It’s super simple to make your own iced vanilla latte at home. We’ll show you just how simple it is.
Ever had an iced vanilla latte at Starbucks?
They have a variety of iced lattes on the menu and one that stays on the menu all year round is the iced vanilla latte.
It’s made with espresso, milk, ice and vanilla syrup. That’s all there is to this delicious drink.
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These are all ingredients you can stock up and may already have at home. So you can make several iced vanilla lattes at home without having to pay $6 (the price of a grande iced latte) every single time.
Plus, Starbucks doesn’t have flax milk available on their menu. But if you want flax milk instead of regular milk, like I did this time, guess what? You can have that in your iced vanilla latte if you make it at home.
Here’s how.
Iced Vanilla Latte Ingredients
I used a 16 ounce glass for the following ingredients.
- 12 ice cubes
- 1 tablespoon vanilla syrup
- 2 shots (2 ounces) espresso
- 1 cup of milk or milk alternative
Ice Cubes
I used regular ice cubes but sometimes I’ll switch it up and use coffee ice cubes. This is a great coffee hack so you’ll never have diluted coffee. When the ice melts, you’ll just have more coffee.
Most of the time I use cold brew coffee concentrate to make my ice cubes. But all you have to do is pour coffee (this can even be extra coffee from the pot you made that morning) into ice cube trays.
You can even get creative and add flavors to the ice cubes, like adding sweetened condensed milk for Vietnamese coffee ice cubes.
Vanilla Syrup
I used Monin Vanilla Syrup.
Their vanilla syrup uses pure Madagascar vanilla and does not contain any artificial colors, flavors, ingredients or sweeteners.
If you want to make your iced vanilla latte like a true Starbucks copycat, Starbucks sells their own line of coffee syrups, including a Starbucks Vanilla Syrup on Amazon. Just note that these syrups, though made by Starbucks, are just inspired by the flavored syrups that you can get at their cafes. So it probably doesn’t taste exactly the same.
Another option is to make your own vanilla syrup at home. To make a simple syrup, just use one part water to one part sugar and add in vanilla extract.
For example, place one cup of sugar, one cup of water and a few teaspoons of vanilla extract over the stovetop to dissolve the sugar. Wait for the syrup to cool and pour it in a mason jar to store.
Espresso
I brewed espresso using a moka pot and used French vanilla flavored coffee for an extra vanilla flavor.
Espresso is made when water is forced through tightly packed coffee grounds, creating a concentrated coffee. To get that pressure through the coffee grounds, you need an espresso machine.
But if you don’t have an espresso machine at home, you can make a concentrated coffee similar to what an espresso machine can do using a moka pot, which is what I used. Read our guide to making espresso without an espresso machine.
While I usually opt for whole coffee beans and grind them myself right before brewing in my moka pot, this time I decided to try using a French vanilla flavored coffee.
Milk
I used Good Karma unsweetened flaxmilk. It’s a dairy, lactose, nut, soy and gluten free milk alternative.
Feel free to use whole milk, skim milk or any of your favorite milk alternatives.
How to Make an Iced Vanilla Latte
- Make espresso with an espresso machine or moka pot and set aside to cool.
- Fill a glass with ice or coffee ice cubes.
- Add store bought or homemade vanilla syrup.
- Pour two or more shots of espresso.
- Fill the glass to the top with milk.
- Give it a stir and add more vanilla syrup if desired.
Step 1
Brew espresso. I used a moka pot.
Step 2
Fill the glass with ice. I used regular ice but you can also use coffee ice cubes.
Step 3
Pour a tablespoon or two of vanilla syrup over the ice. I used Monin Vanilla Syrup.
Step 4
Pour two shots or more of espresso over the ice.
Step 5
Pour a cup of milk of choice, or enough to reach the top of the glass.
Step 6
Stir the vanilla syrup, espresso and milk. Add more vanilla syrup if desired.
Iced Vanilla Latte Recipe
Iced Vanilla Latte
It’s super simple to make your own iced vanilla latte at home. We’ll show you just how simple it is.
Materials
- 12 ice cubes
- 1 tablespoon vanilla syrup
- 2 shots of espresso
- 1 cup of milk or milk alternative
Instructions
1. Make espresso with an espresso machine or moka pot and set aside to cool.
2. Fill a glass with ice or coffee ice cubes.
3. Add store bought or homemade vanilla syrup.
4. Pour two or more shots of espresso.
5. Fill the glass to the top with milk.
6. Give it a stir and add more vanilla syrup if desired.
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What exactly is a latte?
A latte is an espresso based coffee drink.
Espresso is made using an espresso machine, then steamed milk and a layer of milk foam is added to it. The milk foam is where baristas create fun designs like hearts and swans, aka latte art. To make it an iced latte, just add ice.
The ratio of espresso to milk is usually 1 part espresso to about 3 parts steamed milk.
Iced latte vs iced coffee
Sometimes you may hear iced latte and iced coffee used interchangeably. They are different drinks and it comes down to the way each is brewed and the coffee to milk ratio.
You can read more about the difference between an iced latte and an iced coffee in one of our articles.
But in summary, an iced latte must contain espresso, meanwhile iced coffee is made with any brewed coffee, like coffee made with a drip coffee maker. Also, an iced latte has a higher milk to coffee ratio than iced coffee. Iced coffee doesn’t necessarily need milk, while an iced latte wouldn’t be an iced latte without milk.
