10 Easy Starbucks Inspired Coffee Drinks You Can Make at Home

Taking inspiration from Starbucks, we created these 10 copycat coffee recipes that you can easily make at home. 

Here at CoffeeSphere, we believe you should enjoy coffee that you like. 

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Whether it’s a quick scoop of instant coffee or a well crafted espresso and if it’s iced coffee, hot coffee, or frozen coffee… no matter where it’s from or what form of coffee it is, if you like it, drink it!

So if you love Starbucks crafted drinks, you’ve come to the right place. We created these 10 Starbucks inspired coffee recipes that are so easy to make.

Now you can enjoy your favorite Starbucks coffee drinks at home, any time of day and every day if you wish without having to go to the cafe.   

In a hurry? Skip around to find a Starbucks inspired coffee drink: 

• Caffe Misto
• Java Chip Frappuccino
• Cold Brew with Cold Foam
• Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew
• Iced Vanilla Latte
• Iced Salted Caramel Mocha
• Cinnamon Dolce Latte
• Iced Caramel Macchiato
• Pumpkin Spice Latte
• Peppermint Mocha 

1. Caffe Misto

Caffe Misto is a coffee drink that consists of equal parts brewed coffee to steamed milk. Misto means mixed in Italian, so its name implies the mix of coffee and milk. 

At Starbucks, the default for caffe misto is 2% milk but it can also be enjoyed and customized to non fat, whole, 1% milk or milk alternatives like soy and almond milks.

The official description on the Starbucks website is A one-to-one combination of fresh-brewed coffee and steamed milk add up to one distinctly delicious coffee drink remarkably mixed.

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Here’s how you can make it at home: 

1. Brew one cup of coffee. We used a Keurig, but you can use your favorite coffee brewing method. (And we used a Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Breakfast Blend k-cup, if you’re wondering.) 
2. Heat one cup of milk over the stovetop or for even faster preparation, put it in the microwave for 30 seconds.
3. Combine brewed coffee and milk. 

See our full Caffe Misto recipe here. 

2. Java Chip Frappuccino

We can’t do a post about Starbucks without mentioning the Frappuccino. 

A Frappuccino is a cold blended drink that was introduced to the world in the 90s. You can only technically have a Frappuccino at a Starbucks because it is a trademark brand of the company. 

Today, there are so many flavors, some available seasonally and year round. And also so many options – with or without coffee.  

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We recreated one of their most popular Frappuccinos, the Java Chip Frappuccino. Here’s how we make it: 

1. Brew two shots of espresso (¼ cup.) We used a moka pot. 
2. Blend 2 cups of ice cubes, the 2 shots of espresso, 1/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup chocolate chips in a blender.
3. Pour this mixture in a glass and top with whipped cream, a drizzle of chocolate sauce and more chocolate chips. 

Use regular water based ice cubes or coffee ice cubes. (Simply freeze coffee in ice cube trays so you won’t have a watery drink.) 

See our full Java Chip Frappuccino recipe here. 

3. Cold Brew with Cold Foam

I make cold brew coffee all year round and adding cold foam to it is a great way to change it up. 

Cold foam is just cold frothed milk using non fat milk, which gives the cold foam its creamy texture. And if you do mix it into your cold coffee, it won’t make your coffee warm.

Cold brew coffee is made by steeping coarsely ground coffee in water for 12-14 hours. Unlike other coffee brewing methods, hot water is not required. 

You can make this in 3 easy ways – with a cold brew coffee maker, French press or any empty jar you have lying around the house. Read our guide for details on how to make cold brew coffee. 

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Here’s how to make Cold Brew with Cold Foam: 

1. Make cold brew coffee. Steep coarsely ground coffee in water for 12-14 hours. Read our guide to making cold brew coffee easily.
2. Add 2 tbsp skim milk, 1 tbsp heavy cream and sweetener of choice (like coffee syrups or chocolate sauce) into a milk frother. Set frother to cold foam setting.
3. Pour cold brew coffee into a glass.
4. Pour cold foam on top of cold brew coffee. 

See our full Cold Brew with Cold Foam recipe here. 

4. Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew

Instead of having the milk/cream on top of cold brew coffee, we have it poured inside in the Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew Starbucks copycat recipe. 

This is their cold brew coffee served with a sweet vanilla flavored cream and served over ice. As the cream mixes into the cold brew, it creates a nice swirl.

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Here’s how I recreated it: 

1. Make cold brew coffee. See our guide to 3 easy ways to make cold brew coffee. 
2. Mix ¼ cup heavy cream, ¼ cup milk and 1 tbsp vanilla syrup in a mason jar. 
3. Fill a glass with ice, pour cold brew coffee, then vanilla sweet cream. 

See our full Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew recipe here. 

5. Iced Vanilla Latte

Starbucks has a variety of iced lattes on their menu and one that stays on the menu all year round is the iced vanilla latte.

It’s simple to make. The ingredients are espresso, milk, ice and vanilla syrup. That’s all there is to this delicious drink.

Plus when you make it at home, you can use whichever type of coffee beans (I like illy Intenso for espresso) and milk you want. (I used flax milk which isn’t available at Starbucks!) 

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Here’s how to make a Starbucks copycat iced vanilla latte: 

1. Make 2 shots (¼ cup) of 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 1 tbsp of 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.

See our full Iced Vanilla Latte recipe here.

6. Iced Salted Caramel Mocha

If you love coffee and chocolate, mochas are for you. 

Starbucks has a variety of mocha coffee drinks on their menu and a fan favorite is the Iced Salted Caramel Mocha. 

It’s made with espresso, milk, mocha sauce and a toffee nut flavored syrup and poured over ice. Then topped with a generous layer of sweetened whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce. Oh and there’s a mix of turbinado sugar and sea salt on top too.

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Here’s how I make this Starbucks inspired mocha at home: 

1. Brew ½ cup of espresso. I used Illy Intenso whole beans and brewed it in a moka pot.
2. Mix hot coffee, 1 tbsp chocolate sauce, 2 tsp caramel syrup and a pinch of sea salt in a mug. Set aside to cool.
3. Meanwhile, put ice cubes in a glass. Pour cooled coffee over ice, then pour in 1 cup of milk.
4. Top iced coffee with whipped cream and drizzle of chocolate or caramel sauce.
5. Optional: Mix equal amounts of turbinado sugar and sea salt and sprinkle on top of the whipped cream and caramel sauce.

See our full Iced Salted Caramel Mocha recipe here.

7. Cinnamon Dolce Latte

If you love cinnamon, this is a treat for you. 

The Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce Latte is made with their classic espresso, milk and a cinnamon dolce flavored syrup. To top it, there’s a generous layer of sweetened whipped cream and a cinnamon dolce topping, made with cinnamon and sugar.

We do something similar here in our cinnamon dolce latte Starbucks inspired recipe. 

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Here’s how to make it, and you can enjoy it either hot or iced: 

1. Grind coffee beans and mix ⅛ of ground cinnamon in the grounds before brewing. This gives you a cinnamon flavored coffee. 
2. Brew ½ cup of espresso. I used a moka pot. 
3. Add 1 tsp of vanilla syrup to espresso. Set aside to cool. (If making the iced version.) 
4. Mix ground cinnamon and white sugar to make cinnamon sugar. Put ice cubes (if making an iced version) in a glass. 
5. Pour espresso and 1 cup of milk. 
6. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle cinnamon sugar.

See our full Cinnamon Dolce Latte recipe here. 

8. Iced Caramel Macchiato

You may recognize the Starbucks Iced Caramel Macchiato because of its layered look with the milk on the bottom and coffee on top. 

There are two types of macchiatos. Macchiato translates to marked or stained. So one of the macchiatos is the espresso macchiato, which is a shot of espresso that’s ‘stained’ with a little steamed milk. And because it’s just a shot of espresso, the drink is tiny. 

Meanwhile, this layered Starbucks drink is called a latte macchiato, which is a coffee drink that is milk topped with a shot or two of espresso, resulting in a layered look. 

Because of that shot or two of espresso on the top, the first few sips of this coffee drink is mostly a bold coffee. Then as you take more sips, the coffee gets subtler as it starts to mix in with the milk.

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Here’s how you can make a Starbucks inspired Iced Caramel Macchiato at home: 

1. Brew ¼ cup of espresso. I used a moka pot. 
2. Add 1 tbsp of vanilla syrup to espresso and set aside to cool. 
3. Put ice cubes in a glass. Pour 1 cup of milk followed by the espresso. 
4. Drizzle caramel sauce on top.

See our full Iced Caramel Macchiato recipe here.

9. Pumpkin Spice Latte

We didn’t forget the Pumpkin Spice Latte, a Starbucks fall staple that was first introduced to the world in the fall of 2003.

Since PSLs are a seasonal coffee drink, if you feel like having a pumpkin flavored in the middle of summer, you can now. 

We make ours with homemade pumpkin spice! 

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1. Mix 1 teaspoon ground allspice, 1 teaspoon ground cloves, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon. This is your pumpkin spice. You can also use store bought pumpkin pie spice. 
2. Pull a double shot of espresso (¼ cup) on your espresso machine. Or use a moka pot. 
3. Combine 1 tbsp pumpkin purée, 1/4 tsp pumpkin spice and 1 cup milk in a saucepan over medium heat.
4. Remove from heat and add espresso and 1 tsp or more of maple syrup. 
5. Top with whipped cream and homemade pumpkin spice. 
6. You can also make an iced Pumpkin Spice Latte, if you prefer cold coffee. 

See our full Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe here.

10. Peppermint Mocha

Before the PSL, there was the Peppermint Mocha. It’s another seasonal coffee drink that launched a year before the PSL. And it’s still available today during the holidays. 

Starbucks makes their Peppermint Mocha with their signature espresso roast. They add steamed milk, mocha sauce and peppermint flavored syrup and top it with whipped cream and dark chocolate curls.

One difference between our peppermint mocha and Starbucks’ is the use of fresh mint. 

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Here’s how we made our Starbucks copycat Peppermint Mocha with fresh mint:  

1. Brew ¼ cup of espresso. I used a stove top moka pot. 
2. Make mint simple syrup by placing ½ cup sugar, ½ cup water and ½ cup mint leaves over the stovetop on medium heat until sugar dissolves. Steep mint leaves until syrup cools completely. Store in a mason jar.
3. Mix espresso with 1 ½ tbsp of mint simple syrup (or Torani Mint Syrup) and 1 tbsp of chocolate sauce. 
4. Steam 1 cup of milk. You can do this with a milk frother, over the stove top or just put it in the microwave for a few seconds. 
5. Combine mint and chocolate flavored espresso and steamed milk. 
6. Top with whipped cream and chocolate curls or red sprinkles. (The original Peppermint Mocha was topped with red sprinkles!) 

See our full Peppermint Mocha recipe here. 

What is your favorite Starbucks coffee drink? 

Let us know in the comments and any drink you’d like to see us recreate next!

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