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Here’s how to make an iced latte at home with espresso, cold milk, and ice. This creamy, espresso-forward drink takes 10 minutes and tastes better than a coffee shop!
What’s more refreshing than an iced latte? It’s no wonder this espresso drink is massively popular: the combination of bitter coffee balanced by delicate sweetness and creamy, frothed milk is an absolute delight.
For me, I’d take this iced latte recipe over a hot cafe latte any day. It’s so much easier to make an iced latte at home, and there’s no need to run to your favorite coffee shop. It tastes way better!
Iced Latte vs Iced Coffee
An iced latte is a drink with espresso, milk, and optional sweetener. The milk is often frothed to simulate the steamed milk in a standard latte.
So what’s the difference vs iced coffee? Iced coffee uses brewed coffee and optional milk. Because an iced latte uses espresso, it has a stronger, more bitter flavor. (Of course, cold brew is a different thing entirely: it’s coffee steeped in cold water for 12 hours for a smoother, less acidic flavor.)
What You Need For the Espresso
What makes an iced latte an iced latte? The espresso! Strong coffee will not do here. You’ll need the following items to make a double shot of espresso:
- Espresso roast coffee: The roast is important to get the right dark, bitter flavor. Use a fine grind on the espresso beans.
- Espresso maker: This espresso machine is fantastic: it’s pricey but it makes the best espresso (it’s the one I’ve been using for years). For a cheaper option, this manual espresso maker is portable and makes great espresso. My French press espresso also works well: it’s my top choice for decent espresso without a specific tool. Or, you can make Moka Pot coffee for a similar flavor.
Best Milk For an Iced Latte
The best milk for a latte is whole milk: whole milk froths the best because it has the highest milk fat. With an iced latte, the exact texture of the milk is less important because it’s a cold drink. So you can get away with 2% if you’d like: it just tastes less rich!
The best milk for a vegan iced latte is oat milk, which froths the best of any non-dairy milk. Since the cold version of a latte is less touchy than the hot one, you can substitute any other non-dairy milk if you choose: almond milk, cashew milk, soy milk, etc.
How to Make an Iced Latte
Here’s the outline of how to make an iced latte at home:
- Step 1: Make a double shot of espresso.
- Step 2: Froth ¼ cup whole milk by shaking it in a covered jar or whisking until frothy.
- Step 3: Pour the espresso and 1 teaspoon maple syrup over ice. Add milk and serve.
Below are a few notes on the methods for how to make espresso and how to froth the milk.
How to Froth the Milk
A good iced latte has lightly frothed milk, though some coffeehouses use straight milk. You can skip this step, but it adds a nice texture (and otherwise the drink strays into iced coffee territory). There are a few tools for the job that are easy to use:
- Jar: You can simply place the milk in a covered jar and shake until it’s foamy!
- Handheld milk frother. If you already have a handheld milk frother for lattes, this is the best tool! It makes the thickest, creamiest frothed milk. See the recipe below for instructions.
- French press. If you have a French press, it’s also great for making foam! It makes a nice frothy foam with bubbles a little larger than the frother.
For the last two methods, it’s easiest to use more milk than the recipe calls for because it froths better with a larger quantity. You can save it to make more iced lattes. And that’s it! Let us know if you make this iced latte in the comments below.
How Much Caffeine Is In An Iced Latte?
A double shot of espresso has about 125 mg of caffeine, so that’s the total caffeine in an iced latte. For comparison, an 8-ounce cup of drip coffee is around 95 mg.
Ice Latte Variations
- Vanilla: Make a Iced Vanilla Latte by adding 2 to 3 teaspoons homemade vanilla syrup to this drink.
- Cold foam: Add a dollop of cold foam on top: it’s nonfat milk that makes a frothy topping for cold coffee drinks like iced coffee, cold brew, and more. This Starbucks invention simulates the frothy topping of the steamed milk in a latte.
- Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Espresso: This Starbucks special has cinnamon, brown sugar, and oat milk. Delicious!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, in flavor. Espresso is concentrated, so it tastes darker and more intense. In caffeine, it’s closer than you’d think: a double shot has about 125 mg, and a large iced coffee has a similar amount.
Ratio. An iced cappuccino has as little bit of milk and lots of cold foam. An iced latte has more frothed milk and no cold foam.
Cold milk doesn’t hold foam the way steamed milk does. That’s why iced latte foam is lighter and shorter-lived — and why cold foam exists if you want to add that!
Easy Iced Latte Recipe
Here’s how to make an iced latte at home with espresso, cold milk, and ice. This creamy, espresso-forward drink takes 10 minutes and tastes better than a coffee shop!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 drink 1x
- Category: Drink
- Method: Espresso
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten-Free, Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 2 shots espresso (2 ounces)
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup (or simple syrup)
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup whole or 2% milk (or oat milk for vegan)
- Ice (try clear ice!)
Instructions
- Make the espresso: Make the espresso using an espresso machine, manual espresso maker, or French press. (Alternatively, use Moka Pot coffee.)
- Froth the milk: Use one of the following methods:
- Jar method: Place the milk in a covered jar and shake until foamy.
- Milk frother: Use a handheld milk frother, which makes the frothiest milk. Place the milk in a tall container. Hold the container at an angle and turn on the frother. Move the frother up and down until foamy bubbles form, about 20 seconds or so. It’s easiest to use at least ½ cup milk (use the remainder for another iced latte).
- French press: Add the milk to a French press and pump using quick, short plunges until foamy bubbles form, about 30 seconds. It’s easiest to use ½ cup to 1 cup milk (use the remainder for more iced lattes).
- Add the espresso to ice-filled glass. Stir in the maple syrup and top with the frothed milk. Enjoy immediately.*
Notes
*Step it up and add a dollop of cold foam as a topping.
More Latte Recipes To Try
- Try my favorite Espresso Drinks
- Learn the classic: How to Make a Latte, or Latte Art Basics
- Go hot with a Vanilla Latte, Chai Latte, Pumpkin Spice Latte or Vegan Chai Latte
- Opt for ice with a Vanilla Chai Latte, Iced Chai Latte, or Iced Matcha Latte
- Try related drinks like the Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Espresso or Iced Cappuccino
Let us know if you have any questions!