Starbucks is best known for its coffee drinks, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t several tea-based drinks on the menu that bring the classic, fun flavors, often with significantly less caffeine. There are some misses, of course, like chai tea — which Tasting Table found as the worst sugar-free drink on Starbucks’ menu. But there are also many hits, which is why we took a closer look at 18 popular Starbucks tea drinks and found the absolute best of them all: the iced lavender cream oat milk matcha.
This drink is part of Starbucks’ seasonal spring menu, so you won’t find it on the permanent menu — it is available at the time of this writing though, in March 2025. If you want to try its gentle blend of flavors, now’s the time. It’s a very balanced drink, with no one flavor note overpowering the others, and instead creating a nice, spring-like harmony. Even people who normally find the taste of matcha overpowering have admitted to enjoying this tea.
Iced lavender cream oat milk matcha is made with oat milk, matcha, classic syrup, and lavender cold foam. The foam contains dairy, so this is not a vegan drink (despite “oat milk” in the title), though it can be made so by either skipping the cold foam and adding lavender powder instead, or by asking for the foam to be made with plant-based milk. The colorful drink will cost you somewhere between $6 and $8, depending on the size.
Baristas sometimes mix up the two lavender-flavored spring drinks
Iced lavender cream oat milk matcha is not the only lavender-flavored drink on Starbucks’ spring menu. There’s also iced lavender oat milk latte, made with oat milk, espresso, and lavender powder. Our taste tester had an interesting experience with a barista confusing the two drinks — something that other people reported on social media happened to them as well. Make sure you know the difference between the matcha and the latte, and double-check your order when you get it. The color alone can be a pretty quick giveaway: The matcha tea is noticeably green, while the lavender latte comes in a brown shade.
If you love the iced lavender matcha as much as we do and want to enjoy it well past spring, a Starbucks barista actually shared the recipe on Reddit, so you can make it at home. Start by shaking your oat milk with ice and sweetened matcha powder. Prepare lavender foam by mixing heavy whipping cream with vanilla syrup and then adding lavender powder to it. Assemble by pouring out your drink and topping it with the desired amount of foam. Craving spring-inspired coffee instead of tea? Here’s the easiest way to infuse lavender into your next cup.
