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Genmaicha Cold Brew with Toasted Rice Milk

By • Updated August 2026
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Genmaicha—Japanese green tea blended with toasted rice—takes beautifully to cold brewing. Overnight steeping in a cold brew pitcher draws out the tea's sweet, grassy notes and nutty rice aroma without a trace of bitterness, creating a refreshing summer drink that's lighter and more delicate than hot-brewed genmaicha. The homemade toasted rice milk amplifies the nuttiness and adds a silky, dairy-free richness.

This recipe is designed for a cold brew pitcher with a removable infuser—the easiest way to manage loose-leaf tea overnight and pour cleanly the next morning. The toasted rice milk takes only ten minutes on the hob and keeps for three days, so you can batch-prep for the week. It's a lovely twist on traditional genmaicha that feels special but stays simple.

Genmaicha Cold Brew with Toasted Rice Milk
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time10 mins
Servings4 glasses
DifficultyEasy

Ingredients

  • 20 g Genmaicha (loose leaf or 8–10 teabags)
  • 1 litre Cold Filtered Water
  • 60 g Uncooked White Rice (sushi or jasmine rice)
  • 500 ml Water (for rice milk)
  • 1 tbsp Maple Syrup or honey (optional, to taste)
  • Pinch of Sea Salt
  • Ice (to serve)
Nutrition per serving:
Calories: 45
Fat: 0.3g
Sugar: 7g
Protein: 0.5g

Instructions

1
Steep the Genmaicha: Place the genmaicha in the infuser basket of your cold brew pitcher. Pour in 1 litre of cold filtered water, cover, and refrigerate for 8–12 hours (overnight is ideal). The cold steeping process extracts sweetness and umami without releasing harsh tannins.
2
Toast the Rice: While the tea steeps (or the next morning), toast the uncooked rice in a dry frying pan over medium heat for 4–5 minutes, stirring constantly, until golden and fragrant. Watch closely—it can scorch quickly. Tip into a bowl to cool.
3
Blend the Rice Milk: Add the toasted rice and 500 ml water to a blender. Blend on high for 60–90 seconds until the rice is finely ground and the liquid turns milky. Strain through a nut-milk bag, muslin, or fine-mesh sieve into a jug, pressing to extract all the liquid. Stir in the maple syrup (if using) and a pinch of salt. Chill until needed.
4
Remove the Infuser: Lift the infuser basket from your cold brew pitcher and discard (or compost) the spent leaves. The tea should be pale golden with a gentle rice aroma.
5
Assemble: Fill glasses with ice. Pour the cold-brewed genmaicha three-quarters full, then top with 2–3 tablespoons of toasted rice milk per glass. Stir gently and serve immediately. For a richer drink, increase the rice milk ratio—it's lovely mixed into tea or enjoyed on its own.

🫖 Equipment You'll Need

A cold brew pitcher with a removable infuser is the simplest way to steep loose-leaf tea overnight without fuss. The infuser keeps the leaves contained so you can lift them out cleanly in the morning, leaving you with a jug of ready-to-pour iced tea with no straining, no mess, and no stray leaves floating in your glass. For recipes like this one—where you want a delicate, slow-extracted flavour—it's worth investing in a pitcher that seals well and has a fine-mesh basket to accommodate small, broken tea leaves and toasted rice grains.

See our cold brew pitcher picks →

Expert Tip: Boost the Nuttiness

For an even more intense toasted flavour, reserve a teaspoon of the toasted rice (before blending) and sprinkle it on top of each glass as a crunchy garnish. It adds texture and amplifies the signature genmaicha aroma.

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