Classic, frozen and a cocktail… here’s how to make cafe con leche in 3 easy ways.
You can make cafe con leche in the comfort of your home kitchen. Make it unsweetened or serve it as sweet as you like. Making this delicious coffee beverage is easier than you may think.
I’ve tested three versions in my home test kitchen, so here are three versions (one is even a little fancy!) to spruce up your favorite drink.
What is Cafe con Leche?
Cafe con leche is Spanish for coffee with milk. It’s a type of milk based coffee that is very popular in Spain and Latin America. This Spanish coffee is similar to Italian caffé latte, but traditional café con leche uses scalded milk and doesn’t usually have microfoam on top.
Traditional café con leche is served hot using strong, black coffee mixed with milk. If you like adding lots of milk to your cup of coffee, this is the coffee for you.
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Which one will you try first? Continue reading to find out the steps to make each, or skip below to each recipe:
1. Regular Café con Leche
Here is my technique for making a regular cup of café con leche.
Cafe con Leche Ingredients
- 15 grams ground coffee
- 6 ounces milk
Cafe con Leche Instructions
Step 1
Pour milk into a saucepan and heat it up to 170°F.
Step 2
Turn off the heat and stir in ground coffee. Let it sit for 3-4 minutes.
Step 3
Strain the coffee into a cup and serve with a dollop of microfoam milk on top.
2. Frozen Café con Leche
Here, I make my version of a frozen café con leche. It’s refreshing on warmer days and when I’m on vacation in tropical destinations.
Frozen Cafe con Leche Ingredients
- 2 ounces espresso
- 6 ounces milk
- 2 tablespoons condensed milk (I use California Farms’ Sweetened Condensed Milk)
- 4-5 ice cubes
Frozen Cafe con Leche Instructions
Step 1
Prepare an espresso shot ahead of time and let it cool to room temperature. You can either use an espresso machine or a Moka pot for the espresso shot.
Then mix espresso, milk, and condensed milk.
Step 2
Pour liquid into an ice tray and freeze for 6 hours.
Step 3
Remove from freezer once frozen and put into a blender along with ice cubes. Turn on the blender and blend until desired smoothie-like consistency.
Serve in a glass with a straw.
3. Mudslide Café con Leche Cocktail
I thought I’d go a little fancier and brew a café con leche with Kahlua and vodka.
Here’s my version of the Mudslide café con leche cocktail.
Mudslide Cafe con Leche Ingredients
- 2 ounces espresso
- 2 ounces milk
- 1 ounce condensed milk (I use California Farms Sweetened Condensed Milk)
- 1 ounce Kahlua
- 1 ounce Irish cream
- 1 ounce Vodka
- Lots of ice
- Panela or brown sugar (optional)
Mudslide Cafe con Leche Instructions
Step 1
Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with lots of ice for 20 seconds.
Step 2
Serve in a cocktail glass and garnish with grated panela or brown sugar.
Give our recipes a try and let us know what you think.
Mudslide Café con Leche Cocktail
I thought I'd go a little fancier and brew a café con leche with Kahlua and vodka. Here's what you need.
Materials
- 2 ounces espresso
- 2 ounces milk
- 1 ounce condensed milk
- 1 ounce Kahlua
- 1 ounce Irish cream
- 1 ounce Vodka
- Lots of ice
- Panela or brown sugar (optional)
Tools
- Cocktail shaker
- Cocktail glass
Instructions
1. Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with lots of ice for 20 seconds.
2. Serve in a cocktail glass and garnish with grated panela or brown sugar.
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Article and photos by Latte Art Guy
