The Best Winter Latte Recipes (Non alcoholic Drinks)- from winter coffee lattes to tea lattes and other unique flavor ideas to make at home that go beyond hot chocolate latte, homemade vanilla caramel, easy golden turmeric, Starbucks copycat hot matcha, and chai tea latte.
The basic recipe for the following lattes is:
1 Cup = steamed milk + 1-2 shots of espresso + syrup/ powder/ sauce (optional) + frothy milk + latte art (optional)
I recommend syrups over powders, as you won't have to worry about dissolving and won't be left with gritty lumps at the bottom of your drink.
Scroll to the bottom of the post if you're looking for the basic formula to make a Starbucks copycat flavoured late.
Hot Chocolate
Chocolate Chai Latte
Nothing gives cozy winter vibes as much as a hot cocoa bar. If you like chai, keep some homemade chai concentrate syrup on hand!
For more hot chocolate ideas- including one made in the microwave, click here!
Peppermint Latte
Nothing says Christmas better than peppermint and hot chocolate!
White Chocolate Latte
Add a pump of white chocolate sauce to espresso and milk.
For a tangy note, you can make White Chocolate Raspberry Latte by adding raspberry sauce or even raspberry jam.
Peanut Butter Latte
Turmeric
Golden Milk Latte
Mix:
- 1 shot of espresso
- 1 Cup of foamy, steamed milk
- either 1 pump of turmeric syrup OR 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
- sweetener (to taste)
The turmeric powder will turn your drink a beautiful, appetising golden color!
For a more traditional turmeric latte, without coffee, check out the next recipe.
Golden Milk Latte (No Coffee)
Matcha
Hot Green Tea Milk
Tip: Hot lattes go very well with vanilla ice-cream: think affogato style! For matcha- try vanilla ice cream topped with red beans.
This Matcha Drink is really easy to make with homemade matcha syrup.
Although the recipe is for a hot drink, you can serve this iced too. Simply add some ice cubes to the cup and preferably chill the matcha before pouring over the ice (to prevent them from melting.)
There's also a Vanilla Matcha version- add vanilla syrup to the Green Tea Latte.
Oat Matcha Latte
Switch the dairy milk for oat milk for this easy Matcha with Oat Milk Latte recipe!
Variation: Starbucks has an Oat Milk and Honey Latte- note that it's not vegan though, as honey is an animal product.
Vanilla Matcha
Caffe Latte
This classic drink is made with:
- 2 shots of espresso
- 2% steamed milk
- topped by a layer of frothy milk.
It's 1 of the most popular Starbucks drinks!
It can be easily turned into different drinks by adding different syrups, as shown below.
Tip: If you're looking to be your own Starbucks barista, note that a Tall drink has 3 pumps of syup, a Grande 4, a Venti hot 5 and a Venti Iced 6. (You need more to offset the dilution when the ice melts.) One Starbucks pump of syrup = about 1 Tablespoon of syrup.
Vanilla Latte
Add some vanilla syrup or vanilla extract to get 1 of the most popular latte flavors, Vanilla Latte!
Tip: if you're out to impress, use vanilla beans! Infuse them directly in the steaming milk or simmer them with sugar and water to make vanilla simple syrup.
Caramel Latte
The toffee notes go really well with the bitterness of the espresso.
DIY with:
- 1- 2 shots of espresso
- into frothed steamed milk
- followed by caramel sauce
Mix and stir then serve with a brown sugar cookie on the side!
Salted Caramel Latte
I like using vegan gula melaka caramel or brown sugar syrup to make my own plant-based Salted Caramel Latte.
Caramel Brulee Latte
Recreate this 2009 Starbucks Secret Menu item using espresso, milk, and caramel brulée sauce. Top with whipped cream and caramel brulée topping!
Hazelnut Latte
Swap out the 2% milk for Hazelnut Milk and, for extra sweetness, add a pump of Hazelnut Sauce.
The toasted, nutty flavor complements the strong, bitter coffee taste amazingly well.
Almond Milk Latte
Use Almond Milk instead of cow's milk in this latte- perfect for those who can't take dairy:
- Variation 1: stir some almond butter into the hot coffee before pouring in the foamy milk to make Almond Butter Latte. (Similar to peanut butter latte above.)
- Variation 2: Add almond syrup, coconut syrup and chocolate syrup to make an Almond Joy Latte!
Substitute with the chocolate sauce with white chocolate syrup.
Cinnamon Dolce
A mix of:
- 1 shot of espresso
- 1 Cup of steamed milk
- 1 pump of sweet Cinnamon Dolce syrup
- topped with sweetened whipped cream and cinnamon dolce sprinkles
Note: The name Cinnamon Dolce refers to the fact that the cinnamon is mixed with brown sugar. For a healthier Cinnamon Latte, infuse the warm milk with a cinnamon stick instead of using cinnamon syrup then sprinkle cinnamon powder on the milk foam.
Blonde Vanilla
This latte uses a less roasted coffee instead of the typical espresso.
Starbucks Seasonal Drinks
Toffee Nut Latte
This Christmas drink is sweet and nutty.
Make 1 of the most popular Starbucks drinks by adding Toffee Nut Syrup to your regular drink.
Sugar Cookie Almond Milk Latte
In this popular seasonal latte, steamed Almond Milk is paired with Starbucks Blonde Espresso and a Sugar Cookie flavored Syrup, topped by red and green sprinkles to get you in the XMAS mood!
A light drink, it's perfect for those who don't want their drinks too sweet.
Chestnut Praline Latte
You can make this 2014 Starbucks seasonal latte with:
- coffee espresso
- steamed milk
- caramelized chestnut praline syrup.
Spritz some whipped cream on top followed by a sprinkle of praline crumble (or Biscoff cookies.)
Peppermint Mocha
Introduced in 2002, this is 1 of the bestselling latte flavors at Starbucks.
The following recipe is adapted from the Starbucks original recipe:
Ingredients
- 1 shot espresso (or 1 fluid oz coffee)
- ½ Cup 2% milk (or vegan milk)
- 3 Tablespoons mocha sauce
- 2 Tablespoons peppermint syrup
- Whipped cream
- Toppings: red sugar sprinkles (if nostalgic for the drink's original look) or dark chocolate curls (the current topping.)
How to Make
- Heat the milk gently on the stove and whisk till frothy. (Takes 20-30 seconds or about 100 whisks.)
- Pour the mocha sauce and peppermint syrup into a heat-proof cup. Coat the walls to create a pretty drink.
- Pour in the espresso followed by the frothy milk.
- Spritz with whipped cream then follow by topping of choice.
Maple Pecan Latte
An easy DIY version is to mix espresso, steamed milk and maple syrup.
Eggnog Latte
The Peppermint isn't the 1st Starbucks holiday drink. That honour goes to the Eggnog Latte, introduced in 1986!
Gingerbread Latte
This Starbucks winter drink is the perfect beverage to snuggle up on the couch with when watching Netflix Christmas movies! The earthiness of the spices round out the bitter coffee flavor.
Add a syrup of ginger, cinnamon and molasses then dust with ginger and cinnamon powder. (If you're making your own simple syrup, ginger should be the dominant flavor note.)
Oatmeal Cookie Latte
All you need to make this Starbucks drink are:
- oat milk
- 2 pumps of mocha
- 2 pumps brown sugar syrup (easy recipe)
Nutella Latte
This delicious nutty drink is made using a:
- Caffe Misto (Unlike Caffe Latte which uses espresso, Caffe Misto uses drip coffee and consists of half drip coffee, half steamed milk.)
- 1 pump of Mocha Syrup
- 1 pump of Hazelnut Syrup.
For an extra decadent finish, top with buttery caramel sauce.
French Toast Latte
This is actually a Starbucks Frappuccino flavor but you can easily make it into a latte by mixing:
- 1 shot of espresso
- 1 Cup of steamed milk
- 1 pump of Cinnamon Dolce Syrup
- 1 pump of Hazelnut Syrup
- Sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg powder on top!
Pistachio Latte
This Starbucks special blends:
- pistachio syrup
- foamy steamed milk
- a double shot of espresso
- Add whipped cream and pistachio crumbs or brown butter sugar topping for a sweet and delicious crunch.
Chai
Dirty Chai
Black tea lovers, look no further than Chai Latte.
This creamy Spiced Tea from India is super cozy in cold weather- pour in a shot or 2 of espresso to make Dirty Chai Latte!
Matcha Chai Latte
Add 2 pumps of chai syrup to your Starbucks Matcha latte and you get Matcha Chai Latte.
Hojicha Latte
Some Starbucks outlets in Asia serve a Roasted Green Tea or Hojicha Latte:
Korean Black Sesame Latte
There are 2 types of sesame- we want black sesame paste here not white sesame!
Coconut Latte
You will need:
- 1 shot of espresso
- 1 Cup of coconut milk (not coconut cream)
- sweetener (I like to use gula melaka caramel sauce as it goes so well with the coconut.)
Top with toasted dessicated coconut for extra flavor!
Variation 1: add butterfly blue pea flowers when heating the coconut milk for a beautiful naturally blue drink!
Variation 2: For Starbucks' Coconut Milk Latte, mix Blonde Espresso with Coconut milk and Cascara sugar.
Sweet Potato Latte
This is a popular Korean Latte, similar to Pumpkin Spice- the difference is it uses sweet potatoes instead of pumpkins.
How to Make
- Steam and skin 1 small sweet potato then blend it into a puree.
- Add a shot of espresso and a cup of milk then blend till well-mixed.
- Pour the mixture into a pot and cook over medium-low heat till smooth. This will take 1-2 minutes.
- Sweeten to taste and finish with a sprinkle of brown sugar, cinnamon and ground toasted nuts (optional).
Tip: Use Asian sweet potatoes- look out for Korean and Japanese ones in particular- as they are sweeter. If you want to make a multicoloured drink, there are purple and orange sweet potatoes that you can mix.
How to Make a Classic Latte
For more detailed directions, scroll down for recipes.
Usually, lattes have 2 times the amount of steamed milk of espresso, topped with frothy milk foam for extra richness.
Lattes contain more milk than cappuccino and thus usually have more calories and fat. As a result, lattes taste less strong.
Basic Formula for Flavored Lattes
Extra flavoring is added to lattes in the form of syrups or powders.
The basic recipe for lattes is:
1 Cup = steamed milk + 1-2 shots of espresso + syrup/ powder/ sauce (optional) + frothy milk + latte art (optional)
Tip: Keeping a range of simple syrups on hand enables you to readily create a wide range of new flavors (as well as boba teas!).
Simply stir them into your regular drink. Some good syrups to prepare in advance are:
- pandan syrup
- brown sugar simple syrup
- lemongrass syrup
- green matcha syrup
- pineapple ginger syrup
- Korean plum syrup
- Korean tangerine syrup
Which of these unique Latte Flavors is your favorite for fall? Let me know in the comments!
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