Best Ever Salted Caramel Latte
Want to keep that seven bucks in your pocket but still sip on an epic salted caramel latte!? Skip the coffee shop and make this delicious latte at home with homemade salted caramel syrup, frothy milk and strong coffee. Lessss goooo espressoooo.
Erica’s Notes:
I can hardly believe that I didn’t used to be a coffee person. I didn’t seriously drink coffee until I was twenty-nine. TWENTY-NINE. Like what? Of course, I did love going out for lattes with my friends, drinking coffee socially, etc. but I was not an everyday morning coffee drinker.
I’ll give ya one guess what made me a coffee fiend.
Did you guess having babies? Because you would be correct.
Ever since my first in 2020, I have been a for sure once-a-day, usually twice-a-day coffee drinker. I cherish that morning cup of hot coffee and look forward to my iced latte in the afternoon. And my love of coffee morphed into a love of salted caramel IN my coffee. Caramel and vanilla are my favorite flavors for coffee drinks and we’re hitting up both in this latte made with my homemade salted caramel vanilla syrup.
The syrup is made from simple ingredients and while it may seem daunting to make your own caramel, it’s quite straight-forward. For best results, I recommend making this salted caramel latte recipe with espresso, but if you don’t have an espresso machine you can brew extra strong coffee. When we’re camping we use a pour-over to make strong coffee and add salted caramel and a splash of cream, it is simple perfection on a brisk morning in the wilderness.
This drink is pretty versatile and you can adjust the ratios of coffee, milk and syrup to suit your preferences. Use my recipe as a guide and then adjust per YOU, great caffeine highs await us!
What You’ll Need for this Salted Caramel Latte:
Espresso: I have a Nespresso Vertuo machine and use the 1.35oz espresso pod. I usually run the pod twice, to get a larger shot of espresso. If you don’t have an espresso machine, you can brew drip coffee a lot stronger to mimic an espresso shot- refer to the recipe notes for the how-to.
Salted caramel syrup: this incredible homemade salted caramel syrup is made with sugar, water, heavy cream and pinch of sea salt! You could also use something like the Torani salted caramel syrup but that will not be quite as creamy, thick and luscious.
Milk: my top choice is oat milk. Types of milk that froth best and will yield the creamiest results are oat milk and whole milk. But you can use any milk variety you like- coconut milk, almond milk, cashew milk, rice milk, etc.
Optional: whipped cream and extra caramel, duh!
How to Make a Mean Salted Caramel Latte:
Iced salted caramel latte: use a spoon to drizzle caramel on the inside of a tall glass or mason jar. Fill the glass with ice. Add the salted caramel syrup into the espresso or coffee, stirring vigorously to fully blend the syrup into the coffee. If the espresso is recently brewed and still warm, the salted caramel should melt right in. Pour the espresso caramel mixture into the glass. If you have a milk frother- froth up the milk a bit to be extra fancy. If not, simply pour the milk into the glass. I have the Nespresso Aeroccino which can froth the milk cold or hot- perfect for iced lattes! Top with whipped cream and a salted caramel drizzle.
Hot salted caramel latte: brew the espresso or coffee and mix in the salted caramel sauce in a coffee cup. Steam the milk using a milk frother or warm in a saucepan on the stovetop or in the microwave for 30-45 seconds. Add warm milk to the espresso and give it a quick stir. Top with whipped cream and a drizzle of salted caramel.
Drip coffee instructions: if you don’t have a Nespresso or espresso maker you can make a high-strength drip coffee with a regular coffee machine. Use a finely ground coffee and increase the coffee to water ratio to 2 tablespoons coffee for every 3 ounces water. Tamping the coffee grounds in the filter basket can also help increase the pressure during extraction, making the final product more similar to espresso.
Variation ideas:
- Instead of milk, use hot chocolate + espresso + salted caramel for the meanest caramel mocha in town.
- To make this dairy-free- use a dairy-free salted caramel syrup and milk alternative like coconut cream, soy milk, almond milk, etc.
- Use cold brew! Swap out the espresso for 4-6oz of your favorite cold brew coffee.
- Topping ideas: cinnamon, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, toasted coconut, chopped pecans and a sprinkle of sea salt!
FAQs:
This will work well if you want to drink it iced! Prep ahead instructions: brew 16oz of very strong coffee or use 16oz cold brew concentrate. Stir in 8oz salted caramel syrup until dissolved. Add 32oz milk of choice and store in a large pitcher in the fridge for up to 5 days. Serve over ice with an extra caramel drizzle. This is a great way to serve to a crowd!
Yes. You can make strong-brewed coffee using a French press or regular coffee machine, refer to recipe notes for instructions.
Warm the milk in the microwave (45-60 seconds) or on the stovetop until almost simmering. Place milk in a mason jar and shake vigorously to get the same frothy effect! Also, I recommend getting a really inexpensive handheld milk frother to make allll the lattes.
Yes! The sweetness comes from the salted caramel and the type of milk you use. If you want less sweet, use less syrup and an unsweetened milk alternative. If you want more sweet, increase the amount of salted caramel.
I love whipped cream and extra caramel but a dusting of cinnamon and/or cocoa powder or a sprinkle of toasted coconut, mini chocolate chips or chopped pecans is fun!
I wish I could tell you I made these from scratch… but I can do no such thing. These pumpkin muffins are made from the Trader Joe’s pumpkin bread box mix!
Need something yummy to eat with your latte? I got you.
If you try and like this recipe please don’t forget to leave a comment and star rating down below! If you love more lifestyle, behind the scenes and ‘eating in real life’ type of content come find me over on Instagram, @itsaflavorfullife, I love connecting with you all there!
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Best Ever Salted Caramel Latte
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: N/A
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 latte 1x
- Category: Beverage
- Method: Mix
- Cuisine: American
Description
Stay $7 richer and make this simple salted caramel latte at home. It is truly the best way to get that caffeine fix!
Ingredients
- 2oz espresso or strong brewed coffee* see note
- 1oz salted caramel syrup
- 4oz milk of choice, I love oat milk or whole milk
- Whipped cream, optional
- Extra salted caramel, for drizzling
Instructions
Iced instructions: use a spoon to drizzle caramel on the inside of a tall drinking glass or mason jar. Fill the glass with ice. Add the salted caramel syrup into the espresso or coffee, stirring vigorously to fully blend the syrup into the coffee. If the espresso is recently brewed and still warm, the salted caramel should melt right in. Pour the espresso caramel mixture into the glass. If you have a milk frother- froth up the milk a bit to be extra fancy. If not, simply pour the milk into the glass. I have the Nespresso Aeroccino which can froth the milk cold or hot- perfect for iced lattes! Top with whipped cream and a salted caramel drizzle.
Hot instructions: brew the espresso or coffee and mix in the salted caramel syrup. Steam the milk using a milk frother. If you don’t have a frother, warm milk in a saucepan on the stovetop or in the microwave for 30-45 seconds. Shake in a jar or whisk vigorously to get that same frothed effect. Add warm milk to the espresso and give it a quick stir. Top with whipped cream and drizzle of salted caramel.
Grab your favorite baked good, cozy up and get ready for the yummiest sip!
Notes
- Muffins: I wish I could tell you that the muffins here are homemade, but I can’t. I used the pumpkin bread boxed mix from Trader Joe’s, added a scoop of pumpkin puree for extra pumpkin flavor, an extra egg yolk and a generous sprinkle of turbinado sugar on top, just to make them super yummy.
- Drip coffee instructions: if you don’t have a Nespresso or espresso machine, make a high-strength drip coffee with your regular coffee maker. Use a finely ground coffee and increase the coffee to water ratio to 2 tablespoons coffee for every 3 ounces water. Tamping the coffee grounds in the filter basket can also help increase the pressure during extraction, making the final product more similar to espresso.
- Lattes for a crowd: these prep ahead instructioins are best if you plan to serve this iced. Brew 16oz of very strong coffee or use 16oz cold brew concentrate. Stir in 8oz salted caramel syrup until dissolved. Add 32oz milk of choice and store in a large pitcher in the fridge for up to 5 days. Serve over ice with an extra caramel drizzle.
- Refer to above blog post for ingredient information and answers to frequently asked questions!
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 latte (nutrition info calculated with 2% milk and without whipped cream)
- Calories: 138
- Sugar: 19.5 g
- Sodium: 115.3 mg
- Fat: 2.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 24.6 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 4.2 g
- Cholesterol: 9.1 mg
