Wishing you could try the Starbucks sakura strawberry latte from Japan? Now you can make your own cherry blossom drink at home with this recipe! Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.
Cherry blossom season is my absolute favorite, and I’m lucky that Seattle has amazing cherry blossoms to go see! But still, every year, I dream about being in Japan, if not to see the cherry blossoms in person, but at least to try the Starbucks Japan cherry blossom seasonal drinks!
Starbucks Cherry Blossom Drinks
Every year in Japan, Starbucks releases limited edition cherry blossom themed drinks and merchandise. Everything is so dreamy and pink! This year (2023), they released a sakura frappuccino and a sakura soy latte, which was the inspiration for this recipe!
Oh, sorry, in case it wasn’t clear, “sakura” is the Japanese word for cherry blossom. And cherry blossom are a BIG DEAL in Japan. And becoming a bigger deal in America? I hope? Anyway, moving on…
Do Sakura Lattes Have Actual Cherry Blossoms?
Since I am NOT in Japan currently, I had to do a little research into making my own cherry blossom latte. I used the instant sakura strawberry latte packets from Starbucks Japan as a starting base. The ingredients listed on those packets show that the cherry blossom flavor in that drink comes entirely from an extract.
Other instant sakura latte packets I found also use either extract or some sort of flavoring but do not include actual ground cherry blossoms or anything like that.
Upon further research, I HAVE found some freeze dried ground cherry blossoms on Amazon, but the reviews seem to state that the cherry blossom flavor is super mild and the color is not very vibrant.
It makes sense, now, that all the sakura sweets I see from Starbucks seem to incorporate strawberry (or even beets!) for additional flavor and color. So that’s what I did too!
Where to Buy Cherry Blossom Extract
Now that I had determined cherry blossom extract to be the best choice for flavoring cherry blossom food, I needed to find a place to buy it. Unfortunately, my local Japanese market did not have anything for me. So, predictably, I turned to Amazon.
I was able to find this cherry blossom syrup, which ended up working very well! Although I would’ve liked to find an extract without sweetener added, it looks like that just wasn’t happening. If I do find something in the future, I’ll make sure to update this post!
Making Strawberry Milk with Freeze Dried Strawberries
Aside from the cherry blossom syrup, the rest of this sakura strawberry latte recipe does not require any hard to find ingredients. This drink is essentially a strawberry milk with cherry blossom syrup mixed in.
Now, as for strawberry milks go, most recipes online use a strawberry syrup made from fresh strawberries and sugar cooked down into a thick sauce.
But I am REALLY LAZY. I do not like having to cook things for a simple drink. Plus, strawberries are not even in season when cherry blossoms are out!
So, I turned to my good friend: freeze dried strawberries.
I cannot stress this enough: USING FREEZE DRIED STRAWBERRIES IS SO EASY. You just put it in a blender with your milk and blend. THAT. IS. IT.
Heck, you can just throw the cherry blossom syrup into the blender too, and your entire recipe is done!
The only drawback to the freeze dried strawberries is that they absorb a lot of liquid, which makes your resulting drink pretty thick. If you want a smoothie-like texture, it’s perfect. If you were looking more for a thin liquid, you’ll need to add additional water to your blender. But again, that’s not hard to do.
More Japanese Spring Recipes
That’s all there is to this sakura strawberry latte. It’s as easy as putting everything in a blender and then pouring it into a glass. If you’re looking for more Japanese themed spring treats to go with it, try these recipes below!
Sakura Strawberry Latte
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup milk of choice 6 oz
- 1/4 cup freeze dried strawberries about 4g
- 1 tbsp cherry blossom syrup
- ice
- 1/4 cup water optional
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients except for ice in a blender until smooth. Without the additional water, the texture will be thick like a smoothie. Blend in the optional water for a thinner milk consistency.
- Fill a glass with ice and pour blended milk on top.
- Add more cherry blossom syrup as needed.
Notes
- Please see blog post for link to cherry blossom syrup