*We’ve partnered with Willa’s Oat Milk for this week’s recipe. They were wonderful to create this amazing recipe for Tenzo, partnering our two organic brands. This is their guest blog.

Salted caramel. Oat milk. Matcha. Need we say anymore? 

Well, don’t worry because we’re going to… With wholesome ingredients like Willa’s Oat milk and our top of the line matcha, this delicious beverage was bound to be a home run, but throw some salted caramel in there and you’ve taken things to a whole new level. There’s definitely something to be said for the simplicity of a classic matcha latte, but can you blame us for wanting to go above and beyond sometimes? Oat milk and matcha are a MATCHa made in heaven, and the caramel adds an unexpectedly delightful sweet & salty flavor you never even knew you were missing. 

Bonus: These are ingredients you can feel good about. Willa’s Organic Oat Milk uses the whole grain oat to create milk that is creamier, nuttier, has more protein and fiber, and less sugar than other oat milks. And of course, our matcha is an organic, high-quality matcha that just can’t be topped. 

Ingredients:

Latte:

Large 16 oz Glass                

Ice. Enough to fill your glass

Water 8 oz

Tenzo Matcha 2-3 tsp matcha

Willa’s Organic OAT MILK 8 oz oat milk

Salted Caramel 3 Tbs salted caramel + 1 Tbs for the drizzle (optional)

* See caramel recipe after the latte recipe, below.

serves 1

Step 1:

Shake up the Matcha, with water in a Tenzo Shaker Bottle. Or use your matcha whisk in a bowl. If you don’t have either of these, you can also use a water bottle, cocktail shaker, or mason jar to shake up the matcha. Pour it into your glass full of ice.

Step 2

Then shake together the oat milk and all of the caramel (except the tablespoons you’re saving for drizzling). This will help prevent the caramel from falling to the bottom of the glass.

Now pour that oatmilk/salted caramel on top.

*Salted Caramel Recipe Below*

Step 3

Stir, and drizzle a little extra caramel on top if you like.

We hope you enjoy this iced matcha treat all summer long. Impress your friends and family with this homemade caramel sauce and this delicious oat milk latte.

The Search for The Best Homemade Caramel Sauce

When the Willa’s team scoured the globe for the perfect caramel sauces for this recipe, they found that a lot of the store bought sauces are made with corn syrup and have long lists of some not so caramely sounding ingredients. And, most caramel contains dairy, which is less than ideal for those who are vegan or lactose intolerant. 

So, they bravely went where no other oat milk had gone before. Willa’s set out to create their own, perfect caramel sauce that could be enjoyed by everyone. And thanks to some inspiration from Grandmother Willa’s very own caramel recipe and some guidance from Chocolate Covered Katie’s Coconut Milk Caramel sauce, Willa’s Oat Milk Caramel was born. 

Swap ingredients easily

One of the best parts of this recipe is its adaptability. We prefer real maple syrup, but honey works well too, and we imagine agave would work as well. If you don’t have brown sugar, white sugar could work. Or, if you’re avoiding cane sugar or practicing a paleo lifestyle, you could also swap the brown sugar for date sugar or coconut sugar. And of course, you could do it without the salt, although we think that’s what really makes this matcha latte special. Either way, salted or unsalted, it’s delicious!

Willa’s Barista Oat Milk is a barista quality milk which gives the caramel more creaminess and makes it easier to drizzle. Barista oat milks include a tiny bit of oil to allow the oat milk to steam properly. A lot of barista oat milks use canola or rapeseed oil, but Willa’s Barista Oat Milk uses a type of organic non-gmo sunflower oil that has a similar nutrition profile to avocado oil, with lots of good monounsaturated fats. If you’re using non-barista oat milk, then we recommend adding a tablespoon of butter or oil (if you aren’t dairy or butter free). Coconut, avocado, or sunflower oil will do.

But the Caramel always falls to the bottom of lattes…

It’s annoying, isn’t it? You treat yourself to a delicious drink only to have the treat part fall to the bottom in a big clump. Well, thanks to Tenzo, that little problem is obsolete. We use our Tenzo Shaker… twice. First we make the iced matcha in it. Then we shake up the caramel and oat milk together in it and pour that on top of the matcha. That way the caramel is mixed in before you pour it and doesn’t immediately end up sinking to the bottom of the glass! You can also use a mason jar or water bottle for the oat milk/caramel mix.

Willa’s Dairy-Free Salted Caramel (Latte) Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:

13.5oz Willa’s Barista Oat Milk *

⅓ Cup Real Maple Syrup, Honey, or Agave (try 2.5-3 Tbs)

¼ Cup Brown Sugar, (or increase the liquid sweetener to ⅔ Cup)

¼ tsp vanilla extract

⅛ tsp salt

*If using a non-barista oat milk with no oil, add 1Tbs butter or coconut oil

Instructions:

Combine all of the caramel ingredients except the vanilla extract in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Let it boil for around 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly, then lower to a simmer.

Let it simmer—stirring as needed—until it cooks down to about half its volume and thickens. About 50-60 minutes.

Add the vanilla after that.

Store in the refrigerator, ideally overnight, or at least for an hour before adding to your drink. You can also use this salted caramel sauce on anything from apples, to ice cream

We hope you enjoyed learning about Willa’s Oat Milk and seeing these amazing recipes. Thank you to the Willa’s team for this masterpiece and all the effort that went into creating it. We hope to have you back again!

 You can learn more about this organic & sustainable company on their website:

Willa’s Kitchen 

 Please check out their Instagram clicking here.

 And, don't forget to tag us when you give this sweet and salty baby a whirl. TAG @tenzotea and @willas_kitchen 

Do you need extra matcha to make this recipe? CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE