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What Can I Substitute for Hojicha Powder?
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VerdictOne catch
The catch: Grind the leaves in a spice or coffee grinder until very fine and sift out any stalky bits, or for drinks and custards steep the whole leaves in the hot milk or cream for 5–10 minutes and strain; weigh rather than spoon if the recipe uses 20 ml Australian tablespoons, as ground leaves pack differently to powder.
It is the same roasted tea in leaf form, so it covers every role once it is ground fine enough to disperse. Full details
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What's it doing in this dish?
You're whisking hojicha powder into hot milk or a plant milk for a latte or a warm drink.
In a drink the roasted flavour and soft tea character are everything. Steeping hojicha leaves or home-toasted green tea in the hot milk for 5–10 minutes and straining gives both, with a slightly lighter body than whisked powder. Roasted barley tea keeps the toasty flavour and brown colour but drops the tea note.
You're infusing cream or milk for an ice cream, panna cotta, crème brûlée or custard that needs to stay silky smooth.
Fat carries the roasted flavour well, so steeping whole leaves or grains in the warm cream and straining them out gives the flavour and colour without any specks. Genmaicha gives a cereal-like toastiness and a paler khaki colour, and barley gives toastiness with no tea at all.
You're adding hojicha powder to the flour for a cake, shortbread, cookies or a loaf.
Here the powder has to disperse through the dough and absorb a little moisture as well as flavour it, so finely ground and sifted leaves do the job of the fine dry powder. Small flecks are hardly noticed in a crumb. Black tea covers the tea character and tan colour but tastes malty and brisk rather than roasted, so use less.
You only want a warm, roasted brown note in a brownie, tiramisu-style dessert or ice cream, and you don't mind the dish tasting different.
instant coffee — 2 g for every 6 g hojicha powder (1 tsp)
Both are likely to be in the pantry already. Instant coffee covers the roasted flavour and colour but tastes clearly of coffee, and black tea covers the tea and colour with a tannic edge. Each changes the dish, but both work where hojicha was a background flavour.
You're making a hojicha latte, hojicha soft serve or hojicha tiramisu where the roasted tea flavour is the whole point of the dish.
The caramel-like roast on a soft, low-bitterness tea is what makes these dishes, and only hojicha itself delivers it. Leaf hojicha is the same tea and will do, but everything else on the list turns the dish into something else, such as a coffee, barley or black tea version.
What Hojicha Powder does in a recipe
roasted flavour · primary — Roasting the green tea leaves and stems turns the grassy notes into toasty, caramel and nutty ones, which carry through into lattes, custards and bakes.
tea character · secondary — It keeps a soft tea backbone with very little bitterness or astringency, so it can be used generously without making a dish harsh.
colour · secondary — The fine reddish-brown powder tints milk, cream, batters and doughs a warm tan to caramel brown.
fine dry powder · secondary — Because it is milled very fine, it disperses evenly through batters and liquids and absorbs a little moisture, so bakes use it like a small portion of flour or cocoa.
Australian tablespoons are 20 ml. UK, New Zealand, US and Canadian recipes use 15 ml, so their 1 tbsp is 3 Australian teaspoons.
loose-leaf hojicha or hojicha tea bags
One catch
6 g for every 6 g hojicha powder (3 tsp)
It is the same roasted tea in leaf form, so it covers every role once it is ground fine enough to disperse.
The catch: Grind the leaves in a spice or coffee grinder until very fine and sift out any stalky bits, or for drinks and custards steep the whole leaves in the hot milk or cream for 5–10 minutes and strain; weigh rather than spoon if the recipe uses 20 ml Australian tablespoons, as ground leaves pack differently to powder.
Covers
roasted flavour, tea character, colour, fine dry powder
Taste
The roasted flavour is the same, though steeping gives a slightly lighter result than whisked-in powder.
Texture
Home-ground leaves are coarser than milled powder and can leave fine specks in smooth custards if not sifted.
Looks
Colour is a little paler when steeped and speckled when ground at home.
Best for
hojicha lattes, ice cream and panna cotta, cakes and cookies
Dairy-freeVeganGluten-freeNut-free
Tried this swap? How did it work?
home-toasted green tea
One catch· probably in your pantry
6 g for every 6 g hojicha powder (3 tsp)
Dry-toasting ordinary green tea leaves creates a roasted flavour and brown colour close to hojicha, as long as you take them far enough without scorching.
The catch: Empty green tea bags or loose sencha into a dry frying pan over medium-low heat, stir constantly for 3–5 minutes until the leaves turn reddish-brown and smell toasty, then cool, grind fine and sift.
Covers
roasted flavour, tea character, colour, fine dry powder
Taste
Slightly less rounded than bought hojicha, with a grassy edge if under-toasted or a burnt bitterness if pushed too far.
Texture
A little grittier than commercial powder unless sifted well.
Looks
A similar brown, sometimes patchier depending on how evenly the leaves toasted.
Best for
hojicha lattes, shortbread and cookies, custards and puddings
Dairy-freeVeganGluten-freeNut-free
Tried this swap? How did it work?
genmaicha, finely ground
Close enough
6 g for every 6 g hojicha powder (3 tsp)
The toasted brown rice gives a roasted, popcorn-like note and the tea gives a tea backbone, but the leaves are unroasted green tea so the colour and caramel depth are missing.
The catch: Grind finely and sift, or steep in the hot liquid and strain for drinks and custards.
Covers
roasted flavour, tea character, fine dry powder
Misses
colour
Taste
Toasty and cereal-like rather than caramel, with a fresher, greener tea note.
Texture
Ground rice grains can feel faintly gritty if not sifted.
Looks
Pale khaki rather than warm brown.
Best for
tea lattes, ice cream, shortbread
Dairy-freeVeganGluten-freeNut-free
Tried this swap? How did it work?
roasted barley tea (mugicha), ground
Close enough
6 g for every 6 g hojicha powder (3 tsp)
Roasted barley supplies a strong toasty flavour and brown colour, but it has no tea in it at all, so the tea character is lost.
The catch: For drinks and custards, steep the whole grains in the hot liquid for 10 minutes and strain rather than grinding.
Covers
roasted flavour, colour, fine dry powder
Misses
tea character
Taste
Toasted-grain and slightly coffee-like, without the tea note.
Texture
Ground barley is coarser and can make smooth fillings slightly sandy.
Looks
A similar warm brown.
Best for
lattes, ice cream and custards
Dairy-freeVeganNut-free
Tried this swap? How did it work?
black tea, finely ground
Close enough· probably in your pantry
4 g for every 6 g hojicha powder (2 tsp)
Black tea from bags gives tea character and brown colour, but it tastes malty and tannic rather than roasted, and is more astringent.
The catch: Use less than the recipe calls for because black tea is more astringent, and grind the tea-bag contents fine before adding.
Covers
tea character, colour, fine dry powder
Misses
roasted flavour
Taste
Malty and brisk with a drying tannic finish instead of the soft toasty sweetness.
Texture
Tea-bag leaves are fairly fine already, so bakes stay close in texture.
Instant coffee brings a roasted, bitter-sweet flavour and brown colour, but it is much stronger and the dish will taste of coffee rather than tea.
The catch: Dissolve it in a splash of the recipe's hot liquid first, and start with this small amount because it is far more intense than hojicha.
Covers
roasted flavour, colour
Misses
tea character, fine dry powder
Taste
Clearly coffee-flavoured and more bitter, with none of the soft tea notes.
Texture
It dissolves rather than staying as a fine powder, so a batter may be very slightly looser.
Looks
Darker brown than hojicha.
Best for
cakes and brownies, tiramisu-style desserts, ice cream
Dairy-freeVeganGluten-freeNut-free
Tried this swap? How did it work?
matcha
Close enough
3 g for every 6 g hojicha powder (1½ tsp)
Matcha is a fine green tea powder that behaves the same way in a mix, but it is unroasted, so it brings grassy bitterness and green colour instead of toasty caramel notes.
The catch: Use about half as much because matcha is more bitter, and sift it to avoid clumps.
Covers
tea character, fine dry powder
Misses
roasted flavour, colour
Taste
Grassy, vegetal and more bitter, with no roasted or caramel flavour.
Texture
Very close, as both are finely milled powders.
Looks
Bright to olive green instead of brown.
Best for
lattes, cakes and cookies, ice cream
Dairy-freeVeganGluten-freeNut-free
Tried this swap? How did it work?
Commonly tried, but skip these
People reach for these, and they let you down.
cocoa powder
Skip it
People reach for it because it looks like hojicha powder and is already in the pantry, but chocolate overwhelms the delicate roasted tea flavour the recipe is built around, so you end up with a mild chocolate cake rather than a hojicha one.
Tried this swap? How did it work?
When to buy the real thing
You're making a dish named for hojicha, such as a hojicha latte or hojicha ice cream, for guests.
Instead: Buy hojicha powder or loose-leaf hojicha from an Asian grocer, a specialty tea shop or online, as any other swap will taste noticeably different.
You need a very fine powder for dusting over a dessert, sifting onto tiramisu or stirring into a smooth glaze or frosting where specks would show.
Instead: Buy the milled powder, because home-ground leaves are too coarse to dust evenly or dissolve cleanly into a glaze.
You're baking or churning a large batch where the hojicha flavour needs to be consistent from start to finish.
Instead: Buy hojicha powder, since toasting green tea in a pan in batches gives uneven colour and flavour, and some batches may scorch.
Rescue a swap gone wrong
Your custard, panna cotta or ice cream base has fine brown specks or a slightly gritty feel.
Why: Home-ground leaves, genmaicha or barley weren't ground fine enough to disperse like milled powder.
Fix: Pour the warm base through a fine sieve, or a sieve lined with muslin or a paper towel, before setting or churning; next time steep whole leaves and strain them out instead of grinding.
Your bake or drink tastes bitter, burnt or harshly tannic instead of softly toasty.
Why: The home-toasted green tea was pushed too far in the pan, or too much black tea or matcha went in; recipes written with 15 ml tablespoons come out about a third stronger if you measure with a 20 ml Australian tablespoon.
Can't be fixed — next time: A drink or custard base can be softened with more milk or cream and a little extra sugar, but a finished bake can't be rescued; next time weigh the substitute, take toasted leaves off the heat as soon as they turn reddish-brown and smell toasty, and start with the smaller amounts given for black tea and matcha.
Your latte or infused cream tastes weak and looks pale.
Why: Steeped leaves give a lighter result than whisked powder, especially if the milk wasn't hot enough or the steep was short.
Fix: Return the liquid to a gentle heat just below a simmer, add a few more grams of leaves, steep for another 5 minutes and strain again.
Your cake or ice cream tastes of coffee rather than tea.
Why: Instant coffee was used, and it is far more intense than hojicha and has no tea character.
Can't be fixed — next time: This can't be undone, so serve it as a coffee version; next time use leaf hojicha or home-toasted green tea if you want the tea flavour, or start with the smaller instant coffee amount and dissolve it first.
Differences between countries
Applies to Australia
20 ml Australian tablespoon (Australia)
Hojicha recipes from the UK, NZ, US and Canada assume a 15 ml tablespoon, so measuring with a 20 ml Australian tablespoon adds about a third more powder. Weighing the powder avoids the problem.
Where to buy it
Applies to Australia
Australia · moderate to find
Asian grocers, Japanese grocers and specialty tea shops
It is rarely stocked in mainstream supermarkets, but Japanese grocers and tea shops usually carry both the powder and loose-leaf hojicha, and it is easy to buy online.
United Kingdom · moderate to find
Japanese and Asian grocers, specialty tea shops
Loose-leaf hojicha is easier to find than the milled powder, and both are widely sold online.
New Zealand · moderate to find
Asian grocers and specialty tea shops
Availability is better in larger cities, and online tea sellers are the most reliable option elsewhere.
United States · moderate to find
Japanese grocers, Asian grocers and specialty tea shops
Japanese grocers usually stock hojicha leaves and often the powder, and online sellers carry a wide range.
Canada · moderate to find
Japanese and Asian grocers, specialty tea shops
It is easiest to find in larger cities with Japanese grocers, and is also sold online.
What is Hojicha Powder called in other countries?
roasted green tea powderhoujicha powderhoji cha powder
Measurements differ too, not just names: the kitchen conversion chart covers cups, spoons and oven temperatures across these countries.
Questions people ask
Is hojicha the same as matcha?
No, they are different teas. Matcha is unroasted shade-grown green tea milled to a bright green powder with a grassy, slightly bitter taste, while hojicha is green tea roasted until reddish-brown, giving a toasty, caramel-like flavour with very little bitterness. They behave similarly in a mix, but swapping one for the other changes the colour and flavour completely.
Can I use hojicha tea bags instead of hojicha powder?
Yes, the leaves in hojicha tea bags are the same roasted tea and work well. For lattes, custards and ice cream, steep the bags in the hot milk or cream for 5–10 minutes and squeeze them out. For bakes, empty the bags, grind the leaves finer in a spice grinder and sift before adding them to the flour.
Can I make hojicha powder from green tea at home?
Yes, you can get close by dry-toasting ordinary green tea leaves. Stir loose sencha or the contents of green tea bags in a dry frying pan over medium-low heat for 3–5 minutes until they turn reddish-brown and smell toasty, then cool, grind fine and sift. The result is a little less rounded than bought hojicha and turns bitter if the leaves scorch.
How many grams is a tablespoon of hojicha powder?
A level 15 ml tablespoon of hojicha powder weighs about 6 g. An Australian tablespoon holds 20 ml, so it takes about a third more powder, which can make a latte or bake noticeably stronger. Weighing the powder is the most reliable way to follow recipes from other countries.
Does hojicha have caffeine?
Yes, hojicha contains caffeine because it is made from tea leaves. It is generally described as having less caffeine than matcha, as it is usually made from later-harvest leaves and stems and is roasted, but it is not caffeine-free. Roasted barley tea is the substitute on this page with no caffeine, as it contains no tea.
Can I leave hojicha powder out of a cake or cookies?
Yes, you can leave it out of a bake, but you will end up with a plain vanilla or butter version of the recipe. Because the powder absorbs a little moisture, add the same weight of plain flour in its place to keep the dough or batter at the right consistency. In a drink or a dessert named for hojicha, leaving it out removes the main flavour.
Where Hojicha Powder comes from
Hojicha is a Japanese green tea, usually made from bancha leaves and stems, that is roasted at high heat until the leaves turn reddish-brown. Hojicha powder is this roasted tea milled very fine.
Hojicha Powder is usually dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free, nut-free — check the label, and see the disclaimer.