, salt]

Price Comparison:

A Grande Starbucks Iced Dubai Chocolate Matcha will set you back around $6.25 before tax and tips. It could be more like $8 when all is said and done.

The simple version of my homemade recipe can be made for as little as $2.29, and the from-scratch version can be made for as little as $2.66. Of course if you use all organic ingredients, the cost will be higher. But it will probably still be more affordable than the non-organic Starbucks version!

How Much Caffeine is in the Starbucks Iced Dubai Chocolate Matcha?

A Grande Starbucks Iced Dubai Chocolate Matcha latte contains about 60 mg of caffeine. A Tall contains around 40 mg, and a Venti has about 80 mg.

So that’s my homemade Iced Dubai Chocolate Matcha Latte! Make sure to check out my other matcha Starbucks drinks recipe below!

More Starbucks Matcha Recipes

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